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John Potocny

Student, Kettering University

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What role does music play within your life?

I have a deep appreciation for music and how it affects me. On any given day I am generally listening music from the time I get up, most of the way through the day and up until I am about ready to go to sleep. I listen when I am happy, when I am sad, and even when I just need noise in the background to break the silence.

When and why do you listen to music, and in what ways do you think it affects your life?

Topics: happiness life music
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    Luis Neto

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    Oct 25 2011: Music plays an important role in my life. I remember someone once said, "My life is a great movie, filled with songs, smiles and tears." This is how I like to think. One thing that I love, is to wake up early in the morning, especially in autumn, with a leafy street, deserted, silent and still, and I begin my daily workout (usually running) to the rhythm of my favorite songs. Even when a working day does not go as we hope, music has a calming effect, can alleviate our grief, our doubts, our fears, our failures.I love almost every kind of music, hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical music, electronica. I feel that all musical genres have their beauty, complexity and simplicity. As long as we know how to use/explore it, music can give us moments of elation, joy, melancholy, good vibrations, and above everything: a state of equilibrium that allows us to face life with optimism and a sense of confidence.

  • Ryan Tan

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    Oct 24 2011: Haha, listening to music is simply my life, whether it involves listening to some sort of piece that would cheer you up when your down such as Kabalevsky's 3rd piano concerto or a piece that would just give you an adrenaline rush such as Liszt's Transcendental etudes. ''Without music there would be no reason to live.'' as Beethoven had said.
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    Greg McWhorter 500+

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    Oct 19 2011: I'm curious about how music affects the brain. I grew up listening to music that most people would say is extremely negative in nature, but it always energizes me and puts me in a good mood. Most "popular" (top 40) music makes me angry or I feel it's all drivel. I've often wondered why my musical tastes are so contrary to the majority of listeners. Maybe this has something to do with my musical inability. I like my music hard, fast, and loud. Buzzsaw guitars and screaming vocals. Music that is too mellow bothers me. Anyone know of any studies on how the brain perceives music?
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    Nimish Shrestha

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    Oct 19 2011: Music affects me in a great magnitude. I am a musician/composer/songwriter/engineer, and music affects me in so many ways whether I'm on for work or not.

    John, as you do, I too listen to music when I'm happy or sad or just to break the silence. When I am walking on the road, as soon as I plug in that iPod to my ears it just takes me to another place. Its my best buddy, and I never feel alone when I am walking home. It suddenly seems that some movie-soundtrack video just started and I am watching it in 3D. Every thing seems so artistic.

    Music, sometimes, is a reminder of some events in your life and little things you do. Be it the first song that you performed, or the song that you played in your first date, it brings you happiness. I feel like music in your life is like an OST in a movie.

    When I listen to music I don't have any particular objective, but when you listen to music getting inspired is natural. It inspires me to think higher. In all these years I have found that music triggers your creativity no matter whichever field you may belong to.

    How I feel about music is that it inspires me at any given time.
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    lynn eschbach 30+

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    Oct 19 2011: When i'm driving here and there I have basicly two channels that I listen to. If I'm wanting to learn things, as a bluegrass musician, I listen to the bluegrass station. If I'm feeling good and want to feel better, classic vinyl is my choice.
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    Steven Dilloway

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    Oct 19 2011: Dark Side of the Moon
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    Tim blackburn 30+

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    Oct 18 2011: i use music, and sometimes it uses me. it generally guides momments in my life or joins them. and i normally stick to one or two genre of listning through out a day, tho idk y..

    • John Potocny

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      Oct 18 2011: I'm definitely the same way sometimes, I'll feel like I really want to listen to an artist for no reason whatsoever, and I'll listen to them for the rest of the day. Maybe it's just our subconscious picking a soundtrack for the moment.
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        Tim blackburn 30+

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        Oct 18 2011: possibly. it depends if i want music to join how i feel or if i want music to change how i feel
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    Anne Dagen 10+

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    Oct 18 2011: I'm not a mobile music person in that I don't like to wander around plugged into an i-pod or similar. And I hate situations where someone else's choice of music, pitched at someone else's choice of volume, destroys conversation. And 'on hold' music associated with call centres will transform the most wonderful artistic work into something I'll hate for evermore.

    Generally though, I like 'my type of music' according to circumstances. There music to dance to and music to speed skate to but I wouldn't sit and listen to that in a quiet room. There's music I will listen to when my hands are occupierd and my brain isn't. There's driving music, and I listen to that a lot. It covers a range of genres. It may be something to keep me reasonably alert and overcome the soporific hum of the engine. It may be loud and full of energy so that I don't tire during a long journey. It may be soothing when road conditions are irritating. It may be something that caught my attention when I flicked through radio channels. Very occasionally I will play something relaxing when I'm sitting reading. I don't often go to gigs, which makes them something special and carefully chosen when I do.

    The main thing about music is that to be enjoyable it has to match both my taste and circumstances. The wrong sort of music is guaranteed to irritate, a fact that the designers of callcentre IVR systems would do well to learn and allow for.
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    Greg McWhorter 500+

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    Oct 18 2011: Music has always been medicine for my mind. It can match or alter my mood. Even though I have no musical ability, music has played a tremendous role in my life. I met my wife of 20 years in part through being in bands (as a singer in a punk band). Many of my friends are mostly made up of people that share a love of music and either play in bands or collect vinyl/shellac records. Music has both fueled my inner rage and quieted the beast within me. I listen to music everyday. I not only collect records myself, but I have also produced many albums/CDs over the years and some of my most memorable times have been at rock concerts. Music is very much a part of my world and psyche.

    When? I listen to music whenever I can. At home either off the turntable or off the computer. In my car as I drive around. I chiefly listen to music when I am not at work.

    Why? Like I said above, it medicates my mind...It can enhance or alter my mood. I tend to be an optimist so it is almost always puts me in a positive mood. I don't listen to music much when depressed unless it is to get out of that depression and into a better mood.

    Affect? It has affected my life deeply. I think this is readily illustrated in the background info above. I spent 10 years of my life in bands. I've spent another 25+ years producing music, etc.
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    Si Xie 10+

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    Oct 18 2011: I love this question and music means a lot to me!

    Music have tremendous effect on me; sometimes, music just represents what I want emotionally, the rhyme, tones and lyrics. Sometimes, music can let me calm down when I am nervous or feel alone.

    I just can't live without music...

    Thank you for the question! :D
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