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I can’t touch music, but it touches me. I cannot exist without it. Music surrounds me and envelops me. The music isn’t just background noise, it has power. The lyrics beat and intensity can fill me with angst, sadden me, pump me up and help me relax. Music is life and it has power. It helps me delve deep into my personality and individuality and has helped me discover a more introspective side of myself. However, it wasn’t always like this.
I grew up exposed to various types of music, whether it was my dad blasting Smashing Pumpkins in the basement, or my Mom listening to Linkin Park or classical music while she drove me to school. During a typical day, my sister playing all sorts of rap music as she slowly discovered artists such as
Eminem and Lil Wayne. I was similar to any other teen. I listened to the mainstream, pop culture bands such as Fall Out Boy and Green Day. Music surrounded me, as background noise and a way to pass the time; however, it never penetrated my psyche until I entered high school. When I entered high school, I met people who genuinely appreciated music as more than just a fad and a way to pass the time. One of my closest friends, Jackie, considers music to be a vital part of his life. He introduced me to the classics and alternative music. This music was completely different from the pop songs I was listening to. The lyrics were stories. I slowly began to immerse myself in the various genres and realized what I was missing out on the entire time. As I sifted through the heavy metal music recommended to me by a friend and the slow jazz music I had stumbled upon online, I began to notice just how much music affected my emotions. When listening to metal or rock music, I became pumped full of energy. However, when I listened to jazz, I became calm and focused. How can something as simple as words and a melody evoke such strong emotions and moods? I started to dive deeper into the rabbit hole that is music. I developed an insatiable need to explore all of the music genres and ended up with thousands of songs on my computer. I began listening to and dissecting the lyrics of artists such as Pink Floyd and The Antlers and found that some of songs were deceiving, that while they sounded innocuous, and upbeat, they held sad and depressing messages. When I pored over the lyrics, I was given a glimpse into the mind of the writer. I wondered what was going on in his life when he wrote this gloomy song. Did writing the song prove to be cathartic? What is the songwriter’s message? I came to listen to almost any genre of music and find some aspect of it, which I could appreciate and enjoy. I've slowly become the type of person who listens to lesser known artists and can articulate why I think a song is enjoyable or why a certain lyric is genius. Discovering the depth of music and just how huge the medium is as a whole, opened up another side of me, one where I examine the feelings and emotions brought on by the lyrics. Music helps me handle a myriad of emotions, which can otherwise be overwhelming to a young adult. Music helped me through tough spots in my high school life, specifically my junior year, when I suffered through depression. I would cope by putting on my headphones and before I knew it, my problems were melting away and were replaced by a spectrum of different emotions, more upbeat and positive ones. Music has a positive effect on my life. It opened up an impassioned side of me which was dormant and continues to help me discover who I am.
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
Music has been around since the very beginning of time. The human body flows in a rhythmic syncopation. Music is used to change one’s mood and to inspire those who open their minds. It has the potential to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Humans, of every culture and society, function with a type of rhythmic music. As humans, we are hard wired to respond to music (Mannes). The human brain responds to music in such a way that the brain becomes more open to new rhythms, ideas, and values. Music has the power to take over the human body. This makes it easier to overcome conflict and change the ideals of somebody while using music (The Power of Music).
Prior to birth, my mother and my siblings were living in north Nashville. Their interest in music was between R&B and 90s rap. The rap music kind of discussed growing up in a rough neighborhood and it was easily relatable for them because that neighborhood was not the best. My mother was working multiple jobs to take care of her then three kids. As a single mother, music was sort of an outlet that expressed the emotions she was feeling. When she finished her exhaustingly long day she would enjoy listening to some soothing R&B. Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and SWV were a few of her favorite artists.
I was practicing the routine for my opening act, for the Broadway musical "The Sound of music." I am an actress playing the lead role of the main character Maria. My director Jane Marshall says," Barbara, you only have twenty minutes until your performance." My only chance to start a satisfying reputation for myself and please the audience. As I listened to those words come out of my directors mouth, that's when it dawned on me. I will only have one chance to do it right. I wouldn't want to cause any disarrays.
