Compendium of Heavy Metal

Free Essay on Music

Free Essay on Music

What is music? Defining music is a daunting task that many different people with varying professions and interests have attempted to undertake. Because music is often viewed as subjunctive, each person presented with the question will provide a different answer. Literally, music is a series of sounds perceived by the human ear, though not all sounds perceived by the human ear are considered music. With as many definitions and opinions on music that you find in society today, how has it impacted our lives? Music is such a driving force in the world that we as human beings, who have grown accustomed to its sounds and daily impression, would be lost and confused if one day music just ceased to exist.

Music has definitely played a crucial role in our lives simply because it stimulates our mood whenever we hear it. Sad love songs can make us cry and feel broken-hearted, while Heavy Metal Music can suddenly leave us energetic, aggressive and in for some stage-diving action. These are just some of the most notable instances where music has created a major impact on society as a whole.

Speaking of society, music has always been instrumental in socialisation. People who share interest in music tend to socialise with each other in a number of possible ways. Concerts or gigs serve as perfect places where fans of particular bands gather and share a moment of live entertainment. Musically inclined individuals interact with their fellows by sharing audio files via the Internet. All these go to show how music can influence people and society.

Music and society have always been intimately related. Music reflects and creates social conditions – including the factors that either facilitate or impede social change. The development of recording techniques in the latter half of the 20th century has revolutionized the extent to which most people have access to music. All kinds of music are available to most people, 24 hours a day, at the touch of a switch. The down side of this easy availability of music in the Western world is that there is a tendency for it to be taken for granted.

Music is a very powerful medium and in some societies there have been attempts to control its use. It is powerful at the level of the social group because it facilitates communication which goes beyond words, enables meanings to be shared, and promotes the development and maintenance of individual, group, cultural and national identities. It is powerful at the individual level because it can induce multiple responses – physiological, movement, mood, emotional, cognitive and behavioral. Few other stimuli have effects on such a wide range of human functions. The brain’s multiple processing of music can make it difficult to predict the particular effects of any piece of music on any individual.

The power of music to act therapeutically has long been recognized. Therapy can involve listening to or actively making music. Increasingly it may involve both. Music can be effective in conjunction with other interventions in promoting relaxation, alleviating anxiety and pain in medicine and dentistry, and promoting well-being through the production of particular endorphins. Its therapeutic uses have been explored extensively with particular groups of patients, the elderly, those with brain damage, and those with persistent pain. It has also been used to promote appropriate behavior in vulnerable groups and enhance the quality of life of those who cannot be helped medically

Music can play an important part in human development in the early years stimulating foetuses and infants in such a way as to promote their wellbeing. Early interactions between mother and child have an essentially musical quality which assists in the development of communication skills. Listening to music or being involved in making it does not seem to directly affect intelligence, although active involvement in music making may enhance self-esteem and promote the development of a range of social and transferable skills. Listening to quiet, relaxing background music can improve performance on a range of academic tasks, while exciting music may interfere. Memorisation can be particularly affected. Adults are able to mediate the effects of interference through the adoption of coping strategies

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