Music is something I’ve grown to depend on. It’s ingrained into my life, whether it’s listening to or playing music. If I had the voice I would always be listening to music, it helps me focus, calm down, relax and decompress. 

    Andy Freeman, MA, MT-BC and clinical psychologist and music therapist has a group for adolescents that focuses on the importance of growth and development that music can provide.

    “Throughout adolescent years, we tend to attach to music in a way unlike any other point in life,” Freeman said. “Music becomes transitional as teens work through the trials and tribulations of adolescence. It can create a healing environment during a time of uncertainty,”

     These trials of adolescents vary from every person, but personally I’ve used music to get through a lot of these ‘trials.’

     One of the biggest trials in my life has been adapting to life in COVID. COVID and social isolation was a big challenge for me. In the middle of the switch from middle to high school, Covid really impacted my transition into an important and formative time in my life. I relied on music to find myself and start to develop who I was. 

     “The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified that uncertainty, leaving many teens with additional stress and higher levels of anxiety and depression,” Penn Medicine Princeton Health said.

     Music has really helped my mental health through all sorts of ups and downs.