The music for youths : A phenomenological study about music’s impact on youths’ wellbeing.

The purpose of this study is to find out what effect and meaning the youths’ describe that music has for their wellbeing. The idea is to examine how students studying music at the esthetic program describe that they perceive that practicing music and listening to different types of music affect their wellbeing, with focus on psychosomatic and psychic symptoms. The point is also to examine why the youths think that music can affect their feelings and wellbeing and why they perceive that music is important to them. The study is qualitative and starts from a life world phenomenological perspective. Music is regarded as a phenomenon in this study. The study’s data was collected through a survey which was performed at three different gymnasiums in southern Sweden. The result presents that music listening and music practicing can reduce many of the youths’ psychosomatic and psychic symptoms – mainly by music affecting the youths’ feelings in different ways, making them feel good, creating fellowship and acting as an escape route from reality. Two types of music that can make the youths feel better is calm music and happy music. It also appears that music can increase psychic and psychosomatic symptoms in a way that different types of music can increase symptoms such as anxiety, worry, sleep difficulties and stress. Music described as sad is a type of music that is mentioned making these symptoms worse. The music is important for the youths in different ways. Examples given are that it’s a part of them as individuals, that it works as a support and that it can affect their wellbeing and feelings. The result also presents why the youths think that music can­­­ affect their wellbeing and feelings. The primary point that emerges is that they describe that there is a connection between humans, memories and feelings; that music can affect and amplify peoples’ feelings and memories. In the discussion it appears that music could be used in order to decrease the youths’ psychosomatic and psychic symptoms