Alexander Valle

English 110

Prof Jacobson

25 Oct 2022

How is the use of classical music beneficial to those that are suffering from mental illnesses, specifically anxiety and stress?

           I modeled my essay after a New York Times article titled The Pros and Cons of Hiring Outsiders. The rhetorical situation of this article is that there are many workers and employers that have a hard time choosing whether to hire someone new or someone from inside their company when an opening arises. The author Phyllis Korkki directly states in her first two paragraphs exactly who her audience is, she says “As an employee, you may feel” (Korkki) and “Such thought processes are common among workers and bosses”. Her audience from the very beginning is workers and employers, and throughout the article, she references them multiple times. Being that this is an online magazine article that states pros and cons it is informative, neutral, and investigative. The purpose is to inform employers and workers how it could be beneficial or detrimental to hire someone new. Many studies are referenced throughout, only leaving room for interpretation and clearing up heavily worded data, and transitional wording, this makes for a neutral and informative tone and/or stance. 

Over the past few years, mental health illnesses have grown and become more apparent. The Banyan mental health institute stated that in the US alone, “in 2019, there was an estimated 51.1 million adults aged 18 and older with mental illnesses” and the “Rates of depression increased by 63% between 2009 and 2017 in young adults aged 18 to 25…”. as you can see there has been so much growth in mental health issues. But with this growth, there has also been more awareness and institutions helping people deal with these problems. GiShawn Mance, Ph.D., assistant professor, and licensed clinical psychologist at Howard University wrote an article this year stating that “over the past year and half, many events… propelled mental health to the forefront… there’s more demand and open dialogue around mental health, but there is still more work needed to be done.” This signifies the increase in importance of mental health and that people are also starting to realize this too.

           With an increase in awareness, more data has come forth on methods and techniques used to help people suffering from these issues. One method is music therapy, specifically classical music. But before we can talk about the present let us take a visit to the past. The American Music Therapy Association has traced back the use of music in therapy as far back as to “Pythagoras (c.570- c.495 BC), the Greek philosopher and mathematician” (Greenberg) using music “in order to cure an array of psychological conditions” (Greenberg). They suspect that there are even earlier accounts of music therapy in the Jewish bible with the story of “David, a skilled musician, curing King Saul’s depression through music in Chapter 16 in Prophets” (Greenberg). After this, music therapy emerged as a profession in the 20th century after World War I and World War II, when nurses saw that veterans and patients with emotional trauma had a positive response to music. Since then there have been many more studies and articles about the benefits of music in mental illnesses.

           A study published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education titled The Effect of Classical Music on Anxiety and Well-Being of University students. This experiment used a group of fifteen students, (seven females and eight males) from Kafkas University and 50 students with pre-existing mental health issues. The study lasted sixty days and throughout this period the students had to listen to at least one of six Mozart pieces each day. At the end of the sixty days, their psychological well-being would be reevaluated and compared to the first day of the study. The results showed “that music reduces the level of trait anxiety… as a conclusion, a significant reduction was observed in the participating student’s anxiety level and a significant increase in their subjective well-being level” (Erginsoy, 22). The study conducted by this institute directly shows that Mozart’s (classical) music is effective in reducing anxiety and increasing well-being. In the same article, more studies are discussed. In these studies, it has been proven that “music causes significant changes in the nervous system of the brain and changes in the waves such as beta, theta, alpha, and delta” (O’Hagan, 22). This means that the waves responsible for our emotions and mental well-being are having a positive effect when introduced to music. O’Hagan also stated that “In recent years… the results of this research showed that regular listening to classical music reduced anxiety levels” (22). To contribute to this a twenty-hour music therapy session “determined the effect on music on anxiety, depression, and self-esteem… results of the study showed that participants’ anxiety and depression decreased while their self-esteem increased” (Wu, 23). All the studies in this article conclude that music, specifically classical music has a positive effect on reducing anxiety and stress and increasing self-esteem. Erginsoy ultimately concluded that “music has some therapeutic effects on various mental illnesses… such as anxiety, depression, stress, irritability… music such as lyrics, content and rhythm, will contribute positively to their mental health” (23).

           It is clear that classical music is beneficial to the anxiety of university students, but how does it fair with critically ill patients that are suffering from mental illnesses? A study done by Levine S. on mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care who are “prone to high stress and anxiety levels” (Putri,4.3) concluded that music therapy did prove to be useful in these patients, reducing their anxiety and stress. The reason for this is that “relaxing music releases endorphins and enkephalins and simultaneously decreases catecholamines associated with stress…” (Putri,4). In simple terms, the part of the brain that “controls” emotions, memory, and cognitive functions activates while listening to classical or relaxing music, therefore reducing stress and anxiety. This was also proven by MRI and PET imaging of the brain. To add to these conclusions a study done by Sung on 29 elders with dementia showed that “the anxiety level of the elderly who received music therapy… was lower than the elderly who did not” (4.2). 

There are also some studies that seem to work but aren’t backed by data because there aren’t sufficient amounts to solidify a conclusion. For example, when the brain listens to music it captures rhythms, tempos, and/or beats and the body seems to mimic these things being heard. Our pulse, breathing rates, blood flow, and pressure, decrease when listening to music with a slow beat and increase with fast beats. There also seems to be a trend in music therapy affecting the elderly population more than younger groups, but this can be countered by saying that the elderly are generally more sensitive to pharmaceuticals so they rely on alternate, natural methods. 

