I begged my mom to put me in violin lessons when I was nine. She found a local music teacher who would teach me how to play. Over the years, I would visit Miss Kim once a week for music lessons on the violin and eventually on the guitar and piano too. I quickly learned how to read music which helped me tremendously when it came time to join the band in the sixth grade. Practicing every morning before school was an escape from the gym where students would wait in the mornings before school started. Maybe I was antisocial or really passionate about the saxophone at the time. Either way, I used music to escape to my own little world where it was just me against myself.
I have long used music as a way to connect with others. It tends to bring out the best in people. Everyone is so passionate about what they listen to or what they play (if they play an instrument). Music gives people a way to express themselves. How do people utilize music to make the most of their situation? Notice the people working out in the gym, walking in the streets, or studying in the library. Do they have headphones on? In all these situations music is a key part of the experience. Music helps people focus, escape, or to get pumped up, and it can improve one’s mood, enabling them to feel relieved and happy.
Listening to music can be a great distraction or focus tool when you are getting nervous for an upcoming presentation, getting pumped up for a sports game, and getting in the right mindset for another day of work. The way in which we use our resources around us can change our perspective of the world and allow us to feel emotions. Ads and movies use music to enhance the plot and get the audience to feel a certain emotion. Music can be an escape for many. I encourage you to reflect on your music taste and how it influences you. Does it bring you joy? Calmness? Empowerment? How can you use music to enhance your business endeavors?
Emma Bathurst
The University of Texas at Austin
McCombs School of Business | Moody College of Communication
emmabathurst@utexas.edu | emmabathurst8@gmail.com
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