April 6, 2022

About the Author: Ljubica Stojanović

Ljubica is a 1st prize-winner of over 20 national and international competitions. She is a concert pianist and piano teacher at The London Piano Institute

Music Came Before The Language

Music is not consumed just for fun as it might seem now, at the present time. Netflix, cinema, a night out… Music has changed its role drastically, in this century specifically. If we try to imagine our life without it – at first it wouldn’t seem that bad.

Maybe it would be strange to exercise without music, or we frequently wouldn’t understand the context of a specific movie scene as many movie directors heavily rely on music to tell us the emotion of the scene. Imagine weddings, celebrations, birthday parties… the fact that music is everywhere and in so many forms, tells us how deep our need for this phenomenon is.

I can claim with certainty that our society would fall apart without it. On every level, structurally, spiritually etc. Music was driving the biggest societal changes and influenced the world in every way. We have had the need for it since before we had language. That is, in my opinion, a miraculous force at work.

pianist on stage

Comparison and Stimulation

As we are all performers, still educating ourselves about music and our instruments – we are very likely to assess someone’s skills during their performance. It is our job, and we all strive to be the best version of ourselves in it. While listening to live music, we can sometimes experience some exhilarating feelings or thoughts: “How did they do that!?”, “I can do that” or “I wish I was there, on stage”. Likewise in the negative way: “Why did they choose that instrumentalist instead of me” or “I find those music choices just triggering” etc. In both cases, it is possible to take this as a stimulation for our further development. If we were impressed, there is as always, so much more to strive for. If we didn’t like it- it again helps us with our direction. Comparison can be both healthy and very toxic. Since it is happening anyway, it is probably wise to use it consciously.

hands playing the piano

Mental Health

Numerous researches have shown that while listening to live classical music, our cortisol levels are lowered. Cortisol is associated with stress and there are extensive research materials both online and offline about the correlation of live music and relieving anxiety symptoms. There is also data on dopamine release while listening to live classical music- hence experiencing huge spikes in what we perceive as pleasure! Essentially I could have titled this number “chemistry”! How fascinating it is, that we hear something and that through our ears it travels further inside, doing all sorts of wonders with our senses, body chemistry and mental health.

grand piano on stage

Emotional Health

It has to be said that perhaps in today’s society we are not frequently welcomed to show our emotions in the manner we would want according to our needs. In fact, it is possible that we live in a society that looks on emotions as weaknesses, signs of lack of control, or any other derogatory idea that tends to keep us functioning at a high pace. When we attend a live performance and experience a high emotional reaction, we are much more likely to embark on a journey of feeling / allowing / being connected and understanding that state more frequently.

It’s Fun!

It is absolutely fun to go and listen to a symphonic orchestra perform. There are so many instruments, so many genres, a lot of people expressing themselves through various media on stage. It is a complete experience for all your senses and spirit.

This is an open invitation to challenge yourself and go to different performances and try to let go while listening!

Happy practising!

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