Effect of Music on Students' Lives

Term paper

Effect of Music On Students' Lives

Have you ever tried living with no music? Research on listening has

proven that 45% to 50% of our daily activities is engaged to listening. An average student listens to music for 9% of this time, and 45% of students listen to music while studying. Therefore, music is essential in students' daily lives. Depending on which type of music people listen to, it can shape their orientation. Music stimulates their personal development through other people's experiences. It has it's effects on mood related activities too. It also inspires students and increases their knowledge . It gives them a voice to express themselves through it.

First of all, music's roles and importances show greatly in defining students' orientations, developing their personalities and mentalities, and improving their skills and talents. Students observe the means of media and communication happening around them, but only understand some of them, and use them to establish their orientations. Music contributes in this process. For example, the political orientations of students begin to develop, according to their social status and financial stability, but most of all, according to Fox, Williams, James D. Williams, ''Contemporary music contains salient political elements, then it's appeal should vary according to the listeners political orientation'',(8). Music can affect a student's judgement, open his eyes,increase his knowledge, and even change the ideas he was born into and forced to respect. In addition to that, music helps in the development processes of students' personalities and mentalities, the contents of the songs differ according to their genres, therefore their message change too. There are 14 different music genres, that are classified into four factors. The reflexive and complex, which includes Blues, Jazz, Classic, and Folk music, which was explained as ''complex'' in a Short Test of Music Preferences (STOMP). Rock, Alternative, and Heavy Metal music, are genres that provide a ''full of energy'' sense with intense rebellious dimension grabbing the full attention of risk-takers, physically active, and curious students. Also those two factors usually create imaginative, politically liberal, and open to new experiences students. Pop, country, religious music, as '' structurally simple'' music hat include positive emotions, and conservative. Hip-hop, Rap, Soul, Dance musicals as energetic and rhythmic, described as ''lively'' music that rely on the rhythm, their listeners are usually sociable, full of energy, agreeable, and see themselves as physically attractive. Pettijohn, Terry, Greg Williams, Tiffany Carter,(2). Each and every factor of the above, reflect on the students' lives in a way. The factors differ greatly from each other, so it's hard for a student to like all of them. He usually settles for two factors maximum and let them affect his life. It's proven that some genres of music can improve students' performances while studying, and that's the slow types of music, but it also can improve their performances that are related to talents and skills. As music puts them in a good mood and stimulate their confidence.

Secondly, music can influence students beyond the borders of entertainment. It can affect their activities too; it energizes students, and helps in improving their memories. It stimulates their sense of creativity, but on the other hand music can be a source for depression. According to Pettijohn, Terry, Greg Williams, Tiffany Carter, students listen