Music is deeply embedded in our culture and is present in everyone’s lives in one form or another. But what is music? Music is made up of what is heard as sound, what is seen in notation, and how it is physically produced. Two other important elements of music are what the listener understands from the music, and how it makes them feel. All of the elements of music interact in various ways to produce the sounds we perceive as music. For many, music is an escape from reality. Teens in the US and UK listen to music between 2.5 and 4 hours each day. Music is one of the most personal forms of media because it has many ties to our emotions. It can communicate emotion, stir memory, affect mood and boost creativity. For instance, pop music lyrics explore themes such as relationships, autonomy and identity. On the contrary, music has also been blamed by the media for promoting antisocial behaviours like theft, violence, drugs and suicide. For example, in 1984, a 19 year old boy shot himself while listening to Ozzy Osbourne’s song, Suicide Solution. Although specific artists and music genres are not factors of such behaviors, they can indicate emotional vulnerability. Music is said to regulate emotions by temporarily allowing an escape and validating problems. Since music is such a big part of our lives, there is correlation between listener characteristics and music preference. For example, extraversion has been linked to pop, rap and hip hop music.

Sources 

Duarte, J. (1993, February). What is music? Guitar Player, 27(2), 132+. https://link-gale-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A13353091/GPS?u=bcdc&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8f0bb999 

Baker, F., & Bor, W. (2008). Can music preference indicate mental health status in young people? Australasian Psychiatry, 16(4), 284–288. https://doi-org.bc.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10398560701879589