Words vs. Music

I think that words can be instruments of separation and social power in a way. A lot of words have been known to be powerful and can definitely be used to separate people and show social power between people. Words can send messages that can change one’s way of thinking or can show where someone stands as far as power. Words shared can separate one class from another. Words can also bring people together if they find that they share the same interests.

Rhythm and dance are fusional media that have no concern with social power because music alone is not biased to any race, gender, or orientation at all. Anyone, no matter who they are, can enjoy music in the same way as the next person. Music is like a language that everyone can understand and everyone can appreciate without there being separation or regard for social power. If there are words sang along with the music, then it might change because then the music has a message that not everyone will like or agree with.

Many places around the world use music as a form of communication with their gods or there is interpretive music that has a message through dance.  A person’s true self can shine through dance in a way that they could not express themselves in words. Music and dance is another way of communicating how you are feeling without having to say any words. Music has opened up a lot of windows of communication due to the different types of music and how they differ from strong to soft.

Body language sometimes stands out more than words and therefore music allows for a new form of communication that sometimes is not as easy to do in words. Music itself can give a calm feeling or an angry feeling and anyone can relate to either one depending on how they are feeling. Music is a way to let go and show whatever you want in dance. There is no right way to express dance. It will be different from one person to the next but it’s a language that anyone will understand.

Music can bring people from different places together and all kinds of people can enjoy the same type of music. The different types of music like funk, techno, or rave all give everyone a chance to express themselves through dance in different ways. As Beatrice Aaronson said it “Music and Culture” by Anna Tomasino, “Verbal communication is incapable of obtaining the efficiency of rhythm and dance to reach a funsional state of togetherness.” What she meant by this is that words cannot do what music can do as far as bringing people together. Words can separate people when music will not do that. Music is something that everyone can relate to because everyone can enjoy and appreciate it and there is no need for any words when it comes to music. This is why a lot of people love music like jazz because it is purely instruments working together in creating music that makes one feel good.

Music & Culture

A lot of the greatest musicians we grew up listening to used some form of drug including alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are known for distorting things and making it hard to be yourself. But why do many musicians rely on drugs including alcohol so much? Is it because they can simply afford it? Are drugs and alcohol more accessible when you are famous? Do they feel more attractive or accepted if they do drugs or alcohol? Are they not comfortable enough with themselves that they have to block out who they truly are in order to feel better about themselves? Then questions are endless.

I think that musicians use chemical substances for every reason possible. Some drugs like LS D gives you hallucinations and many can’t function with reality so they turn to drugs to take their mind off things. Some drugs cause you to forget things or not be fully there and some people like that feeling. Some drugs can make you feel numb to a certain extent to emotions or physical pain and therefore people use drugs. I think it is all connected to people with troubled lives that want to numb and forget about their current lives and not think about what personal issues they have by masking them with who you are when you do drugs.

Some drugs probably enhance creativity because the drugs make you hallucinate and take you to a place where everything not normal becomes normal. On the other hand, drugs can kill your brain cells therefore you start losing who you are completely and become unreliable and forgetful of things. Drugs can impair everything from you vision to reaction time. Therefore, if drugs can cause car accidents, they can also detract from the creativity process. Most artists that do drugs are very forgetful and probably have a hard time writing a song because of it.

One well known artist that turned to drugs was Ray Charles. He had an unfortunate disability of being blind and had enough struggles in life because of it. He got introduced to drugs as a musician because his friends were all doing it. Unfortunately he became very dependent on these drugs to where he could not simply stop. He had a great gift in piano playing and writing and singing music. However, the fame did not last very long because his drug use became public. The artist was arrested three times for his addiction to drugs. Ray was always very jittery after being on drugs. He was never proud of using these drugs and getting arrested for possession did not help his career. I did hear that he quit cold turkey which is not something that many can do. Once in your system, your body needs it to function and you need more of it as time goes by to get the same effect because people become so dependent on it. I don’t know that drugs affected his creativity because he was called the king of soul and was a very respected and creative artist.

Parental Advisories

Should record companies be responsible for putting parental advisories on the music they distribute? Many can argue in both directions and prove valid points for both. I am not biased one way or the other. However, in my opinion, I do believe that it is a good idea for the record companies to put parental advisories on the music that they distribute. The reason I feel this way is because a lot of parents have no clue what is being put out as far as music. My mom had no clue who any of the bands were that I listened to growing up. She also had no clue what kind of music they sang whether it had bad words or negative influences.

The only thing that parents have to go on today as far as music is the parental advisories that are on the music we purchase. Of course, the hard part about this is that most people don’t purchase CDs anymore. We have ipods and mp3s that we can easily put music on there from the internet and listen to it without having to physically buy a CD. In this case, parental advisories are a mood point. On the other hand, for those who still buy CDs, their parents can see whether or not it has any parental advisories on it.

