Music

Music is one of the single most important components in my life. I've been collecting vinyl since I knew what music was. I guess this goes along with being raised by parents that also had music be a big part of their life. If its possible, music runs through my veins. Every member of my family has been actively involved in the music industry. My great uncle owns a recording studio that writes and records music for major artists and also does jingles for major industries like JC Penny. My other uncles are in bands and my great grandma toured Europe playing the organ for a traveling orchestra and choir. These are of my more successful family members but everyone in my blood line has a similar story. I started playing the ocarina when I was in elementary school, mainly because it was different and I wanted to stand out. Then my great grandma tried to teach me to play the organ but that wasn't my "style". So eventually I fell in love with the bass guitar and started playing for my highschool youth group. I quit when it became a job and not a passion. I still play Ocarina to this day and I still love that it's different but I've also grown attatched the culture behind it. It's one of the oldest known instruments and it has a pure sound that, to me, is timeless.

All that being said I guess it's easy for me to say that music is major part of the community, local and world-wide. No matter what store, resturant, office building or even elevator you go to, music will be playing over the intercom. Alot of studies have even shown that certain playlists can affect the minds of the customers in stores. If management puts the right station on, they might sell more of their products or keep the customer coming back. It's one of the most successful industries and fastest growing. Negative lyrics affect the minds of children and positive can cause people to have "out of body" experiences which is why music is such a fundamental part of any type or religious service that you attend. It can affect your mood and your attitude. There are websites like 8tracks.com that have playlists for every occasion or mood you can think of including one for "lying on your bed and staring at the ceiling." It's powerful in the sense that it's popular. It can reach millions of people and is dangerous enough to be banned by government officials if it's message is controversial or sways the minds of people who hear it.

Although my life has an un-ending sountrack and I will never stop listening to it, I still learn more about it on a daily basis because there is always a new band, new song, new album, new artist. So my natural goal for this english class that I'm enrolled in is to learn more but also understand music on a level that I haven't before. It's a first for me that a teacher uses music in a class that isnt under the music section in the course catalogue. So, I'm excited to look at music under a new light and find ways to utilize and appreciate it in a new aspect of life.