Our office is filled with music. Our reporters listen to their favorite artists when they’re writing stories; our videographer samples songs when he’s editing film clips; there’s a guitar in the lounge employees strum with varying precision. Music is a huge part of most of our lives and we all react to it differently and have our own evolving tastes.
When buried with assignments, I once listened to classical music (believing it somehow made me smarter). Then my intern Clare arrived for the summer and told me all the rage among college students cramming for finals: video game music. Yes, the soundtracks for video games, which Clare says are composed to help you concentrate.
I’m not sure if that’s true, and I don’t even own a gaming machine. Nonetheless, I began listening to an Internet radio station that features songs such as “Giant Turtle” from the Playstation 2 hit “Legend of Kay.” And it seems to be nudging me through the day.
Music is important. Scientists have found that children who learn to play musical instruments reap cognitive benefits, such as better literacy, which in turn can improve academic results. Recent studies have shown that those who simply listen to music (people like me, although I dabbled poorly in the electric bass) can have their disposition changed by various tunes.
Last month researchers at the Royal College of Music’s Center for Performance Science in the United Kingdom released a study that found “listening to and performing music has a positive biological effect on mood and stress levels.”
On a less scientific and more anecdotal level, we have known this for a long time. Just look at your friend, or mom, or just about anyone, when a favorite song comes on the radio. Their head bobs; they begin anticipating the chorus; they often look awkward. And they don’t care.
Recently, I attended a U2 concert with the biggest U2 fan I know. She stood, sang, waved her hands in the air and barely spoke to me until after the final encore and the lights were switched back on. Her body language had changed to the point where it appeared she was another person for two hours.
Music does that, which is why it’s important. We’re lucky to live in a place where talented musicians, producers and promoters provide an escape by delivering top-notch shows off the beaten path. In this week’s Beacon, our second annual music issue, we highlight a few of them.
They are locals who play every week at our favorite watering hole. They are accomplished out-of-town musicians who visit the valley annually to headline prestigious festivals. They are producers whose resumes span decades and who have worked with some of the industry’s biggest stars.
Each of them helps provide that much-needed escape. They change our outlook, even if just for those three minutes when a song washes away the day’s stress. They make you sing and bob your head in the car without even knowing it –that is, until you realize you’re stopped at a red light and other drivers are staring in your direction.
Included in this issue is a schedule of upcoming concerts. If you haven’t been to show lately, the next few weeks are a perfect time to rediscover your love of music. I hope to see you there.