THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC

THE MYSTERY OF SOUND (TMS)

 13th April, 2017

TMS APRIL 2017 SEMINAR MATERIAL 2

THEME : UNDERSTANDING MUSIC

TOPIC : THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC

INSTRUCTOR : JANET JATAU

“...Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making

melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...” (Eph. 5:19-20).

      An anointed spiritual song has a way of surfacing in our spirits when we need it most. Music is such a big part of worship and it is so important to familiarize ourselves with good Gospel songs, along with the great old hymns of the church, because they bring comfort and restore hope and joy, causing us to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord!

"....Serve The Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing...." (Ps 100:2).

   Music is so important to God that it is required to enter into God's presence. This however, does not mean that a person must be an exceptionally professional musician before he/she can worship even though we should strive for perfection since our heavenly father is perfect. A worshiper and a vocal coach Sir David Dam once gave an illustration; he likened worship as a gift to be presented to God, wrapped or packaged in a certain way (music). Though the totality of worship to God if far more deeper than just a gift to Him, we can run with the illustration. The packaging of a product says a lot about that product therefore, music and how we present it is extremely important to God.

SOME IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC.

1. Music Helps Our Memory Process Information Faster.

     Speech and music have a number of shared processing systems. Musical experiences which enhance processing can therefore impact on perception of language which in turn impacts on learning to read. Active engagement with music sharpens the brain's early encoding of linguistic sound. Learning to play an instrument enhances the ability to remember words to enlargement of the left cranial temporal regions.

     A Stanford university study showed that MASTERING a musical instrument improves the way the human brain processes parts of spoken language. Researchers also discovered that musical training helps the brain work more efficiently in distinguishing split-second differences between rapidly changing sounds that are essential to processing language.

2. Music Has The Ability To Set A Mood And Stire Up People's Emotions.

Each sound that we hear carries an energy, a vibration that effects us in different ways. Some sounds are uplifting; some are calming, while others may have a negative effect on us. Music can be compared to medicine for our minds and our bodies. Each piece of music has a different effect on us. Each person involved with a piece of music adds their energy to a performance or recording.

3. To Children- Music Helps Them To Feel Better About Themselves And Improve Their Community Spirit.

        A study published by Sing-Up, a national singing program in the UK shows that children who are more advanced in their singing development have a more positive self-image and a better sense of social inclusion.

         Musically trained children remember 17% more verbal information that those without musical training: this is the reason why in kindergarten, children are taught using singing as a tool to help them remember.

4. Music Heals Us. 1 Sam 16:23

     The scripture above tells us of how the music of the harp played by David healed Saul. To a singer, there may be particular health benefits for singing in relation to the immune system, breathing, adopting good posture, improved mood, and stress reduction. The research has been carried out with adults but these benefits could equally apply to children.

5. Music Unite Us And Bring Us Together.

       It’s no secret that music is universal. It doesn’t care where you’re from or what language you speak. It speaks the words we don’t have and expresses ideas we could never fathom. All it takes is a quick glance at a total stranger whilst grooving along to instantly make that connection. To music lovers, this is old news, but now there’s scientific proof to back it up.

A study by the University of Exeter and Tokyo University of the Arts has found that songs from around the world tend to share features that promote bonding and coordination amongst social groups. In the 304 studied recordings of stylistically diverse music from across the world, dozens of statistical universals were found, including consistent features related to pitch and rhythm, as well as social context and interrelationships.

6. Music Helps In Expressing Emotions.

        There are a number of specific musical features that are highly associated with particular emotions. Within the factors affecting emotional expression in music, tempo is typically regarded as the most important, but a number of other factors, such as mode, loudness, and melody also influence the emotional valence of the piece.

   STRUCTURAL FEATURES                       DEFINITION.                       ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS

Tempo	The speed or pace of a music piece	Fast Tempo: Happiness, Excitement, Anger e.t.c Slow Tempo: Sadness, Serenity e.t.c
Mode	The type of scale	Major tonality: Happiness, Joy e.t.c Minor tonality: Sadness, moody e.t.c
Loudness	Physical strength and solitude of Sound	Intensity, Power or Anger
Melody	The linear succession of a musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity	Complementing Harmonies: Happiness, Relaxation, Serenity e.t.c Clashing Harmonies: Excitement, Anger, Unpleasantness e.t.c
Rhythm	The regular recurring Pattern or beat of a song (music)	Smooth/Consistent Rhythm: Happiness, Peace Rough/Irregular Rhythm: Amusement, Uneasiness Varied Rhythm: Joy.

                                                                                                                               

7. Music is an antidote for depression; music is one of  the biblical prescription for depression. Isaiah 61:2.

     

8. Music Helps Improve Creativity And Imagination.

     Some people have auditory daydreams, in other words, instead of primarily visualizing a scene or creation, they hear the "sounds of music". Even for those of us who are more visual in our imaginings, music remains one of the most powerful daydream launchers. In fact, it's so powerful, I avoid listening to certain songs because I know it has the power to send my thoughts in a particular direction. Think about it. When you hear a driving, rebellious, in-your-face rock song, don't you immediately vault to either a scene or an emotion that corresponds to the mood of the music?

        For example, when you hear the opening chords of "Amazing Grace" and you're swept up in visions of loss and sorrow.

9. Music Refines Listening Skills- Noticing Changes In Tempo Or Pitch.

10. Playing musical instrument enhances the development of physical skills and small and even large motor skills. Learning to play an instrument enhances fine motor co-ordination.

      Listening to music puts us in harmony with creation; it also has the ability to soothe us or energize us. In fact, music contains the mathematical ratios that make up the whole cosmos (I.e. social systems).

Reference

The Holy Bible

Wikipedia.

The Importance of Music and Movement by April Kaiser

The Importance of Music In Our Lives - The dilller-quail school of music

The power of music: its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people - Susan Hallam, Institute of Education, University of London

The Spiritual Significance of Music – Simon Heather

Oxford Dictionary

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