I’ve always loved and have been drawn to music. I discovered early on, long before I knew that I had ADHD and was challenged by anxiety, that listening to music helped me to manage my moods, playing music helped me to focus, and writing music helped me to express myself.
Music has not only helped connect me with my own self, but has helped me to connect with other people and also with other cultures. It has always a part of my life and our travels as a family and likely led me to my interest in attending pursuing the study of global cultures and languages.
This website follows the journey of my senior academy project, "Music & Mental Health", where I take what I have noticed personally about myself and look at it through anecdotal and scientific research and through interviews with artists and musicians around the globe. With any journey worth taking, the "grade" is merely a milestone along the way, because for me, the journey will continue on.
The slide above may look disorganized to you, but this is what I imagine my "brain" would like if you could peak inside when I am thinking. I put this together when I was trying to capture my "musical journey", different times when I connected to someone or something through music.
When I have showed this to people, some have not had an easy time following it because it doesn't follow a linear progression, it bounces to different times and events. However when I've showed it to others, including a couple of the artists that I've interviewed, they immediately understood it.
My First Concert
My first concert was Keaton Henson when I was eight years old and we were on vacation in Paris. The performance was held in a beautiful church, but I noticed that the lights were only on for the stage, the audience area was dark.
My dad later told me that it was because Keaton had terrible anxiety and could only perform if he couldn't see the audience. At the time, I didn't realize that he never looked at the audience, he pretended we weren't there. He never came down and shook hands or signed autographs. But his music was beautiful!
I understand that more deeply today. I can know what I want to say, have it mapped out in my head and even look forward to saying it, but can immediately freeze up in front of a group of people or even a single person. Now knowing what Keaton Henson had to overcome is inspiring, and a great example of how music can help.
photo credit: www.attentionuk.org
Mental Health Today
The CDC recently projected that one out of every two young adults will suffer from a mental health challenge at some point.
I have ADHD and struggle with anxiety, two of the seven mental health challenges often mentioned.
That means, my brain works more like the picture, what to most will seem like scattered thoughts. It makes complete sense to me, but it is hard for me to make sense of it to others around me.
People will mistake my lack of words for not thinking, or lack of eye contact for not making a connection. Which can be frustrating and can lead to very anxious moments where I can shut down and close out the world around me.
Music has been what I have turned to calm me down, allow me to focus more, help me to express how I am feeling at that moment and while I have far more to travel, I have come very far.
I discovered that music was helping me manage my mental health and well being and so in this project, I wanted to discover its connection through science & history.
Songs On Repeat
Like many, my playlists evolve, but I find that there are certain artists, styles, and genres of music that will continually pop up on "repeat" depending on my mood.
From an early age, "show tunes" have always improved my mood and brought a smile to my face. Whether Disney songs at an early age, or watching The Greatest Showman or Hamilton today, it is music that can lift me up. Or help me to "Let it Go."
I discovered KPop in middle school and it led me to try and learn some Korean words so I could understand the lyrics. I started watching Korean dramas, then learning more about Korean culture and eventually Asian cultures in general. My journey to the Global World Studies and Languages Academy may never have happened if I hadn't discovered a love of KPop.
Today, my appreciation for music continues to expand, often based not only on the style or genre, but the connection to the artist and their music. And my appreciation for music and the realization of how much it has helped me personally started me down the path of trying to better understand the positive connection between "Music & Mental Health."