From Womb to Deathbed: Music is with Us

Living in a world surrounded by noises and sounds, one cannot deny that music lives all around them. Schools, street corners, sporting events, there is one thing you will always find: music. Music education is quickly becoming defunct in schools, as many try to decry its many benefits. A growing emphasis on the concrete subjects of math and science, whose benefits are more immediate, are pushing the creativity and imagination of music classes to the back of the budget. Music education is no longer described as stimulating and exciting, but rather unnecessary and distracting. But the benefits of having an education in music is undeniable. Simply being around music can have a positive impact on life. Music enables the human race to discover emotions that they have never uncovered before. The human mind is refreshed by music; “our imagination and memories are stimulated by the sounds, and summon feelings and memories associated with the musical sound” (Wingell 15). Without music, the world would be silent. Lifeless. No matter what language one speaks or what culture one is from, music is a universal language, connecting the hearts of people around the entire world. In schools throughout the nation, that connection is being severed because of budget cuts and lack of funding, but the benefits of music education are clear. The benefits of having an education in music are not only present in the classroom; a lasting impact is also left on the social and emotional growth of a person, though the gains may not be evinced immediately. Participating in musical education programs in schools can give students the opportunity to form lasting friendships and to gain skills that will last them their entire lives. Music education can be beneficial to students because it enhances students’ performance in the classroom, aids in improving student’s interest and engagement in school, and advances students’ social and emotional growth.

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

What is music? Denotatively speaking, music is sounds combined in such a way to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music to me is something that I rely on to get me through everything, it is the thing that has shaped me into the person I am today. But, if I asked you how many symphonies Beethoven had written, could you tell me? To be blunt, probably not. Not only is this a problem with people today, it is a recurring problem with our youth. In Daniel Felsenfeld’s essay “Rebel Music,” he explains the fault in our youth when it comes to being musically cultured. Throughout his essay he acknowledges how he was a stereotypical teenager who just listened to whatever was on KROQ. However, he also talks about how he changed and cultured himself, unlike all of his peers. In his essay, Felsenfeld proves his message that younger generations are musically uncultured through his use of allusions, connotative diction, and critical tone.

“Musical is a universal experience. With few exceptions, all humans perceive musical pitch, tone, timbre, and harmony. We listen to music to relax, to help us think, to celebrate, and grieve. Our emotional responses to music have been noted in literature, poetry, and drama. The power of music to evoke an emotional response is used by advertising companies, film directors, and mothers singing their babies to sleep. Early education teachers are familiar with using music and rhythm as tools for learning language and building memory. (Foran, 2009) Several musical melodies are used in grade school to learn information. Music is used in my math classes across the world to enhance the learning process of formulas. English classes use music help children learn prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, noun, and etc. However, after most scholars reached a certain grade level, using music to achieve new heights academically became a technique of the past. Most instructors didn’t bother using music in order to help retain information. It was almost as if it was forgotten about. But, if music is so important why isn’t it allowed in most classrooms today? Many teachers are not fond of music in the classroom. To many, it is seen as a distraction. Is it the type of music a person chooses to listen to? Would it be different if the music chosen by

Over time, change has been something that has always occurred in our society. Music is one of the things that has changed drastically over the decades. From its instruments, the use of technology, the purpose and the reason of the music. One of the things that makes music so different is the instruments and technology. In the 1920’s, jazz was popular.

Music is an art form that appears in every culture of the world. For thousands of years it has been an important part of the human experience. Music has been used for entertainment, as a way to pass on stories, and as a form of artistic expressions.Each person has their own preference of music of music they like, but most people like music in some form. Music has also been used by therapists patients with mental and physical health issues and achieved good results.

Music is an important part of this world and has been around since the beginning of time from simple rhythms to more complex tools. Music not only brings pleasure but it has also brought an understanding to people about the time periods through the lyrics and music videos created. But what about the years before music videos and before lyrics fully occupied songs. During the 1920s lyrics were at the starting line and would originally only be located in a small area of the song or would just repeat the same thing over and over again without any true interpretable meaning. To top off that there were no music videos created during this time, which overall limited the ways music of the 1920s could be interpreted unlike music from the 2000s that

Music with a purpose. Music serves a purpose throughout our lives, it is more than just entertainment and something to use for background

With its extensive history, the role of music in our lives is very unlikely to ever lose its importance. Its presence in every culture has kept music relevant for centuries and will continue to do so despite any lack of sales or interest in other forms of entertainment. Music has always existed; just because it is easier to obtain doesn’t mean it is any less valuble.

Music is everywhere in society today – most people listen to music while they work1, or turn on the radio in the car, and of course, most popular pubs will have a live band playing on busy nights. Music permeates our everyday lives, both the individual and the collective. Despite this, music and the arts are derided as “not contributing to society” by many people. Music is viewed as a hobby – something to engage in, but not worth pursuing as an end goal. Like many other creative industries, its cultural and social importance is side-lined in favor of industries that produce more concrete societal contributions.

To deny the power of music is a waste of an excellent source, one important and extremely useful in the way we learn. Though some people would look at music as a step forward in the progression of humanity, it is known to be a much stronger force; and for some, it really defines their existence. Music is definitely a driving force in society: it has been in existence since the beginning of human race. The average human spends many hours a day listening to music, whether it’s taken as a main interest or just as something to satisfy us for the day. Music has and certainly had a great effect on how we think and act, for all one knows, affecting our intelligence.

Few would argue against the idea that we educate ourselves and our society so that we have adequate means with which to understand and interact with elements of the world around us. Subjects such as mathematics, language, history, and the hard sciences are granted immediate and unquestioned legitimacy in our schools, and with good reason. We encounter each of these elements of our lives on a daily basis. We need to have an understanding of these disciplines in order to interact with them, otherwise they are meaningless to us. I submit that the same can be said for the fundamental concepts of music. Music is something that we encounter in our society every day. It surrounds us. Indeed

For me, studying music is not just a hobby or interest or talent. I am not Nicolo Paganini, the famous virtuoso who used his talent to impress others and gain fame. I am not Dmitri Shostakovich, who used his musicality to subtly display his controversial political views. I am not Ludwig van Beethoven, who practiced hours upon hours to appease his intimidating father, nor do I do it for the money (see Beethoven’s ‘Rage over a Lost Penny’).

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

The role of music in society can be best imagined when one thinks of a world without music. Music serves as a personal