Narrative in Audio:
Understand Stress and Music
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Title: How does music help reduce stress, and how do you select the suitable types of music?
Outline:
What do you think of audio in learning?
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Different types of music may influence our mindset depending on the occasion. For instance, while working in the gym, we prefer to listen to pop songs with fast beats to energize our bodies and excite our minds. In the cafe, we like to listen to slow-beat jazz songs, with or without lyrics, or country-styled songs to help us focus on reading the text and building up ideas. While doing meditation or yoga, we may prefer music with a gentle rhythm and peaceful melody to calm the mind. Music has magical positive effects on our minds and relaxes our bodies depending on the chosen melody, beat, and rhythm. According to research online, there is a career named ‘music therapist, who scientifically uses music to treat patients with physical or mental disabilities and suffering from mental illnesses due to their past experiences. Music has been proven effective in treating dementia, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
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My topic is not about music therapists and how they treat patients; however, it is associated with ‘stress.’ My research shows that some stress levels can help people stay motivated and concentrate on tasks. In contrast, prolonged stress periods lead to severe depression, anxiety, and other mental disabilities. As a previous patient with anxiety and depression, I understand the importance of teaching people how to relieve stress. Besides music, multiple techniques are available for helping reduces overload stresses. Still, for this project, I will focus on the utilization of music and make a podcast regards the questions of what, why, and how ( what is stress, what is music. Why would the terms associate with one another? How to make good choices in music, and how to practice it on our own？ ）
How would you implement audio in your learning project? -
A short podcast with Jazz Music played on the back. I would narrate the definition of stress and music, define how music can be good for our mental and physical health, explain the scientific evidence from the experts, and teach learners how to select the right types of songs to reduce stress effectively.
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My other option would be making a presentation ( slides) with music interaction. Audiences can hear the example and play it while browsing the presentation when they click on the signals. ( actively listening and evolving may encourage meaningful learning experiences.)
Concept Overview
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There will be many scientific facts and evidence to prove my ideas and present how the technique works, and the learners may practice relieving stress on their own after hearing the podcast.
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Define stress. (To understand how music can impact stress reduction, it is essential to define the word stress scientifically. )
When we are highly stressed, our heart rate and blood pressure increase and our adrenal glands produce cortisol, the stress hormone. It can help us to stay focused and energetic while facing challenges in the short term, yet, ongoing stress can lead us to issues of depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic pains. In contrast, it can negatively affect one’s performance in learning and hurt us physically and mentally.
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Define how it works. ( How does our brain react/ sense the musical experience/ How can music be good for our bodies and minds? )
“Music listening is strongly associated with stress reduction by the decrease of physiological arousal as indicated by decreased physiological arousal as indicated by reduced cortisol levels, lowered heart rate, and decreases in mean arterial pressure.”
(Martina de Witte, Ana da Silva Pinho, Geert-Jan Stams, Xavier Moonen, Arjan E.R. Bos & Susan van Hooren (2022) Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Health Psychology Review)
Stress comes from human thoughts of anger, depression, and guilt. Stress is a type of negative emotion and feeling that will raise nervousness and anxiety. Studies found that music can help our brain minimize tension by increasing positive emotions of happiness and releasing brain chemicals of neurotransmitters and hormones, which play a vital role in the defensive response to stress. In addition, listening to music can help to reduce high blood pressure and fast heart rate, which are physical symptoms of stress. However, different types of music, personal preferences, and the environment can influence the functions of music.
Dr. David Thomas states that music with 72 beats per minute type of rhythm can help eliminate thinking and provide a distraction. But music with a high beat count or melody, such as techno and hard rock music, does not alleviate stress relief in general.
The statement of need/problem you are solving (why is this concept meaningful or needed?)
Learners need to understand the misconceptions to stress, practice utilizing music as an effective tool to release stress, and know how to make a good selection of music.
Concept description
The feeling of stress is commonly seen in our generation. It has both positive and negative effects on our life. Short-term stress can help people stay focused and efficient while being motivated to complete their tasks. However, long-term stress can hurt us physically and mentally. It may lead to severe issues of anxiety and depression. It raised the suicide rate in people of different ages. Thus, some people have realized the importance of relieving stress by practicing the techniques. ( such as workout, taking a day off to relax the body, or listening to music, etc.） I choose the theme because I like listening to music while working on my assignment. Yet, there is no systematic learning to teach people what stress is, how music can work along with stress relief, and how to make accurate selections in music to achieve the goals of being effectively done with assignments while not increasing stress levels.
Target audience (bulleted demographic descriptors such as age range, geographic location, language, and other demographic characteristics)
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Since the final product will be introduced in English, it is limited to learners who can speak English.
This is a lesson for students from high schools to graduate schools who want to know how to use music to relieve stress and stay effective in their tasks with the help of music.
A bulleted list of learning goals (be specific, what will users gain? Consider using Common Core standards)
Make a better choice in selecting to study music.
Practice skills on releasing stress on their own.
Introduce fun scientific facts about music and stress.
A bulleted list of learning theories and a precise and rigorous explanation for how each supports your design
Richard E. Mayer proposed multimedia learning principles that help to reduce extraneous processing, manage essential processing, and foster generative processing.
