Music of our emotions

Music can be traced back as far as the Palaeolithic period, 50 000 to 300 000 years ago. It is believed that music was used to express emotions such as fear, joy and love. Music was also used during religious ceremonies, used to help people establish rhythm in their daily tasks, and was used as a form of communication over long distances.

With music being created in such a primitive time, the question of where the inspiration to make music came from can be quite a common one. While most people would think that the idea, inspiration or motivation to make music usually comes from money, experiences or listening to other pieces of music, most music can be attributed to passion and emotion.

A study done by four university professors shows that musicians who showed a passion for music practised more hours during the Covid-19 pandemic than other musicians. It also showed that passionate musicians had a higher likelihood to participate in concerts and activities needed for them to stay on or improve their current level, even if they had sustained physical injuries or had been disturbed by other tasks such as jobs in addition to their music career. This shows that succeeding in music requires passion not only to get started, but also to weather the storm of performing at the highest level in spite of illnesses, busyness from other jobs or school, household duties, and more. It also proves that musicians who are passionate are more likely to succeed because when unexpected major life changes (such as the Covid-19 pandemic) occur, they will still have the courage and passion to continue learning and pursuing their careers.

The study also showed that passionate musicians were more likely to put time and energy into practising and have a more positive relationship with music, which they saw as an important part of their lives and identities. This means that the passion they have for music translated into joy, allowing them to see their time spent practising as a fun activity that they genuinely wanted to engage in.

However, many argue that passion, emotion, talent or hard work are not enough to stick with music long-term. They make the point that staying with music is a combination of confidence, hard work, practice, modesty, patience, perseverance, creativity and many other factors put together.

On persistence, billionaire musician and businessman Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter said “In the beginning, we went to every single label and every single label shut their door on us… The genius thing that we did was we didn’t give up”. Remaining persistent often leads to musicians finding a formula that works for them.

Famous singer and songwriter said about confidence: “I'm really happy to be me, and I'd like to think people like me more because I'm happy with myself”.

Ray Charles was a stellar piano player who displayed great work ethic after going blind as a child. He worked hard to develop his skills to eventually produce music for Atlantic Records and ABC Records. The Beatles were known to practise for eight hours a day without rest in between, J. Cole waited for over three hours to speak to Jay-Z (only to get shunned but later signed by Jay-Z) and Wolfgang Mozart began composing symphonies of a kind that nobody had ever heard of at the age of seven.

Music also has several benefits. A study conducted by Dana L. Strait and a team of researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois, found that years of musical training made people’s brains more attuned to emotional content, such as anger of vocal sounds. Music can also teach discipline, develop a focused and active mind, and bring great multicultural experiences.

Music can be tough to pursue, whether as a career or as a hobby. Learning music takes time, courage and a source of learning. Here at Itgenio, we provide the third element. Our dedicated music teachers are well trained and skilled to help your child succeed in their pursuit of music. Simply sign up for a free trial lesson to experience it for yourself.