How Jazz Became my New Saviour3 min read

Many won’t believe me when I tell them I used to play the Saxophone back in Secondary School.

In recent years I’ve always been given that look that shows both mild interest and a little suspicion.

Just by first glance people assume I don’t have a musical bone…and I don’t blame them. I’ve worked hard to look nothing but professional since graduating from Middlesex a couple of years ago.

Like the economy, my anxiety as a teenager fluctuated both rapidly and continuously. The one thing that kept me calm was playing my Alto Sax once a week for about 30-45 minutes.

Although I was never graded for playing the woodwind instrument, the challenge of learning a new song always stimulated me for some reason.

I studied music from Year 7 to 11 and it gave me the opportunity to meet other young artists to perform with. Whether it was a small symphony or a class of students, performing together really helped me forget about all the other problems in life.

The saxophone plays a key part in certain genres of music including Jazz, Blues and Soul. Whenever a music teacher asked me who my favourite Jazz artists were I always gave the same two names – John Coltrane and Miles Davis – even though I only knew one track they made together back in 1959.

I stopped playing my Saxophone in the Summer of 2012. Since my GCSE results it’s been boxed away in my room gathering dust with my love for Jazz.

A new lighter fluid fuelled the fired to my anxiety.

A-levels and University was probably the peak of it all. But soon after graduation I joined You Press and started to learn how to calm my anxious feelings again.

With the right people to support me I’ve been learning more about myself now than I ever did in full-time education.

I’ve mentioned many times before that putting off writing for long periods is a nightmare for me. I think I’ve finally found a cure to my writer’s block.

A rekindled love for Jazz music.

I’ve tried a variety of playlists to help me concentrate in the office but they never work. Then one day – today – I decided to click on a contemporary Jazz playlist on Spotify and I feel like a race horse.

I haven’t felt so on point writing an article in around six months and I’m not the only one who feels the benefits of this genre.

According to Dr William R. Kelm, a senior professor of Neuroscience, Jazz music helps to reduce stress due to its soothing, often times upbeat nature; helping both students and adults alike to concentrate on tasks and sprout with creativity.

It’s only taken me under an hour to write this piece and I feel a euphoric surge at the tip of my fingers.

Looks like I’ll be blasting Jazz playlists in the office from now on.

I promised myself I wouldn’t neglect ScribersHive and create more original content on the platform.

This will help me along the way.

 

Photo by Jens Thekkeveettil on Unsplash