Music and its charms...

By TinaMarie Cerreta

 


"Music has charms to soothe a savage breast". -William Congreve in his 1697 play The Mourning Bride

Hello!

I've spent a good amount of time here addressing a specific group of people. Its a group that's near and dear to my heart and it includes me! But today I want to focus on how music can help improve a person life. We always hear and read how music has healing powers. Well, lets explore that concept

Music acts as a natural medicine by triggering chemical changes in the brain. It boosts feel-good hormones like dopamine, lowers stress hormones like cortisol, and distracts the brain from pain. Additionally, rhythm and melody can help rewire the brain after injuries. Science strongly supports this; studies show it actively lowers heart rates, blocks pain signals, and rewires brain networks.[1, 2, 3, 4]


Here is exactly how music creates a healing effect:

Lowers Stress and Blood Pressure: Calming music reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), which naturally slows your heart rate and relaxes tense muscles.[1, 2]

Boosts Mood and Pain Relief: Listening to music you love increases dopamine, which brings feelings of pleasure. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.[1, 2, 3

Unlocks Memories: Songs are discomfort. tied to our memories. For those with dementia or Alzheimer's, familiar music can bring back forgotten memories, emotions, and clarity when other treatments fail.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rewires the Brain: Because rhythm and language are processed in different parts of the brain, music therapy helps retrain the brain. It can assist stroke or brain-injury survivors in recovering their speech and motor skills.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Learn more about these benefits through the Johns Hopkins Medicine overview or the Harvard Health guide on sound therapy.


My Personal Opinion(take it, or leave it!):
I love music. I don't  listen to it nearly enough anymore. Though it has served me well. I listen to music when my back is hurting(I have spinal stenosis and scoliosis). If I have a headache or developing one and listen to low, soft music, it has significantly reduce the pounding and discomfort in my head.  There was a time where I would listen to it before sleeping to calm my racing thoughts. Just enough of it to encourage sleep. (Somehow, it seems, its the exact time my brain decides to do a recap of the day!) 
There have been times during dialysis that I've seen first hand that music has helped other patients cope with the side effects of their dialysis treatments. It took their mind off of them.  It refocused their brain so as to distract their thinking. I've even seen where listening to music has helped them tune out the environmental distractions so that they can either fall asleep or even just rest more comfortably. 
I've got mental illness-Bipolar Disorder II and Anxiety Disorder(GAD). So, for me, music helps rewire my brain, sometimes. When I'm having racing and overwhelming thinking, certain genres of music help me regroup my thoughts and basically encourge me to change my perspective. It really has guided me through some difficult times. Playlists are good sources. You can focus them on specific goals(like uplifting, energetic, calming crisis intervention).

*Legally downloading music for free or cheap is easy if you know where to look. The best platforms vary by what you are looking for:
Best for General Listening & Independent Artists:
  • Bandcamp: Many independent artists offer their music for free or on a "name your price" model (even for as little as $1). You can often choose from multiple high-quality formats like FLAC and MP3.
  • Jamendo Music: Hosts a massive library of over 600,000 royalty-free tracks from independent artists worldwide. Perfect for streaming and downloading MP3s for personal use.
  • SoundCloud: While primarily a streaming platform, many artists allow free MP3 downloads directly from their track pages (usually requiring a free user account).

Best for Free & Royalty-Free Content (Creators):
  • Free Music Archive (FMA): A well-organized library of free, legal music. It allows you to filter tracks by usage rights (e.g., Creative Commons licenses for personal or commercial use).
  • YouTube Audio Library: A goldmine for copyright-safe music and sound effects. You can download songs to use in your own projects or just to listen offline.

Best for Obscure, Live, and Classical Audio:
  • Internet Archive: Houses millions of free audio files, including an extensive "Live Music Archive" featuring thousands of full-length concert recordings.
  • Musopen: The best place to legally download copyright-free classical music recordings, sheet music, and educational materials.

My quote for you:
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." — Plato


My links:

NKR (main)

My Microsite (personal

My Blog

(Please, please, please share with everyone!)





Comments

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Thanks for your comment. I will try and get back to you in a couple of days. If I do notcontact you by then, please be patient. Have a great day!

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