Do you like to listen to music? I do. I love music. I listen to music every day and I like to sing in my car when I am driving around Takamatsu. When I was very young I loved to listen to cowboy music. And later, when I was a teenager I listened to a lot of rock music, heavy metal music, and punk rock music too. As I got older I listened to more jazz and blues music, and I always asked new friends what kinds of music they enjoyed. From friends I learned to enjoy reggae music, classical music, big band music, opera music, and many other new kinds of music too.

I always believed that music was good for my life. If I was happy I would sing. If I was sad I could feel better with music. I did not know that music was good for the body, but doctors around the world now believe that music has medical benefits. Music can help your body be more healthy.

According to the University of Chicago study, music has eight medical benefits.

Music is good for your heart. Doctors know that when you listen to music your heart rate will slow down, and your blood pressure will go down too. Music will make your heart calm.

Music can also increase brain activity. If people feel nervous or worry too much, music can make the brain relax more. Emotional balance can happen through music.

Music can reduce stress. Your muscles will relax a little and music will calm your body. Your stress level will go down.

Music can fight disease in the mind. If someone has trauma, music can help that person slow down their reactions and the mind can find ways for better healing.

Music will help your mind remember things. Music is good for increasing the power of memory

Music can reduce pain and is good for pain management.

Music can help people eat less food. If you want to have a diet, playing music while you are eating will slow down your eating pace.

Music can help you exercise better. If you listen to music while you are exercising you can run longer. Listening to music will help your body build up more stamina.

These are all wonderful things that music can do to help your body become more healthy. But music has some more benefits as well. When we listen to music we can understand our own history better. Music has power in helping us remembering history, and stories of long ago.

Music can also help us understand other countries better. When we listen to music from African countries, we might understand their cultures better. When we listen to Korean music, or even K-pop, we can understand Korea better. When we listen to German music, or Brazilian music, or Italian music, or even local music, like from Okinawa or Hokkaido, we understand those places and those people more deeply.

Some people think that the study of music is not important like Science or Math or English, but we know that the study of Music is very important too. Music is something that we may enjoy and explore for our whole life. Music is something that we need in happy times and very sad times too. Music can bring people together, can teach cooperation, and can build relationships.

Music is something that can support life, and also give life meaning and purpose and happiness too.

Please enjoy your Music classes here at Otemae, and also in your life every day.