Music is one of the most fantastical forms of entertainment. Its history stretches all the way from the primitive polyrhythmic drums in Africa to our modern day pop music we listen to on our phones. It has the ability to amaze us, to capture our attention and leave us in awe. It soothes the hearts of billions, and it is so deeply rooted in my life that it has touched my heart as well. Everyday I walk to the beat of the song stuck in my head and hum along to the melody. For me, to listen to music be lifted into the air by the hands of your imagination and float around for a while. You forget about your worries, your troubles and find peace within the sound. Every chapter in my life is attached with a song. Every time I listen to a certain song, thoughts of my past come flooding back
Throughout my life, music has always been a major influence. It has the power to change my mood when I'm feeling down, but the thing I find most intriguing about music is that it doesn't always end up improving your mood: like all forms of art, it imitates life, which is not always portrayed in a positive light. The musicians that I admire most have the versatility to induce several different emotional responses in the same piece. This quality is present in most of the wide variety of music I listen to, from Russian composer Dmiti Shostakovich, to Chicago jazz band Tortoise, to California pop/rock sextet Mr. Bungle.
Ever since I was a small child, I have loved music. The strong, steady beats, the
Music has always been a big part of my life. Music is not just a bunch of melodies, rhythms, and vibrant sounds. It is a comfort to me. The lyrics of a song challenge my intellect and the rhythms and beats affect my emotions. Music understands me when people don’t. At times it takes me back to an event in my life or even in history. Both consciously and subconsciously my mind remembers the emotions that are attached to a certain song. It can make me feel on top of the world or the complete opposite; music can change the atmosphere and also set the mood. Music has power over my human soul. It soothes it. I cannot imagine not having music to listen to. It is a powerful force and my love for it is incredible.
Throughout my life I have used the countless skills I have gained from music such as perseverance, dedication and my knowledge that a chance may only come once. Mrs. Mento was the first person to give me a chance. I struggled to find a teacher that would teach me music due to my young age. Music has always interested me due to the connections that can be made from it to the world around me. She saw that interest and spark in me and gave me the chance to learn music and improve myself.
When I was around the age of seven, I began to listen to a couple of bands that my cousin liked such as Linkin Park, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and many more; blasting in his room while playing the Playstation Two. That is how my adventure on music started and what it has done for me. Every time I listened to music I enjoyed every minute of the song even if I didn’t understand the meaning behind the lyrics; since I was a kid, it didn’t matter to me. While others thought the music I listened to wasn't the best and that I should’ve stopped listening to it, that didn’t stop me from listening what I wanted.
Even though in some cases music encourages isolation mentally and causes some people to be obsessive by inducing their love of a particular artist or musician, music, whether contained in the sound of the thumping madal-drum of Nepal or the harps of ancient Greece, is a medium which moves the heart of man far and wide. The first reason is virtually everyone has a favorite kind of musician, style, or rhythm. Secondly, music causes people to shift in feeling based off of its rhythmic patterns, tempo and volume. Music, whether contained in the sound of the thumping madal-drum of Nepal or the harps of ancient Greece, is a medium which moves the heart of man far and wide. Music somehow has become a significant piece of our lives and the definition of our society.
Also, Music can change the way a person feels inside, even the deepest of the heart. Music is a kind of art that we cannot touch, but at the same time it can touch us and can be felt. For me music is more than just an art, music is connected with everything like our body, soul and emotions. For instance, before I arrived in USA, I did not speak nor understand English, but the power of music made me feel like I could understand the songs in English.
I remember the first time my dad strummed the melodic tune that would forever remain with me. As a symbol of an iconic change in music, The Beatles have and always will impact music history and culture. This British band changed pop and rock music forever and left an impact on the minds of all who listened. The first time I was exposed to the passionate yet delicate lyrics and stunning melodies of simplicity, my world was changed forever. As my dad played to me every night to fall asleep, music became engraved in every fiber of my being.
Throughout my life, I was accustomed to excelling at everything I did. I always had good grades, did well in sports, and was a top musician. Music is the most important thing in my life, and I was always naturally talented. When I experienced failure in my sophomore year District solo audition, it destroyed my confidence. However, it was a huge wake-up call and allowed me to grow and improve greatly.
Music, a form of art, made up of unique and special sounds containing elements of pitch and rhythm can powerfully soothe one’s soul. Firstly, there are different types of music, and each has its own features. These sounds and features are what I admire in music because to me it creates a new form of communication to one’s consciousness. It stimulates our mind and gives it a sense of harmony and peace through the hardships that life poses for us. As a kid, I would always listen to music from any genre, deciding which genre would complement me the most as I grew older. In middle school, I remember going on the computer and finding a website/program where I could make my own beats. From that day on, I spent countless of hours each day making sure the tune sounded proper and pleasurable for my ears. At first, it wasn’t good, but eventua...