S1: E32 Musical Health

Season One
Episode 32
Musical Health



TRANSCRIPT NOTES
Please note: these are notes from the podcast episode, but not a completed transcript.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the summer health series so far!  Today’s topic is all about our musical health. As musicians and educators, we spend much of our time thinking about what we will teach, how we will teach it, what resources we need to create to aid in the learning of students, and choosing repertoire.  These are all supports for helping students see themselves as musicians and continuing to be musicians ourselves. We spend so much of our time creating lesson materials that support the musical learning in our classrooms and that is important. I would say that spending time developing the musicality within students and continuing it ourselves, is equally if not even more important.  Sometimes I’ve found that I’ll spend more time creating the visuals for my board or manipulatives than I would on thinking through the musical aspects of what I want my kids to sound like, what I sound like, and the musical aspects of the lesson. I don’t want to lose my love for music making as a result of getting bogged down by all the extras that I think are required in order to be an amazing teacher.  It’s important for us to find ways to continue to maintain our musical health as educators and not just for the sake of educating others. Yes, that’s something we strive towards and that is always at the forefront of our minds because we know how music has affected our lives and we want others to experience music in amazing ways as well.  

However, just like other areas of health, it’s easy to let our musical abilities lessen over time because we pour more time into teaching than we do into our personal musicianship.  My piano skills are embarrassingly a result of this! I can still play piano - chording, hymns, some classical pieces, but sight reading is not as easy as it used to be. Last year I played the piano accompaniment for a piece during my Kodaly Levels course that a few years ago I could have sight-read no problem and instead I found that I struggled.  It was awful and I was incredibly embarrassed by it. And it made me realize I needed to spend more time honing that skill because being able to play the piano well matters to me and I love it so much. But I just don’t take the time to practice and play like I used to because… life. And I continue to desire to give more energy into personal musicianship because I love how I feel when I make good music, I want to be able to be a great teacher and musical example for my students, and because I want to continually improve my musicianship from where it is now.

I’m going to share two areas of Musical Health that are beneficial to all of us - not just educators.  I hope you find an idea or two of something you can do to make music in a way that brings emotional, physical, and joyful health to you.  The first area I’ll talk about is the health benefits of music. In the second area of musical health, I’ll share three ways that you can improve your personal musical health.

Health Benefits of Music

This may be completely obvious, but music is healthy for us and improves our lives.  

1. Improves our moods

-The brain releases endorphins when we listen to music that we like.  Upbeat music can bring joy. A study in 2013 in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their happiness in just two weeks.

And music can comfort us.

An article in Healthline shares that a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people tend to prefer sad music when they’re experiencing a deep interpersonal loss (like the end of a relationship) and that it’s suggested that sad music provides a substitute for the lost relationship - like having a friend around who understands what you’ve gone through.

One of our favorite things to do in the car is jam out to 80s music from our childhood.  We introduce the girls to songs that were meaningful to us and they’ve even now begun to learn some of them because they’ve heard it enough.  We end up singing loudly and laughing and I find it so much fun.

2. Emotional benefits - self expression and a method of therapy

Music has strong emotional qualities and can be a powerful way for us to express ourselves.  We can show these qualities through melody, dynamic ranges, harmonic qualities, and tempo as tools to display our feelings.  For those who struggle with speech related challenges, music can be an effective form on self-expression.  

Music therapy techniques for self-expression can include improvisation techniques, composition, and sharing of music that is personally relevant.  

3. Listening to music can release stress and anxiety

This is especially been found to be true if the music is slower and has no lyrics.  There are particular songs I love to listen to when I’m stressed because of what the lyrics say or how the melody moves me.

4. Improves memory

There are studies that have been done on those who have dementia and other memory loss struggles.  Music can be a significant way to bring life and joy to their lives. A documentary called Alive Inside came out in 2014.  The film follows Alan Cohen, a social worker, as he visits with people who have dementia and brings music to them. The method is really simple - he asks the family members to list songs that the person loved and makes a playlist/album of the songs.  Then the person listens to the songs. These songs open up memories for the people and some of them who were unable to speak begin to sing and dance while others begin to share stories about their experiences with the music. In an article by Harvard Health Publishing, the author shares that listening to and performing music reactivates areas of the brain associated with memory, reasoning, speech, emotion, and reward.  

Researchers at the music and neuro-imaging lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that people who have a stroke or brain injury that has damaged the left-brain region responsible for speech can learn to speak their thoughts by singing them first because the singing ability originates in the undamaged right side of the brain.  Starting with singing allows them to communicate verbally and after a while some can then drop the melody and begin to speak again.

Many educators use music as a way to remember math facts, the order to the scientific method, and how the water cycle works.  Music can also be associated with life experiences and we’re building future memories through what we are listening to now.

5. Soothes babies… lack of lullabies.  We need to help build positive thinking around our thoughts about our ability to sing and help our students believe they can sing so that they feel more confident as adults to sing to their children.
6. Motivate you to have a better workout.  I believe there’s a reason that music with a clear pumping steady beat and pulse is used in workout classes.  I’ve done two Pure Barre classes and love them! The music they play directly correlates with the type of movements being done and when the beat drops, you know that you’re in a specific portion of heart pumping goodness.  Music can boost our mental and physical stimulation. And it can enhance our exercise experiences and even increase overall performance. I find this to be true when I run. I have specific playlists for runs. Many times I like to play particular songs for shorter, faster runs and others for longer distances where I know I’ll need more stamina.  Creating your own playlists that you can use for specific workouts is one way you can have a better workout! It’s much more enjoyable if you can listen to the music you like.

Musical Health 

1. 1. Practice your musical craft.  Including practicing musical pieces you’re teaching students. 
   2. Make music for the joy of making music (not just for educational purposes or learning - do it because you love it)
2. 3. Sing!  We all have this instrument within us.  Deep breathing required to sing well and we don’t often take the time to do this when we’re not thinking about our regular breathing throughout the day.