Music is one of the fastest ways to elevate the mood of a person due to its ability to synchronize with person’s brainwaves which can help promote relaxation and concentration, along with numerous other benefits. 

Listening to music is one of the easiest ways to stay healthy and it should be presented more in classrooms. South faculty members and staff should make more of an effort to have music playing in the background/anytime to help further the education and health of the students. 

For starters, music has so many impacts on the brain and has a direct impact on the overall mood of a person. Listening to music can help increase blood flow to certain parts of the brain that help control and generate emotions, Playing more upbeat/happy music can cause our brain to produce more chemicals like dopamine and serotonin which helps invoke the feeling of joy. This can ultimately lead to the overall better mood of students and impact their motivation and willingness to learn in the classroom. 

Society as a whole is seeing a rise in stress, anxiety, and depression in high school students, so it is critical that our community takes these very issues into consideration and do whatever we can to stop the levels of stress from rising within our school. Especially since 45% of high school students say they feel stressed all the time compared to in the 2000s when only 26% of students reported any sort of anxiety towards school and life. Whereas 75% of students feel less pressure and anxiety weighing them down when they listen to their favorite songs. This is an example of the importance of exposing more students to music in the classroom It helps contribute to reducing the levels of anxiety and depression teens face today.

Furthermore, music stimulates the brain which lowers stress levels and allows someone to experience joy even within a classroom, that in turn helps students’ memory improve while helping them further their concentration on the task that is presented to them in class. During long class periods or study sessions music can help students create lasting endurance and provide them with the motivation to continue their studies simply by having something they enjoy playing in the background, ultimately helping to further students’ education and become academically successful.

Luckily, some teachers at South understand this and students appreciate incorporating music in their daily activities. English teacher Dani Whitcher often plays music in the background while students are working independently. English teacher Melissa Gebhard has decorated her room with posters of musicians and bands, and starts every class with a “song of the day.”

Ultimately music should be more incorporated into our school’s day-to-day because it helps students grow and acquire things like concentration, perseverance, and learn what to do in times of stress. These are all things that students will have to know either for college or a job and all our community has to do is play simple music in the background throughout the day.