Sharing moments that reminded me that music doesn’t just entertain, it regulates, soothes and teaches calm.
🎬Picture this- Scene one. Train arrives at the platform. A lot of commotion. Passengers scurry towards the door chugging their luggage. Tempers look frayed. Anyone who has travelled on Indian railways can relate to this.
But today is different on this train from New Delhi to Ahmedabad. The train pulls in at the station, suddenly a beautiful melodious song from an old Hindi movie fills the compartment. And see the magic 🎼 No, hustle, no bustle, everybody moves forward, in a good mood, humming the same song. I can’t believe my eyes or ears. How come everyone looks so calm in a place so crowded❗
🎬Cut to classroom. Scene two. I am teaching a class of 17-year-olds. We have completed the lesson while there were still some ten minutes to go. Students chatter grows louder. I play the track ‘If you miss the train I’m on…’ on the audio. And to my surprise the chatter stops instantly. Soon students are bobbing their heads to the tune. 🎶
🎬Cut to Scene three- Morning assembly. The school boasts of a picturesque sylvan setting. The assembly ground is surrounded by trees. If you look up you can see fleet of birds. Every morning some prayer song and some other song or instrumental music is part of the morning assembly. Today the music suddenly disrupted may be due to power failure. And lo, all the birds fly down and perch on the trees forming a circle above the ground and from there rises a cacophony of birdsong. This is surreal! I never imagined that these winged creatures connect so well with assembly music every morning that they actually staged a protest at the disruption.
🎬Scene four. I am at the Uiversity of Rhode Island on an exchange program . We are attending a session at the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, conducted by Thupten Tendhar, (a Geshe, or doctor of Buddhist studies). He gives us a topic for discussion. While we are busy exchanging ideas in groups, suddenly everybody’s attention is drawn to a deep, rich, resonant sound. Discussion stops. We all turn to find out the source of the deep, pulsating hum. I notice that on the left corner our trainer is tracing the rim of the bowl with the mallet. I am so fascinated with the sound and its effect that I decide I’d also use this tool when I conduct teacher training sessions.
Such is the calming effect of music on mind. Studies show that hosts of feelgood chemicals, like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin are released when we listen to or play some soothing music. 🍃
Next post shares strategies how music can be used as an educational tool to achieve pedagogical goals.
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Roots n Wings 
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