In honor of Tina Turner’s recent passing and Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour, I give you a blog today about music.
There are countless others who have written eloquently about music. According to Leo Tolstoy, “Music is the shorthand of emotion.” Hans Christian Andersen wrote: “Where words fail, music speaks.” And William Shakespeare penned: “If music be the food of love, play on.”
While all true, I submit – less profoundly – that music also brings people together, activates brain function, and provides an escape.
My daughter knows the words to every song Taylor Swift has written. Her excitement about Swift’s recent tour cannot be overstated; she memorized the set list for the 3-hour-long performance, picked out a special outfit, made bracelets for trading, and lost her voice from shouting during the concert. She certainly wasn’t alone. The sold-out performances are drawing record-breaking crowds and uniting fans in celebration of Taylor Swift’s captivating music.
I remember the first rock concert I ever went to: Tina Turner’s 1985 tour stop at the Hartford Civic Center. Standing next to my father, I bopped awkwardly to “Private Dancer,” overwhelmed by the crowds and strobe lights and noise. A few years later, I saw Billy Joel perform and sang along to his many familiar songs. In my twenties, I enjoyed seeing country artists in smaller venues, which were a bit more my style.
Music, through its notes and words, can inspire or move us. It can bring us to tears, get us dancing, make us think. It can evoke memories, stir emotions, and bring peace. Certain songs transport me back to another time: sitting around a campfire at summer camp, my father playing 8-track tapes in his car, Friday night synagogue services, putting my kids to bed as babies, the first dance at my wedding. We each have a unique soundtrack of our lives.
Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, enhance mood, and boost memory, leading to improved mental health and quality of life. In fact, more than half of the 5,000 people surveyed from across India, Europe, and the U.S. reported using music to cope with emotional stress during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Throughout history, music has also served as a great uniter, fostering a sense of community and shedding light on important issues. The song “We Shall Overcome” became an anthem of the U.S. civil rights movement, offering comfort and hope and drawing attention to the ongoing racial injustice. The 1985 single “We are the World” brought together the era’s best artists to bring focus to the plight of poverty in Africa. The Jerusalem Youth Chorus is an Israeli-Palestinian project that unites people around a shared love of music.
The way we access music has changed dramatically in my lifetime. My father had a record collection of great rock-and-roll artists from the 1950s and 1960s. I grew up in an era of cassette tapes (oh the joy of making a mix tape for a friend – hours spent picking songs and getting the dubbing just right!) and later CDs. For my kids, it was first downloaded iPod songs and now content streaming on apps like Spotify, where for a subscription fee they can have the world’s entire music library at their fingertips. My Spotify playlist reveals mostly musical theater songs; my kids discover new artists with AI-driven recommendations in the app.
There are unique benefits associated with making music. Evidence suggests that musical training enhances various cognitive functions, including listening, focus, motor skills, and reasoning. Students who study instrumental music have been shown to perform better than non-musical peers in math, science, and language.
Despite such evidence, the commitment to music education varies around the world. In countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, music education is pervasive; in fact, students in Sweden are required to receive at least 230 hours of music instruction from grade one to nine. In the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia, music education varies among school districts. In the U.S., 92% of public school students have access to music education; 49% of all students participate during the school day. Those without access are predominantly in lower-income districts.
I took piano lessons as a young child, was an avid flute player from elementary school through high school, and had a short clumsy stint as a tuba player in my college marching band. But my most influential music experience was as a member of my middle school jazz band. The entire process – from grueling try outs to daily rehearsals to adjudicated competitions to performing at Disneyland – was a learning and growing experience for me. I became a better musician, sure, but I also gained confidence, was inspired by the work ethic of my peers, was held to a high standard by our conductor, and experienced what it was like to become a part of something bigger.
My three kids have, collectively, played recorder, viola, trumpet, guitar, piano, saxophone, and ukulele. They’ve taken lessons in school, lessons at home, and – starting during COVID – lessons online. They’ve practiced scales, struggled to master pieces, and lugged instruments onto school buses. As parents, we’ve attended countless band, orchestra, and choir concerts. And we’ve seen our children grow their skills, capabilities, and confidence. Whether or not they pick up an instrument as adults, I believe their experience learning music has helped shape who they are and given them a foundation for future learning.
