The Magic of Music

By Flora Lim, Mus. Bac. Perf.

Music is magic. It stirs up the emotions and fires up the imagination. As a medium for expression, one could argue that it has no equal. The Roman philosopher Boethius wrote, “Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired.” Fifteen hundred years later, neuroscientists confirm that our brains our hardwired for music. We instinctively sing to newborn infants and babies are reported to be able to recognise music heard while in the womb. Most of our celebrations would be incomplete without music. Music is a part of our shared humanity.

We now know that the act of making or listening to music involves much of our brain in both the left and the right hemispheres. Might this explain why so many people who are good at music appear to be good at math as well? Music is often used to facilitate learning. Just imagine how much longer it would have taken us to learn the alphabet without the help of the “Alphabet Song”.

On an emotional level, music can move and touch us in ways that language (even from the pen of Shakespeare himself) cannot. We are brought to tears by the transcendent beauty of inspired music-making, such as cellist YoYo Ma playing the music of Ennio Morricone or the Beatles singing “Yesterday.” Many of us have experienced a deep connection with the music we listen to, perhaps because the music speaks to the depths of who we are as human beings, stripped bare of our outer trappings.

Many of us are also acquainted with the therapeutic benefits of music. A down day can be turned around by uplifting music. The different qualities of music – rhythm, melody and harmony have been put to good use in rehabilitation therapy. Music is used to help stroke victims regain their use of speech or their cognitive ability, while individuals affected by Parkinson’s disease are sometimes able to regain motor control when listening to music. Alzheimer’s patients may lose the ability to recognise loved ones but they still retain the memory of songs from childhood.

Music is, quite simply, an essential part of our lives. As a student of mine once said, “Music speaks to me in stories.” So, it may be that music allows us to delve into our universally shared experience of life.

The second part of this feature on music will focus on nurturing our musical potential at any age.

Flora Lim, Mus. Bac. Perf. is a recording and concert artist. She is also a dedicated teacher
and partner at The Flute Studio in Markham. Learn more at www.theflutestudio.ca or call 905-472-4195.