The Role of Music in My Life

Kania defines music as an event that is created with features such as rhythm and pitch with the intent to be heard or to be listened.[1]

 For a long time music has been perceived as a universal language as it possesses a communicative quality that moves people across linguistic boundaries. Kania explains that people might not understand the words that are sung but they feel the emotion expressed. Music stimulates peoples’ sense of hearing and conveys information.[2]

Therefore, it was believed that music could speak to everyone. Despite these long-held beliefs, music is not a universal language as the two differ in their means and in what is communicated. According to Lipscomb music communicates an overall sense of intentional orientation more than language.[3]

In addition, certain styles of music encompass linguistic elements of grammar and symbols, but these features are not enough to make music a universal language. Music is considered as a process as it involves more than listening to include perceiving, interpreting, judging, and feelings.[4]

Also, music brings different experiences that are related to how one translates the various processes hence it cannot be considered as a thing or object. Music is part of my daily routines as I listen to it when performing specific tasks or when I go out to live concerts. For example, I experience music when I am cycling or jogging or when I am at home relaxing.

Context

Experiences in My Life That Shaped My Taste in Music

My family greatly shaped my early experiences as a child including my taste in music.  Shultz asserts that family is a socializing instrument where a majority of people form attachments and bond with others early in their life.[5]

In my household, music is part of our everyday life as it is considered as an important leisure activity. It is a key element of our family’s practices and I have grown to form strong emotional bonds particularly to classical music. My parents shaped my taste in music as they took us to live performances of classical music type. These concerts left me refreshed and energized and I grew to find classical music to be fun. Furthermore, they brought home pre-recorded classical music that was relaxing and calming.

Why I Choose To Perform/Listen to Particular Kinds of Music

My favourite kind of music is pop as it has an engaging rhythm and an easy to sing-along musical style. Furthermore, pop music is easy to dance to which provides a good entertainment. On the other hand, I prefer to avoid country music as I find them boring. The tone of voice that these types of music are sung are not fun and do not bring out the musical experience as compared to the other songs. Furthermore, all the country songs sound the same to me which forces me to avoid them.

Case Study

I attended a live concert that was performed by Ed Sheeran. The performance was held at a stadium in Perth. The place was illuminated with lights of various colours and the stage wrapped in an exceptional artwork. It was also filled with thousands of young adults who continuously cheered to the outstanding performance by a one-man band.  The event was a filled with fun as the singer performed for more than two hours as the audience sung along with him. Ed Sheeran is a pop singer and songwriter who has composed hit songs that have topped music charts around the world. In the concert, he performed hit songs like Shape of you and Sing and Thinking Out Loud with his acoustic guitar. The Ed Sheeran concert is an event that made me experience emotions that I have not felt in the past. The singer put on a show that made everyone smile, laugh, and cry as he blew our minds, especially how he twisted his vocals to create a perfect match for his guitar.

Reflexive Position

I had this emotional reaction as the music at the concert sounded great particularly as I watched the popular musician create it live on the stage. Additionally, there were thousands of people in the concert who were singing to the words of the music by Ed Sheeran which made the atmosphere electric.  Packer and Ballantyne state that attending to live music festivals is one of the most satisfying practices available to human beings.[6]

The feelings were very strong and intense ones that I had never felt before when listening to his songs on the radio. According to Brown and Knox attending a concert provides a greater sense of community than solitary listening which complements the experience of listening to pre-recorded music.[7]

They reveal that about seventy-five per cent of strong experiences that are related to music are aroused through listening rather than performing instances and in live rather than recorded experiences.[8]

Sheeran sang his heart out and brought an electric energy that stirred up the audiences. The energy from the singer got deep inside us and made one have an emotional connection to the events of the day and have an experience that has never been felt before.  

