Playing and listening to music is a way to escape from the world. It helps students forget their problems and be in their own little universe. In addition, it opens a whole new world up to those who need a new beginning or need a new hobby.

Most students have been in a music program since elementary school and have a strong connection to their teachers and other students. The music community maintains their relationship through music and lets people who would not normally speak to each other talk about something they are both a part of.

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“I have a very close core group of friends, some of which were in my high school choir, but most I have met through my choirs in college and my teacher programs,” choir teacher Katelyn Larson said.

Many music groups in high school do not really change over the years. The students spend time with each other going on field trips to perform at elementary schools, colleges and sometimes in a different state like New York.

Many students in high school keep in touch with their music friends long after high school since they grew so close and spent more time with them than their non-musician friends. Music is like its own language so the friends made in high school will always share that time together.

“Music makes me feel free and open to express myself,” sophomore Morgan Tope-Yates said.

Music is a less intrusive way for students to express themselves. It is a mixture of all sorts of things like tone, words, and pitch. Through it, one can tell almost immediately how a person is feeling depending on how dark or bright the music is. Students often listen to music that they can relate to and then get ideas on how they can make their own music to express what they are feeling.

“Band makes me feel good about myself and a part of something meaningful,” said sophomore Keller Swanson.

Creating music is beneficial for a student’s health. It can help ease the pain or at least the perceived intensity of pain. It makes them feel relaxed which decreases stress and anxiety. Music often creates a bright and energetic environment which leaves the student in a good mood for the rest of the day. A meta-analysis in 2009 showed that the quality of sleep was improved with music-related relaxation.

“Being in a band has improved my listening skills and has taught me how all parts of a whole can’t function without every part performing its task,” junior Benjamin Johnson said.

A study by the College Entrance Examination Board in 2009 showed that students who took half a year or less of music averaged 91 points lower on the SATs than students who took four or more involved in art and music classes. It teaches the student to focus on the task at hand and be attentive to the small things. It also helps the student memorize certain things quicker and more easily.

Music is something that is very important to many people. They have a connection with it for the rest of their lives and share memories with their old friends. “Music makes me feel many different things just because of the lyrics and tone,” Tope-Yates said. “It communicates a message that words simply cannot.”