40,000 years ago, when humanity was in the early stages of creating ceramics, painting, and sculpting, people were also creating one of the most beloved arts in human history: music. Formed from two pieces of carved and hollowed-out mammoth ivory which were joined together and sealed, they created a flute which played on a five-note scale, according to The Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program. Since the Paleolithic era, the art of creating music remains a staple not only in history and science, but in the hearts and minds of humanity (humanorigins.si.edu).
Music can stimulate the brain. Anytime your favorite song plays, it makes you feel an emotion, whether it be a positive or negative one. “I listen to music based on what I am feeling at the moment. When I feel really happy I’ll listen to happier music. I use music as a way to direct my emotions,” said Music Club President and Senior Sophia Tamashiro. An article about the neural effects music has on the brain states that the limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memories, lights up when we perceive music. The same article explains that the chills one feels when hearing a resonating piece of music may be a result of dopamine. If familiar with a certain piece of music, dopamine can be released upon hearing just a few familiar notes from the song (pfizer.com).
There is vast diversity in music available to engage with. Using Spotify’s data, there are about 1,300 music genres (startlemusic.com). Among that number there is surely one that will appeal to each person. “Since fourth grade, I have been playing music, mainly orchestral. But around the beginning of [my] junior year, when I joined Music Club, I started playing what I wanted to play, which was rock music,” said Tamashiro. Music lives because there is always something for everyone. There are so many genres that can be explored. For the more romantic or the more nonsensical, music is flexible.
Music does not just have to be enjoyed by one’s self in a room; it can be enjoyed with another person, a group of friends, or even a stadium of people. Arguably, live music has a larger impact on people than music heard over a phone or headphones. A study at the University of Zurich found that a live performance stimulated a more active exchange of information in the whole brain, which points to strong emotional processing in the affective and cognitive parts of the brain (sciencedaily.com). Concerts are grandiose and intimate experiences at the same time. Whether it is in small venues like the Che Cafe or bigger ones like Petco Park, they all bring a deeper connection to music. When people come together from different corners of life to sing the same songs and to love the same artists, it is remarkable.
When I was little I always loved music. My mom would tune into alternative radio stations and those songs would enter my brain and excite me with passion and strong emotions. Now that I am older, it is clear that music has had an impact on me as a person. Music can soothe my worries; music can act as a stimuli; music can create and reactivate memories; music will always be too grand to understated.
The timelessness of music cannot be overstated. “Music is in every corner of our lives, in film, in grocery stores… I don’t think I know a single person who doesn’t listen to music on the regular. I listen to music everyday for at least six hours,” said Tamashiro. Music is important because it captures and dispenses human emotion. Music is diverse. Music can be enjoyed with others. It is everywhere and everybody loves it.. Music is natural, music is essential, and music is beautiful. “Even the birds sing,” said Tamashiro.