Imagine turning up your favorite song on the radio and being able to dance to it while no one is watching or playing your favorite instrument to brighten your mood. During our bustling lives, most of us struggle to enjoy our free time. Today, more than ever, music is popular across the internet due to its power over our emotions. Many musicians and music-lovers alike have discovered new ways to listen, learn, and connect with others through music during this time of social isolation.
Students across the globe, including our classmates at Germantown Academy, have recently utilized unique ways to express themselves through music. Live virtual performances, recorded performances, and online song collaborations are just some of the means by which these people are embracing their musical passions. Whether you are playing an instrument or enjoying a melody through a computer screen, research shows that music can have a powerful effect on you by releasing mood-elevating chemicals within the brain. Both dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical, and serotonin, sometimes referred to as the “happy” endorphin, boost the pleasure sensors in your brain, enabling you to reap the benefits of pure happiness. Regardless of whether you enjoy listening to your classmates’ songs or cranking up the volume to Drake’s new hits in the car, you’ll be happy to know that these jam sessions release oxytocin, a chemical which helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
During the pandemic, music continues to help millions of people through uncertain times. As described by the World Economic Forum, music helps us feel a sense of “belonging and participation” within our tense communities. With restraints on our socialization and life as we once knew it, we seek out norms that help to ease the uncertainty of these strange times. Music prevents the loneliness of isolation by giving people feelings of security, connection, and inclusion. We see people everywhere building comradery with music. For some, it even means connecting with others from the balconies of apartment buildings to create the sounds that spark a smile or offer a glimmer of hope for everyone. Rex Chapman, a pianist in Barcelona, brought his community together with one song. Take a look and listen HERE.
Clearly, music has provided a way for the GA community to stay connected while we all practice social distancing. Using musical collaborations, GA students have overcome disappointments, eased anxiety, and encouraged everyone to “not miss a beat” in the music of life. Music has given us a way to handle the challenges that we all face during this time of uncertainty. As we wind down the summer and look forward to coming together again, I implore you to lift your spirits, elevate your mood, and turn up the volume and embrace the form of social expression which unites the world.
References:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-music-covid-19-community/