How Music Impact Society Essays

How Music Impact Society Essays How Music Impact Society Paper How Music Impact Society Paper Music is perhaps one of the most powerful forces we encounter. Music can provide an emotional outlet, a place to voice opinions, a hobby, past time, entertainment, fun, a place to turn to, a controversial outlet, spiritual bonding, fame, fortune, hope, guidance, healing powers, and gives us the words we cannot say on our own. Music has Just so many capabilities that have been used for millions of years. Everything from the way messages were conveyed among slaves, to the tribal preaching the Native Americans used to Patrice revolved around music. Music is the most nfluential industry in the world, and it has the power to send messages to millions and allow an outlet for protest, generate billions of dollars, capture the attention of people all over the globe, and it even holds the power to have positive effects on our mental health. Jaime Ferris, writer for the Housatonic Times quoted The truest expression of a people is in its dance and music. For centuries the music industry has pushed the limits on the right to freedom of speech. Back to the days when America had slavery, the slaves would make hymns while working in the fields. Often times these hymns had underlying connotative rebellion. In the time of slavery it was unheard of to even neither question your owner let alone question your captivity nor try to escape. If a slave were to question the authority they would suffer sever beatings. Because of the consequences the slaves found other means of communication, through song. If we look at a well known piece entitled Follow The Drinking Gord we can quickly pick up on Just how song was used to pass messages, that would other wise be punishable. According to osblackhistory. om in the first verse the slaves are instructed to leave in the winter when the sun is at its highest altitude When the sun comes back. The drinking gourd refers to the Big Dipper in its spoon like shape, and the great big river refers to the Ohio River. In Just one verse the message of when to leave where to go and what to follow is laid out. l Because this message was conveyed through song, the slaves were able to sing it freely to sp read the word. Today more than ever the use of song to convey messages that might other wise be banned is in effect. The vast number of artist who sings about marijuana is astounding. As listed on kindgergreenbuds. com a person possessing this illegal substance can either be subject to a class a misdemeanor or s a class C felony. In Michigan if a person is caught even though simple drug test as having used the substance its still considered possession and punishable by a 100 dollar fine and 90 days in Jail. If this substance is so easily punishable then why is it okay to have numerous songs praising the act? As far back as 1932 when Baron Lee and the Blue Rhythm Band had a song titled The Reefer Man and while the substance behind this song may not have been illegal then, it is today and still hundreds of songs are written about it. For example a song entitled Kush by multi latinum artist Lil Wayne the lyrics And I smoke that Kush Yeah, that Kush Yeah, and I ball like swoosh. This song is such a prime example of evidence that one was using the substance, but because its written in song its considered freedom of speech, and unsuitable for the general audience of our society. Much the way the slaves used music as an outlet to rebel against something they could be punished for, artists today are contlnulng to 00 tne same. Anotner example 0T Treeaom 0T speecn Delng carried out through music is from the 60s anti- war era. Legend Bob Dylan was notorious for his anti-war protest songs. In the song Man on the Street, Dylan explains the human suffering that is caused by human cruelty. Dylans message was perhaps the government of the United States is and was so tied up with other improvements, conflicts, and business actions in other countries, that they forget that they must run this country. Dylans point is very accurate and holds strong today. For example, the US government reacted nearly 13 times quicker to earthquake in Haiti, than they did to hurricane Katrina. Dylan made it clear that the political problems in the United States although heavily produced by the government were not out of the each of the general public. He preached via song that the problems are actually right by our side and we could help to solve the problems. Perhaps a more modern example of the same genera would be the popular top 40 song entitled Waiting on the World to Change by Grammy winner John Mayer. This song hit airwaves in 2006, and became very popular, very fast. In combination with the songs catchy rhythm, was its controversial, yet inspiring lyrics. Mayer is conveying the message of the problems the country is and was facing and how were all simply waiting on things to change yet no one is doing their part to make it happen. Mayer did an interview with the Daily Mail December 21, 2007, where he stated that his main intention was to cause a debate. Thats exactly what this song has done. For example the lyrics say Now if we had the power to bring our neighbors home from war/ they would have never missed a Christmas/ no more ribbons on their door/ and when you trust your television / what you get is what you got/ cause when they own the information, Oh they can bend it all they want This statement is a direct target against the government, and the war this country has been in. Hes taking the side of everyone hat was against the war and saying if they had the power they could bring them back, but instead they sit back and watch as information about whats really going on unfolds. And then he goes to say that when youre merely trusting your televisions newscasts you can hardly even trust whats being said because its their information and they can twist, crop, and edit a story to be anything they want it to be. This stab at the government and media system is his view. Through this song he has managed to get his view to millions of people, and whether they agree or disagree they still