Coming Together On The Dance Floor

On the internet people can be whoever they want and let people see a side of them they might not show anywhere else. The same can be said about the dance floor. A person can be quiet and shy but if they let the music take control they can let their true self show. They can dance and be around people that they would have never even given a second glance else where.

Some people may be better dancers than others but everyone in the world can dance in their own way. Its something the entire human race has in common. So I think that it is one thing that can bring the world together. No matter where you are from or what language you speak you can hear the music and feel the rhythm. You can move your body to go along with the music and you can share this experience with everyone.

            There are many reasons to dance as well, you could be dancing to entertain, dancing at events and celebrations such as weddings, and just dancing anywhere to have fun. You can dance alone or with a partner or even in a group. There are dances that can have a lot of meaning to certain people, such as rituals that a culture may perform, or one many people would be familiar with could be a father-daughter dance that many woman have at their weddings. Dances can be full of energy and emotion, which can influence the way people dance. When dancing to a romantic song a couple might take their time and dance slow as to take in every moment that they dance together. When dancing to have a good time a person might have a very high energy and dance fast. No matter how a person decides to dance they are expressing themselves.

            Everyone has some way that they can relate to dancing and what it means to them. Once a person steps out on the dance floor they can automatically relate to everyone there. Everyone is listening to the same music, feeling the same rhythm, sharing the same experience. So now these people whom you may have never thought you would have common interests with are now your peers. This is very similar to the world you may enter when you go online. You can go to places online and find other people who share your interests, you may never know these people offline but online they are your friends. They maybe completely different than you, live in a different place but a common interest can bring anyone together.

            When you step onto the dance floor it is like entering another world, where everyone is equal, everyone is there for the same purpose. It does not matter where a person is from or what race they are, all that matters is the music, the rhythm, and the dance. You can dance with people and never even speak a word to them, but you are communicating through the movements. And when the dance is over and the music is off everyone can return to their own lives.

Negative Effects of Music

            Although I think that it is not just the music that negatively influences the youth, I do think that some music can have an impact on the actions of certain youth. This is all depending on many different factors such as what music it is, the person is listening to it and mainly on the person themselves. One person can listen to a negative song and think that they have to emulate the artist to be perceived as “cool” by others. While someone else can listen to the same song and not think that they have to act like or try to be like the person portrayed in the song. This all depends on the personality and ideas that each listener possesses.

            There are songs in all genres that can have certain themes that can have a negative effect on youth. Some of these themes are sexual references and violence. Some songs make it seem like everybody should be having sex or that all people should have a “sexy” body image. It was reported in the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette," that many young women who watch music videos the exhibit strong sexuality do not believe that they can be successful without using their bodies. Songs that portray violence can send the message that it is okay to be violent and to hurt other people. When an artist writes song like this they can be just telling stories but some listeners may think it is all true and that being violent like this artist will make them more popular.

So the youth listening to songs that have these characteristics may try to change to feel better about themselves and to do things that they hope will make other people like them, Young girls may think they have to dress more risqué or to be more promiscuous to make friends or to attract a man. The people who are listening to these songs that include violence may grow up thinking that violence is always the answer and that to fit it they must act tough.

As well as some music putting ideas like these in kid’s heads, it can also just be a distraction. Some people find that they spend all of their time listening to music or playing music and they end up neglecting things in their life. To a young person the things they neglect may seem so small like homework or chores, but as they get older the things they forget can become more important and have a bigger impact in their lives. Forgetting a homework assignment here or there can develop into getting bad grades and not doing well in school.

I am around younger kids all day, from the age of five and younger, and you can tell how just the tone of music can change their whole attitude. Playing fast and upbeat music can put the kids in a feisty mood where they will just run around and be crazy. Where as if you play soft and slow music is can help to relax them and even help them sleep. I think this shows how music can trigger responses in your brain that make you act a certain way. So if a song is sending bad messages or setting an aggressive tone without thinking about it people can be influenced by it.

