For me, music is exceptional precisely because it has the power to fill our lives — often in ways we’re not even consciously aware of. When it flows through the space around us or pours softly from our headphones, it allows us to focus more easily without realizing it, and time seems to pass faster and more pleasantly during exhausting work. At least, that’s how it works for me.

On the other hand, truly focusing on it — on every individual sound within a piece, in moments intentionally set aside just for listening — can lead to a state close to meditation. Thoughts begin to settle and drift, carried along by the bass line or the unfolding melody.