Title: What is the relationship between
music and your identity?
Group H
Group Members: Matthews Dripps
Kristen Friderichs
Meredith Lucas
Kathleen Maher
Chloe Rosenberger
Matt Wilkes
Class EDP 201 A
Introduction
One of the primary developmental tasks of all humans, especially adolescents, is to form a sense of identity. It is a struggle to deal with the crisis of determining who you are and who you would like to become. Although various things can help one develop their own identity, such as other people, some identities are influenced by music, anything from slow jazz to rap. Music has influenced humans for decades and has not slowed down. It continues to be an important part of our society as it can evoke emotions, stimulate creativity, enhance learning, and most importantly, act as a source of release of everyday problems for many people.
Through this paper, we will explore how each of our identities has been influenced by music. From childhood through adolescents, to adulthood, music has played an important part in each of our lives and continues to influence our mental, emotional, and physical states everyday. We have chosen to explore this topic because music has such a large impact on the human brain, our personality, and can change our moods and who we are immediately. We hope that through this essay, others will explore how music developed their own identities and they see the importance of music in their everyday lives.
What is the relationship between music and Matthew Dripps’ identity?
When referring to the relationship between music and my own identity a plethora of thoughts come to my mind. One of these thoughts occurred when I was a child. I had a desire and ambition to play the piano. My parents noticed my interest in music and passion to learn. They bought me a new piano and signed me up for private lessons. Levitin states, “ [e]ven just a small expose to music lessons as a child creates neural circuits for music processing that are enhanced and more efficient than those who lack training. Music lessons teach us to listen better, and they accelerate our ability to discern structure and form in music, making it easier for us to tell what music we like and what we don’t like” (Levitin, 2006, pp190). Soon enough I found myself playing Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, and even Jingle Bells! My love and compassion for music has continued to grow over the years.
Exposure to the musical world is beneficial and I have been exposed to many musicians through the radio and from attending concerts. My second thought is as a middle school and high school student I made it a special point to attend as many Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer concerts one could attend. The glorifying atmosphere at these concert venues was shared between my friends and me. Both artists attracted individuals from all age groups. Their music is exciting and easy to follow. Lyrics from a Dave Matthews Band song, “Where Are You Going”, are as follows: ”
Where are you going, with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away, like an ocean
But you can’t see, but you can smell
And the sound waves crash down
I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that’s for sure
But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are, is where I belong
I do know, where you go, is where I want to be
Where are you going, where do you go?
Are you looking for answers, to questions under the stars?
If along the way you are growing weary, you can rest with me until a brighter day
It’s okay, where are you going, where do you go? (Matthews)
The lyrics listed previously give me a sense of happiness. This sense occurs because of neurons sent through my body that are eventually accepted by my brain. Norepinephrine plays a huge role in the fact that it brings about feelings of delight and pleasure when I hear these songs. “This primarily excitatory neurotransmitter (which is also a hormone) induces physical and mental arousal and heightens our mood” (Davis & Paladino, 2006, pp56). Without the experience of music lessons or privilege to attend concerts I would not have this relationship with music.
What is the relationship between music and Kristen Friderichs’ identity?
Music has always been a very important part of my life. Growing up in Houston, Texas, country music was forced upon me. The people in Houston and the culture I grew up in, it was very rare that anyone would listen to anything besides country. I grew to love it all, Alan Jackson, Brooke and Dunn, George Strait, Alabama, and Reba Macintyre. There was not one country song or artist that rubbed me the wrong way. I have to credit my parents for developing my love for country as they would take us to rodeo’s where artists would perform and the whole audience would be engaged. Music, specifically country, has undoubtedly shaped my identity from that very first rodeo I attended.
As I move to Ohio, I found myself as the new kid in school as kids made fun of me because I had an accent. However, I soon found comfort as I join the choir and began to learn to play the guitar. According to Levitin,“music lessons teach us to listen better, and they accelerate our ability to discern structure and form in music, making it easier for us to tell what music we like and what we don’t like.” As I began to develop my skills at the guitar I also found that I did not feel like the new kid anymore. According to carnatica.net, “shyness, aggressiveness and many such characteristics have been normalised by music.” It is obvious that music was my outlet for coping with my fear of facing a new school with people I did not know. The grade school choir and guitar lessons helped me make new friends and essentially gave me the confidence to do the things that I can do today, such as make the transition to college. I have found new faith within myself and reached a new level of self esteem because I was able to overcome the challenge of being the new kid in school with the help of music.
