Why is music important?

Coffee shops are renowned for providing the potent drink that lures students and workers who seek to increase their productivity levels. However, today, they also contribute the atmosphere. Almost all coffee shops have music playing, a background to the quiet chatter and typing of keyboards. Coffee shops are only one example of how people identify music with a relaxing atmosphere. Music is an essential for productivity levels. It is a key player in reducing levels of stress and anxious thoughts that might intrude over the course of an individual’s studies. However, not all music allows the listener to be calm and focused. Past experiences with or knowledge of a music piece may contribute as a distraction rather than a clutch for productivity levels. Well then, it must be asked if there is a genre of music that could fit for all audience types independent of their past experiences with music. In this paper, I will argue that the music to listen to is ambient music. An example of this musical genre is the sounds that one might hear as one walks through a park on a rainy day. I will demonstrate that ambient music is more efficient in achieving higher productivity levels as opposed to other genres, and that ambient music is much better than having no music at all, or silence.

The environment in which an individual studies or is being taught is an important factor when obtaining new information. Dr. Masaru Emoto, a distinguished researcher, has proven that different genres of music affect the structure of water. The water when subjected to different tones and words by the researcher also reacted differently. For example, for each container Dr. Emoto spoke to the water softly and to another harshly, played sweet melodies to one while for another strong beats and erratic notes, and spoke positive words of encouragement to one while saying reprimanding words to the other. The water was frozen to observe the formation of crystals. The water which experienced the soft words, sweet melodies, and words of encouragement saw beautiful crystal structures resembling that of the ideal snowflakes found in films. The water which experienced harsh words, hard beats and notes, and reprimanding words all saw disfigured crystals with no clear pattern or structure. If water reacts this way, then the environment for a human being, composed mainly of water, is also very important. Positive stimulus must be present when learning. Music is one such positive stimulus.

Music is a stimulant to one of the body’s five senses, hearing. Hearing different noises can affect the body in many ways. One of the main areas music acts to stimulate is the reduction of stress levels.  In an article, Amy Clements-Cortes, a music therapist, explains that music reduces stress through lowering the heart rate and by lowering blood pressure. To learn new information, a person must be rid of distractions (Clements-Cortes 2011). Too many distractions are a source of stress. Excess stress then can lead to metabolic disorders. As an auditory stimulant, music signals the perceptual system in the body. The perceptual system is always alert of an individual’s surroundings. Auditory stimuli that is perceived as dangerous leads to an increased activation of the central nervous system. According to a review on the emotional responses to music, Juslin and Vastfjall lists the way music is perceived  psychologically. First there is a brain stem reflex which stimulates body reaction such as a faster heart beat. Evaluative conditioning is another response to music. When there is negative or positive stimuli introduced each time a specific sound is played, that sound produces an emotion in the listener.The third is emotional contagion. The tempo of the music, the pitch, and sound level could replicate in the listener a similar feeling. Images appear as one listens to music and this is referred to as visual imagery. When someone feels nostalgic during a song and recalls a memory as they listen to music this can be referred to as episodic memory. Finally, musical expectancy is the predictability of the music. If the music follows with a note that is unexpected, or out-of-the blue, the listener will be surprised (Justin &Vastfjall 2008).

According to the AudioReputation article on ambient music, the genre was first conceived with the introduction of the synthesizer. The first known ambient music was heard in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. In the article “Appreciating ambient”, the genre is described as that “without any vocals, lyrics, beats, grooves, song structure, or linear movement” (Moyer 2014) . As discussed in the paragraph above, the perceptual system would not regard ambient music as a threat. While the audience would still appreciate the timbral tones and the unique harmony of the ambient genre, the music remains in the background without stimulating the central nervous system. Along with the sound of the synthesizer, natural sounds are also incorporated into the music. These sounds include the chirping of birds, the movement of water or wind, rain or thunder with variance in the strength of the rain falling, as well as others.

