The Role of Music - Essay Example

number The Role of Music Music is a tool that fuels creativity in the human mind. Great minds on the face of the earth that have come up with various inventions and discoveries with the help of music have been able to explore their imagination. The power brought by music to ignite social change is like a flash of lighting in the night that does not last long but leaves an enormous impact. Sometimes I imagine how life would be without music; the world would be a very quiet place. Moreover, the different types of music give a definition to our society; people use it to deliver a message, to entertain or even as a poetic medium. In our world today there are diverse types of music from blues, classical, rock to jazz that are identical in all the cultures. From the study of the songs of protests, work, blues and their texts, I will identify the specific roles that they play in our society and the significant impact they have made. Music is a powerful medium in the society that helps in controlling communication. Songs assist in sharing meaning and promote development and maintenance of individual groups. For instance, the protest songs are used in showing the composition of social conditions that are prevalent in a society during a particular time. Protests could be used to fight against racism, an abolition of hierarchy, elimination of women suffering and crudity. In the community, protest songs are a powerful tool that helps individuals explore some of the iconic and evocative moments in history. The primary function of the work songs is to mental rather than physical. During the enslavement of the Negros, the white people encouraged them to sing these songs as an illusion for the body to work mechanically. The songs sang accommodated the type of work that they did and, as a result, some songs were developed. Work songs help individuals to be more efficient. Music promotes unity in the society. The protest songs are formed as a result of people coming together in agreement to oppose a particular thing. They give a sense of unity and allowchange; this especially can be seen throughout the American history. The use of music at work allows everybody to take part in the discourse practices of labor activities with a uniformity of the mind. In addition to this, Blue music that resulted from the old folk songs such as works songs, praise songs, and worships songs have been used to describe the lifestyle of the united people of the African-American origin. Thirdly, music is therapeutic. Blue music helps in the relaxation of the mind, during leisure time or when traveling long distances. They manipulate their moods, eliminate boredom, and reduce stress. The use of songs during work reduces boredom while undertaking repetitive tasks that are tedious and creates an environment appropriate for all forms of social action. The result is that the community can improve the quality of its standards. Active involvement in the songs helps in increasing a person’s self-esteem and promotes the development of a range of skills. In the protest songs, they help relay a message to a group of persons to demand justice. The protests songs that were done that were done throughout American history were used to raise the spirits during battle; they defined the identity of the activist. Moreover, it was a passive way to promote a vibrant and active liberating culture. Not only does music work at a group level, but it also has a social impact at an individual level. Despite the wide varieties of social roles of music, individuals give preference to their tastes. Music is a mental entity containing work and diverse experiences. For example the protest song “1Going Down the Road Feeling Bad”, the author illustrates the kind of homes that they came from and the companies that they worked. According to Swansonthe writer of the songs shows that they needed better jobs with “honest payments” which means better wages that are worth the work they did. I suppose that the individual experience of the song writer pushed him to write the song and protest against the displacement from their homes by those that they referred to as “storm, grasshoppers and mortgage companies.” Idealistically, music is a platform where emotions are significantly expressed. Expressivity is possessed by works of art with an intended objective. When a group of people or individuals come up with a protest song, they mainly aim at expressing their emotions to the concerned party about their wrath on a particular subject which is mostly justice. The songs might not represent the total state of the mind because mostly the words used could bring simplicity. The work songs may also be used to show an attitude towards the assigned task or the nature of the work. In other words, a poor composer of a song might not derive the real meaning of a particular subject because he or she might fail to express emotion. Music has touched my life in different ways. Particular genres of music relaying specific information are easy to capture ones attention. The information depends on the texts of the song. For instance protests, songs always make one have the passion for striving for justice and the rights of individuals. The songs are a tool used to implement change, especially in the political world. Songs such as “2Solidarity Forever” (Swanson) are used to bring unity and the members of the group can work in one accord. Work songs have always helped in tackling tedious and monotonous work; it makes work easier and less boring. On the other hand, I listen to country music for relaxation during leisure time or as a direct expression of emotions towards a particular subject my favorite singer being3 Kenny Rogers. Finally, in the idea of language emotions, music that arouses negative emotions shows a negative state of the mind. This image shows people protesting against war that has led to lack of food and increased poverty. Also this, music has encouraged me to effect a change in the society. Songs have promoted my understanding of the relationship between social change and art. They have proven that the songs of protest can manage to change the political climate in the community. The songs address not only political issues but also subjects such as health and other social problems that affect millions of people in the world. Through work songs, the brave artists have proven that social responsibility is not only for the subjects but also the leaders who should serve the public. More so, the songs have motivated me to want to become a better leader who can address issues that are faced by mankind and identify the niche that most leaders ignore. Music has changed the way I think. A bigger percentage of my leisure time is spent listening to music. As I perform various tasks while listening, it has improved my productivity as I finish activities in a shorter period. Intellectual growth has sprout from the additional motivation that come as a result of listening to music. Psychologists claim that it aids in cognitive development. Music creates a novel mindset on particular subjects and encourages creativity. The rhythm in music improves listening and reading skills the level of comprehension is also increased. However, the songs also have a negative effect, for example, those that use abusive or vulgar language. To conclude, music is “Food for the Soul” because it is an expression of the human emotions. From the ideas discussed in the essay, it is crystal clear that music is a powerful force in the human society. The music genres addressed have been seen to improve mood, productivity, and intellectual growth. Protest songs help in effecting change where justice has not been applied in the society. A message conveyed through music travels much faster than that written in books or magazines. Moreover, it is much influential because it drives a person interest in listening to it. Furthermore, music is an integral part of our cultures where people develop lyrics from their cultures. For the work songs, they reduce fatigue and increase the muscular endurance and accuracy of movement. In situations that are crappy in nature, beautiful melodies make way to the hearts of people and ignite a fire that could cause a revolution of power. WorksCited Swanson, Michael R. "songs of protest songs of praise." Roger Williams university. 2015. Lecture. Read More