When I was 14, I teamed up with two other girls from my class to carry out an experiment for our science fair. I was fascinated with the idea that different styles of music could effect the growth of plants. My piano teacher once remarked that, while her plants were always growing and healthy, her neighbours’ plants (who often played loud heavy metal music) would be dying and withered. I had to test this theory!
Over a period of two weeks, us three girls took identical plants home, put them on our respective window sills, and carried out three experiments: For 20 minutes a day (or so) Jess would play heavy metal music to her plant, Felicity would leave her plant in silence, and to my plant I played classical music.
The results were exciting. After two weeks, Jess’ plant dried, withered, browned and died, Felicity’s plant grew to a standard height, but my plant flourished and sprouted at an incredible rate. We had very tangible results for our science fair, which seemed to prove that music did make a difference, and that the choice of that music was vital.
We presented our plants at our school’s science fair, and were voted in to present our experiment to our regional science fair, which was all very exciting.
But then something unexpected happened. The plant which I had played classical music to, had begun to die. It shrunk in comparison to Felicity’s plant, which had no constant contact with music, and the results of our experiment changed!
Being young, we decided to swap the silent and classical music plants so that we wouldn’t have to change our conclusions on our science board. Lazy right? But today, I am still fascinated as to why that came to be.
Why did my plant die? Because the music that made it flourish and grow was no longer present, and it had become reliant on it for some nourishment, a kind of ‘sound-wave’ food. Once it was removed from the experiment, the one that grew in silence continued to outgrow it because nothing from it had been taken away.
What can we learn from this?
- Not all music is equal. Discern the quality of the music you’re listening to. If heavy metal music can greatly kill a plant, surely it can affect you!
- Remain in the Vine. The classical music played to my plant was a blessing, but when taken away, it became a curse on its growth. As a Christian, I can’t help but see Christ and His Word as my beautiful music which causes me to flourish when I am with Him, but causes me great anguish when I remove myself from Him out of sin, shame and guilt. As John 15:4 says “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me”.
- Don’t play music to plants unless you it can play forever?! (Unsure about this one)
There was another experiment I wish I did. What would have happened to the plant that lived in silence if I suddenly began playing music to it? Would it have become overwhelmed and wither? Or would it have flourished?
And my plant, the dying plant removed from its classical music, would it have regrown if I had brought it back to the sound-waves it had previously known?
I hope the answer to both of these would have been – yes, that they would regrow.
These plants remind me that without God, who nurtured me and caused me to flourish since I was born, I would soon wither and die. I want to spread His beautiful music to all people, so that they may remain in Him, but I must first remember to listen to what He has to say at all times, and remain in His Word.
Thankfully, I believe He is the God of second chances. His forgiveness allows us to start over, and continue to grow up into Him.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. — John 15:
The Ministry of Music 