Parental advisories can be a key to making sure that a parent wants their kids listening to that music. It gives them notice that a parent may not approve of the music. My kids are two and five so they have no clue right now but I know that as they get older, I will want to know what music they listen to. I also see how this can almost be invasion of privacy and can make record sales difficult for the artist. One of the things to worry about is a kid who listens to music about hate, violence, or depression. Teen suicide is on the rise and somehow they seem to link music as being a possible source.

The parental advisories are somewhat effective but if the parent does not physically check their kid’s music to see if there are any parental advisories, they will not know and it will be ineffective. Parents should be aware of what their kid is listening to if they do not want them listening to certain music. The parental advisories give a window of what is in the music and what to be aware of. There is no harm in that at all for concerned parents.

I do not plan on being one of those parents that checks up on everything my kids do or listen to but with parental advisories, I will be aware that they are listening to music with bad language. I would simply talk to my kids and let them know not to believe everything said in music and that they should know not to talk like the artists talk in their music. To ban certain music would be like shutting someone’s career down and I could not do that especially if my kids had a strong interest in music.

Influence of Music on our Youth

The influence of music in youth today is turning out to be a negative influence. Many young kids are changing their appearance and outlook on life based on the music they listen to. The youth today is very easily influenced by what lyrics say in a song or the way that artists act in public. Many artists feel that they can do or say whatever they want and then sing about it in their music and the youth today is being negatively influenced because a lot of the new artists today are young. It is easy for someone who is unsure of who they are to be easily influenced by music.

Music has changed the way people dress, what kind of car they was to be seen in, and how they act in public. Many artists today are singing about whatever they want and breaking the and getting away with things. So this is why, the young adults today feel that they can behave in the same way and do whatever they want thinking that they will also get away with things without punishment. A lot of music today also has instilled hate towards certain things or the authority. This is what kids consider to be cool so they follow along with the music they listen to.

It seems that a lot of young people have forgotten what music is about and they forgot to simply enjoy music for what it is. The meanings in music are being interpreted wrongfully because these young minds are trying to decode a message that is far from what the artist was trying to put out there. It is sad that many fall in the cracks of bad music and want to follow what the artist says or does in their music. Some of the youth today has no clue who they are as a person and therefore follow people who they look up to.

It is hard for parents and media to judge what is being put out on the radio but music is a business and it has to keep moving to thrive in the industry no matter what they come out with. Some artist however, can choose what to sing about but the truth is that they don’t care how it will impact the people who are listening to their music. Artists now feel free to write about hate, anger, and depression and many fall into the cracks of obtaining these same feelings from listening to their music. Music is not being enjoyed the way that it once was. The youth today is weak and taken over by the music industry today but this is how artists make their money, to have followers and fans from all over. Music today appeals to the young because of the sex appeal in it and the vulgar language that is being put out there with no consequence. Artists only care about getting a paycheck every time their song plays on the radio and the youth today just take it in like candy.

Bloom's Ideas

Bloom’s Ideas about music and young adults

I disagree with what Bloom has to say about young people and music. He makes a big generalized assumption and probably does this without doing any research or studies to check for accuracy. He acts as if music can alter the way that someone acts or the way they are. I do not believe that music can change the way a person is and that one cannot be without music. Music is a very important part of many people’s lives but I do not agree that nothing else excites a young adult that is not music related. As much as music can impact one’s life, it does not change who you are or how you feel. Feelings may change from listening to certain songs but it does not make the person who they are.

From my observations, music is an important factor in many people’s lives and it has made a huge impact in society but not enough to where music is everything and anything else is nothing. That is the way that Bloom’s feelings come off, as if one cannot function without music or nothing is of interest to young adults other than music. Young adults need to live and experience things and make mistakes. Music does not change a person or make them disregard everything else around them. A person may be influences somewhat by music but not as drastically as he makes it sound. It might be easy for parents of some young adults to view his point of view but I simply disagree.

This is definitely an overgeneralization. Not all young adults are the same. Not all young adults have been impacted by music in a way that Blooms makes it sound. Some young adults can have a passion for music but their lives do not revolve around music. I have a friend who sings and music has been a great outlet for her but she is also inspired to be a business owner. The music she sings or listens to will not change her goals in life or make her goals all about music. I have a cousin who dances and music is huge in her career. However what she listens to does not reflect who she has become as a person because of music. She is very inspired and driven by music but in a positive way. She started her own dance studio and dance is her life.

There is absolutely nothing wrong to be driven by music. Music can be an outlet for anyone going through rough times but if you ask any young adult, they will disagree with Bloom’s thoughts on young adults and music. It is true that some young teens might find music to be their only interest at one point but they do grow out of it and move on to bigger and greater things. I remember being a young teen and carrying an ipod around everywhere but I got over it and moved on. I never thought that music was everything. I found boys more interesting.