Music still is very much a part of my life and my own identity today. I listen to my ipod everyday as I feel like I am the most alert and more willing to learn and study when music is playing. According to “the simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. The information being studied activates the left brain while the music activates the right brain. Also, activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, causes the brain to be more capable of processing information.” Music has allowed me to find who I am and be a more dynamic individual. It helps me concentrate on school, motivate me and, keep my emotions in tact. I can now find comfort in different types of music especially when I am happy or sad. I like to listen to Dave Matthews or Rascal Flatts when I am down, as their music puts things into perspective so thing are never as bad as they actually may seem. When I am happy I like upbeat, fun music that motivates me to do things.
Music has given me something to relate my life to and has essentially shaped who I am and been a rock for me to lean on my entire life. It has been the friend that is not really there. The effects that I receive from music mentally, emotionally, and physically, are immediate and something that nothing else can do, not even humans. I do not know who I would be without music, as I have grown up engaged in all types and continue to constantly explore new artists, new research, and the effects on the human brain.
What is the relationship between music and Meredith Lucas’ identity?
There are certain aspects that make up ones’ identity, including where you grew up, how you were raised, what activities you participated in, etc. A commonly over looked impact is the role music plays in ones life. Whether actually playing an instrument, listening to music, or being an avid, die hard music fan, one’s identity is defiantly influenced.
For 12 years I worked hard at learning how to play the piano. With practicing every day for at least 20 minutes, playing in monthly piano recitals, and yearly local competitions, I have had my far share of visits with a piano. These activities have defiantly influenced my identity growing up. As a result of spending so much time around the piano, I will always be drawn to the soothing, harmony of a piano playing. Although I did not always enjoy putting in the time and effort myself, I have always enjoyed the mixture of tunes the piano can provide from a relaxing Waltz, to and upbeat Sonatina. Both types of songs have the perfect tempo, harmony, timbre and pitch. As Daniel Levitin says, "Pitch is one of the primary means by which musical emotion is conveyed. Mood, excitement, calm, romance, and danger are signaled by a number of factors, but pitch is among the most decisive". How exactly does the pitch signal warm and fuzzy feelings with in us? In a recent study of 13 subjects listening to classical music, scientists found a large amount of brain-chemical activity. They found that, “first the music triggered the forebrain, as it analyzed the structure and meaning of the tune. Then the nucleus accumbus and ventral tegmental area activated to release dopamine, a chemical that triggers the brain’s sense of reward.” Thompson (2006). Different noises and sounds create different pitches in the brain which set off different moods and senses. When I hear a piano playing, I automatically feel a connection inside me. Playing the piano gave me a sense of accomplishment. I felt that I was different from everybody else because I had a special talent. Even today, I am able to say that I too can play the piano, read music, and provide great entertainment. An idealistic Waltz piece is the perfect background music to study to, and it always puts a smile on my face.
What is the relationship between music and Kathleen Maher’s identity?
Music has always been a big part of my life. Ever since I could talk I have been singing. Music can do a lot to my mood. I could be having the worst day and if a happy song that I like comes on the radio, I am instantly in a better mood. I think that music is an important part of my life, I am not sure if I would be the same person that I am today if it were not for music. All of the movies that I watched when I was little were musicals, the Sound of Music was my all time favorite! Music has a way of taking me away from the stresses of everyday life. It can make me feel like I am on vacation, at the pool, in the car, almost anything. I remember specifically this year, I was in my dorm room and I was really stressed out, I decided it would be a good idea to play a little “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” by Jimmy Buffett, immediately I was transported from my dorm room to my lake house, just as relaxed as ever. I think that the type of music that I listen to has made me the type of person that I am today. I really like music that my parents play around my house. Most of the music that I am drawn to is happy and has an upbeat tune. I would consider myself a happy, upbeat person. If my parents had played depressing music around the house when I was younger, who knows? I may have turned out to be a sad, dark, and depressing person. Music can bring back a feeling, for example when I hear they song, “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts, all the feelings that I felt last summer, the excited, nervous, and anxious feelings I had about coming to college all come back and feel real. Music has always and will always be a big part of my life. I listen to it all of the time. Music has really shaped the kind of person that I am and will continue to do so in the music choices that I make.