Youth and Music

Allan Bloom wrote that to young people music is “their passion; nothing else excites them as it does; they cannot take seriously anything alien to music”. I do not agree with what he says. All across the world you can find people who have an immense passion for music, but you also find many other things that people are passionate about. Some people have a passion for art, whether it is drawing, painting, or anything else, it is what they are into and what they love. I love music but I would not necessarily say I have a passion for it. Yes I like to have music playing most of the time but if I can not be listening to music that is fine with me. There are other things that I am passionate about and put all of my efforts into, in a very broad sense I am passionate about my future. What I mean by that is I work very hard to accomplish my goals, which are often related to school or work, so that I can create a better life for myself. It all depends on the person as to what they are passionate about and they can be passionate about more than one thing.

            Bloom also states that when a person is so involved with music it can interrupt their education. I would not blame the music for their lack of education. I would blame the person who let music so consume their life that they let their education go. Music does not control anything; it is there for people to listen to and to help people express themselves and their emotions. I believe that to some people music can help them stay focused and relaxed, which can have benefits in their school work. I find that when I am having a tough time staying concentrated on one activity that if I play some music in the background it can distract my wandering thoughts and keep me on track with the task at hand. This can be different for everyone though, some may find that music distracts them. If that is the case then these people should learn when and where it is a good or bad time to listen to music. No matter how the music makes a person feel I do not think it should ever be the reason for someone’s education to decline.

            On top of Bloom thinking that music can ruin a young person’s education, he also thinks that not since philosophers (such as Plato, Rosseau, and Aristotle) has music had a more significant meaning. I think that there are songs written with so much thought put into them and with so much meaning behind them. When a songwriter sings down to write a song of course they have an idea of what they want the song to mean and what they want people to understand in their song. Not everyone will get the same thing out of a song but I think it is unfair of him to say that the music young people are listening to has no meaning.

            Everyone will have different ideas on what they are passionate about and what they think about music and how it effects our youth. There really is no right answer. Music effects everyone differently and it is forever changing.

Should Music Be Analyzed?

            I think that analyzing music can be either a good or bad thing. Sometimes to completely understand a song you need to really listen and hear all the words. Try to figure out what the artist is trying to say in the song by going through the lyrics and see if they use any metaphors or anything in the song. Other times if you analyze a song to much it could start to lose any meaning. If a song has a simple meaning and you try to analyze it you can over think it and be looking for a greater meaning which there may not be in the song.

            A song that I think is better understood when you really listen and break down the lyrics is” The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert. In the song she talks about going to the house she grew up in to look around. She said she is not there to take anything to just get a memory. She says that she is trying to fix the brokenness inside her. What she means in the song is that she has lost who she is and thinks that maybe if she went back to this house it will remind her of who she is. The first time you listen to this song you may not really understand what she is talking about but once you really listen I think most people can relate to the way she feels.

            An example of a song that I think the listener can over analyze is “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. With many reviews of the song people say that they don’t understand what the artist is trying to say. A review from the9531.com said “By the second half of the first verse, Kimberly employs such strong language that it’s hard to tell whether or not the song is meant to ponder the hypothetical or to speak prophetically”. This is what most people think, but the artist actually based this song on a poem called “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. So while some people think that the meaning of this song is that the artist is thinking about dying young, really it is just a tribute to a classic poem.

            There are many songs that can go either way. They may have a simple meaning or really no meaning to them so when someone tries to analyze the song they may end up more confused than before. Some songs can even just be for comedy purposes and really have no meaning to them at all. Other songs have a deeper meaning that it may take you a while to understand. I think to decide whether or not you should analyze a song you need to listen to it a few times and see if you can get a simple meaning from what the song says. If you can not figure out the meaning then maybe you should read the lyrics and really try to decipher what the artists is trying to say.

