Music as more than entertainment.

Well, just wondering. I believe all of us here write music for the sake of it, but their are many people who compose for other reasons, such as:

The indians believed that god was himself was musical sound, and their music is purely for worship's sake.

People once rapped to get people in the mood for rebellion.

During wars, music (or just drums) is played to keep the soldiers in time.

Any other examples? And what's your opinion on music used in such ways?

As a music therapy major I have seen and heard of music being used in many ways besides entertainment. It can help stimulate phisical therapy patients in order to help them get through their therapy faster and easier. Autistic children often have specific tonal harmonies played for them to help relax their minds. Music is also taught to many phisically handicapped children in order to allow them to express themselves more easily. Its really amazing to see how fast many of them can pick it up, several of them can hear a song, by Mozart, for example, and play it back note for note after only weeks of lessons. I also believe that all music, even if considered entertainment, serves a much higher purpose than just something to listen to.

Its well known that Mozart songs help stimulate mathmatical skills. My algebra teacher in high school actually tested it, and the student grade average increased significantly after only a few days of playing it during tests.

I heard a study about the so called "Mozart effect". The same effect could apparently be achieved by playing very intricate afro-cuban music. Supposedly, it's the quickness of the music that makes the synapses of the brain fire like demons. Afro-cuban music and Mozart both have that intricate sort of wit which causes the "Mozart effect".

I heard a study about the so called "Mozart effect". The same effect could apparently be achieved by playing very intricate afro-cuban music. Supposedly, it's the quickness of the music that makes the synapses of the brain fire like demons. Afro-cuban music and Mozart both have that intricate sort of wit which causes the "Mozart effect".

I never heard about that study. I did a presentation in one of my college music courses over the psychological effects of music instruction on children, which included the alleged Mozart effect, and there have been numerous studies to both support and refute the claim that listening to Mozart makes you "smarter" or improves your test scores in other classes. The Harvard Graduate School of Education conducted a study called Project Zero in which they concluded that there was not substantial evidence to connect the listening or playing of any form of music with the improvement of test scores, because too many of the studies did not search for alternative reasons that could have caused the increase in test scores; they merely relied on post hoc reasoning (post hoc, ergo propter hoc, meaning "after this, therefore because of this").

However, a better explanation that such studies left out was conducted by the MIND Institute, where they developed a tested theory that there is a core part of the brain that collects and builds processes for spatial-temporal reasoning, which is then applied to various functions such as music, math, and chess, so to build up that area of the brain using music, it could then strengthen the potential functions for math and chess. It's analagous to if you were playing football for a long time and built up muscles to aid you in playing football, you would then be more fit to participate in other sports such as basketball or track because of the muscles you built up playing football.

Anyways, to get way back ON topic here...I started a piece for concert band that I need to finish that is meant to be a commentary about a brainwashing facility disguised as a reform school for American children called Tranquility Bay. It's located out in Jamaica and, well, the horror stories that come from that place simply can't go without publicity, IMO. I hope to raise awareness, even if on a tiny scale, about this place through the piece of music.