By Jude Unrein ’23 Sergio Arvizu-Rivera ’23
THE ROUNDUP
COVID-19 cases have continued to skyrocket since March of 2020, shutting down schools, businesses and most social events in its wake.
With the continuing closures of social events and precautionary quarantines, art has grown in the form of an outlet for many students.
Reilly Blake ’23 is a Brophy student who has taken Mixed Media as well as 2D studio art with Mr. Daren Brubaker.
“There weren’t many rules in mixed media so it just felt like fifty minutes where I could express myself,” Blake said.
Blake also noted the use of art as a way to decompress during the day.
“Mr. Brubaker’s class was really important for me because it acted as an escape from the normal day,” Blake said.
Mr. Brubaker also shared how art can serve as an escape for him.
“It’s something to take your mind off of things you’re so glued to, especially social media or a television or something like that,” Mr. Brubaker said.
According to Ms. Karen Parise, counselor and therapist at Brophy, expression is a crucial part of maintaining mental health.
“If you don’t express yourself and your feelings, you will repress your feelings,” Ms. Parise said.
Mr. Brubaker noted the importance that art plays in this..
“Art is just an outlet, that’s really what’s most important,” Mr. Brubaker said.
Ms. Parise also mentioned that art is a great overall tool, specifically for learning a student’s true feelings.
“Art can be very informative for a therapist as well as being very therapeutic for the person themselves,” Ms. Parise said.
Physical art such as drawings and painting are not the only expression of art that exists, another expression is also through music.
Since March of 2019 thousands of concert halls and music festivals around the world have been shut down due to COVID-19.
“The pandemic has been a huge challenge for music organizations around the world. Musicians who typically rely on gigs for a living have seen a huge decline in opportunities and performance. Most ensembles have either canceled their 2020-2021 season or have tried to move to a digital, audience free platform,” said Dr. Johnathan Robinson, the band director at Brophy.
Due to COVID there is an increase in musicians losing their jobs as performance centers have closed down.Thousands of musicians all around the world have had to work two jobs in order to be able to pay their bills. Although it is unfortunate, that also gives musicians time to work on their music.
“When I’m prepared and confident with my part, the better the ensemble will sound when we come back together,” Dr. Robinson said.
According to Nami.org, “Research shows the benefits of music therapy for various mental health conditions, including depression, trauma, and schizophrenia (to name a few). Music acts as a medium for processing emotions, trauma, and grief—but music can also be utilized as a regulating or calming agent for anxiety or for dysregulation.”
Multiple studies have been published about how music can help with things ranging from stress all the way to stroke recovery, The most prominent publication has been from Harvard Medical school, which had been taking data sheets from multiple clinics since the early 90s.