have thought about his debate-sparking message. Mayer has achieved success in reaching millions, and getting his message across using freedom of speech through music. The bottom line is that a political message in a song is not any different than free speech guaranteed under the US Constitution. Its in fact a more conventional way to get point across. As long as there is a cause or an event that provokes emotions, there will be songs and speeches on both ends of any issue. Music has not only caused commotion by being an outlet for freedom of speech, but essentially the entire music industry is the single most successful, and talked about industry world wide. Any time theres an award show, or special Just for TV concert, no matter whom the star, or what the genre of music is, the stations that broadcast the event reach record high numbers of viewers. The average late night show such as the Tonight Show with Conan OBrian for example get an average of 5. 4 million viewers a night, but on the night of the 2009 teen choice awards, there was an estimated 44. 5 billion vlewers. Pernaps tne splKe In vlewers Is wnat alas In tne astounalng amount 0T press the music industry gathers. During the 2009 Teen Choice awards, Miley Cyrus performed her infamous hit Party In The I-ISA. This performance made controversy all across the globe, it was speculated that her dance moves, were distasteful and actually pole dancing moves. The video of this performance gathered more than 1,701 , 135 views in the first three nights that it was available. This infamous event, also generated hundreds of stories, online forums and made its self a trending topic on the social networking site twitter for nearly a month. The music industry not only generates mass media attention, its one of the most successful industries monetarily as well. The US and its citizens have been struggling with money since the Iraq war, nd officially declared recession in 2007. Despite the recession, in 2008 the United States spent over 40. 3 billion dollars in CD sales alone. In 2010 the US spent nearly 1 1 billion dollars on live concert tickets. Americans that are in poverty are still finding a way to attend a concert put on by their favorite artist, buy their music to support them, and wear their merchandise. The music industry is becoming so popular that its starting to not only aid in but nearly take over the film world as well. In 2008, Disney star, Hannah Montana came out with the first 3D concert movie. This was considered revolutionary and drew great attention. This film drew an array of viewers and it made an estimated gross total of 65,281,781 dollars. This 3D movie was played in all major movie theaters, and displayed live concert footage making the viewer feel as if they were there, and even gave them a behind the scenes look. Since the release of this such as The Jonas Brothers, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, and Kenny Chesney have all made their own 3D hits. Music has immense power, but its not limited to protest, controversy, media, and money it holds so much more potential. In fact, music has not only invaded the film world, its also finding its way into our medical field. While the idea has been around for thousands of years, recently the topic of music therapy is becoming more and more common when patient treatment is discussed. Used to help treat cancer, mentally ill, and cardio patients, music has been proven to be one of medicines finest tools. For thousands of years music as been used as a therapeutic technique. Greek philosophers who believed that music could heal the soul started the concept of Musical therapy. After world war two the concept of music therapy was used to treat the veterans who have undergone sever post war trauma. This practice was carried out in a more conventional way however. The administrators in the hospitals would play soothing sounds when patients would feel urges of rage. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world. Today approximately seventy colleges and universities offer degrees and courses approved by the American Music Therapy Association. Barbara Crowe the past president of the National Association for Music Therapy said (Music therapy) can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort between demoralization and dignity. Musical Therapy has been proven to stimulate he brain, release good chemicals in our blood and brains and aid in the bodys physical and mental healing. According to centerformusicaltherapy. com Musical Therapy has been shown to help patients with closed head injuries speed their recovery process by 37%. Musical therapy has been used with patients who undergo cnemotnerapy to onset tne mina ana Its Deen proven tnat It eases anxlety ana nausea. Musical therapy has also been used on heart patients. According to Association for Musical Therapy, studies have shown a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, insomnia, depression, and anxiety for those patients. While musical therapy has been shown successful in treatment of ill, its also been proven that students who play an instrument or take a music class have IQ levels up to 30% higher than the students who have no musical background. With the power to send messages to millions and allow an outlet for protest, generate billions of dollars, capture the attention of people all over the globe, and provide medical healing, its no question that music is one of the most unstoppable forces in the world. Musics played a strong role in spreading messages for centuries, starting with the slaves and ontinuing today. Music has also broken barriers, by nearly revolutionizing the film industry and creating one of kind movies. Music has made such a bridge that its now an essential medical tool. Starting with the ancient Greeks and following through today musical therapy has been shown to help in various medical cases. Music is simply a strong force that is crucial to the way we all live. Seeing Just how music has evolved and captured not only our country but also the world, in so many different revenues, its only imaginable what advancements music can hold for us in the future.