How Does Music Serve Society

 Thesis: 

Music is a powerful art form that allows people to express themselves in many different ways. That expression can be emotional, cultural, spiritual, educational, and many more. Music serves as an outlet for people to be themselves. 

Musical  Empowerment:

Music can be used to express a rally cry. To call to people and bring them together. It can be used to encourage people to join a cause. It can be used to bring solidarity. A good example of solidarity is the different nations National Anthems. Those songs are used to inspire pride within people for their home and feel like they are a part of something bigger. 

"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." musicmagic

Song Examples:

War Pigs (by Black Sabbath 1970)

Give Peace A Chance  ( by John Lennon and The plastic Ono Band 1975)

Zombie (by The Cranberries 1994)

1999 ( by Prince 1982) 

What The World Needs Now (Jackie DeShannon 1965)

This song is in 3/4 meter. It is a folk rock, ‎jazz‎, ‎soul song. It is about how the world just needs to come together and get along. Something we could all really listen to in this modern day and age. I love the deep horn sound at the beginning that starts of low and contrasts the timbre of her voice as she sings in a slightly higher pitch range. The way the song builds up gives a feeling of hope and empowerment. There is a lot of contrasting elements in this song that combine to make a harmonizing sound which I think really encapsulates the meaning of the song.  

Cultural Expression

"Music is a huge component of cultural expression and cultural identity. People and music have been intertwined since the dawn of human evolution. There is evidence that suggests even neanderthals played early forms of musical instruments such as flutes—not just drums and sticks as one might assume. Music serves many functions and needs. It provides various forms of communication, religious and spiritual worship, artistic expression, and community celebration." cantatalearning

Music is developed and changed by the culture it stems from. It develops and changes just like people. Be it the drumming of Native Alaskans or the fast paced Samba of Brazil or the melodic Ballads from Ireland each allows people to express themselves in their own unique way. 

A song that I think of when it comes to my personal culture is Twenty Something in Twenty Nineteen (by Kira Kosarin Nov 23, 2019) It does a really good job of describing how a lot of people my age have felt in the past few years. It is surprising how well it aged into 2020 and into 2021 considering the song was written in a time before the Pandemic.

Dance

Music and dance often go hand in hand. Both are art forms. Both are tools for expression. Music allows the dancers to tell a story and allow the dancer to express themselves. I have been dancing since I was 6 years old and it is my favorite way to relieve stress and to put my energy into something I love.

Songs I have Danced to Over the Years:

Little Things (By One Direction 2012)

All About That Bass (by Meghan Trainor 2014)

L.O.V.E (by Nat King Cole 1965)

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (by Bette Midler 1972)

Bang (AJR 2019)

I've Got No Strings (by Dickie Jones 1940)

Educational

Teachers and educators can pass on an idea or express knowledge through music. Music is used all the time in education. An obvious example is the alphabet song. I still sometimes have to run through the song if I need to put things in alphabetical order. Then there is children media that use songs as a way to entertain and also share knowledge. Such as the songs on Sesame Street that many children have grown up learning from. People even use catchy tunes to help remember something. 

"The power of music is not lost on those trying to educate others or pass on ideas. Politicians, for one, have been using music in their campaigns as a way to convey their ideas to the electorate, even as they provide entertainment. Many educators, who aren’t music teachers, also include music in their lessons, in order to make some difficult subjects more palatable and easier to understand." tunedly

Songs Examples: 

Circle Song (by Dave Mitchell date n/a) 

I'm Just a Bill (by Dave Frishberg 1976)

Emotional Expression

 

Music allows people to express their feelings and to evoke those feelings in their listeners. Music can be used to express pride, joy, sadness, belonging, love, empowerment, etc. Music can also help the listener deal with emotions that they are going through.

"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." musicmagic

 

Songs: 

Unsaid Emily (by Charlie Gillespie 2020)

On The Borderline (by Thomas Sanders 2018)

Creep (by Brian Justin Crum 2016)

Can't Help Falling in Love ( by Elvis 1961)

Perfect (by Ed Sheeran 2017)

Happy (by Pharrell Williams 2013)

Brian Justin Crum sings a cover of Creep that was originally by a band called Radio Head. 

This slow song has a tempo of 92 BPM and it is in simple meter. I prefer this cover over the original because of the raw raspy emotions you can her in his voice. He is able to make his voice explode with a powerful emotion and then bring it soft almost broken sound in the mater of seconds. Every time I hear this song it brings tears to my eyes without fail.

 

These are just a few examples and don't even come close to fully encompassing all the emotions music can influence in people.

 

Conclusion:

Music serves such an important role society. It allows people to express themselves to others and it allows listeners to be feel a connection through the music itself.

 

"Music and society have always been intimately related. Music reflects and creates social conditions – including the factors that either facilitate or impede social change."musicmagic

 

"The various types of music in existence not only represent the defining qualities of the different lifestyles and traditions making up society, but they also continue to impact our evolution. In other words, music influences people and people influence music...  Music is as simple as it is complex, which is why there are so many different definitions for it. In addition, unlike other art forms that can be touched and/or seen (drawings, paintings, acting, dancing, etc.), music has no physical form. For that reason, a simple definition of music is that it is sound organized in such a way as to evoke various types of responses." tunedly

 

What I have gained from this Class:

I have really gained a deeper appreciation for the music I listen to. I find myself trying to figure out the deeper meanings behind a song that I am listening to. I have also gained a great appreciation for music of other cultures. I have been exposed to styles of music that I would have never taken interest to before. I have actually added some of the songs I have heard in other peoples blogs to my playlist that I now listen to on a more regular basis. I have overall really enjoyed this class and am thankful for the new information I have gained.

 

Bibliography:

 

@tunedly. “The Role of Music in Human Culture.” Tunedly, 3 Apr. 2019, www.tunedly.com/blog/musicandculture.html. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.

“Cultural Expression through Music – Cantata.” Cantata Learning, 18 Mar. 2018, cantatalearning.com/blog-posts/cultural-expression-through-music/.

Daly, Rhian. “30 Songs about War.” NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM, 4 Jan. 2019, www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/plea-peace-30-songs-war-2397110.

“Musical Expression.” Wikipedia, 2 Sept. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_expression#Romantic_era. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.

“The Powerful Role of Music in Society.” Music Makes Our Lives Magical and Meaningful, Music Makes Our Lives Magical and Meaningful, 17 July 2008, musicmagic.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/music-in-society/.