Evan Jasica

What motivated you to do a Ted Talk?

I watched the live stream of TEDxLFHS last year and thought it would be cool to give one myself. As I saw the emails and information to apply this year, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to share something I was passionate about.

Why did you choose your specific topic?

I’ve studied music since first grade and really started to invest myself in it through middle school and high school. I developed a great appreciation for music as a form of expression, and in its ability to connect us with others. When I discovered the field of music therapy, and how people were using that connective ability in a medical application, it was something I found incredibly fascinating.

What’s one thing you want people to know/appreciate about your subject?

Obviously music plays a large role in my life, but not everyone has to be that involved. Just listening to music regularly, whatever the genre, has the ability to improve our mood and quality of life. It’s more than just something to fill the awkward silence during a car ride, and I want to share how we can all use music in our everyday lives.

What makes a strong TED Talk?

Maybe more than anything, a strong Ted talk requires the speaker to be passionate about their topic, because that’s what makes it enjoyable to listen to. beyond that, I think information needs to be given in a way that’s understandable and interesting to the average person. Lastly, I think a good Ted talk should have some message to take away or something we, as the audience can do with our new knowledge.

When did you first realize you were into your subject?

A video popped up in my Youtube feed with some clickbaity title about “how music gave an elderly man his memory back.” Even after watching I was skeptical of the whole idea that just music could do something like that, so I started looking up information about it online. It became one of those internet wormholes where you just keep clicking from one thing to the next and lose track of time. When I started watching videos and reading articles about music in neurology I thought it would make a good subject for a Ted talk.

Who are some of the people who inspire you in your field?

For the past few years, I’ve been involved in the leadership of the LFHS band. I’ve gotten to work closely with Mrs. Kessler, our band director, and she’s been a great mentor and inspiration to me. I would also have to mention my former trombone teacher, Richard Faller. He passed away a few years ago, but he was someone who just radiated a great knowledge and love of music which still inspires me and reminds me of the positivity that it can bring.

How did you prepare for your talk?

The majority of my preparation was research. Compared to just watching youtube videos, I started compiling information more systematically like I would for a school research paper. The more I researched, the more I really dug into the science behind music and neurology, reading medical journals and looking at the research on how music therapy affects the brain. There were already a couple of Ted talks out there about similar topics, so part of my preparation was making something that hadn’t been done before. I didn’t want to talk just about the science, but also the human impact and how the average person could use this information.

How nervous are you to speak in front of so many people?

Obviously, it’s nerve-wracking to speak in front of a large group. However, I got involved in the LFHS Speech Team last fall, which helped me grow more comfortable as a speaker. I try to think of it less as some big presentation, and more as though I were explaining something I was passionate about to a friend.