The power of music is one not to be reckoned with. How many listen to music while studying? Getting ready in the morning? Driving to and from school, work or simply the grocery store? Music does wonders for some, and gets others through the day, second by second. It is amazing how much music influences our everyday lives and shows our personalities.

Listening to upbeat, empowering music in the morning (like any Beyoncé song) while in the shower and getting yourself ready for the day can make the entire day, if not at least the morning, much better. You feel more confident in your appearance and decisions and feel ready to rock the world after leaving the house. Listening to softer, calmer classical music (i.e. Beethoven, Bach, or Yo-Yo Ma) while studying, working or while napping can increase focus and productivity. Listening to anything like rap or rock and roll, anything heavy, really, (Twenty One Pilots, Kiss, ACDC) while on the way home from a long day at school or work majorly relieves stress. Sometimes screaming out lyrics alone in the car is all the therapy one needs.

Something even better than listening to music is playing music. Learning to play an instrument does not only give one a sense of accomplishment, but also give you a new talent and a hobby to spend lots of time doing. Whether it’s guitar, clarinet, cello, piano, drums or any other instrument out there, learning to play is highly worth your time. One of the best things of being in band and playing a band or orchestral instrument (clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, snare drum, flute, cello, violin, bass, viola, etc.) is that after some time, you really learn the sound of each individual instrument and can identify them in songs that you listen to every day. It is really fun to listen to a song and be able to tell what instruments are playing which parts. Not only that, but being disciplined enough to sit down and daily practice something that you love to do and want to become better doing it helps to develop great character.

Look at music therapy. Music therapy is a health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals. Music therapy has been proven to help thousands with all sorts of problems. It is amazing that physical, emotional, cognitive and social issues can be fixed with music. The therapy includes listening to, creating, singing and dancing to music. Research shows that music helps those in need to express their feelings and thoughts more openly than through just talking and other forms of therapy.

Music is a very powerful part of every person’s life. It is hard to go through life without music. It helps us to cope, and even achieve goals, throughout life. If given the chance, I highly encourage you to learn to play an instrument. It is a great stress reliever and just plain fun. Whether you listen to or play music, it is a wonderful way to pass the time.