Classical music therapy is generally seen as beneficial, and a good way to reduce anxiety and stress. While this is true there is also a side to music therapy that isn’t as beneficial. From the data presented throughout this essay, we can conclude that our brain has most of the control when it comes to our emotions and brain patterns. Specifically, the “right brain hemisphere since it is the center of creativity, spatial form, emotion, music, and color”(5). But is it possible for our brain to have a negative response to classical music or no response at all? A study done by Laskmidewi and Widyadharma IPE shows that music therapy isn’t all that beneficial. In this study, there was an experimental group and a control group of sixteen people each, ranging for 21 days. The experimental group listened to classical music while the control group listened to their everyday music. They would play music each morning before activities for twenty minutes. At the beginning and end of the test, cognitive function assessments and dopamine tests were performed. The conclusion was that the “score between the two study groups was not statistically significant with p> 0.05” (Putri,5.1). While there was no significant conclusion at the end of this study, throughout the 21 days there was some evidence that caught the attention of Laskmidewi and Widyadharma IPE. They separated the control group into two groups within itself, one group was younger and listened to rap and fast music, while the other group listened to a slower pace type of music. They noticed that there were some days when the group listening to slow-paced music similar to the control group of classical music would have a decrease in emotion, energy, and motivation whereas the other group had more energy. This mainly has to do with the dopamine levels produced when listening to music. Similar to the other studies “slow, classical music decreased breathing rates, pulse, and the whole body whereas fast music give the brain more stimulation causing more reactions and an increase in blood flow and breathing rates…” (2). They specifically state in their conclusion; “sad music indicated activation of parts of the brain (amygdala, hippocampus, etc.) that are often associated with negative conditions or anxiety” (3).

To sum up, many studies show the benefits of classical music and music in general between a large range of age groups. Studies have concluded that slow-paced, classical music, reduced breathing, blood flow, and other contributing factors lead to the reduction of anxiety and stress. This is because music affects the right brain hemisphere that controls emotions. While reducing anxiety and stress is the main focus, other conclusions have come from studies as well. Such as an advantage in hospital settings because music drones out the equipment noises and loud noises. Studies have also shown that there is a reduction in the amount of anesthesia needed when paired with music. Another conclusion is that elderly people greatly benefit from music. Since they are more prone to health risks while taking medicine, music becomes a natural remedy for them. Inversely, there have also been studies that show classical music harms our well-being, emotional, and mental health. An example based on a study I previously mentioned is waking up and listening to upbeat music rather than slow classical music. When listening to classical music there is a possibility of slowing heart rate to the point where there is a feeling of sadness as opposed to upbeat music that can give you adrenaline and boost your mood.

In conclusion, the studies and research done imply that there is a positive effect on mental health issues with the use of classical music, but there is also a danger. Ultimately, it depends on the person, the health issue, and the type of music. If these parameters can be narrowed down then there is a very high chance of helping mental health patients with the use of music (not necessarily classical) because of its direct connection to our brain and emotions. 

           My essay’s rhetorical situation is that many people suffer from mental health issues and need help to tame and fight through them. A solution is the use of music and throughout this essay, there are many studies and research that support this but also points out the potential dangers of using music therapy. There are a few audiences targeted here, phycologists, therapists, people suffering from mental health issues, and musicians who have intent on helping people with mental health issues through their music. My purpose is to ultimately answer my question in a neutral unbiased tone. This is done by providing statistics and scientific studies to back the answer that can be gathered at the end of the essay. This will further help my audience to find a connection and relevance to the rhetorical situation.

 Works Cited

Is mental illness on the rise. Banyan mental health programs.

Is Mental Illness on The Rise?

The Growth of mental health awareness. GiShawn Mance, 2022.

https://magazine.howard.edu/stories/the-growth-of-mental-health-awareness

What is music therapy and how does it work? Heather Craig, March 2019.

https://positivepsychology.com/music-therapy/

The Effect of Classical Music on Anxiety and Well-Being of University students. ERGINSOY OSMANOĞLU, 2019.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1232294.pdf

Classic and Traditional Music Role in Cognitive Function and Critically Ill Patients. Anak Agung Putri and Valentina Tjandra, June 2021.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/77256

Reference document:

The Pros and Cons of Hiring Outsiders. Phyllis Korkki, 2012.

Alexander Valle

English 110

Prof Jacobson

03 Nov 2022

Post-Essay Reflection

            This essay was unlike any essay I have written. From the liberty of making my own question, to researching, to formatting the essay based off another article. The sourced based essay did aid a little in preparation for this assignment. However, I found it difficult to make a research question that was specific because it is very easy to be broad, I still feel that my question was too broad but couldn’t think of any way to improve it. The most interesting part to me was the research, it is quite exciting finding documents, evidence, and data to answer a question. For the most part I was used to writing assignments that had a set answer so an assignment like this took me out of my comfort zone in a good way. It was a challenge but manageable at the same time. Once it came to writing the essay I had trouble with the wording, structure, and introduction. Each time I found myself wanting to input my opinion or choose a side when I knew I couldn’t in this type of essay which was also part of the challenge that I previously mentioned. So being neutral and informative was challenging. Overall, I would say that this is a challenging essay to me because it is not something I am use to, but I personally think that change is good and it was a new learning experience and will continue to be if I have to write more research papers in the future.

            I honestly feel that I know very little about writing, but it is not because I have bad professors and teachers, but because there is so much to know and understand that I have yet to discover. I feel this way about many things. In writing specifically, I do feel that this assignment helped my research and informative abilities. It was a struggle to be informative and not persuasive, so I would say that this is something I learned that I did not know how to do prior to this class. As well as gaining more experience with rhetorical analysis and the MLA format that we continue to build from the beginning of the semester, which is very helpful for life and future assignments.

            The reason I chose to research music is because I personally always found it relaxing, droning into my own word, feeling the music, and forgetting about the things around me. Whenever I couldn’t concentrate or needed to relax, I found myself going to music. I never knew why this was, but my research showed me why the reasons for this are and more importantly that it might not be this way for everyone.