How Music Contributes to the Wellbeing - Coursework Example

How music contributes to my wellbeing: a personal playlist al affiliation How music contributes to my wellbeing: a personal playlist Introduction Music is an incredible form of expression and a tool for social cohesion. Music is also very beneficial to personal growth, health, and the wellbeing of the listener. The issue of wellbeing can be approached from a subjective perspective that views individual wellbeing as relating to factors such as self-concept and personality (White, 2010). In this regard, I have created a playlist of songs that have contributed towards my own wellbeing. My playlist is made up of songs that encourage people to stand up or their rights, to appreciate the beauty of life, and not to take people and things for granted. Essentially, the playlist motivates me to be comfortable with who I am, not to succumb to fear, to have a positive outlook towards life, and to be thankful of the people who make my life worthwhile. The process of creating this playlist was informed by songs that have helped me overcome different types of challenges in life. The songs are arranged according to the importance they have played in my life in as far as my making me a better person and my overall wellbeing is concerned. Marley, B. (1980). Redemption Song. On Uprising (CD). New York: Island Records. Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” is a solo recorded acoustic song with very interesting aspects. The beat in the intro is quite unique in that it seems disposable and is not repeated again throughout the song. The rhythms seem syncopated. The song ends on an unusual beat. The limited use of instruments in the song, considering that only an acoustic guitar is used further enhances the mood of the song. Bob’s tempo increases towards the bridge as if he is trying to really force a message on the listener. According to Sylvan (2002), although some songs are not religious in nature, they contain somewhat spiritual and religious messages. This song is one of those songs that helps me to identify with my inner self and focus on aspects of my spirituality thus improving my wellbeing. Siffre, L. (1987). Something Inside So Strong. On So Strong (CD).London, England: Atlantic Records. According to White (2010), the ability of people to achieve wellbeing usually depends on their geographical settings. Labi sang this song as a protest to apartheid and in a bid to encourage black people in South Africa not to give up despite the oppressive political environment. The vocals in this song are simply amazing. Labi has such a wide vocal range that it is difficult not to be drawn to the song even as a first time listener. The song serves as a form of encouragement to me whenever I feel like certain conditions are inhibiting my personal growth. I sing along to the song and I learn how to derive strength from my inner self and not to rely on other people to define my identity. Marley, B.(1973). Get Up Stand Up. On Burnin’ (CD).New York: Island Records. Bergh & Sloboda (2010) write that some songs are composed and sung with the intention of resolving conflicts or empowering oppressed people. “Get Up Stand Up” is one such song that urges people to stand up for their rights and not to allow others to oppress them. The song is characterized by a lot of repetition, rhyme, and syntax. The repetition sets the mood for the song which essentially is to make the listener aware of the importance of fighting for one’s rights. Bob’s voice is so powerful that even the fast tempo of the song does not distract the listener from the message being conveyed in the vocals. “Get up stand up” is the hook phrase that allows the listener to identify with the urgency in Bob’s voice on the need to be courageous. When things get tough, the song, particularly the phrase “don’t give up the fight” encourage me to push on towards the attainment of my dreams. Thiele, B., &Weiss, G. (1967).What A Wonderful Life [Recorded By Louis Armstrong]. On What A Wonderful World (CD). New York: ABC Records. According to Macdonald, Kruetz, & Mitchell (2012), music can be used as a distraction from the challenges and bad experiences encountered in life. In this song, Armstrong’s voice is laid back and helps convey a positive mood throughout the song. The song has a non-obtrusive rhythm which is accentuated by piccolo solos. The pace of the song is very slow, thus making the listener feel calm and really appreciate the things that people take for granted in life. The use of instruments, such as the piano, enhances the relaxed and peaceful mood characteristic of the song. On days when I wakeup and feel like I do not want to do anything, like nothing is working out, I usually listen and sing along to this song and the vocals and the instrumentals remind me that I should be grateful for life and that gives me the motivation to go through my day. Bacharach, B., & Sager, C. (1985). That’s What Friends Are For [Recorded By Dionne Warwick And Friends]. On Friends (CD). Nashville: Arista Records Inc. Batt-Rawden & DeNora (2005) write that music allows people to connect with others, thus allowing them to derive certain synergies from other people to help them through tough times. The song by Dionne and friends is a melodious, low tempo song that brings to the fore the beauty and importance of friendship. The hook in the song is the phrase “that’s what friends are for” and it serves to remind the listener that friendship is an invaluable