The path to happiness takes a different form for everyone. Every Grant student experiences difficult situations, and the things that get one through the rough patches can be wildly different. Some people have an activity that sparks passion within them, others have special people in their life who keep them smiling, and for some, happiness comes completely from within.

However, many Grant students can relate to finding joy in one common factor: music.

What makes music so fundamental to happiness traces back to basic functions of the brain. Just like sleeping and eating, music triggers a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Ellen Rainey, Grant’s school psychologist, believes that music can help to alleviate negative situations. “When we like things, like a song we hear, it can stimulate a dopamine response that makes us feel good,” she says. “I think that music can be very important to happiness.”

A study by scientists at McGill University in Canada found that listening to music allows adolescents to release or control their emotions, and helps them cope with difficult situations. Playing music can also create a sense of belonging for students who may be lacking the aspect of community elsewhere in their lives.

At Grant, some teachers incorporate music into their curriculum, acknowledging how helpful music can be for a student’s learning. Page usually discourages her students from listening to their own music because she says it makes them unavailable to their classmates, but during quiet worktimes — like tests and silent writing time — she often plays classical music, specifically Mozart, to her students. “When the noise from other classes are too loud, and they cannot focus on writing I would play Mozart in the background,” Page says. “I do believe that it helps them focus.”

A study of French university students showed that students who listened to classical music during a test scored much higher than students who didn’t listen to the music. A different study from the Duke Cancer Institute revealed that classical music lowered students’ test anxiety, which is often linked to poor test scores.

For high school students who are experiencing the various stressors that come with being a teenager, music can be the source of much-needed happiness. High school is also a time of self-discovery, and music is a way that many kids develop their identity. While there are various music programs for Grant students, many students expand their musical skills and appreciation outside the walls of Grant. Find out how music impacts the well-being of three Grant students.

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Kalia Storer, sophomore

Pronouns: She/Her

Singer and guitarist

Kalia Storer stands on the grass of the Oregon Zoo’s concert venue, gazing at the illuminated stage in front of her. The sky is an inky black and music emanates from the platform where Mac DeMarco, a Canadian singer-songwriter, strums his guitar. In this moment, the only thing that matters to Storer is the music.

Storer, a guitarist herself, is deeply inspired by the performance. Watching one of her favorite artists play the instrument she loves fills her with joy.

“All the music, it felt like it was totally around us … It was just kind of everywhere, like it was filling every space on the earth,” Storer says of the concert. “I felt very content with where I was at that moment.”`

Music has always been a positive part of Storer’s life. For as long as she can remember, she and her dad have played music in their garage. Her dad played in a band and encouraged her to pursue music from a young age. She started piano lessons as a kindergartener, played saxophone in fifth grade, and also played bass guitar at one point. However, she found her true passion in both the electric and acoustic guitar as a sixth grader. “I wanted to try something new, and I ended up liking it a lot,” Storer says. “It turned out to be the most fun, so I stuck with it.”

Experiences like the Mac DeMarco concert inspire Storer to cover the artists she loves — like Neil Young and The Garden — and make their music her own. She also participates in School of Rock, a program where kids join bands and grow their musical skills in preparation for a culminating performance. On her decision to start attending School of Rock, Storer says, “I thought it would be fun to play a show at the end and just be able to have a day out of my week be dedicated to music.”

Music is also an outlet for Storer. It helps her unwind and relax, especially after school, which can be a source of stress for many teenagers. Listening to music can be a stress reducer. “When I play music, I find that it releases happiness and relief,” Storer says.

Throughout her life, Storer’s appreciation for music has grown. Gaining experience when playing in the School of Rock has made her love music even more. “When I first started (playing music) I wasn’t really able to appreciate it as much as I do now, and it makes me happy because writing songs and stuff, it’s a way to unplug,” she says.

Storer hopes to continue making music for the rest of her life. “There’s so much music out there that everybody can relate to something in some way,” she says. “It’s just a cool connection for people.”

