MUMBAI: In the 1997 movie Titanic, the band was asked to keep playing amid chaos brought about by a sinking ship. When the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames almost a year ago, the crowd gathered near the area started to sing as the historical landmark was reduced to a burning background. And today, we see people turn to music, to playing instruments and to singing as a way to cope with a world under quarantine.
Truth to be told music helps when the going gets tough. This is why we have Wonder Woman Gal Gadot and friends singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” in that viral Instagram post or why we had big name artists agreeing for free online Facebook live concerts for the benefit of frontliners all over the world. This same intention was reflected each time a song performed and recorded by various artists is released like “We Are The World” or “Voices That Care.”
What we’re going through right is World War COVID-19. And at a time we’re asked to stay keep a safe distance from each other, we have singing to still feel we’re one with the rest of the world.
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According to an article posted on The Conversation.com and World Economic Forum, music brings back a small amount of control. “With constraints on our movements and general way of life becoming more and more restricted, we are feeling a loss of control not experienced since the second world war. In being confined to our homes, we are missing our normal social support from friends and family, and our freedom to control our day-to-day lives. But making music provides a means to regain control.”
Even if you’re singing via karaoke app, the fact that you shared it online meant you yearned to connect with an audience and that you processed an emotion, a message via singing and putting it out there—out there where you’re not allowed to be.
Amongst the first moving videos that went viral during the start of the pandemic the ones that came from China and Italy where citizens unite by singing their hearts out.
The article from World Economic Forum added that music provides a sense of belonging at a time we need it most. “Music creates a sense of belonging and participation. It is an antidote to the growing sense of alienation and isolation in society in general – even more so now we are being asked to actively practice social distancing and isolation. Social distancing and geographical isolation do not have to result in social isolation. In the face of uncertainty and panic, music is a social balm for soothing anxiety, enhancing community connections and acting in defiance of a threat to community spirit.”
Here in the Philippines, we’ve seen health workers singing for fellow frontliners such as the viral video from Medical City frontliners. Some health workers and checkpoint officials have also turned to music apps to entertain themselves, do a couple of dance moves to raise the human spirit in the time of COVID-19.
The said article also suggested that this kind of behavior is part of human history. “The ability of music to increase social cohesion and direct human attention was probably a key reason for its development throughout human behavioral evolution, allowing early humans to convey emotions and intentions effectively. This communication could prove decisive in times of stress, and ultimately mean the difference between life and death. Now, we are seeing this age-old human adaptation once again being mobilized in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to keep communities pulling together. Music has not yet lost its importance for humanity.”
So yeah, there’s nothing wrong if we sing more these days. We might as well use whatever form of fight is left in us to take back some portion of the many things this virus has taken away.
