All About Music!

Hello! My name is Maya Zahir, and I am a junior at Barrington High School, Illinois. Some of my hobbies include reading, going on walks with my dog, and of course playing the flute. I would like to start out by introducing my history with music. I started playing the flute at the age of five, since then my classical music journey has flourished. I have been learning the flute through the Suzuki method and have been playing in recitals and competitions multiple times a year. However, it wasn’t until I learned the true power of music that inspired me to take my abilities further. When I was twelve, My sister and I were asked to play our instruments for people in the hospital during the holidays with a group of carolers. When I saw the faces of people going through such hard times light up after hearing music, I learned that music is so much more than notes on a page. I learned that music has the power to touch people’s hearts in places where words cannot. After this occurrence, I decided to create a non-profit organization that performed music for people to lift their spirits. This organization, called Hope and Harmony, has come very far since 2018- the year it was founded. Hope and Harmony lets participants who are musically inclined take their groundwork to the next level by performing to the elderly, special-needs, and underprivileged people. We have gone to so many places to share our music and also give back to the community by volunteering. After realizing the effect music has on people, I decided to research the other outlets of music research. I took Duke University’s online course, “Music as Biology '' (hosted through Coursera), and it really opened my brain to the widespread powers of music. I learned about what makes music appealing to people, and how the medical field can use those arrangements of sound waves to work along with sensory stimuli to battle serious health issues such as cardiac conditions, depression, autism, and Alzheimer's disease in the form of music therapy. This course taught me that the music I have been learning about all my life can affect people's lives in ways I had never thought possible. After I examined the medical aspect of music, I decided that I wanted to research how art forms in general can be used for people fighting social problems. This summer I took a Brown course called “Women’s Music for Social Change''. This course taught me how women in places like Africa and South America were able to use music and dance to fight oppression and racism faced by the government and their male counterparts. I learned how women were able to convey the discrimination they faced to other women through art, and how they were able to create a united front against men so that the rules had to be changed. Overall, music and its various outlets are very important to my life and I am eager to learn even more! Some artists I like to listen to day-to-day include Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, BTS, The Neighborhood, and so many more. I am so excited to share my love and passion for music with all of you! I’ll see you next time!