Music and Art therapy are powerful forms of expression and creativity to improve mental or physical health, as this genre of media allows people to tap into their inner thoughts healthily. During college, this is a crucial item that has become a lost form for most.
Mya Gelet, a student and the President of the Sewing Club at Chestnut Hill College, expressed that “creating art out of feeling and frustration, and being able to release it without the mental load of keeping it in has helped reduce my stress during tests and assignments.”
Creative expression therapy reduces stress and improves mental health. It should be encouraged by teachers and people in our lives, especially during midterms and or finals.
Midterm and final exams often create a significant amount of pressure for students, as they represent critical assessments of their knowledge and skills accumulated over the course. This intense period can lead to heightened stress levels.
The weight of these exams can make it challenging for students to maintain balance in their lives, often causing them to feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
Art therapy is a beautiful way to provide a creative and non-verbal way for people to express their feelings, especially when words are hard to find. This promotes healing by allowing individuals to explore their thoughts and experiences through art.
Art therapy is not just a stroke of a brush; it can be expressed in a variety of ways, including sewing, ceramics, woodworking, welding, or even drawing comics. There are many reasons people use art therapy.
Candice King spoke about her story on art therapy and how it truly helped her, “As someone with 2 kids who grew up with ADHD, I used any tool to be able to help them, such as art. It was the best stress reliever in my eyes,”
Dean Thomas, my uncle, who happens to be a professional artist in the Doylestown Gallery that specializes in environmental art, stated, “Art has been a powerful therapy for me since childhood, helping me manage stress, emotional challenges, and addiction while shaping my career; It has been both a calming force and a foundation for my success as an artist.
Music Therapy is important as well because it uses the power of sound and rhythm to help people improve, it can reduce anxiety, and even help with pain management.
It encourages self-expression, boosts moods, and can improve cognitive motor skills like memory and attention. This provides a safe way to heal and create.
Thomas King, on the Board of Directors of the Bucks County Blues Society, claimed, “When the note hits right, it pulls me into another universe, music is the MAGIC!”
Music therapy can help with tests by reducing anxiety and improving concentration, making it easier to focus while studying or during the exam itself. This allows students to feel more relaxed and confident.
Brianna Davis Student at the University of Tennessee, quoted, “The implementation of music therapy during midterms helps me to reduce test-taking anxiety and allows me to focus more on the topic at hand. Overall, I experience less stress and can focus better on the content.
It can also improve memory retention by creating positive associations with the material being learned. Overall, it allows for a calmer mindset and can enhance test performance.
Mike Zito, a close family friend who is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer who specializes in the Blues, stated, “The more you learn, the more you have to try and forget when you hit the stage, because playing music has to come from your heart, not your head.”
Overall, using these therapies can turn stressful test experiences into opportunities for success and future growth. Healing the soul through sound and color, allowing people of all ages to express themselves through creativity, even in the most nerve-racking times.