Durgin 1

Isaiah Durgin
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
28 April 2016
Real World Narrative
For my senior project I chose the topic of how music affects a developing brain and why
music programs should receive more focus from education systems. As I researched this topic, I
thought more and more about what I could to for service hours or shadowing and the more I did
so, the harder it became. Plenty of opportunities for service based on music funding exist but
there were not many options available to me. So I directed my attention of how it affects the
brain scientifically to a religious viewpoint. Upon doing so, the seemingly looming task of
finding service hours turned into one that could easily be accomplished. I came up with a plan
and waited until the next Sunday to bring the idea to my bishop.
Sunday came around and I presented the idea to the bishop at my church, Bishop Davis,
who approved the idea. Next came the task of spreading the word. With the help of our Ward
Secretary, I put an announcement in the Ward Bulletin and waited for responses. The idea was
met with excitement as people were eager to show off their own talents or force their friends and
family to do the same. Not long after the announcement was made, a program was put together
with the people that wanted to perform during the Night of Music. Refreshments were bought
and made, people practiced their pieces, and the night drew closer and closer until it finally
arrived.
The Night of Music took place a couple hours after all the meeting at the church had
ended and friends and families of the participants streamed into the chapel eager to listen to

Durgin 2
songs that would be performed. Shortly after seven, the program began. The event only lasted for
about an hour and a half, a time in which many talented people got the opportunity to express
themselves through talents that would have normally been kept in secret. A wide variety of
people participated including missionaries, youth, the elderly, and parents. Even I was caught up
in the excitement and performed a piece on the piano. After the last person performed, the
audience and participants streamed into the lobby to chat and snack on refreshments. Viewing the
room, I didnt spot a face that didnt have a smile on it. The Night of Music had been a success.
The Sunday afterward, the reports from the event were nothing but positive and was announced
that it will become an annual event.
Music is a form of expression that, in more recent times, has been placed on the back
burner of education in favor of career training and standardized learning. From a religious
standpoint, music is a way to express ones self to others while worshipping God, a form of
expression that brings joy and happiness to every occasion. In a scientific and educational
viewpoint, ones happiness and mental health have a direct correlation meaning the happier one
is the healthier their mind is and vice versa. The feeling of happiness and accomplishment that
one feels after creating something is one of the most satisfying feelings that can be experienced
in the world. Music is an outlet in which a musician creates something and practices it to the
point that they hate it to perform it for people that dont understand the meaning of it just to have
the thrill of the emotion previously described. That is how my service project fits in with my
topic.