(Image recovered from Google)
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Music is the universal language of humanity, and the world of television is one of endless possibilities when it comes to storytelling. What happens when you bring music and TV together? Glee. Yes, it's that show where the quarterback of the football team, three "cheerios" and a bunch of nameless Lima Losers get together and give birth to William McKinley High School's Glee Club.
It might seem odd seeing all these kids with radically different character traits come together in a school club, but what binds them together goes beyond popularity, status, dreams and fame: it’s music.
Throughout the hit TV show, each character faces a series of burdensome and uneasiness inducing situations. Whether its facing teen pregnancy and a cluster of lies around parenthood, the blood-curling reality of coming out of the closet and embracing sexuality at a young age, fronting the diminishing reality that is bullying, constant heartbreak, crushed dreams and even losing a friend, the members of the WMHS Glee Club rely on music as a coping mechanism.
It’s been scientifically proven that music has positive effects on your mental health, and although music therapy has shown a significant augmentation in popularity (especially amongst teenagers and young adults), anyone with access to either a couple, or a hundred songs (even the 705 melodies performed on Glee), can benefit from the outcomes that music has on the mind and body.
In regards to Glee's storyline and its music, Dany M, a Gleek and college student, has said "Glee made an imprint on my life in terms of how important music is on my every day. Seeing how it can save someone’s life was really inspiring. I saw myself in the desire each character had of belonging to something special, and music gave them that. [...] Glee’s music is unforgettable; it has big role in our willingness to find out who we are, because oftentimes, that can be terrifying."
Music, in any shape and form, can have positive repercussions
in mental health and work wonders as a coping mechanism
for depression, anxiety, trauma, etc.
(Image recovered from Google)
Mena, an international upcoming artist who's currently enrolled at Berkley College of Music, has given voice to some of her thoughts regarding music and the art of well-being. "Music is what I'm passionate about, what I love to do. So for me diving in the world of music [...] makes a whole difference and it helps with my wellbeing," she said.
"Whenever I'm stressed or worried, I try to listen to music and a genre that is going to go with me at that exact moment. When I need motivation I listen to uplifting music, when iI need to focus I listen to classical music or jazz. Singing helps me a lot, but also working on and writing music is a great way to take away from the stress, " Mena finished.
(Image recovered from Google)
People who turn to music in times of despair, anxiety, and sadness can experience relaxation aid, an increase in mood and motivation levels, and even find that they are more neurological processing is more efficient. Besides, aspects like focus, social connectivity, relaxation and creativity levels peak while tuning into music. Not only do Gleeks recognize the mesmerizing effects music can have upon someones mental health, but the American Psychological Association does so as well. They are certain that music can be therapeutic and have medicinal effects upon people with mental illness and Parkinsons.
Mena, an international upcoming artist who's currently enrolled at Berkley College of Music, has given voice to some of her thoughts regarding music and the art of well-being. "Music is what I'm passionate about, what I love to do. So for me diving in the world of music [...] makes a whole difference and it helps with my wellbeing," she said.
"Whenever I'm stressed or worried, I try to listen to music and a genre that is going to go with me at that exact moment. When I need motivation I listen to uplifting music, when iI need to focus I listen to classical music or jazz. Singing helps me a lot, but also working on and writing music is a great way to take away from the stress, " Mena finished.
Portrait of upcoming artist Mena at the Latin GRAMMYs.
(recovered from her Instagram account)
M&M (MUSIC & MENTAL ILLNESS RECOVERY)
Cami Julaine, a 25-year-old female singer/songwriter residing in Los Angeles, California, has been focusing on her career in the music industry since the young age of 15. Cami has released 6 songs and has exciting new material coming up. She has a history of mental health dealing with anxiety, depression, anorexia and bulimia when she was only 8 years old.
“I think I’ve always struggled with mental health. Even as a child I remember bingeing or having really anxious, panicky thoughts. As I got older it really switched into anorexia. […] It’s interesting how my mental illness can really mask itself in all these different things. It can be eating disorder, trauma, anxiety, depression; it can come through so many different ways, so being aware of that has been really beneficial to me and my own recovery, my life and my work,” Cami shared.
She then went ahead and talked a little about her journey in the music industry, from her early beginning to where she is now. “I stepped into the music industry when I was about 15 years old, but I started to take it seriously and really create myself as a brand when I was probably about 18 or 19. I was originally in a girl band and we were just about to get signed to Sony Records and we actually ended breaking and I branched to be my own independent artist. From there I decided who I wanted to be as an artist, and that was a really big piece for me,” Cami said.
Portrait of singer/songwriter Cami Julaine at LA.
(recovered from her Instagram account)
(recovered from her Instagram account)
She continued, “Then I kind of took a break from it, did more work on my mental health by going back to treatment, working on my eating disorder, trauma and anxiety, and I came back out of that with a vision to be a pop singer and I knew that that was what I wanted to do and wanted to be.”
Cami shares an intimate relationship with music. It’s one of her most esteemed coping mechanisms. She shared a few words about what music means to her and her recovery. Cami had a lot to say about the matter, she even went ahead and shared with us the relationship she believes exists between music and wellness.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
One of Glee’s most acclaimed quotes out of all 6 seasons goes like this: “the show must go on all over the place… or something”. Finn Hudson might’ve been a little tongue-tied at times, some would even call him vague, but one thing he undoubtedly got right was that no matter the circumstance, the difficulty of the situation or the adversities that might challenge us, this spectacle that’s called life must go on.
And if there’s one thing Glee taught us, is that as long as there’s music in our lives and rhythm running through our veins, we’ll be able to value and cherish even the darkest moments of our lives. Glee might be over, but its teachings and legacy will live forever.
“I miss this place so much. It's where we fell in love, where I
could say things with music, when words just weren’t enough.”
-Santana to Brit [about Glee Club, S4, ep.4]
In loving memory of Naya Rivera (1987-2020) 🤍
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