By Mariah Gillespie

What is it about Mozart's melodies that make us stop and really listen? Why does belting out your favorite tune at the top of your lungs feel so exhilarating? And how is it possible that hearing a particular song, whether from a wedding, a prom, a break-up, or a funeral, can bring tears to your eyes in a matter of seconds?

(As if you haven’t heard this phrase enough lately)…just follow the science! When we listen to music, our brains release dopamine, which makes us happy. Our brains love patterns, and music IS a series of patterns—that’s why we usually don’t enjoy music we aren’t familiar with (such as jazz). If we can’t predict what chord, rhythm, melody, or harmony comes next, we become bored.

And, as you know, happiness isn’t the only emotion music has the power to arouse. Listening to music can trick our brains into thinking we’re hearing speech, which is why it can cause us to feel ALL the feels. As humans, we have evolved to discern when those around us are happy, sad, angry, or scared (empathy). One of the ways that we make those discernments is through a person’s tone of voice, or speech. For example, higher-pitched voices generally convey happiness, and quivering voices often emerge from those who are scared. Music, then, can be thought of as an exaggerated version of speech. Because music doesn’t just have pitch (high or low); it has quality (major or minor, meaning happy or sad), articulation (staccato or legato, meaning short or smooth), dynamics (forte or piano, meaning loud or soft) and a plethora of other qualities that contribute to the emotions that are conjured when we hear a piece of music.

Ask your child why he/she loves music! We would love to read about it. If they are so inspired, have them write or type out their response to “Why I Love Music,” snap a photo of it, and send it to mariah@msmariahsmusic.com.

We are looking forward to giving away 3 Ms Mariah’s Music bags to 3 kids who participate! (Any age, any grade, any format, written, typed, colored, etc.)

Here are 13 more reasons (<—cute graphics; my fav is #4 #tswiftandwine) we love music:

Music kicks in every time words fail. Haven’t we all told our special someone how we feel through a song?
It’s your only constant companion while traveling. Plug in your ear phones and disconnect with the commotion around.
Music binds us even in diversity. You may not understand a language, and yet the song moves you deeply.
On several occasions a song becomes synonymous to a loved one. It often defines all the emotions you’ve ever shared.
Music is also an instant mood lifter. You have a happy list, a sad list, a drinking list…
What is the one thing without which long drives on rainy afternoons would be a fail?
Bollywood more than any other industry thrives on its music. Our films are mostly long musical sagas.
…And our shaadis are as filmy as our films
It’s in fact hard to fathom any celebration without factoring music. Birthdays, Christmas and even the good old bhajans.
It doesn’t matter if you can sing or not. But no one can stop you from singing when you want to.
Music is the key to creativity. Most people working in a creative environment believe good music is crucial.
Studies also suggest that music in the near future will have the ability to heal Parkinson’s and speech disorders.
Most importantly, music is spiritual. It taps into a certain part of you than needs to be awakened once in a while.

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2726

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.806174

Why I Love Music Bag Giveaway