Music Is Essential
“And you're probably wondering how a 5 year old connects to a song? It wasn't just the meaning behind it; the way the bass connected with the chorus awakened me and it felt like I had a soul fixed onto my body, and that's what made me who I am.”
There are so many people in the world and they all have a preference in music; some like jazz, some like rap, some like classical, and some like cyber pop. There are so many different varieties that there is only one question “what is my music taste?” Well, that’s why I am writing this article: to teach people about different music genres and to find where you stand. For starters you can like any music you find that matches your preference, but everyone has at least one genre of music they are interested in. But did you know that music is also a form of therapy? Yes, that's right: music helps soothe the brain.
Music is essential and gives me the power to continue what I am doing with confidence. I am the type of person who listens to music for motivation, ideas, and even to style my outfit. Music is the gate opener to start my day. When I wake up, I eat music for breakfast, when I get tired I sing to go to sleep. Someone once said “music can change the world because it can change people,” and this is true when I listen to a song: something inside me changes like a wave of emotions.
I went around asking people what types of songs they find themselves listening to and how it makes them feel at that moment.
Person 1:
“When I am listening to music I feel like I am floating on clouds; in a sense music has the power to control my moves and how I feel in that moment. I find myself listening to any song that catches my attention: cyber pop, classical, RnB, rap, metal — honestly anything that I feel I can connect with in that moment. I feel that people underestimate the power that music has because people take the time to create a song that can send a message.”
Person 2:
“Music makes me feel so stress free like I am not in this world, especially when there's so much stress with school from drama and from even wanting to escape. Just listening to music helps me block out the world and I feel like I am on a cloud.”
Person 3:
“I don't want to be a music teacher and every day I'm shocked that I am doing it. What made me start to teach was seeing how music made people feel. I know how it makes me feel, and I feel a lot, but I was feeling selfish that I wasn't sharing this gift because of nervousness. So I started teaching. Songs give me permission to feel how I feel without hiding it.”
Music is just a gateway to satisfaction in someone's love and emotions. I never noticed that till I was given the taste of music. The song that opened me to who I am today was “Runaway” by Kanye West. There was something about the way he spoke about failed relationships, personal struggles. And you're probably wondering how a 5 year old connects to a song? It wasn't just the meaning behind it; the way the bass connected with the chorus awakened me and it felt like I had a soul fixed onto my body, and that's what made me who I am. I may have changed my music interests, but I always find myself watching that music video and the way it leaves a feeling of how i used to sit, iPod in hand with wired headphones.
But when I get to sit and think about music, there's so much that goes into making a song that people could enjoy and people don’t see that sometimes. Let me walk you through the steps:
Step 1: concept and inspiration — having to decide on a theme, mood, or message you want to convey
Step 2: writing lyrics — I see writing lyrics as hard because you have to make sure they rhyme while still getting the message across to the intended audience
Step 3: melody and chord progressions — finding the right melody to match the lyrics. That is hard because you have to sit and listen to things that soothe, get you pumped, or get you in your feelings.
Step 4: song structure — you have to make sure you can keep the listener engaged with your verses, chords or bridges.
Step 5: instrumentals & arrangements
I was able to learn that people have different experiences and musical interests, but also that everyone can be connected with music.
All my life, music was all I thought. If you have ever watched “Soul” from Disney, you will understand what i just said. But in all realness I never imagined that I would be writing about music and the way it can convey a message and hit the target audience. For instance there is a song by Jay-Z that was a part of his 4:44 album called “The story of O.J.” You should listen to it. In the song he spoke about financial literacy, sharing his own experiences and mistakes. He raps about investing in assets like property instead of wasting money on fleeting luxuries. To people it may seem like he is chatting out of his butt but he is literally illustrating his life just by speaking into a mic with a beat behind him.