Turner Syndrome Foundation
Music is a combination of tones and melodies combined with rhythm. There are so many ways to define it if you choose to look them up, yet, there is one thing we can all agree with-there’s something special about music. For some, it can be therapeutic, and for others, it is pure entertainment. However, for everyone, it changes lives and makes living in this world just a little bit better.
This article will explain the different ways that music can make a difference for your life and your community. It will also tell a few stories about how music has made a difference in people’s lives!
Health Benefits of Music
Despite this being well known, the magnitude of what it can do for you has gone unnoticed until recently.
- Scientists have linked music with a reduction in stress and anxiety, such as one that reports that vibrations can enter the body and help calm patients.
- Singing a particular song helps revive parts of the memory and therefore helps with memory.
- Music can help alter and improve moods
- It has been used in hospices, hospitals, as a prescription to some with depression and anxiety as opposed to prescription drugs.
- Because it can go anywhere you want it to, music can also be transformative. When people are feeling down, they sometimes put on a happy song. Sometimes, when people are struggling to get motivated, they put on songs and allow their melodies to carry them away.
- Such as reading carries a reader away to a different world, music gives people that option as well.
"Music can absolutely change the lives of the Turner Syndrome community as well as any community-it allows us to feel any emotions that we, as humans, ever will in our lifetimes. When people aren’t there for you, music is. I cannot imagine life without it."
The Uplifting Use of Music Through Life's Struggles
Hello there! I’m Olivia Sullivan! I am a nineteen-year-old college student who was majoring in Theatre Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham Campus. However, I will be taking a gap year to pursue my music full on and see where this experience takes me.
I have been a resident of Montvale, New Jersey my entire life and have overcome much adversity, just like many of the amazing women with Turner Syndrome(TS) that I know. At two months old, I had open heart surgery, I’ve endured many ear surgeries and I have moderate hearing loss. Also, at the age of twelve, I suffered the loss of my father, who will forever be a hero to me, after a 4-year-long fight with an illness.
Truth be told, my glass is always full, just as my father’s was. So, after he passed away, I began journaling and songwriting to help cope with my grief.
I have always had a love for singing, dancing, and the arts all around. From an incredibly young age, I’ve been obsessed with pop musicians such as Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and my ultimate favorite-Taylor Swift-just to name a few. Also, I LOVE concerts and have attended many. Every year on my birthday-along with every other holiday my family celebrates-I request tickets to see my idols on stage. While still trying like heck to meet Taylor Swift, speaking with Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande along with winning tickets to the Z100s Jingle Ball in 2016 have been major highlights in my life(TS
About Olivia's Songs
I have been taking keyboard and singing lessons for many years now. Although it is more difficult for me to hear pitches due to my hearing loss, I have never given up! My riend who’s a exceptionally talented singer, songwriter, and keyboard teacher, Brianna Musco, is the one who really guided me through the creation process of “I Would.” She was a guitar player in the professional recording industry as well. Other big contributors were my voice teacher, Jennifer CeCe, and songwriter, Jason Degeorge, from Westwood Music Studios. They helped me form my voice and transformed the melody I imagined in my head into actual guitar notes.
After all this practice and work, “I Would” was officially released on February 5th, 2021 on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Tik Tok, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Shazam, Amazon Music along with other musical platforms! There is also an official music video now out on YouTube, which you can see here!
I wrote it about a guy I had a crush on at the time who, unfortunately, could not reciprocate those feelings. Even though it sucks to pour your heart out to somebody to hear them say, “I just see us as friends,” the experience inspired the song that opened many doors for me, so I’m grateful for that.
“Don’t Come Around” is another song that I also released on all music platforms, which is about once loving and trusting someone who has now turned their back on you. I feel everyone can relate to this on some scale. I’m so excited for you to hear it, as well as see my music video, which is going to be released on February, 14th 2022 at 3:00 PM EST, so please stay tuned!
Janae's Story: Music's Impact on Her Writing and Health
How has music personally impacted me? Well, I am a person who enjoys a great rhythm, but I love lyrics. Lyrics, partnered with a decent melody, lightens my mood and gives me inspiration.
Since I write a-lot of poetry and enjoy novels, music helps my works flow better.
Additionally, I experience a lot of doubt as a writer. There are many days where I feel uninspired, like one time where I could not write at all.
I tried for days on end, but to no avail. One day, I decided to stop forcing it and just turned on a great album from an artist that I loved. His visualization and ability to describe his heartbreak opened a door for me. Immediately, I took out a notebook and a pen…everything poured out onto the page. Because of experiences like that, I feel that music is a great creative outlet that people can return to replenish their souls.
I love music also because it’s meant to be open and honest. When I’m absorbing the lyrics of a good song from any genre, I know that it’s okay to be vulnerable, too.
Music Can Make a Difference For Your Community
One thing I have come to learn is that music, for me, and what I hope you have gotten from reading our stories, is that music is power.
Despite everything, music has kept both Olivia and I motivated and passionate about the work we do.
It has also been used to connect people all over the world.
Here are some other ways that you can use your voice to help the TS community reach their full potential:
- Take some notes from celebrities’ musical fundraisers-sell your music to help raise money, hold telethons, and perform at events that support causes related to the TS community
- Write a song about TS to raise awareness-you can connect with those with the condition to help you
- Perform with others who are affected by the condition to help spread TS awareness
- Sell tickets for your concerts and use proceeds for donations
- Perform with others who are affected by the condition to help spread TS awareness
- Find out what the Turner Syndrome Foundation needs help with and how you can use your musical talents to contribute towards their mission
- Start a page talking about the condition
- Do a local concert to gather people in the community and spread awareness about the cause
- Sing for women and girls affected by TS since music is linked to positive side effects
Takeaway - What you can do now
Overall, you can use music to connect faster with others. Since a lot of people enjoy it, there are plenty of ways to get your message-like helping those in need-out farther than anyone ever could by normal means.
It’s a perfect blend of tunes and melodies, which caters to every individual. From the time it’s written and composed, there’s something special that goes inside of music to make works we love. Now that you know how important and effective music can be, perhaps you can find ways to help spread awareness of the TS community right from your own home. We can do a-lot with the smallest contributions!
Source
TSF Resources
- Why is music good for the brain? – Harvard Health
- Music as Medicine-American Psychological Association
- Keep Your Brain Young with Music-Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Four Ways Music Strengthens Social Bonds- University of Berkeley
- The Benefits of Music-Making within the Community – Percussion Play
- How To Throw A Benefit Concert In 4 Simple Steps-Classy
- The 6 Best Band Fundraising Ideas-Snapraise
Acknowledgements: This article was written by Janae, a volunteer TSF blog writer and Olivia Sullivan, singer and songwriter with TS. The article was edited by Elizabeth Rivera, Blog Content Coordinator and Susan Herman, Primary Blog Writer and Editor. Thank you for all of your contributions to our cause! ©Turner Syndrome Foundation 2022.
