Kailyn Levi

November 29th 2015

English 1001
Jean Coco
My audience is anyone dealing with a mental illness, such as depression, which uses
music as a relief or therapy from what they struggle with everyday.
Preface
Some of the strengths of my Inquiry Project so far, would be that I finally became
settled on a topic. At first I was very indecisive about whether I wanted to write my IP
over my Personal Literacy paper, or my General Analysis Project paper. I started with my
PLP, going in confident, but once we actually began research for the project, I started to
have a few doubts. After the researching workshop class, I decided to switch over and
start using my GAP paper as the focus for my Inquiry Project. Once I started doing a little
outside research on my own time, the topic started to grow on me more. Creating my
Line of Inquiry was easygoing as well. I felt more comfortable with my GAP way more
than my PLP. Everything was going well until, I realized that most of the information that
I researched, became repetitive. I started having doubts about my paper in general, which
did nothing but frustrate and stress myself out. I started to think about making my LOI
less complex than, How does music affect your moods or behavior? I just couldnt
figure out what else to research. I was stuck for a long time, until I went to the group
conference meeting with my professor. She understood what I was having trouble with,
and even helped me create a more specific LOI, with different topics that I could talk
about more specifically within my paper. I felt a slight bit of relief, but once I got back to
working on my paper, I just found myself stuck, once again. I would say that my
weakness come out with just trying to stay on topic, and complete the paper. I feel as if,
still, my paper lacks the ability to fully go in depth about the topic at hand. I find myself
repeating things and sounding dumb. I wish I could have a different angle to write
about. Part of me thinks that Im just being hard on myself, but another part of me
believes my paper is missing a lot of detail. I also know the annotation of this project is
very important, and I dont necessarily believe that Ive done those correctly either. Im
always really hard on myself with my writing, but I hope that I can find some kind of
relief with my paper soon. I personally think this whole experience up to completing this
paper has been THE WORST. Ive never felt so non confident about a paper in my entire
writing career. I love to write, and this roadblock is making me very nervous about
finishing the semester on a good note. Im sure that Im mostly stressing myself out, but I
know I can do better with my paper. I just need to find a way around whatever is blocking
me from improving it.
(1) Earlier in the year, we were assigned a General Analysis Project that required
an essay about the topic of our choice. I chose do complete my project over the song
First Heartbreak by Tori Kelly. I mainly focused on how Tori connected the song with
her own personal feelings and experiences. When listening to the song, you can really
feel the hurt, courage, and everything else in her tone of voice. So as I completed one

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
project, and was faced with another, I had to decide what I wanted to focus on for my
next paper. I chose to focus my next paper on something similar to what I wrote about in
my General Analysis Project. I personally enjoy music and also use it as a way of
calming my nerves. Music in general had an effect on my mood and has influenced the
way I perceive things. In order to even start this paper, I questioned just about everything.
Then it hit me, How does music effect peoples mood and behavior? Being the broad
subject that it was, it became difficult to research what I was looking for, which lead me
to a new question.
(2) Music is a universal language thats heard all over the world, no matter where
you are. Its the barrier that brings people together with ease. Its the motivational
movement that has an effect on everyone, no matter what they listen to. Music impacts
the moods and behavior of how humans react to situations and everyday life decisions.
Not many realize the impact of it, from the way we talk to the way we carry ourselves in
a general standpoint. Music is also used as a therapy in order to improve attitude,
performance, and act as a natural de-stressor. Dr. Frank Lipman, fellow researcher on the
study, recommends musical time-outs as a way to calm your body and brain with
soothing rhythms and to slow down your heart rate and help you breathe easier. In all,
music can be a positive health booster, mentally and physically. (American Psychiatric
Association, 1) , (Healthline, 1)
(3) How does music effect people suffering from depression, and is it helping or
putting more stress on the individual? Studies show that this issue, is actually very
important yet not a lot believe that music does have quite an effect on us as human

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
beings, whether we suffer from depression or not. Music can also affect the way we
perceive situations, like with evidence within a court case.
(4) Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law researchers were
faced with a case that was resolved by impact of the music played during the viewing of
evidence to jurors who were apart of the case. This left jurors using the emotional appeal
from listening to the music as the evidence played, as their persuasion to come to a final
decision with the case at hand. This came as an advantage and disadvantage in the case,
because were the citizens in the jury to be trusted with their decision? Was their decision
made off of the facts given in the case, or simply because of what they heard while
watching the evidence? Inevitably, the jurors reached a final decision, but in the end how
was the decision really made? Music appeals to peoples emotions, and emotion is
sometimes used over actual thinking; hint the phrase, heart over mind. Music is
emotionally driven, and is what in fact crafts our emotion. Is it fair to present musically
tied evidence to a jury? Should the jury be trusted to make the same decision as if there
isnt any music presented with it? At the end of it all, you have to think of everything
given to you in order to be able to make a decision in a case, whether the music made you
or not. Music in fact does have an emotional appeal that influences our mind and actions.
It comes very naturally, that as humans youre not necessarily aware of your behavior, but
it impacts your actions most of the time. (Vanderbilt Students, 1)
(5) Depression is a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe
despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often
accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep. A study released
from the University of Pittsburg School if Medicine shows that teens who are drawn to do

