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 DHHS, 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. And 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.
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 he
enjoys a song as long as it’s interesting musically, well written, or
sonically cool. When he was in 8th & 9th grade, he became hooked
immediately after hearing the rock music that was popular 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.
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 plays
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.
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...
And that’s what I love about music.”
Attending ECA has expanded Thomas’s horizons as a musician
and encouraged him to explore all areas of music. He said 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 added 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.
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!