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References:
Full article: Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis (tandfonline.com)
How Does Music Reduce Stress - StressTalk.net
Martina de Witte, Ana da Silva Pinho, Geert-Jan Stams, Xavier Moonen, Arjan E.R. Bos & Susan van Hooren (2022) Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Health Psychology Review, 16:1, 134-159, DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2020.1846580
Multimedia Learning crop.pdf (cambridge.org)
What Does a Music Therapist Do? (Jobs, Salary, Degree, & More) | LN (ledgernote.com)
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#3- A Music Therapist's Advice for Feeling Better with Music ( with Rachel Quirbach ), Un-starved Podcast, Spotify
Podcast Script
[Sponsor message]
[Opening music jingle and sound effects]
Intro: (Jazz music playing on the back)
Welcome to our channel, the Stress-Free Zone. I am Wai Ting, your host of the day. In today’s episode, I will define stress and discuss its misconceptions with scientific reports. I will also explain how music helps with reducing negative emotions and stress. Without further ado, Let’s get started.
Duration:( 10 - 15 mins)
We will begin with the topic of stress. What is stress? What is the definition of feeling stress? It is common for people to experience stress in our generation; multiple factors, including natural genetics, deadlines for assignments, overloaded tasks, and pressures from society, can cause it. Stress is a type of negative emotion and feeling that raise nervousness and anxiety, and it comes from human thoughts of anger, depression, and guilt. In other words, to reduce stress levels, we need some distractions to help us release the tension in the body and maintain our mental health. Some people may misinterpret stress as having no positive influence on us. When we are experiencing stress, our heart rate and blood pressure will increase, and our adrenal glands produce cortisol, the stress hormone. Stress can help us stay focused and energetic while facing challenges only in the short term, such as the deadline set for each assignment. We may feel pressure to see how deadlines are coming up. However, with a given timeline, we intend to stay focused on the tasks and ensure our goals can be completed on time. However, it is essential to understand ongoing stress can lead us to severe issues of depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic pains. It distracts our attention from the tasks to the unpredicted emotions that may simulatory hurt our mental and physical health.
[Segue, a short musical clip]
According to research Music Therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and Meta-analysis by Witte, Pinho, Stams, Moonen, Bos, and Horren, published in 2022, the psychologist found, ‘Music listening is strongly associated with stress reduction by the decrease of physiological arousal as indicated by decreased physiological arousal as indicated by reduced cortisol levels, lowered heart rate, and decreases in mean arterial pressure,’ quoted. Studies found that music helps our brain minimize tension by increasing positive emotions of happiness and releasing brain chemicals of neurotransmitters and hormones, which play a vital role in the defensive response to stress. Listening to music can help to reduce high blood pressure and fast heart rate; however, there are factors such as the selection of types of music, personal preferences, and the environment where you play the music, which can influence the functions of music. Dr.David Thomas, a psychotherapist in Tampa, Florida, states that music with 72 beats per minute type of rhythm can help eliminate thinking and provide a distraction. But music with a high beat count or melody, such as techno and hard rock music, does not alleviate stress relief in general.
[Segue, a short musical clip]
Different types of music influence our mindset depending on the occasion. For instance, while working in the gym, we prefer to listen to pop songs with fast beats to energize our bodies and excite our minds. Like this one …. ( play a clip of pop songs with high beats or fast rhythm )
In the cafe, we prefer to listen to slow-beat jazz songs, with or without lyrics, or country-styled songs to help us focus on reading the text and building up ideas. ( Switch to the jazz music playing in the background)
While doing meditation or yoga, we prefer music with a gentle rhythm and peaceful melody to calm the mind. Namaste. (Switch to meditating songs)
[Segue, switch to jazz song background]
Well, it is depended based on my personal preferences. There are some expectations based on our mood at the time, personal preferences, or trends in society. In general, music selections affect our mindsets and bodies depending on the chosen melody, beat, rhythm, and environments for which music is used.
Rachel Quirbach is a clinical mental health counselor, board-certified music therapist, and EMDR with 7 years of experience treating clients with physical or mental disabilities who suffer from mental illnesses due to their past experiences. She mentioned that Music required the passage of time and space, and even silence existed in the passage of time. When listening to music, we must participate in the experiences and hold in that with time. For some people, being in the moment of the experiences with music make them feel validated and supported. Some people with sleeping difficulties use music to help them fall asleep or transition from the things that bother them during the day. In other words, music can be a good distraction while our brains are bothered by complicated ideas and negative emotions and help release unnecessary tension in our minds. Music has been proven effective in treating dementia, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. Reflecting Rachel's idea, we can create a music playlist with pieces of music that give us a sense of peace and harmony and use these playlists as a helpful tool to comfort our minds when needed.
Duration: ( 5 - 10 mins)
Closing remarks or recap: Summarize the main points you covered, tease an upcoming episode, etc.
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To recap from the contents included in this episode, we have defined stress scientifically and explained how music could be an effective tool to help relieve stress. Stress may lead to different mental disorders, depending on the causes of the stress and how people handle the negative emotions, as a previous patient suffered from anxiety, PTSD, and depression. I used to feel ashamed for admitting that ongoing stresses have harmed my mental and physical health. The persistent accumulation of negative emotions and stresses led me to the stage when I finally mentally broke down. For those currently fighting negative emotions, you are not alone and have my back. I hope this episode can inspire you about the importance of expressing your stress and anxiety. Listening to your favorite music is only one of the ways to reduce stress. If you are interested in learning more, you may find more methods on the following website @ www. Healthline.com and search for 15 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety (healthline.com). Once again, thank you for joining me in the Stress-Free Zone. Please share your thoughts with me in the comment box below! I hope you enjoy the nice weather and feel more confident, and I’ll see you next time.
[Closing music jingle or sound effect]