The Positive Effects Of Music On Society

People listen to music for a variety of reasons. Some listen to music to relax in which it serves as a sort of escape from everyday life, some because they are a fan and follow a certain artist, and others because they can relate the lyrics to their own personal experiences. Whichever the case may be, music has and continues to serve an important role in people’s lives.

Music is a tool that touches the world and does not require anyone to understand the words to hear its voice. It is something innate to every living human being that does not have to be taught, but is just felt or expressed. Music has been appreciated by people throughout time, enjoyed and celebrated from Beethoven, Bach and Mozart to AD/DC, Beyonce and Prince and will continue to be revered so long as man is free to play it. Music is also feared by many as it can unite a people, prompt the march of an army, express the feelings of the repressed, create an entire new group of people, or even be the tune to topple a dynasty. This was proven by the people known as the “Hippies” as this class of people rallied behind bands such as Janis Joplin, The Who or Jimi Hendrix, with none being more prominent than the Beatles. Music has an influence on society in a greater way than any can imagine, just take a look at the sixties and their figurehead The Beatles and how they did not make people hate the war in Vietnam, nothing in their lyrics says anything about the war. They just brought together like-minded people who started a revolution and changed the perspective on an entire altercation. But like Steven Stark says, “’Why on earth would anyone need another work [book] about the Beatles?’” and this is quite true if it wasn’t for the fact that most works written on this innovative group are bibliographies or dissections of the musical prowess. Instead,

Billy Joel once said, “I think music in itself is healing. It 's an explosive expression of humanity. It 's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we 're from, everyone loves music.” In many ways this quote is very accurate both socially and scientifically. Music is a vital part of almost every culture and serves many purposes culturally as a means of self expression and communication within a culture and the world at large. While music does serve several external purposes, perhaps its most important and fascinating functions happen within the brain when its making or listening to music. Over the years there have been countless studies on music 's effect on the human brain and body and many have concluded that music positively affects the brain by doing things like relieving stress and improving cognitive function, and the body as well, by relieving pain and muscular and cardio vascular tension. Music is an important part of the human experience and affects our brain, bodies and emotions in both abstract and physical ways, making it vital to many facets our well being.

Art has undoubtedly become a decisive aspect of our culture; embedded in the way we learn and grow on a daily basis. Art forms such as music, television and dance dominate our society as an outlet of freedom of speech for humanity. The evolution of music has rapidly exceeded its original classifications, developing new genres with greater appeal to an audience, hence its influence on society has expedited. In recent times, lyrics (specifically rap lyrics) have been introduced into the court room as a form of documented confessional evidence, evidently challenging law’s authoritative nature. This essay will closely follow the genre of rap and its relationship with law, through cases based in the United States of America (USA). In addition, the trial of Simon Bikindi in Rwanda and Smith v The Queen will be used to form an acute analysis on the influencing factors of relevance, identity, freedom of speech and current constitutional law.

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

“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, “…one of the most widely used and appealing forms of communication…”, is universal and used for different purposes (Root, 2005, p. 7). Among the uses are “…play or entertainment, which humans of all ages engage in to stimulate feelings of joy, tension, and interaction, and enrich their experiences by adding mental complexity, counteracting boredom and lethargy” (Root, 2005, p. 7). In addition, music expresses “…emotions such as love, sentiment, or anger” (Root, 2005, p. 7). Ultimately, it communicates values showing the reality of society and culture. Anyone listening to “a few records [helps] enrich [their] feelings, extend [their] sense of love or despair, and feed [their] fantasies or fire some real relationship” (Cooper & Haverkos,

Throughout its history, music has permeated the significant events of American history. Its effect on American society and the way the American people cope with each event has only grown as popular music evolves and new genres reach more and more individuals. People can remember where they were and their exact surroundings to amazing detail when asked about life-changing events in history. Older generations will remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Their children will remember when Kennedy was assassinated and when man walked on the moon. Their grandchildren will remember much of the turmoil of the ‘70s and ‘80s and their great grandchildren grew up in the world impacted by the events of September 11, 2001. Even one’s surroundings during the start or end of a relationship or personal events such as graduation, getting a driver’s license, or getting married can all be paired with the music that was popular at the time.

“Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music” (Bloom 68). While every person in the world knows this to be true, no one stops to consider whether the music society listens to is actually good for the mind. What people don’t realize is that music affects people’s morals, culture, education, laws, and the way society thinks. Music has proved to be helpful, but no one focuses on that aspect of it anymore. The people that music affects the most only care if they can dance to it.

Music is made up from rhythm and beats with notes and feelings, vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Yet, music is so much more than notes on paper, music represents movements in time, music is memories, history, connections, relaxation and escape. Many people are influenced by music they listen to. “Music is much more than mere entertainment. It has been a feature of every known human society—anthropologists and sociologists have yet to find a single culture throughout the course of human history that has not had music” (Greenberg, 2016).

Music surrounds people everywhere they go: in the car, at football games, on TV commercials, and in waiting rooms. Our personality is an indicator of what kind of music it is that we choose to surround ourselves with. Furthermore, the music we surround ourselves with has multiple effects on both our bodies and our brains. Whether it puts us in a good mood or distracts us from something more important, music has both positive and negative effects on us. Music can be used as a tool to facilitate so much of our experience in this world.

Some people think that music can positively influence the listener while others disagree and argue that it has a negative impact. Mark Edmundson, the author of “Can Music Save Your Life?,” asserts through his own experience and the research of others that music solely “preserves” the listener’s life as a “balm—cortisone spread” (paragraph 25). His use of a well-known medical supplement makes it more relatable and believable to the reader. The authors of “Feeling the Beat” support Edmundson by stating that they observed an increased sense of confidence in oneself and one’s beliefs in the people they interviewed(Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 346). Their main support is the quote from one of their interviewee’s who said, “We can identify what they are talking about” (Iwamoto, Creswell, & Caldwell 343). This not only explains why students listen to certain types of music, but also why it can have such an impact on them. Derek Iwamoto, John Creswell, and Leon Caldwell declare their statement that positive influence of music by stating that the majority of the students they observed used their music as a way to

Although some may suggest music can only serve for entertainment, music imposes a direct impact on the ideals and actions of today’s culture. In the past, the music of a culture greatly impacts the people and speaks what the people felt afraid to express. Different types of music reach different areas of the human brain, thus affecting the way people act in various ways. Music possesses such a deep impact on human brains it affects the way we act and process different situations we go through. Although music can serve entertainment purposes it affects our brains and actions deeply.

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

Music elicits an emotional and cognitive response in all who listen to it. It is powerful at the individual level because “it can induce multiple responses – physiological, movement, mood, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral” (Francis, 2008,