Transcendent Music Many would argue that music is simply an art and not at all necessary for educating our youth. That the arts are the first programs to disappear, with budget forced cuts in our schools, attests to this very mindset. While necessary core subjects like English and Reading teach students to communicate through the written word, there is something that transcends mere words. Music. Music is another form of language and one that every human being can understand. Music, while currently seen as an art, is actually a development in our ability to communicate. If one were to try to express the emotion of happiness, they would use some descriptive words that convey the appropriate meaning, and begin to try to use these words to convincingly share that emotion with you. You’ll nod your head and say “sure, yeah, I’ve felt that before”, but have you? What this answer means is that you, through the barrier of language, are understanding and applying the words stated to how you understand those words and apply them to emotions you have associated to those words.
When it comes down to it, there’s simply no way to truly express our emotions to each other. More truthfully, it’s doubtful that our own individual interpretations of our emotions are even the same from one person to the next. One person’s happy is not necessarily another person’s happy.
Music is one of the few things in life that is appreciated universally. Do you know anyone who just simply doesn’t like music? Perhaps they don’t like specific genres, but there just seems to be a mystery to music that we all find some level of fascination with.
I believe this is because music is not just an art form. While there is the element of the written language in a lot of music in the form of lyrics; music in its deepest core is about expressing feelings. Beethoven wrote no words into his music, yet conveyed serious and strong emotions through his work; as have a wide range of artists throughout time and all around the world. The notes, beats, chords, phrases, patterns, tempos, and structure of music is a world that simply hasn’t been fully discovered yet. And it’s one that the whole world is discovering as one united species. Because music is one of those rare things in existence that can be felt by all of us.
It’s no surprise that musical artists that move things forward are under appreciated in