Where do you go when you think… Where do you want to be? I asked my mother; what is your ideal place for reflecting? She answered; an island, that’s the type of person she is. I asked myself that same question but I don’t have an answer, I can reflect anywhere as long as I have music and movement, so I guess that’s my answer. I don’t have a specific place or destination I want to be while reflecting all I really need is music. How does music influence the mind where it leads you to reflect? I never plan to reflect, it just happens. Why music? I almost feel like if I don’t have music then I can’t reflect.  

This interests me because music is something I grew up with, since I was young I was surrounded by music, I played a lot of instruments throughout my school career and still play. 

I never noticed until now that the only time I truly reflect is only when I’m listening to music, it’s the only time I think about anything whether I’m sitting in my room, on the bus, or in the shower. No specific genre, just songs I like blasted in good headphones. Through these sources I expect to find what about music stimulates the mind to think, is it a scientific thing, is it a mind thing, is its character. 

Better than yesterday, “This Is Your Brain On Music”, Youtube, April 17,  2018. 

The author explains how music affects your brain. 

First, he speaks on how music is beneficial for brain development, mood, and learning. It’s used for many things such as sending a message of the mood in a movie scene in case it’s unclear, music enhances a scene. It has such an effect on the brain that even people with brain damage can read music but can’t read a paper. Someone who has a disability can become a master with the piano or guitar. Music also releases dopamine can give the same pleasure that sex and drugs.  

I agree with this source because I experience it brings my mood changing when I hear a song or if I’m doing something and listening to music I work so much better. When i’m watching a movie the music is part of  what excites me. I think it’s amazing how much of an impact music has mentally, this proves that music influences the mind to reflect. This source supports my question on how music influences the mind, specifically on how it’s beneficial for a lot of things such as the brain. To understand this article more I can simply do more research on the topic. 

His tone is assertive, his intended audience is musicians and any music lovers to inform them about the impact this has on people, and facts on the benefits of music. The genre of this source is a youtube video which makes sense for the intended audience because as a musician you would rather watch a video than read. The author seems credible because of his tone and delivery. 

“Through studies of people with brain damage, we’ve seen patients who have lost the ability, to read a newspaper, but can still read, but can still read music”

“Researchers have found that listening to music you like, increases blood flow to the brain more than listening to music you don’t like.” 

Markham Heid, “The Science Behind Music’s Impact On Creativity”, Time.com, July 16, 2019. 

UK researchers constructed an experiment where a wave of people completed a word puzzle, some listening to music in the background, some in silence. People who listened to music puzzles were more creative than those who didn’t. This proves that music can enhance your creativity. However, it can depend on the type of music for instance a more upbeat song will help with “Divergent thinking” rather than slow sad music. A theory is that music stimulates the brain in “ways that promote “flexible thinking,” which leads to unconventional or innovative ideas”. Other research has even shown that music can lower anxiety and improve your mood.  

I can relate to certain things they were saying such as music enhancing your creativity and improving your mood, I feel I work better when I listen to music, and music tends to make me happier, it’s something needed in my daily routine. When I used to write poetry I wrote better compared to other poems I wrote without music. When writing certain things and listening to music, I feel more connected to it emotionally. This source gives me more scientific facts to support my question and I find it credible.

The tone is informative, the intended audience is artists and students. The purpose of this source is to enlighten the audience of the proven benefits music has on the brain. The genre is an article which makes sense for the audience due to the proven information.

“listening to music can stimulate the brain’s default mode network”

“listening to “happy” music—defined as classical tunes… helped people perform better on tasks that involved “divergent” thinking”.

“How Does Music Affect Your Mood?” AIMM Blog, Atlanta Institute Of Music And Media, aimm.edu, August 2nd, 2019.

The author speaks on music therapy, how music boosts our mood and it changes the way we perceive the world. Without music life wouldn’t be the same, music is a part of our everyday lives, when you’re traveling or going for a run you play music. Through study and experiments it was proven that listening to music improves your mood and happiness overall. Music doesn’t only benefit you emotionally but can benefit you physically, in the source it states “ The individuals that listened to music during surgery required less pain medication than those that did not enjoy music.” It can also help with chronic conditions, heart rate, self-esteem and confidence.  He/she also encourages artists to make music so people can create happiness.

I can relate to this source when the author spoke on self-confidence and esteem. When I listen to certain music I feel better about myself and more confident. Not to say I have low self-esteem it brings out more. During photo shoots people tend to play music now I see why, it brings out more confidence in yourself, it lifts the mood. When I’m sad I also tend to play music but sad music I feel like the song understands me, even though the song is sad I end up feeling better. This source gave me more physical facts to support my research question.

The tone of this source is informative and persuasive. The purpose of this source is to inspire the audience on how beneficial music is and how it can help you with things you never thought it could. The genre is a blog post, this source seems credible because they cite where they got their information from. I like the writing style because it was written as if the author was speaking to the audience.

“Music can also help with chronic conditions, including dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.”

“The beat of the song you’re listening to can even influence your heart rate, and when people sing together, their breathing often becomes synchronized, producing positive emotions.”

Dr. Jenny Brockis, “How Does Music Make You Feel”, Drjennybrockis.com, March 14, 2016.

She speaks on how listening to music activates areas of the brain “including those associated with movement, planning, attention and memory.” And that “Listening to music we enjoy stimulates the release of dopamine that makes us feel rewarded.”  Music can also affect how well you concentrate on a task. In a video in the source a man speaks on how when he listens to music while working he’s more focused rather than not listening to music. He says silence leads to distraction. Of Course it all depends on the type of music, Jenny recommends Classical music, pop, Ambient and Dance music.  

I can relate to this source because when I’m working and listening to music I’m more focused and get alot done, as if listening to music makes me work faster. When I used to work out it was the music pushing me to finish even when I was tired. This source tells me that it’s emotions that lead me to reflect while listening to music, my mood changing leading me to think happy or sad thoughts, leading me to think about memories. Leading me to reflect.

The tone is informative, the intended audience is adults and students with the purpose to inspire people to start listening to music when working on something and be more selective on the type of music you play. The genre is a blog post, This source is credible because of the youtube video posted with people speaking on how music affects them. I like the writing style because it’s engaging, I didn’t get bored while reading it.

“When we listen to music, multiple areas of the brain are activated including those associated with movement, planning, attention and memory.”

“Music connects us at a deeper level with each other, which is why we love going to concerts, dance parties and singing together.” 

In conclusion, I learned a lot throughout my research, each source gave me different information with an overall main idea. I learned about how music affects you mentally, emotionally, and physically. What surprised me was how much of an impact music has and people barely realize it, it boosts your creativity, it can change your mood and improve your heart rate.  These sources deepend my thinking on my research question because a lot I already knew but never realized how helpful music can be. I think what I learned is important because I’m more aware of what music can do for me, so I’ll be more selective on the type of music I listen to and when. Whenever I sketch or write something I’d want music playing more often. It’s also important for other people to know such as artists because the music they make has such an impact it’s good to be aware of that and will probably influence their music for the better. Other hands-on artists should know because it can help and inspire their products, if they feel stuck or conflicted play some music. Also, students should know during projects and assignments we tend to procrastinate and get lost. Maybe music will help them with dealing with work and potentially make it better. When I was younger I was told to not listen to music when you’re doing work, “You’ll get distracted” or  “You won’t focus”. However, music can help with just that, as I was writing an entry I was listening to music and got a lot done in a little amount of time.