What is the relationship between music and Chloe Rosenberger’s identity?
Freud thought that much of our behavior, feeling and thinking are determined by events that happened in the earlier occurrences in our lives. Daniel Levitin believed that music is something that was determined in earlier life as well. So when we take the two in perspective, we can think of the two correlating to each other. Music has changed as I have grown up. When I was younger it was country because my parents liked it. When I was a teenager it was pop music because it was cool. Then it was rap/pop because my friends listened to it. Now it is alternative, country, and some oldies, pretty much anything because I just like to “chill” out.
An article that I came across with was all about different personalities and music and how they determined someone’s personality. The two that caught my eye were that shy and quiet people listen to heavy metal and “gansta” rap while motor mouths are fans of energetic music like dance and soul(Billings 1). Music can often describe one’s personality and people do often take a song and use its lyrics as there story. When I choose music I like to think of it as a story, then I can relate it to my life. Music is sometimes misread too. Parents don’t like when their kids listen to rap or degrading music, but sometimes it has nothing to do with the person and who they are. A lot of times in those songs it’s the bass and beat that gets someone so pumped up.
When I think of music I think of it as being an unconscious mechanism. Not everyone likes the same music, and why is that? Music is something that seems pre determined without us as humans being able to decide what we like. I mean if you look at different groups usually certain types of music are paired with them. This may be because of the environment we live in or how we are raised through our parents and if not our parents our peers. Music can define me as a sensitive sentimental person. I love to listen to love songs, or songs that tell a story when sung. Laid back soft music is also my type. I like to listen to slow music most of the time because I am usually mellow most of the time, but when I need to get pumped up I enjoy listening to pop music. Tempos of songs often can determine someone’s mood. In movies we hear slow songs when there is usually a romantic scene and fast songs when something scary is going to happen. Music can be someone’s story because it can describe someone’s life or personality. For me it is letting people know that I am laid back and easy going.
What is the relationship between music and Matt Wilkes’ identity?
Music is a very important part of my life. Everything about music I love. Music can have a large effect on the mood that you are in. No matter what I am feeling at any point in my day, I know that there is a song that I can put on that depicts the way I am feeling at that time. Music has been there throughout my entire life, and it has helped to shape me throughout my years.
My identity has been largely based on music. From the type of music I listen to, to the way I dress and act. Everyone has a basic certain type of music that they listen to, whether it be rap, jam bands, country, whatever. For me it is hard to pick a certain type of music. This is mainly because I have seen my musical tastes evolve throughout my life. My musical tastes have changed, and much of those changes have been accompanied by changes in lifestyle. When I say lifestyle, I mean the way I dress, act, expand culturally, and basically maturing. Throughout high school and even into my earlier years here at Miami, I found myself listening to a lot of harder music, some classify it as punk or emo. I lived by that type of music. Many of my friends really weren’t into but that’s ok. This type of music appealed to me to many different ways. I liked the fact that it was different it wasn’t the social norm. When I would go to concerts I had a feeling of belonging to something greater, a whole underground culture. It was an escape for me, a way to differentiate myself, yet still belong to something larger. Something about this type of music, the way it had such raw emotion, really hit home for me, and it showed. To be honest, a lot of who I was in high school is still with me today. A lot of the things are wear are much different from the typical Miami student, a lot of my feelings about things are different, and I am still very opinionated, things of this nature. But my identity started to change, as my college years went on. I don’t want to say I felt the need to conform to the social norm of this school, because I didn’t. I just felt a sense of growing up, accepting more responsibility. These feelings were accompanied by a shift in the kinds of music that I have been listening to as of late. I think the music I have been listening to shows my growth maturity wise. Don’t get me wrong I still listen to a lot of the music I used to listen to, but I feel my identity has begun to change. Now I have a full time job out of school, I am about to graduate, and my responsibilities are changing. I think a lot of this is being reflected in the music I now listen to. I don’t want to judge musicians, but I feel the ones I have been listening to now show more maturity, growth, and in a way age in their music. This is the exact way I feel about how my identity has changed. I feel as if I am more mature, grown up, knowledgeable, culturally developed, and the like. Musicians such as Pete Yorn, Elliot Smith, Ryan Adams, bands like Bloc Party, Band of Horses, are all artists I feel express in their music my identity.