Listening to music can be entertaining and some research suggests that it might even make you healthier. Music can be a source of pleasure and contentment, but there are many other psychological benefits as well.

The notion that music can influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors probably does not come as much of a surprise. If you've ever felt pumped up while listening to your favorite fast-paced rock anthem or been moved to tears by a tender live performance, then you easily understand the power of music to impact moods and even inspire action.

The psychological effects of music can be powerful and wide-ranging. Music therapy is an intervention sometimes utilized to promote emotional health, help patients cope with stress, and boost psychological well-being. Some research even suggests that your taste in music can provide insight into different aspects of your personality.

Music can relax the mind, energize the body, and even help people better manage pain. So what other potential benefits might music provide?Why Music Therapy Can Be So Effective1

MUSIC CAN IMPROVE YOUR COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

Research suggests that background music, or music that is played while the listener is primarily focused on another activity, can improve performance on cognitive tasks in older adults.

One study found that playing more upbeat music led to improvements in processing speed while both upbeat and downbeat music led to benefits in memory.

So the next time you are working on a task, consider turning on a little music in the background if you are looking for a boost in your mental performance. Consider choosing instrumental tracks rather than those with complex lyrics, which might end up being more distracting. 

MUSIC CAN REDUCE STRESS

It has long been suggested that music can help reduce or manage stress. Consider the trend centered on meditative music created to soothe the mind and inducing relaxation. Fortunately, this is one trend supported by research. Listening to music can be an effective way to cope with stress.

In one 2013 study, participants took part in one of three conditions before being exposed to a stressor and then taking a psychosocial stress test. Some participants listened to relaxing music, others listened to the sound of rippling water, and the rest received no auditory stimulation.

The results suggested that listening to music had an impact on the human stress response, particularly the autonomic nervous system. Those who had listened to music tended to recover more quickly following a stressor.

 The definition for casting in the Google Dictionary is “an object made by pouring molten metal or other material into a mold.” Of course, there is so much more to hand casting or any kind of casting but it is a fun process and there are many different ways to cast. 

What is the result of hand casting? A sculpture or 3D form of yours or someone else's hand that is decorated and enjoyed by the viewer. I’m sure you are still confused of what casting really is. Let’s start at the beginning.

Let’s start with what we do here at EverLove Studios, LLC. We will begin with hand Casting. First, you want to make a mold of something. Casting is nothing but pouring a liquid into a mold with an already made design and getting a copy of that design in a three dimensional object. So, if you want to make a replica of your own hand then we must take a three dimensional copy of each line and detail of your hand. How do we do that? It’s simple!

 We use a material called Alginate. What is Alginate? It is a safe non-toxic and non-hypoallergenic material that usually turns pink and is squishy. Alginate is made from seaweed stems as well as other ingredients found in Dover, England’s white cliffs. Once we mix the Alginate with the right amount and temperature of water then it is time to quickly place your hand in it. During this time, the squishy white material begins to turn into a rubber like substance forming all around your hand picking up every detail, line, wrinkle and vein. After about seven to ten minutes you are able to pull your hand out. I then pour Liquistone into the mold. This is like plaster but a little stronger. Once that is set, I remove all the Alginate and end up with a three dimensional copy of your hand. This then becomes a “one-time mold.” Most molds you can use over and over but not with most Alginates. Therefore, we could just make a mold of your hand cast and make several other casts of your hand. This type of mold also does not include a plaster “Mother Mold.” This usually consists of an outer shell made out of plaster that is poured over the mold before the cast is taken out. But in this case a bucket would be the “Mother Mold.”

Have you ever thought of how things in your home are made? I bet Most things in your home are casted whether they are glass, plastic, metal and even food and candy. Any time you see a line running down the middle of an object that is called a “seam line.” This happens when you put one side of a mold together with the other side of the same mold and pour your material into the pour cup. When your material sets you take each side of the molds off and end up with a line running all the way around the cast where the two molds meet. Fortunately, we use a one piece mold, so we don’t end up with seam lines. This occurs when you cast with two or more molds. Factories use what is called, Injection Molding. IEN says, “Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts in large volume…The injection molding process uses high temperature and extreme pressure to sufficiently fill the interior with molten plastic resin or liquid polymers.” In other words, machines inject very hot resin, or whatever materials are used, into a mold that is hollow filling it all the way using heat and pressure. Once the cast and mold are cooled then the cast can be removed.

There are so many everyday objects that are casted from molds:

1. Legos are casted in molds at 500 Degrees 
2. Dentures 
3. Plastic chairs
4. 30,000 crayons every hour
5. Plastic toys
6. Car parts
7. Plastic silverware
8. Replicas of dinosaur bones
9. Plastic cups use molds and are also made using “Thermal Forming.” This is different from casting. 
10. Most metal sculptures

There are so many more everyday objects that are made from molds. These are just a few of them.

Challenge 1: Buy a silicone mold in the baking section at Walmart, Michaels, Amazon, etc…make sure it is food safe. Get some baking chocolate and melt it at the right temperature. Pour the chocolate into the one piece molds. When they have cooled, pop them out. You have now “Casted” chocolates. You can do this with gummies (gummy bears, worms, legos, etc…) and jello, cake, cookies, and more.

Challenge 2: Next time you are holding an object in your hand, such as a plastic toy, look all around the object. Does it have a seam line? Was it casted with a two piece mold? Begin to be aware of seam lines and know what has been casted or not.

Challenge 3: Look up Casting, Injection Molds, and Thermal Forming. Learn more about the different types of casting and other ways everyday objects are made.

Challenge 4: Go to our Casting Services and check out our casts.