The power of music

I’ve been thinking about writing a blog about the powerful effects of music for a while now.

I haven’t really listened to much music since I was a teenager. I don’t know why but it hasn’t interested me much since then, until now.

Five years ago I was suffering with postnatal depression. I received a priesthood blessing which specifically told me to seek good music and hymns. Foolishly I didn’t. The Lord is so wise and I now believe that seeking such music may have helped shorten or ease my depression.

Reading in 1st Samuel 16 (in the Old testament) King Saul is troubled by an evil spirit (not sent from the Lord). His servants suggest he uses music to help him. King Saul seeks the best musician and his music helps to sooth his soul.

It turns out that when King George of England was having memory trouble he also read this passage of scripture. As a result he Commissioned Handel to write music specifically to help him with his memory. This is why George Frideric Handel wrote his water music

From what I’ve been reading
on music and the brain, if students use this sort of music as background music whilst they are studying for exams they can improve their grade by as much as 8%. Music used in one of the experiments I read was Mozart's SONATA for TWO PIANOS It's really beautiful!

It’s not that the music makes students learn any better but that the music stimulates both hemispheres of the brain. So if a student is studying maths this stimulates the left hemisphere of the brain. If they are simultaneously listening to Handels water music the right hemisphere is also stimulated (the artistic imaginative side). So the student will make connections between the two - maybe an equation will become associated with a melody or image. This means when they need to recall a piece of information there are more and stronger connections and associations for them to draw on which makes the required information more accessible.

I also found out that Thomas Jefferson used music to help him write the declaration of independence and Albert Einstein played the violin to help him think through problems!
Besides all this the scriptures tell us that:

“For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.” D&C 25:12

I’ve included a few links in this blog to beautiful and inspiring music. If you know any particularly beautiful or inspiring pieces of music please leave a link in the comments box. Thank you. xxx


My favorite violinist is Andre Rieu he is soooo amazing.

I also really enjoy this particular rendition of Rhapsody in Blue.