Halacha forbids listening to music – either live or from a radio, tape, disc player and the like – during the three weeks from Shiba Assar Be’Tammuz through Tisha B’Ab. This applies even to religious music, such as prayers and Pizmonim; even these songs may not be sung with musical accompaniment during the Three Weeks. Just as a mourner, Heaven forbid, may not listen to music due to his state of bereavement, similarly, during the Three Weeks, when we mourn the destruction of the Mikdash, we must refrain from listening to music.
There are, however, a number of exceptions to this rule, situations in which listening to music would be permissible during this period.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Israel, 1910-1995) ruled that a person who suffers from depression or anxiety, Heaven forbid, and depends upon music to relieve his emotional distress, may listen to music during the Three Weeks. A similar situation would be a person who lives alone and experiences loneliness, and relies on music to lift his or her spirits. Rav Shlomo Zalman maintained that situations such as these are treated no differently than medical disorders, and thus the prohibition against listening to music is waived in consideration of the serious health concerns involved. This is also the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef.
Of course, one must be honest with himself before applying this Halacha. A person cannot simply decide that he’s in a "bad mood" so he can now listen to music. This ruling refers to people suffering considerably from depression, and not to anyone who happens to have had a difficult day.
Hacham Ovadia also addressed the question posed by a camp director concerning the music played during camp hours as part of the camp’s routine. Would it be permissible to continue playing music in the camp during the Three Weeks? Hacham Ovadia allowed playing music in this framework, since the music is played not for enjoyment, but rather to help the counselors by keeping the children attentive and on schedule. This is comparable to the situation of oarsmen who often sing to keep them in rhythm as they row; the music is played not for enjoyment, but rather as part of the counselors’ work routine.
If a person earns a living as a musician, he may play music for gentile audiences during the Three Weeks, but only until the week of Tisha B’Ab. He may not, however, play for fellow Jews already from Shiba Assar Be’Tammuz, even for Jews who are not halachically observant.
A musician who earns a livelihood from teaching music – such as piano teachers, violin teachers, and so on – may continue giving lessons during the Three Weeks, but not during the week of Tisha B’Ab. Since he would lose a substantial amount of money by refraining from teaching for three weeks, and in light of the fact that he is not playing music for enjoyment, he is allowed to continue teaching until and not including the week of Tisha B’Ab.
Summary: Although it is generally forbidden to listen to music during the Three Weeks, people suffering from depression or anxiety who need music to relieve their distress may listen to music. Music may also be played at summer camps when this is necessary to keep the young campers attentive and happy. It is permissible to play music for gentile audiences – but not Jewish audiences – until the week of Tisha B’Ab, and one may also teach music lessons until the week of Tisha B’Ab.