 The sounds are easily recognizable and no thinking needs to be utilized by the listener to determine the next measure or next note of the music. Most of the ambient music posted on YouTube as well as other social media sites follow one theme, thus requiring little variance. In conjunction with Juslin’s and Vastfjall’s emotional responses to music, ambient music allows for pleasant listening. In the brain stem reflex it signals no danger. Because of the positive stimuli associated with most of nature, such as a vacation spot or a  hot drink when it is raining, the genre leads to a feeling of peace and comfort. The drawn out sounds of nature, the low pitch, low sounds allow also for a thoughtful and somnolent emotion. These emotions allow for the music to stay in the background. When listening to ambient music one is reminded of many scenes of nature. These are memorable because they build a calm atmosphere in the mind.There is a predictability in the music because in ambient music there is no element of surprise. Thus, ambient music is low in sound, easily predictable due to its repetitive nature, and soft timbral music allows for the relaxation of the individual from other dangerous stimuli.

To determine whether ambient music is better than complete silence, one must determine why silence is not a reasonable atmosphere to have when studying. One common sound that most studiers seek is complete silence. During finals week, there are hordes of students, their anxieties and fear taut like a wrung towel, seen around the library in the hopes of finding complete silence. However, even in the library one finds oneself listening to the sound of coughing or sneezing, the turning of pages, and maybe even the occasional snore. Even though these noises exist, they do not persuade anyone to leave the library. In fact, there are no completely silent zones in a library unless an individual wears excellent sound cancelling headphones, or if someone is isolated in a soundproofed room. However, the silence that many seek is not entirely welcoming to the brain. Silence, according to a documentary done by Veritasium and published on YouTube, has the possibility of driving people crazy. The anechoic chamber at Birmingham University was used as the testing room to determine if , the documenter, could withstand silence for over an hour. While the documenter did successfully complete the challenge, within minutes he was talking to himself (and the camera). Through his monologue one can see the progression of his thoughts become more self-conscious and more aware. A better documentary can be conducted as to whether the documenter could actually work in the room. Another example of silence causing unnecessary thoughts and evils is within the book The Name of the Roseby Umberto Eco. The entire premise of the book can be argued to be that noises are better than complete silence. The book begins in a monastery whose silence broods with hatred among the monks leading to murders and ends with a big sound, the sound of the monastery falling in a big heap of fire as everyone learns of the secrets behind the murders. While the monks are extremely studious, working as illuminators and scribes within the silent walls of the monastery, laughter and chatter were forbidden. Naturally, the silence increases the tense feeling among the monks, and each monk exhibits increasing anxiety throughout the book. Thus, the example illustrates that complete silence only increases tensions and does not seek to remedy anxious thoughts. In summary, the average brain is always hungry for sound. Unless an individual is accustomed to silence from the day they were born there is little chance that the brain can adapt to silence.

As opposed to other music, ambient music is predictable. The natural sounds of pouring rain, crackling fire, wind rattling through old shutters are commonplace sounds that humans have heard. As in King Lear, nature unites everyone, both fool and intelligent, and king and commoner. The universality of ambient sounds allows ambient music to be relatable. According to Juslin et al., one of the reasons people listen to music is to match their emotions with the music. Because many understand nature to be free, expansive, and all-knowing, individuals may move toward ambient music when they study. When a person wishes to learn new information for a class or for a job assignment, their wish for pleasant emotions will help the brain to recall nature and, thus, ambient music.

While ambient music may be an answer to the genre of music a student should listen to when they work, there remains a few challenges. Ambient music has only been recently produced compared to other genres of music such as classical, pop, or folk to name a few. While the internet has propagated the usage of ambient music, there was never a large following. The music of the genre is seen as boring and commonplace. Ambient music is not a source of entertainment. The reasons stated above force the music into the background, literally. Much effort would be needed to devote one’s full attention to the music. However,more importance should be seen among audiences on the universality of ambient music and its possibility as an effective tool for studying.

In addition to music there are many environmental factors to consider when learning. Even if an individual is playing ambient music, there are four other senses that are receiving stimuli as well. Positive reinforcement from teachers and fellow colleagues will enhance the amount of information retained. Study techniques are perhaps even more important than a relaxing atmosphere. Efficiency is key in learning new information and to retain information for the long term. There are some illnesses which may inhibit the effect of music on decreasing stress and preventing external stimuli. One example is Attention Deficiency and Hypersensitivity Disorder. Further studies need to be conducted to determine if ambient music is effective for these individuals.

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