My Favorite Music

Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.

Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a

The concert, “Masterpieces by American Women Composers!,” was held in the Horace C. Cabe Great Hall Regional Arts Center. The concert was a semiformal event with about 30 people in attendance. The pianist who performed that night was Dr. Linda Holzer, who is a professor of music at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and she performed on a baby grand piano. She is from Chicago and has many degrees in piano performance from three different University’s, the Northwestern University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Florida State University. Dr. Holzer has performed in many different countries including China, Slovakia, Australia, and New York. The pieces that Dr. Holzer performed that night

I mostly listen to the songs that play on the mainstream radio channels and I don’t often explore music styles that are unfamiliar to me. As a result, I tend to prefer house, pop, and EDM. These genres are very new in terms of music history, which is mostly likely the reason why it’s main audience consists of teenagers and young adults today. What these genres all have in common is their heavy use of electrophones. Sounds are produced mostly by synthesisers and drum machines. The drum machines are perhaps the most distinct part of these genres, as it provides a deep and stable beat. Songs are usually uptempo and emphasise the this beat. In terms of lyrics and meaning, these songs typically lack a message and not much thought is given to the lyrics. My type of music emphasise the instruments and the beat, which is most likely the reason why genres like house have a strophic form, and the verses are often substituted by instrumental

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

Everyone develops their own music preferences based on their life experiences and personality. How an individual relates to a genre of music depends on how it makes him or her feel. Childhood

Music plays a significant role in my cultural identity by providing both the Mexican and American feel. I encounter this cultural element every single day of my life, there isn't a day where music isn't involved. One of the earliest memories I have of music playing an important role in my cultural identity is when I was small and I would wake up to the sound of Jenni Rivera’s powerful voice blasting on the speakers. As soon as I heard the music I knew that it was only a matter of time until my mother busted through the door telling me to get up and start working on chores. This was a constant thing and I eventually got used to it, and every time I heard a Mexican song on the radio I knew it was time for me to start being productive around the house. That’s the way i've been taught and I have learned to adapt to the loudness that comes with the Latino culture and now music is something that is significant part of my life. Music even helps me concentrate while I am doing homework and makes me be more productive therefore I do better on assignments.

My preference of music has changed over the course of my life. When I was younger I grew up listening to several genres of music including rap, rock and roll, country, R&B, and many others. This influence mostly came from my parents as I would normally be around them when listening to music. For example throughout my school years in junior high I would ride with my dad to school every morning. He would play mostly older rock music and I developed an interest in it. When I began to drive and spend more time with my friends my music interest changed. Many of them listened to rap so after a while I began listening to that genre so

Every generation has their musical icons. In Todays time, you hear the name Kanye West the self proclaimed voice of this generation. He worked for many years to reach his current status. Kanye has influenced more than music with the resurrection of the soul sound and emergence of auto-tune after the passing of his mothe; he has had an influence on pop culture as well. Whether he is interprutting the teenage white girl or making hits songs, Kanye West can not be denied his greatness or his impact.

The sight of so many people of different backgrounds, interest and looks in one place contributing to the environment, makes this location all the better to learn about the diverse cultural music backgrounds. The stores in the general location include Frog and Firkins, Scented Leaf House and Lunge, Baskin-Robbins, Gentle Bens and many more stores that has different musical setting and many dissimilar people walking through their doors. As said before the music tends to fit the personality of the person but is not always the case. An example, my friend Serena has the personality of a wise, gentle person and would anyone. Her taste in music is more along the lines of softer music that gives her energy like Hello by Adele. On the other hand, my friend Alex has almost the same personality as Serena but a little more selfish at times enjoys hard core rap as his everyday music. So going along with thatI asked around at couple place to learn about how music influences personality and internal motions; one person was sitting at store that had a music that was playing Indian music, it seemed like he was enjoying it so I asked for the reason. I learned that his personality was self reserved and curious. His taste was not Indian music it self but the fact that they are playing it rather loudly and how they are not shamed for this different type of music. He told me that it is incredible how the new age moved on and that he can enjoyed culture difference in a lot of areas, it sparked the curiosity in his inner self. He was 24 with a major of Computer Science along with a minor in Math, the music loosely matched his

I consider my ethnic and musical background to be not just African by blood; but American by birth. When I visited Africa, I noticed a lot of differences; as well as a lot of similarities, in the Western culture and African tribal culture. No matter where I am or the type of music I listen to, I have always been entertained and pleased by the sound of music; but I have always felt a deeper comprehension and connection through the power of music. The most rarest and extraordinary gift music has brought, that not many people; such as myself acquire, is the ability to truly relate to, feel, and live through the music; and have it live through you as well.

Music is one way to define what culture someone belongs to. Whether they listen to songs that belong to their ethnicity or something with a particular meaning.

Storytelling is an outlet that allows an author to describe his or her life experiences in a unique way in hopes that their readers take something meaningful away from the story. My Music: Explorations of Music in Daily Life is an interview style story which consists of Steve, a fifty-seven-year-old salesman, being asked some questions about how music has impacted his life by his daughter. Steve shows examples of initiating young people into the lore of the tribe by explaining how music has increased his patriotism, brought back many memories, and affected his experiences throughout his life.

Music is defined differently for each individual. It is the universal language that speaks to us all, but in different ways. It is one of the few genres that can instantly transport a person back to the past. Music is also an art of sound which expresses ideas, thoughts, and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony. It is the design of giving structural form and rhythmic pattern to combinations of sounds produce instrumentally and vocally. To me, music brings a sense of calmness, happiness, and peacefulness. Music is the absolute bread of life because it feeds my soul.

Certainly above all, I believe music is a meticulous figure that can shape or define a person. Subsequently, I believe music has done that to me, being such a malleable person, in more ways than I've accounted music to be. In such a disguised manner it has affected my moods, daily actions, energy, and etcetera.