gift. The terminal rhymes in the song give it a melodious and peaceful sound that makes one believe that with friends, life can be easy and happy. Davidson (2008) writes that singing in a group increases the chances for social bonding and the strengthening of relationships. In line with this, whenever my finds come over to my house, we listen to the song; sing together, albeit with our really bad vocals, but in the end, our friendship is strengthened. Steinberg, B. &Kelly, T. (1986).True Colours [Recorded By Cyndi Lauper].On True Colours (CD).Columbia: CBS. According to Batt-Rawden & DeNora, & Ruud (2005), listening to music increases one’s sense of self-development and wellbeing. “True Colours” is a simple and straightforward song that is sung in a low tempo and has a melodic sound to it. Cyndi has such a powerful voice which varies throughout the song to make a certain connection with the listener. The song starts on a low, sad note depicting someone whose self-esteem is low but as the song progresses and nears the end, Cyndi’s voice changes to a high tone that depicts self-confidence. The song uses a lot of repetition of the words “true colours” to urge the listener not to afraid or ashamed of who they are and to let the world know their true identity. The song helped me a lot during my adolescent years and enabled me to be myself and not be influenced by peer pressure and act as a different person. Jovi, B., Sambora, R., & Martin, Max. (2000). It’s My Life [Recorded by Bon Jovi]. On Crush (CD). New York: Island Records. Macdonald, Kruetz & Mitchell (2012) write that music affects our emotions in such a way that people listen to different kinds of music according to their states of mind. Essentially, this means that music can be used to assess determine the psychological state of the listener. The instrumentation in the song is amazing considering how the piano, the drums, and the guitar all bring a certain harmony to the song. The song has a very fast tempo that makes the listener feel energetic. The song has a moderate rhythm and the pitch is considerably low. The song is introduced by a piano and it is not until the fifth bar when the singing starts. The progression from the piano to singing is very interesting considering how once the singer starts singing, all the other instruments stop playing and the singer has a solo for around three seconds. The ending is also very catchy in the way that the instruments continue playing after the vocals are over, then the instruments stop playing is a slow progression until none is left playing. Just like the song “True Colours”, “It’s MyLife” encourages me not to be afraid of whom I am and to know that I cannot please everyone with the way I live my life. Warsame, K. Waving Flag. (2009). On Troubadour (Digital Download).New York: A&M Octone Records. In Levitin’s (2008) classification of songs, “Wavin Flag” fits in the category of comfort songs, considering that K’naan sings about the hope for a better future for the children of Somalia and the disadvantaged people around the world. The rhythm of the song is catchy and easy to follow and relates well to the lyrics. For example, in the first stanza, the words throne, Rome, prone, zone, home, and known all rhyme to give the song that catchy tone. In line with the rhythm, the song also uses a lot of pulses which are repeated often, thus making the song have a meter of four groups and adding the rhythmic nature of the song. The song has a chorus, two stanzas, and two bridges. The chorus is the song’s hook as it is catchy, easy to remember, and sounds a bit amplified in order to catch the audience’s attention. The tempo is neither fast-paced nor slow-paced; rather the beat feels neutral and allows the listener to hear the lyrics well. Elofsson, J., Tamposi, A., &Gamson, D. (2011).Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) [Recorded By Kelly Clarkson]. OnStronger (CD Single).New York: RCA. Beckmann (2013) writes that people, and in particular adolescents use music to help them cope with various situations in life. In this song, Kelly sings about a painful breakup that could have otherwise crushed her but she chooses to derive strength from her inner self and move on with life. The song has a high tempo that gives the song a strong, melody and makes the listener really feel the power in the message. Kelly’s vocals are also very powerful ranging from the soft appeal of the chorus to the near shout towards the end of the song. The relevance of this range of vocals is that it relates so well to the lyrics considering the process of recovery from a bad situation. At the beginning, Kelly sounds sad that the relationship is over, but as the song progresses, she becomes stronger and by the end she is confident that she will survive. This song helped me cope with some defamatory rumors about me. At first, learning about the rumors was devastating and I felt like I could not face anyone but listening to the song gave me the strength to cope and eventually the rumors were dispelled. Adams, W., Timberlake, J., Gomez, J., Pineda, A., Board, P., Fratantuno, M., Pajon, G., &Curtis, J. (2003).Where Is The Love[Recorded By Black Eyed Peas]. On Elephunk (CD Single).New York: will.i.am. According to Ansdell (2010), music can be used as a means towards community integration and to bring about a sense of togetherness among people. The song “where is the love” challenges people to stop fighting, oppressing others, and allowing social divisions. The