The low hum of a bass’ beginning note rides on the current of the band’s music as they start their set. Cello chords are resounding in an orchestra. There is a steady beat of club music bumping through speakers, people jumping in time with it. The hum, the chords, and the beat; while being completely different sounds in completely different spaces, everyone in those spaces is focused on the music, hungry to discover what emotion the next note will evoke in them.
Mr. Spears is a teacher at Daniel Hand High School, where he spends his time cultivating discussions with his students in the classroom and grading their papers. Declan Mahoney is a senior at DHHS, who plans to go to college for communications. Jason Thomas is a senior at the Educational Center for the Arts (ECA), a high school program for young artists based in New Haven, Connecticut.
They come from different places and lead different lives, but the one thing they all have in common is music. Mr. Spears is in a band and plays live at least once a month. Mahoney makes music through his computer and keyboard, and he has released original songs on his own. Thomas plays the cello and studies music at ECA, and he is going to Berklee College of Music next year. They all say that music is a leading source of happiness in their lives and benefits their mental health significantly.
It’s not the genre that matters the most.
Mr. Spears said that for him, genre is not a deciding factor on whether he likes a song. He listens to all kinds of music, and said that he will enjoy a song as long as it’s interesting musically, well written, or sonically cool.
He said that when he was in 8th & 9th grade, he became hooked immediately after hearing the rock music that was popular during his childhood like Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, and Soundgarden.
“When I heard Flea, I was like, ‘what the hell is that’ and ‘I need to do that,’” Spears said.
As an adult, Spears spent ages 18 to 28 touring the country with a band, playing between 150 and 200 shows per year with them.
Thomas and Mahoney also said that genre does not define their tastes in music, but rather the feelings a song evokes in them and the experience of listening to it.
Furthermore, the overall experience of listening to and playing music has a considerable effect on their personalities and moods.
Playing music acts as a form of therapy.
While listening to music is part of their personalities, it is playing music that has the biggest effect on them and how they perceive the world.
Mr. Spears said that he definitely notices that his mental health is worse when he is not playing music and gets better when he starts playing again.
“When I’m playing music, I’m able to be in the moment in ways that I can’t in my regular life,” Spears said.
He said music is a form of meditation.
Mr. Spears added, “When I’m playing music, even if it’s on my couch, it’s like that’s the only thing that’s happening in the universe,” Mr. Spears said. “And that’s what I love about music.”
Thomas said that attending ECA has expanded his horizons as a musician and encouraged him to explore all areas of music.
Thomas said that music is about 75 percent of his life and daily activities, and that without it he “would probably go insane.”
While not having that specific outlet, Mahoney said that the more different types of music he listens to the more appreciative he becomes of professional artists.
Thomas and Mahoney both said that music relaxes them and puts them in a good mood for the day.
Thomas said that for him, playing music is like learning a language: you have to learn how to interact with each component and use them to your benefit.
As we move through May and Mental Health Awareness month, perhaps we should view our health more like music: a series of movements, some discordant and some sweet, that together create a life worth hearing. Turn the music up!