The Power of Music

Music has impacted our lives in so many ways. It seems as though we all have that favorite piece of music that makes everything thats going on in our lives seem ok. Maybe it's the connection between the songwriter and the person listening, or maybe it's just that the song describes our life to the tee. Either way there is no denying the power of music.

A perfect example of the power of music is a man named Dan Ellsey, a cerebral palsy patient in Bostons Tewksbury hospital. Dan was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair all of his life. His arms and legs have been rendered useless and he can barely speak. However, this doesn't stop him from composing his own music. Dan uses a special computer program to compose and perform these expressive pieces of music.

His passion to create music has obviously given this man a way to express himself in ways he has never been able too before. But is the power of music limited to humans? A new study is taking place to understand the effects music has on animals. In 2000 a harpist by the name of Alianna Boon played her harp for some sick dogs in a Florida clinic. The results were astounding, after 1 hour the dogs heart rates had slowed down and there breathing had calmed down as well. We may not understand why music is so powerful, but it is clear that music does have a calming ability. So the next time your having a bad day give the power of music a try.