. . .

Tadeusz Valadrian-Smith, junior

Pronouns: He/Him

Producer

When Tadeusz Valadrian-Smith gets home from school, he immediately opens his FL Studios 10 producing software on his computer. Using his multi-display desktop, a professional-grade speaker and a MIDI controller — a piano-like piece of hardware that transmits notes digitally — Valadrian-Smith begins crafting a new song.

“When I get home from school I can kind of put whatever I’m feeling into the song,” Valadrian-Smith says. “It just kind of lets me put my emotions into something that I can listen to later and keep adding to. It feels like I can improve upon my mood with it.”

Valadrian-Smith wasn’t always interested in music. But when his mom remarried, his stepdad — who produces music as a hobby — helped him learn the basics of production. Now, it’s something he does all the time. “It’s a passion. It’s definitely something I would look forward to doing as a hobby, if not a career,” Valadrian-Smith says.

He focuses on hip-hop, but tries to stay away from repetitive trap music, instead drawing inspiration from artists like the rapper Logic. Valadrian-Smith is drawn to Logic’s music because of the production that goes into it. “It’s more melody-based, and the production of the music is more important,” he says.

Unlike many producers, Valadrian-Smith doesn’t feel the need to share his music. Aside from a few songs, he keeps his creations between himself and close friends. “I have my personal collection of (beats) that I put a lot of work into over several weeks, and then those ones I just share with friends,” Valadrian-Smith says. “That’s where I get opinions and feedback, and I find friends to give me vocals and instruments.”

Valadrian-Smith also appreciates music’s ability to bring people together. “I think that (music) has a subtle way of connecting one person to another whether it be in one community, or across the world,” he says. “It makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself.”

Most importantly, music makes Valadrian-Smith happy. “It feels like I can kind of control my mood based on the music that I’m listening to and the music I’m making,” he says. “Half the time that I’m not out doing something, I’m walking, listening to music or listening to music while I do my homework. Without it, life would seem super silent and dull.”

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A’Nia Baker, freshman

Pronouns: she/her

Listens to music

A’Nia Baker listens to music everywhere and anywhere. If there is an opportunity to have her earbuds plugged in and favorite song playing, that’s what Baker will do. Whether it be cleaning her room or walking from place to place, music can instantly change the atmosphere. “I’ll listen to music as I get ready and it puts me in the mood for a new day, or an event,” she says.

Listening to music wasn’t always a regular activity for Baker. While music was present in her early life, listening to music didn’t become a regular activity for her until four years ago. Baker remembers enjoying listening to singer Kehlani, blasting from the speakers of her cousin’s car. She began to listen to Kehlani while cleaning her room or hanging out with friends. “Just hearing (music) around me and hearing someone else play a song that I really liked … (the music) kinda just got attached to me,” she says.

Soon, Baker found herself bringing her headphones to school everyday so she could listen to music and has been doing so ever since.

In school, Baker found that listening to music when needing to focus on school work blocked out distractions and allowed her to focus. “It doesn’t make me distracted by everything else that’s going on. It’s just me, my music and the work,” she says.

Baker loves music’s ability to transport her to her own world and put her in any mood, specifically happiness and relaxation. “It takes me somewhere else. Like when I listen to music I get into my own world, and I find it really relaxing. It makes me calm,” she says. “Sometimes there’s just a lot of negativity going on, and I don’t like being around that, so music gives me positive vibes.”

Baker also finds aspects of culture to be influential in the role happiness plays in music.  She believes that music belonging to different cultures brings happiness to many people because of the stories it shares. Baker likes that cultural music is easy to learn from, seeing as it so universal. She also enjoys how every genre has its own unique aspects. “(You) can learn about different cultures from their music, and how they (make) their music,” she says.

Without music, Baker feels as if she would struggle to get through the day. It keeps her grounded, and above all, happy.