“Where words fail, music speaks” Hans Christian Andersen

It is clear that there is a strong connection between music and relationships. After reading “Soul Meets Body”, it makes sense as to why. Back when I was dating my husband, we used to send songs back and forth to each other. It’s actually one thing that increased my attraction to him. Just as the article suggests, I could tell (for the most part), based on the songs he would send me, what kind of person he was and what types of values that we had in common. One specific example that I can remember was when he would send me songs about making the world a better place. The song, “Where is the Love”, is a prime example. By sending me this song, I could tell that being a good person and helping those less fortunate was important to him. Lucky for him (ha!), those things are important to me as well.

To add onto my thoughts about the music/relationship connection, I think that people interpret music differently. For some people, a song can reach deep down in their souls. For others, that may never happen. Therefore, I think that the data surrounding the music/relationship connection should also consider the person’s love, or lack thereof, for music.

As a music lover, I have all types of music in my playlist. However, there are a couple of “special” songs that I associate with those most important to me. I make it very personal and as a result, most of the songs mean different things for me than they do for others.

My Soundtrack

My Kids – “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts

My Significant Other – “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars

My Life – “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake

My Childhood (life without my mom) – “In Pictures” by Alabama

My Values – “Where is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas

My Grandfather – “Dance With my Father” by Luther Vandross

Seeing as though this post is about self efficacy and our confidence levels as a student, I felt as though a picture of my most recent accomplishment would be a great addition. Having something tangible, like a degree, allows your confidence levels to soar. After receiving this degree, I knew that I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to.

It’s interesting to look back on my educational career and reflect on what type of student I was, compared to what I am now. During my elementary, middle, and high school years, I really did not like school. It was a chore and I was lazy and unmotivated. Fast forward to my college career and I am completely different than I used to be. It’s actually quite surprising when I think about it. I am motivated, focused, and determined to do the best that I can do. In turn, my grades and accomplishments reflect those positive characteristics.

As a student, my confidence level fluctuates with each class that I have. In a class that consists of subjects that I excel in, my confidence level is fairly high. On the other hand, in a class that I know I might have to work harder at, my confidence level goes down. For example, I consider myself very good at math but not very good at writing. In a writing intensive course, my confidence level is significantly lower than my confidence level in an advanced math class. One way that I have found that can increase my confidence levels is to recognize and identify my personal areas of weakness, and then try and increase my level of understanding by researching, watching videos, etc about the subject matter. In my opinion, the more you increase your knowledge about something, the more confidence you will have.

According to the self-efficacy survey, it seems as though I’m quite confident that I will achieve my personal and academic goals. In addition, the survey results determined that I strongly believe that, with effort, I can grow and develop my skills. This goes hand in hand with my ideas about how to increase confidence levels by researching the subject. With effort, I can grow and develop my knowledge about that potential weakness and become stronger and stronger as the time passes.