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
nothing but listen to music, seemed to become depressed over time. Studies also showed
that victims of depression were less likely to be depressed if they chose to read things
such as books, magazines, or even newspapers, versus listening to music. Along to help
with the researchers, Dr. Primack was also apart of the experience, in order to prove the
theory further. After many compare and contrast, the results found by Dr. Primack were
found to be that heavy music listening was in fact a sign of depression. Dr. Primack
expressed, "I think it is important to know that there is this association between
depression and music exposure," he said. "This is nothing bad about music -- it may be
providing a service to young people who become depressed. However, clinicians and
parents ... may be able to more easily discover someone lapsing into depression based on
their behavior." (Pohla Smith, 1)
(6) Other researches also joined in on the research. Director of the Touch
Research Institute of the University Of Miami School Of Medicine, Tiffany Field, also
gave her own conclusion from the studies. As a former researcher who had already
studied the issue of depression among teens and music, Tiffany cited a 1999 study in
which researchers played a Michael Jackson song to depressed adolescents, as more
reason to add to her studies she found. She said, The primary brain activity of a
depressed person can be detected in the right frontal region. Listening to the Jackson
song sometimes caused a shift of brain activity to the left side. "If they didn't like the
music, the brain shift didn't occur until we played the music they liked," Dr. Field
expressed. If they're depressed they're going to turn to things that make them feel better,
so they turned to music." she concluded. Dr. Field looked at the issue with more of a

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
therapeutic aspect, versus the cut-dry Music is the face of depression attitude that Dr.
Primack seemed to have. (Pohla Smith, 1)
(7) Another sign of depression coming from music would be teens into headbanging heavy metal music. Theyre often more depressed than usual victims, and at a
higher risk of committing suicide. Studies shown from researchers at Melbourne
University show that, teens who listen to head banging music are often at risk of having
depression and suicidal thoughts, with motivation to act on them. Most young people
listen to a range of music in positive ways; to block out crowds, to lift their mood or to
give them energy when exercising, but young people at risk of depression are more likely
to be listening to music, particularly heavy metal music, in a negative way, was Dr
Katrina McFerran's perception after her five year study on the subject at hand. Inevitably,
she agrees and thinks the problem at hand is in fact getting worse. The study also shows
that other music genres like rap, pop, country, etc. dont have such a negative impact as
much as the heavy metal music. (Asian News International, 1)
(8) In conclusion, Music effects people who suffer from clinical depression, more
than our society realizes. You would assume it would be a positive impact, but inevitably
it can be such a negative one. Research shows that the various effects that music has on
depression, most of them having a negative aspect, and the way it can easily be a
persuading factor in some cases. Music isnt all bad for those with a disadvantage, but it
has been proven to also positively influence those with depression. Although music is
considered a universal bind all over the world, have you ever inspected it underneath its
reality? It makes you happy or sad, and can either be motivational or depressing. In all,

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
the negative impact it has on people, especially victims of depression, is a serious issue
that needs to be publicized, to bring awareness to.

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association. "What Is Depression?" What Is Depression?
American Psychiatric Association, 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Asian News International. "Shibboleth Authentication Request." Shibboleth
Authentication Request. Asian News International, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Healthline Networks, Inc. "How Music Affects Our Moods." Healthlines RSS
News. Healthline Networks, Inc., 2005-2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Smith, Pohla. "Pitt Study of Depression Among Teens Finds Associations with
Music, Reading ." Http://www.lib.lsu.edu.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(PA)., 05 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Vanderbilt Students. "Music and Emotion in Victim-Impact Evidence."
Http://www.lib.lsu.edu.libezp.lib.lsu.edu. Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment &
Technology Law, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
46/50 (-1 page numbers missing; -3 LOI not highlighted)
Kailyn,
The paper is stronger than you think. After you revise it for content issues, please
print it and read it aloud with a pen in hand. And then give it to a peer to read aloud to
you. See my notes regarding issues to consider while revising.
Focus 3* paragraph #4 needs to be revised to link the study to the LOI
Org. 3 Create subheadings for each impact you note to help you manage the
information

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
Devel. 4 see my notes regarding where the reader needs more information
Aud. 4 ditto above comment
MLA Check the Works Cited page.