           

What Music Means To Me

Scrolling though my music library on my computer I can not pick out just one style of music. Classic rock, country, pop, rap, punk, alternative rock, oldies, metal, instrumentals, children’s music, movie soundtracks, and local unsigned talent; I have some of everything and I enjoy it all. I do not listen to music to fit in to a certain crowd or to make myself out to be someone I am not. I listen to music for the love of music. You can find great qualities in every style of music that can spark your imagination and make you experience different emotions.

            Over the course of my life I have went through different events and circumstances that affected what music I listened to at the time. On an average day I will go through a few different genres, the songs I choose usually go along with how I am feeling. Every song in my library has a feeling that it triggers inside of me. I often find myself within my music, the story of my life could be told with a sequence of songs.

            As a kid I grew up listening to classic rock with my mom and country with my dad. It was something we could always bond over. In middle school I got deep into boy bands which I am sure most girls that age did, I still have all of my N SYNC albums and still listen to them when I am feeling nostalgic. It brings back the feeling of being that young and carefree again. When I was 12 and my dad passed away I found comfort in music. He was a country fan so country music has always held a special place in my heart. On days when I really miss him I play some old country songs and go back. Anytime I hear the song “Wink” by Neal McCoy I am instantly transported back into the kitchen of my childhood home and I see my dad standing in front of me singing the song with me. For those brief minutes we are together again.

Freshman year of high school I had a boy friend who introduced me to more rock and punk music. I never felt more fearless and alive then I did when I would go to punk shows and be right in the middle of mosh pits. Throughout high school I met new people with all kinds of musical tastes and I soaked it all in. You can learn so much about a person when you ask them about music and it is interesting to see how some people are so loyal to one type of music that they rarely listen to anything else.

            Learning how different genres make people feel, and seeing the contrast in what two people would say about the same song made me really appreciate music. It can mean so many things to different people. Music can make you feel happy or sad and it can remind you of good and bad times. You can trace the world’s history through music. Music is and forever will be a very important part of human lives. I think the band Big & Rich were right when they said “Brothers and sisters we are here for one reason and one reason alone, to share our love of music.”

The Role Music Plays in Life

Music has played an important role in my life. I always have music playing around me and the times when I cant play music I am always running through songs in my head. No matter the mood you are in you can always find a song that goes along perfectly. When I am sad I listen to sad songs, such as The Dance by Garth Brooks. Or when I am happy I listen to songs that make me happier, that usually ends up with a lot of N*SYNC or Taylor Swift. Music is a great motivator as well; when I work out I put on a lot of fast paced music that keeps me going. I also listen to a lot of hip hop when I am just in the mood to dance. I don’t stick to just one genre of music; I listen to everything and find artists and certain songs that I like from all genres. I have a huge music library on my computer and love to just hit shuffle and see what songs will play next.

Music has always been important to me, and I don’t sing or play and instrument, but listening to music has always meant so much. I look back through my life and can remember important dates to me by thinking of what music I listened to at that time.  Eight years ago my dad passed away, and a lot of the memories I have of him revolve around music. When I am feeling sad and miss him there are songs that I play that make me think of him and make it feel like for the moment he is with me again. A lot of these songs are country songs; country music is very big in my family. I am proud to say that I am a fan of country music because there is so much emotion portrayed in the songs.

Where ever you go in the world you will encounter music. Music is important to people from all different cultures. Everyone may have their preferences but its still all music. Events in some communities are built around types of music. Here in the Antelope Valley we have the annual Antelope Valley Fair where all sorts of people come from all over the valley. They are different concerts throughout the fair that are always sold out; it just goes to show how diverse it is in our own community. Next time you meet someone new, and think that they are so different from you what could you possibly talk about, ask them about music. While one may not agree with others tastes in music we can all share our opinions and learn from one another.

Using the theme of music for this class will help us all relate with one another. We could all listen to the same song and all get something different from it so we can share that and learn a lot about ourselves and each other. I hope to learn from everyone and start to appreciate things in music that I might have otherwise missed. I want to understand how music makes people feel, how it inspires their lives, and how it how it can bring us all together,