To unwind from stress during this spring season, many people throughout the area use music to relax, either by listening to a playlist or performing pieces.
Director of curricular bands Adam Tucker believes that listening to music can help individuals relax because people respond differently to different genres.
“You could find people who listen to heavy metal, and that could mellow them out. You could find people who listen to mellow stuff, and it will hype them up,” Tucker said.
Tucker believes this can help people relax because it lets them find a genre of music that suits their needs.
“That’s the cool thing about the power of music,” Tucker said.
For senior Natalia Lopez, she likes to listen to “familiar” music when she is stressed.
“It gives me my own time to think things through by listening to music or just disconnecting entirely,” Lopez said.
Senior Nathan Stevens looks for certain music styles because he feels that different styles allow for different emotions.
“I think when people listen to music, they feel the same emotion that the song wants to give its listeners. So, when I listen to calm music or invigorating music, that puts me in that sense,” Stevens said.
Lopez agrees that her mood can be affected by the music she listens to.
“Music directly impacts my mood, and I think that is true for most people. Hype songs get me energized the same as calm songs help me de-stress,” Lopez said.
Another way that some people relax is by performing music.
Junior Kylee Stevens enjoys singing to help her de-stress.
“For singing, it is joyful,” Stevens said. “You can rejoice, and it gives you happiness.”
Stevens believes this is because of the expression the singer uses while singing.
“Singing would be directly releasing emotion at its source, so it would be more direct than just listening to music,” Stevens said.
Tucker agrees that performing music is just as effective as listening to it for de-stressing.
“When you perform, whether you perform for people or perform by yourself, it releases something. I know for me when I perform in front of people, that actually has a huge calming effect,” Tucker said.
According to Tucker, music can benefit the brain in the long run.
“It’s a different way of making your brain work as opposed to looking at a phone,” Tucker said. “You’re forced to make your own choices and use your own imagination to what is happening [in a song]. You’re listening to a piece of music, and you think, ‘Why did they write it like this?’”
Lopez feels that listening solely to music can help relax because the person is focused on the song itself.
“Actively listening to music allows your brain to focus on the melody or lyrics rather than all the aspects in your life bringing you stress,” Lopez said.