Evidence of My Experience as a Figure

Figure 1 Ed Sheeran singing his heart out

Analysis

A substantial number of people enjoy live concerts when they see a specific performer.[9]

They have an attraction to the singer and they find him or her as their primary motivation for attending a live event. However, there are other aspects such as the social status, gender, and identity of an individual that play a crucial role in determining whether one attends an event or not. Larsen et al. explain that more people are ready to attend classical music concerts that have tickets that are free of charge.[10]

Therefore, there is a social class barrier that limits individuals to concert-going. The females in the live event seemed to enjoy the performance more than the males. Adolescent girls are more concerned with how music aids their emotional needs as compared to the boys.[11]

Conclusion

            Music has existed within the society for an extended period and has been regarded as a form of communication to pass specific messages. This paper has explored various aspects related to music and analyzed a live Ed Sheeran concert that I attended and the emotions that this event evoked in me. The live performance aroused strong and intense feelings that I have never felt before when listening to pre-recorded music. This experience is linked to the power of music to evoke human emotions, particularly through live music as it offers one of the most pleasurable experiences through the connection of forms with the person performing.

Bibliography

Boer D, and A Abubakar. 2014. “Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people’s social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures”. Frontiers in Psychology. 25 (2). 171-176.

Bowen, Heather E., And Margaret J. Daniels. 2005. ”Does The Music Matter? Motivations For Attending A Music Festival.” Event Management 9 (3): 155–64.

Brown, Steven Caldwell, and Don Knox. 2017. ”Why Go to Pop Concerts? The Motivations behind Live Music Attendance.” Musicae Scientiae 21 (3): 233–49.

Cross, Ian, Susan Hallam, and Michael Thaut. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology.

Kania, Andrew. 2010. ”Silent Music”. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 68 (4): 343-353.

Larsen, Jakob Eg, Piotr Sapiezynski, Morten Mørup, Dewi Jaimangal-Jones, Gemma Gelder, Peter Robinson, Margaret Deery, et al. 2014. ”Understanding Music Festival Participant Behavior.” International Journal of Event and Festival Management 13 (3): 37–41.

Lipscomb, Scott D. 2007. ”Psychology for Musicians: Understand and Acquiring the Skills”. Music Perception. 25 (2): 171-176.

Packer, J, and J Ballantyne. 2011. ”The Impact of Music Festival Attendance on Young People’s Psychological and Social Well-Being.” Psychology of Music 39: 164–81.

Shultz, David. 2017. ”Your culture—not your biology—shapes your musical taste”. Science.

[1] Kania, Andrew. 2010. ”Silent Music”. Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 68 (4): p.343

[2] Ibid, p.346

[3] Lipscomb, Scott D. 2007. ”Psychology for Musicians: Understand and Acquiring the Skills”. Music Perception. 25 (2): 171-176.

[4] Cross, Ian, Susan Hallam, and Michael Thaut. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology.

[5] Shultz, David. 2017. “Your culture—not your biology—shapes your musical taste”. Science.

[6] Packer, J, and J Ballantyne. 2011. ”The Impact of Music Festival Attendance on Young People’s Psychological and Social Well-Being.” Psychology of Music 39: 164–81.

[7] Brown, Steven Caldwell, and Don Knox. 2017. ”Why Go to Pop Concerts? The Motivations behind Live Music Attendance.” Musicae Scientiae 21 (3): 233–49.

[8] Ibid, p.238

[9] Bowen, Heather E., And Margaret J. Daniels. 2005. ”Does The Music Matter? Motivations For Attending A Music Festival.” Event Management 9 (3): 155–64.

[10] Larsen, Jakob Eg, Piotr Sapiezynski, Morten Mørup, Dewi Jaimangal-Jones, Gemma Gelder, Peter Robinson, Margaret Deery, et al. 2014. ”Understanding Music Festival Participant Behavior.” International Journal of Event and Festival Management 13 (3): 37–41.

[11] Boer D, and A Abubakar. 2014. ”Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people’s social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures”. Frontiers in Psychology. 25 (2). 171-176.