“One good thing about music — when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
Singer Bob Marley sang those words in 1971. Fifty years later, they’re as true as ever. Just ask 14-year-old Sarah Park. She invented a new type of music therapy. Her treatment uses songs to help people feel better. On Tuesday, Sarah won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her work. That makes her America’s Top Young Scientist!
“I knew the healing power of music,” explained Sarah. “My grandmother had some mental health issues,” she told News-O-Matic. “But when I started to play the violin, she started to release her positive emotions.” Sarah said that experience “inspired me to start this project.”
So, Sarah got to work. She created a device that plays music — and learns how songs make the listener feel. Called SparkCare+, it uses to understand the user. For example, it can measure the listener’s heart rate or blood pressure. The device also asks the user to answer questions about the music.
“The sensors track the emotional changes of the as they’re listening to the music,” said Sarah. She explained that she created “a machine learning model” to help SparkCare+ decide what to do next. In other words, the device pays attention to how the listener is feeling. Then it uses artificial intelligence to choose the next song based on that.
“SparkCare+ will be able to help everyone with mental health and emotional well-being,” said Sarah. The 9th-grader from Jacksonville, Florida, explained why. “It is a cost-effective, , and efficient mental health treatment using the healing power of music.”
Many people are struggling with mental health now. The American Academy of Pediatrics just called the mental health crisis for kids a “national emergency.” Sarah Park recognizes this problem. “It affects all of us,” she explained. Sarah said that has been especially true “during the pandemic, when there have been many stressful periods of time.”
Sarah believes her invention can be a solution. “I really hope SparkCare+ will help many people with their mental health,” she said. The young scientist wants other kids to take action too.
“Start by getting curious,” she suggested. “And ask questions about why things happen!” If you have an idea, “just go for it!” she said. “Big or small, every project can positively change the world.”
Updated October 21, 2021, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
