Music Is a Unique Expression of the Human Condition

Without the human intention, perception, and interpretation of sound, then the existence of music would be imaginary. Music includes talking words in a way that the person creates a sound that is made with the intention of being music (Deutsch, Diana 10-13, Justus & Timothy., 33-40). Besides, people can perceive silence and sound and put them together so as to call the outcome music. In Bakan’s fourth proposition, he identifies the approach as the Human Intention and Perception (HIP) approach (Resnicow, Joel E., 10-22). In other words, the proposition tries to suggest that music is inseparable from the makers; or more specifically the people who perceive and experience it. Bakan gives numerous examples to show that music is a product of human intention and perception. This paper conducts research and gives appropriate examples to show that music is only identified as music if the person is making it has the intention for their words to be music.

Music, for many cultures, is held at a high prestige. It has been used since the beginning of time to elicit power, emotion, spiritual forces, and a sense of community among its listeners. It has helped us, as music enthusiasts, to understand the role that music plays within our own lives in today’s society, as well as how it has functioned in the lives of those before us. So why is this? What makes music, instead of other forces, so influential to our kind? In Thomas Turino’s book Music as Social Life, he argues that, “Musical participation and experience are valuable for the processes of personal and social integration that make us whole” (Turino, 2008). Many believe that music offers us a source of identity, which in turn develops our idea of self and allows us to fit inside certain communities throughout our lives. Turino also describes a theory proposed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that offers additional incites to this idea of “psychic wholeness”. This theory introduces the theme of flow and how heightened concentration can produce an optimal experience when associated with music. This paper will address these concepts stated above in association with the African American spiritual. The spiritual will be traced back to its origin in West Africa, described how it evolved as a result of the transatlantic slave trade, and the influence that it has on today’s genres like blues and gospel. I propose that, these notions of flow and identity within the music of

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

In my video, I put four different instruments each with an idea connected to human nature in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I decided to do music because it’s a major part of my life and many others; it expresses more than the notes on a piece of paper. Music expresses the hidden emotions and feelings we don’t really reveal to anyone. It gives a different place to escape from hard times or to find something more than what life gives us. All of these emotions are a part of human nature, to me, music is a part of human nature. Composers like Mozart or Beethoven, and even modern composers leave permanent impacts on the way humans play and write music. Realizing this, I picked four different instruments for four different main characters in Lord of the Flies to represent the four main parts of human nature described in William Golding’s allegory.

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

I’m a music lover. You will never catch me without my headphones, I’ve always been someone who listens to music not just for the lack of boredom but for the motivation music conveys. Music is important to me because it triggers sensory feedback from strong vibrations that express poetry of emotions from the words an artist provides. In the novel Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older the author captures how artists can convey power through art. The amount of appreciation I share with music would be as equivalent to what the Shadowshaper share with a piece of canvas.

Music’s power is usually described as being able to instill an emotion in its listeners. But music comes to mean even more in The Power of One. It represents someone’s spirit - Doc’s. The music he creates is a metonym for his thoughts and inner spirit. Music, especially Doc’s piano, is a physical representation of his life and spirit, revealing music to be the force that Doc uses to communicate and connect with the rest of the world.

Musical is used for several regions and people to express their feelings. Black people have used music to express the demonstrate the difficult situation they were facing such as slavery and racism, to fight against their rights, and release them from oppression. Within that situation, new music styles have been crated and

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,

Because music is produced for the masses, it can communicate and convey culture both verbally and visually, essentially

Music can stop wars and create love between two individuals. The powers that come with music can be very useful or very destructive to our world. Music is a way to bring people together and create happiness between these individuals. The importance of music to this world is that it can honestly make or break so many things in life. It’s the reason that they’re so much peace in this world even if there is war between each other. The peace that it brings the hatred and war that is already in this world.

Music is very important to people and culture because it gives people a way to express themselves in different ways. Without music the world would be very different. Everyone would be the same, music helps to diversify

Music is a social phenomenon because it helps people to transmit feeling, emotion, and sensation to the public.

Thesis: Music is a unique form of sound powerful enough to manipulate mood, feelings, and cognition.

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