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Teenagers nowadays listen to music all the time. People always ask them “why do you listen to a lot of music instead of doing your homework or chores?” Some teenagers may say it helps them calm down and it can make their mental health better. Teenagers like to listen to music as a way to distract them from all their struggles, and they also use it as a way to cope with them. Teens can connect with music. It can be relatable to teens that struggle with anxiety and depression. Let’s look at what music can talk about and what it can do for others.
In an interview I did with Senior Alycia Ladd, she agreed that music can help teenagers mentally. When I asked her if she can relate to music she said, “It’s the whole point and the reason why I listen to music.”
In an interview that Zoe Hazen made with the singer Melanie Martinez, Martinez explains “how people can resonate with music and you don’t even know how much it can affect the person’s mental health and the view of the world for them.” In another interview, Martinez talks about how she wants her music to inspire and help young people and she also wants to talk about topics that no one talks about, such as bullying, eating disorders, anxiety and depression. As you can tell in her interviews, teens can relate to many kinds of music because music talks about their experiences or what they are going through.
Teens that have anxiety and are depressed are more likely to listen to music to calm themselves down. Music can help distract teens from what they are struggling from which is why teenagers listen to a lot of music. During my investigation I found out that people that are depressed and are going through music therapy got better more quickly. Music also can help teens concentrate more on what they need to do. For example, when you are cleaning around the house or folding clothes you’re most likely to be listening to music while cleaning because it makes you want to clean. Music can inspire teens to do what they want and it can make them more confident in themselves. Music has a huge impact for teens that have mental health issues.
Doris Gonzalez is in twelve grade. She grew up in Niles, Fremont. She has been writing tiny animal books that have information about them since she was six years old. She started to write a book about a show that she wants to make in 2019, and she just finished the introduction of the book this year. She’s really interested in topics like climate change, endangered animals, and what’s going on with the LGBTQ+ community and the Black Lives Matter movement. Her hobbies are drawing, painting, writing, playing video games, and collecting stuff like anime figures, monster high dolls, shopkins, manga, and Disney movies. Her future plans are writing a book and starting a tv show (but not directing it, because she’s really bad at directing others). She also wants to work at an animal rehabilitation center, make YouTube videos, and go to UC Davis.