Modern Day Listening Age

We listen to music that has changed drastically throughout the past several years. Throughout the years, musical styles have changed with society and lyrics in music have been more and more explicit, particularly in certain genres. This type of music can be noticed all around our daily lives. Music has a great impact on the development of today’s youth culture and how they are exposed to certain things. I, personally, am just a fragment of the immense group of adolescents today and from observation, I can clearly see how music has affected my generation. I have realized that culture and music flow together. For instance, the music, our parents used to listen to, today’s youth would find lame and in a few years, the music we think is cool now will probably be outdated. There is nothing wrong with the music, trends are just constantly changing.

Millions of people in the world listen to music for all different reasons. Most people all over the world listen to different genres of music in order to relax, but not too many people pay attention to the actual lyrics of a song. If you listen to the lyrics of a song you will realize that many songs have important messages or themes to them. An example of this is the lyrics of the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur. If you listen to this song, you will realize that Tupac raps about not only the problems that African Americans face from society, but also the struggles that poor people in society have to endure and overcome. Many

Popular music is often one of the best lenses we have through which to view our own cultural orientation. Many of the artistic and experimental shifts in popular music have mirrored changes in our own society. For instance, the emergence of Elvis Presley as a public figure would signal the start of a sexual revolution and the growth in visibility of a rebellious youth culture. Similarly, the folk and psychedelic music of the 1960s was closely entangled with the Civil Rights, anti-war and social protest movements. In this regard, we can view popular music as an artifact through which to better understand the time and place in which it is produced. In light of this, the state of popular music today may suggest troubling things about our society.

Has it ever occurred to you that this generation tries to search for the next best thing? Is it like a business man try to look for the next best thing that everyone is buying? I mean if other people do it and there perfectly fine doing it we assume that we could do it and we think we will be just fine as well. Take those examples and try to use it with music. Do you think that what we listen to can affect us in any way or not? Maybe and maybe not, but some of us tend to get influenced by what they put into their heads. Not everything that we see or do can import negative thought or feelings, but listening is a part of that category as well. Therefore, what these artists are trying to do is trying to use a rhetorical device to tell us that

What is the purpose of music in society? Foremost, in layman terms, music is just sounds. However, individuals then use these sounds as a medium in order to spread certain ideas and emotions across society. Naturally over time different types of music become associated with different communities; thus, this identification creates an overgeneralized interpretation of who these communities are and what they stand for. One prime example is the stereotype that jazz and swing was the music of the African Americans in 20th century Los Angeles. Even though it may be true, the stereotype does not give an answer as to why or how jazz and swing became to be known as “black music”. In order to answer these questions, it is imperative to know what conditions

Music is respect. Respect to ones self and to others, whether it is someone that has the same taste in music as you, or someone that has the complete opposite taste as you. That’s something I see happen way to much, people bashing on other people because of what they listen to. Instead of accepting that everyone isn’t going to like what you like. Music is supposed to be something we all have in common, it’s supposed to bring us together and create peace, not turn us against each other. It’s something that we all do, including me at times. Not only in music but in everyday life.

The music shaped society during the 1900s, helping in the development of society’s social history. Music and society are highly influenced by one another. Music both inspires and motivates people to do what they feel is right. When we realize how they correspond with each other, it brings others together, for example, “On February 9, 1964, an estimated 70 million Americans tuned into the Ed Sullivan show”(Wong, 39), all different kinds of people in America came together to watch what was called “The Beatlemania”, which featured The Beatles. The Beatles inspired other music artists to push the way they play music in a new way. The more music being played, the more media it would receive, which would bring in more profits. Music is in every culture, such as, Christians who sued music as a praise to Christ, to thank him and worship his holiness. It is widely varied between all times, places and cultures. People express their emotions and ideas through their music. Music expresses people’s emotions, concerns, and feelings about situations like, the Civil Rights Movement.

In his essay “How We Listen,” Aaron Copland classifies and divides the listening process into three parts: “the sensuous place, the expressive plane, and the sheerly musical plane” (1074). I believe by this mechanical separation, Copland succeeds in discussing difficult topic, so natural that most people tend to by pass it. He uses analogy and sometimes stresses on certain situation where these planes are abused or become a cause of a problem. The main purpose for Copland to separate the listening process is for the reader to learn and study how they listen. Copland’s success in the clarification mainly because of two methods: (1) Categorizing the listening process in different parts and use an analogy to unite it to

The Doctrine of ethos is a powerful tool used throughout time to influence a mass quantity of people about particular ideas, emotions, or social issues. These ideas can be expressed in a multitude of ways to convey a particular message to the observer. In this case, we are focusing on the effects of music as it applies to human beings and their ability to understand the message implied to them and the effect this may cause on them. I chose to focus my selection on a particular time frame, the civil rights movement, as this would be a crucial time where people were looking fro inspiration and morale to fight for a cause. My song choice is “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free” by Nina Simone and written by Billy Taylor ad Richard Caroll Lamb. I believe

“Music can change the world because it can change people” Bono. Society is an ever changing process. Because society is a collection of people, it is really a kaleidoscopic representation of what is happening in the world at that time. Music is a significant presence in society; it has been a part of the human element since the dawn of man. Throughout the centuries, music has been incorporated into the most significant and minor moments of history. People can remember events based on the song that was popular at the time. They genre of music varies as do people. The average person spends several hours a day listening to music. People use it as a major part of whatever they may be doing, or they see it just as something to fill in the silence in the background. It is not surprising, then, that music is a more powerful force on how humans think, communicate, act, possibly even affecting intelligence. Music is often used in

Music is a beautiful piece of art work. It can send messages about politics, it can soothe a broken heart, or it can bring a family closer together. Music is such an important aspect in a household because it could very well be the only thing a family can connect on. The Father and Mother share their taste of music with their kin just as their parents did for them and along with their parents. The music being passed down receives a change along the way. My Father showed me Heavy Metal, Hair Metal, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, whereas my Mother showed me 80s pop, some country, and other various genres. Some of the music passed down from generation to generation may be derived from where our ancestors lived. I have recently found out, through my Mother

Do you remember waking up on a Sunday to old school music? It was the kind of music that makes you step side to side while your mother cleaned the house. The words were filled with emotion, as if a story was being told with deep connections. The rhythm helped you through situations. But violence has taken over the music industry and corrupted the minds of the younger generation. The generations grow juvenile, music has lost it’s sense of style, meaning, and brotherhood.

To what extent can music provide a means of resistance for challenging the power relations of racism, class and gender?

Music allows an artist to give those whose voice may not be loud enough to be heard. Their music can cover any issue of poverty, discrimination, segregation, people of color, oppression, and etc. The lyrics are the key part to get any point across but also any footage that accompanies gives the viewer more of an insight into these issues. Many artist/bands like Bob Dylan, Fort Minor, Joyner Lucas, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Michael Jackson address many issues the class talked about and the point of view of those who are viewed as minorities. The music these artists and bands produce gives the listener an idea of what exactly is happening in the world and what has happened. Each song individually covers the importance that we, as humans, must change the way we think and act and listen to the problems others have and even if it does not affect us.

Musicians use the environment around them to find inspiration. Artists during the Vietnam war used their views on the war to form their protest songs. Modern artists incorporate their views on racial discrimination, inequality, and false accusations of the media.