Music has had an impact on many people in the world. Whether positive or negative, music has played a role in our society, especially in mental health.
“I didn’t want anything to do with the world around me. I just listened to music and it would take me to this other world. It has definitely had a positive impact on my life,” says David Lee, a junior elementary education major.
Lee says that recently “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry, some of Kelly Clarkson’s old music, and a lot of Green Day has been getting him through his semester.
“Green Day’s album, Dookie, is for any mood. I have to at least play one song from there because it’s just that good,” Lee says.
Zakai James, a sophomore communication major, says listening to music helps him get through the day with positive energy.
“I think, just for example, Kanye West, he would help me a lot because he is motivational in a way.”
A song that positively impacts his mental health is Kanye’s song, “Good Morning.”
He also says that music is becoming more open right now with mental health awareness. James says during quarantine people were listening to different music and a lot of that music helped them get through the pandemic.
Stephanie Owusu, a junior health care studies major, says, “I remember when my grandmother died in 2015, I started to play gospel music and it soothed me in a way, even though it was very tragic for me. I listened to gospel to calm me down,”
Owusu listens to jazz music to de-stress from homework and school.
“Everything is temporary, and everything will surely be better, so I just look at the bright side or look at the light at the end of the tunnel,” Owusu says.
She says that music’s impact depends on the person and how they interpret the songs.
“Some may interpret [music] as, ‘this song is speaking to me and I need to stop what I am doing.’”
She says that her go-to music when she has a bad mental health day is gospel, jazz and sometimes Disney music. Owusu also enjoys listening to music from her country, Ghana, West Africa. Those songs get her dancing and shaking off the stress from the days prior.
Rijad Brkic, a sophomore biology major, says that whenever he is feeling sad, or having a bad day, he will listen to sad music to let him cry it out and on a good day he will listen to happy music that will make him feel energetic and more alive.
“We all want to feel like we are in a movie and I think music can help us feel like we are in a movie, so I think music has helped me in a positive way. It’s not really negative, honestly I feel like if it makes you cry it’s a good thing because it’s helping you get through what you need to get through,” Brkic says.
By Sofia Rositani
