In a bustling mall or an uncomfortably crowded concert arena, music emerges as a remarkable force with the uncanny ability to dissolve barriers and unite souls. It creates connections that words often struggle to express. Whether someone is singing during the seventh-inning stretch at a baseball game or spontaneously dancing in their living room, a single song has the power to ignite emotion and spark connections between people from all walks of life. It serves as a reminder that we are all walking the same rhythm.

Unlock the Magic of Music in Connecting Hearts

Forging Bonds Through Beats

Music is a beautiful phenomenon. This combination of melodies, rhythms, harmonies, instruments, and singing is simple yet vital for society. As far back as 50,000 years ago, as stated by Classic FM, music has played a crucial role. Nico Heard, a junior Theatre and Music Composition double major, pointed out that the oldest instrument found is a bone flute with a pentatonic scale, which is also widely used in Eastern music like Chinese and Japanese music. Pentatonic scale is highly popular in Western Classical and Gospel music, popping up in places that seemingly have no direct connection.What makes music so impactful is its ability to spark unity and connections among people regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or overall identity. In a 2013 publication by Stefan Koelsch, a music psychologist at the University of Bergen, it was listed that music affects brain circuits responsible for empathy, trust, and cooperation. These circuits are influenced effortlessly and simultaneously by music, leading to stronger and more impactful connections. Koelsch wrote that "The ability of music to increase social cohesion and strengthen interindividual attachments was probably an important function of music in human evolution."For sophomore Communication major Claire Taylor, music has been the most important factor in her life. She struggled with social communication but found solace in music. She said, "When I got to college, I realized that if I couldn't make friends socially, I could play really good music, and people would automatically connect with me if we have similar music tastes. The music does the talking in a sense." Taylor also emphasized the importance of the silence between songs, stating that there is a sense of power in that silence. "It's super unspoken. But it's something that I don't think a lot of people realize brings us together, sitting in that silence. You're sharing an experience that I think you can't get from watching a movie or looking at an art piece."N. Lincoln Hanks, professor of Music, coordinator of the Music department and director of the Pickford Ensemble at Pepperdine, has witnessed students from various backgrounds come through the Music program. He said, "Once you put a piece of music in front of them with somebody else, and they have already in their life a language of music that they've learned, it's completely irrelevant to those other issues that come between them. You can make amazing things happen artistically that have nothing to do with all those other cultural barriers." In his own experience, Hanks has been able to interact with composers from different countries through music.Heard shared that music helped create most of his closest relationships. It could be bonding over a favorite artist or a favorite song. He said, "In high school, some of my good friends [and I] formed a band, we just loved this sort of music, and otherwise, I probably would not have met them or gotten to know and love these people. It just came down to, 'Oh, you like this artist?' There's something super connecting that can be found through that."

Transcending Barriers

Words often fail to express emotions and messages, but music has the ability to break down this barrier. Alima Ovali, a junior Applied Music major, said, "Language is just so limited. There are so many times when words cannot express what you're feeling. When you love someone so much, you just cannot say it, but for some reason, music absolutely can."Ovali echoed Taylor's sentiment about how music affects each person differently. She said it's because music is a language with its own grammar, rhetoric, and conviction. Music has the power to push and pull someone in different directions with extreme feelings. Sometimes, in instrumental music, there are no words spoken, just pure emotion. Ovali believes that each person has a unique tone that cannot be replicated. "Every person who does music, or every person in general, has their own unique tone, and that cannot be replicated by anyone. It has a lot to do with what's in your heart, who you are as a person. All of that comes out when you play."Taylor added that this connects people regardless of their identity, race, or culture. "There's an empathy, a sense of connection that comes from music, and it transcends not only the spoken word but with the music notes behind it. It bridges gaps in our society that others are lacking in between us. I definitely say, at the end of the day, music is such a universal language that evokes all kinds of emotion. It definitely comes across cultural barriers and brings people together in a way I've never seen before."Music has even helped Taylor connect with her own culture. She said her dad grew up in London during a specific era and listening to that music helped grow their relationship. "Connecting with that British, Ska, Two-Tone music has been a way to connect with my heritage and what my dad experienced, which has been a game changer for our relationship. It's something that got us together and a way to connect with my cultural heritage. Listening to the music that he listened to, seeing pictures of the concerts that he went to wearing his first pair of Doc Martens, that is definitely a connection that formed because of music."Hanks hopes to diversify the campus with more cultural music ensembles to bring people together despite their backgrounds. He mentioned that an African drumming ensemble could be impactful. "We need to cultivate some different kinds of ensembles on campus, some of them being from different parts of the world. A lot of people, not saying everybody, but a lot of people can get something culturally from that experience."

Tuning Into One’s Spirituality

Music is also deeply connected to the Bible. In the book of Deuteronomy, it commands followers to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (6:5 NRSV). Christian church leaders utilize music in worship, including hymns, psalms, choral, and Gospel music.Heard said, "Music is a fundamental part of worship, it's not the only way to worship, but I love the musical aspect of worship. What I find compelling is when the music makes you think about what you're saying or what you're doing, and there's something unifying about having a very simple melody that anyone can sing."For Ovali, the main reason she plays music is for the Lord. She said, "I've gotten to the point when I play a piece, I cannot play it for my own self, my own validation. I can't be like 'Oh, I'm going to play this because I want it to be great,' because I'm never happy with the outcome. When I think of the greater purpose like this is to benefit my peers, the people who listen and the Lord. I'm giving all of the glory to Him."Hanks shared his own experience as a lonely child who used music as a refuge and it even pulled him out of a spiritual crisis. He said, "I grew up kind of a lonely, lonely kid, and I listened to a lot of music [which] is a place where I could just find myself." Now, he has a deeper appreciation for that music while better understanding its true meaning. His students regularly tie their faith to the music they are learning in the program. "Many of [my students] that come through our program come from a classical background, and frankly, they don't find a lot of outlets for themselves for worship music on campus. I have conversations with them about what they're experiencing with their faith and how music ties into that, but sometimes it's in a different context than I think other kinds of students around campus have. But, it's powerful, and they certainly all tie it into their faith."For ages, music has been an integral part of the human experience. Whether through building community or transcending cultural barriers, music will continue to be a vital part of that experience for all people, despite their differences.