phrase “where is the love?” is the hook of the song as it resounds in the listener’s head and just by those four words the listener can tell that the song is about lack of harmony. The song also uses a lot of rhyming, particularly terminal rhymes to attract and sustain the interest of the listener. The tempo in this song is somewhat fast and catchy thus giving the song a melodic sound that the listener identifies with. Listening to the song encourages me to become a better person and to love all people regardless of their race, socio-economic status, and religion among other differences. Conclusion The wellbeing of an individual mostly relies on positive emotions and character traits. In moments when a person has negative emotions, their character becomes altered and their general wellbeing is at risk. However, research has shown that music does help in the restoration and sustenance of an individual’s wellbeing. The above discussed songs vary in genre and lyrics but they all serve the same purpose, which is to ensure my general wellbeing. All these songs have helped me become a more confident person, especially the song “True Colours” and “It’s my life”. Other songs such as “Redemption Song”, “Get Up Stand Up”, “Where is the Love”, and “Wavin Flag” bring out a sense of duty to fight for what I believe in and not to lose hope in the pursuit of my dreams. In as far as self-worth and confidence is concerned, songs like “Something Inside So Strong”, and “Stronger (What doesn’t Kill You)” are my favorites in terms of ensuring that I am mentally healthy and ready to obstacles. Other songs such as “What a Wonderful Life” and “That’s what Friends are for” are songs that remind me of the positive things that life has to offer. Almost all the songs in the playlist basically contain a message about overcoming sadness that is brought about by various challenges. The flipside of listening to sad songs according to Garrido & Schubert (2013) is that reflective people like me use it for reflection purposes such as reflecting on particular life events. In particular, this playlist sort of gives me the emotional power to get through life. The disadvantage with emotionally-oriented listening of music is that it can lead to depression, for example, in my case, if things do not go according to the way the songs portray them. Basically, what I mean is that although it is good to derive power from music, giving music too much control over my life can lead to mental health problems. References Adams, W., Timberlake, J., Gomez, J., Pineda, A., Board, P., Fratantuno, M., Pajon, G., & Curtis, J. (2003). Where Is The Love [Recorded By Black Eyed Peas]. On Elephunk (CD Single). New York: will.i.am. Ansdell, G. (2010). Belonging Through Musicing: Explorations of Musical Community. In Stige, Ansdell, Elefant & Pavlicevic. Where Music Helps: Community Music Therapy In Action And Reflection. Surrey: Ashgate. 41-45. Bacharach, B., & Sager, C. (1985). That’s What Friends Are For [Recorded By Dionne Warwick And Friends]. On Friends (CD). Nashville: Arista Records Inc. Batt-Rawden, K. &Denora, T. (2005). Music and Informal Learning in Everyday Life, Music Education Research, 7 (3), 289-304. Batt-Rawden, K., Denora, T. & Ruud, E. (2005). Music Listening and Empowerment In Health Promotion: A Study of the role and Significance of Music in Everyday Life of the Long-Term Ill, Nordic Journal Of Music Therapy, 14 (2), 120-136.  Beckmann, H. B. (2013). Music, Adolescents and Health: Narratives About How Young People Use Music as a Health Resource in Daily Life. Center for Music and Health Publication Series, 6(5), 95-116. Bergh, A., & Sloboda, J. (2010). Music and Art in Conflict Transformation: A Review. In Music and Arts in Action, 2 (2), 1-17. Davidson, Jane W. (2008). Singing For Self-Healing, Health And Wellbeing. MCA Music Forum, 14(2), 29-33. Elofsson, J., Tamposi, A., &Gamson, D. (2011). Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) [Recorded By Kelly Clarkson]. On Stronger (CD Single). New York: RCA. Garrido, S., & Schubert, E. (2013). Adaptive and maladaptive attraction to negative emotion in music. Musicae Scientiae, 17(2), 147–166. Jovi, B., Sambora, R., & Martin, Max. (2000). It’s My Life [Recorded by Bon Jovi]. On Crush (CD). New York: Island Records. Levitin, D. J. (2008). Love (Chapter 7). In the World In Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature. London: Dutton. Macdonald, R., Kreutz, G. & Mitchell, L. (2012). What Is Music, Health and Wellbeing and Why is it Important? In R. Macdonald, G. Kreutz& L. Mitchel (Eds.), Music, Health, and Wellbeing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Marley, B. (1973). Get Up Stand Up. On Burnin’ (CD). New York: Island Records. Marley, B. (1980). Redemption Song.On Uprising (CD). New York: Island Records. Siffre, L. (1987). Something Inside So Strong.On So Strong (CD). London, England : Atlantic Records. Steinberg, B., & Kelly, T. (1986).True Colours [Recorded By Cyndi Lauper].On True Colours (CD). Columbia: CBS. Sylvan, R. (2002).Traces of the Spirit: The Religious Dimensions of Popular Music. New York: New York University Press. Thiele, B., & Weiss, G. (1967). What A Wonderful Life [Recorded By Louis Armstrong]. On What A Wonderful World (CD). New York: ABC Records. Warsame, K. (2009). Waving Flag. On Troubadour (Digital Download). New York: A&M Octone Records. White, S. C. (2010). Analysing Wellbeing: A Framework for Development Practice. Development in Practice, 20 (2), 158-172. Read More