“Blake, you have over 3,000 songs on your iPod. Is that necessary?” After being asked this so many times, I gradually stuck to one answer. “Why not?” I would answer. To some, music can be a way of finding religion, to others, it just provides enjoyment. I listen to music for several different reasons; getting hyped before a game, to help me go to sleep, to burn some unwanted anger that is hiding inside of me, to release anxiety, to increase my imagination when writing something, or just to escape life in general.
Music, an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. Genres of music vary from booty bass, christian rap, darkwave, death metal, funk, opera, to techno. They are all compiled of artists of different ethnic backgrounds and beliefs. This diversion of style is the beauty of music.
Music can also have an unwanted effect of people. Because artists have the right to preach, people must be precautious about what they listen to. The Columbine shooting of 1999 was partially blamed upon the message certain lyrics of certain songs gave to teenagers. The shooters were said to be desensitized due to the violent video games and music they were exposed to. Anybody in our society today be brainwashed into believing something that is faulty on the lines of how the majority of the people in this world live. In some cases, people can be so obsessed with some artists that they start to glorify them and believe in any of the lyrics they possess. In my perspective, I think that anybody can listen to any music they want to, but they have to be stable enough to sustain many different beliefs on life. There is nothing wrong with keeping an open mind.
I believe that listening to music has the ability to bring back past memories of a period in our life. For example, I listened to one certain artist the majority of my time spent a week vacationing in Florida. Following that week, listening to that same artist was like reliving my vacation. I felt the sand in my toes. I smelt the cool ocean breeze. I heard the brutal waves crashing down. Once in a while, I come across a song that makes me feel sick, because I remember listening to it in a car ride when I was car sick. I believe that we should take advantage of these music memories. Life is short and some memories should be cherished.
I believe music can be the key to the cleansing of life and spiritual healing. I believe music can save and destroy lives. I believe music can determine one’s place in life. I believe that the power of music is undermined on its ability to alter the thoughts of a new, some-what feeble generation who is looking for a position to stand in life. The power of music, untouchable.