Música

Music is more than sound, more than random notes on paper, and way more than a catchy tune on the radio. It has the ability to bring people together, heal a broken mind, and make a statement far more powerful and influential than an article in the newspaper. Music is always growing, and always open for interpretation. It is universal; separated into genres often born of or geared to a specific audience or culture, and yet, even genres are not binding. One’s taste in music is a reflection of their personality and there is always a song or artist appealing to whatever they are feeling or looking for. You can be a lover of powerful techno beats, wholesome folk melodies, and the intense scream of heavy metal and no one can truly say you are right or wrong because, music isn’t right or wrong or good or bad. The composer of a symphony is not necessarily better, more gifted, or more musically in touch than a rapper. It all depends on who you talk to and what their influences, thoughts, and opinions are. As a listener, critic, musician, songwriter, or composer, music is whatever you want it to be.

For me, this realization was one hard to come by. I have always had a fairly strong opinion on what I listened to and on all of the other genres there are in the world. Rap was talentless and obscene, classical was boring, heavy metal was for freaks, country was for cowboys, classic rock was for my mom, and alternative artists with catchy melodies were for me. Not only did I narrow my appreciation of music, I couldn’t understand why people didn’t like what I liked. Oh how lost and confused I was indeed.

I can’t quite pinpoint what started to transform this opinion but I owe a lot of credit to my 5 years at ASA. The people, environment, and taste of being a musician myself helped me to broaden my horizon. I quickly interested myself in spending Sunday afternoons delving into iTunes, Rhapsody, and Music MySpace, searching for the band that “I couldn’t believe I wasn’t listening to before”. I gained my unexplainable love and appreciation for what a few guys and some instruments could create. I am enamored by the ability a song has to take you back to a moment in time, induce a feeling, and sway an opinion. My intake of music has easily tripled and it seems, the more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to it. There were a few times that I questioned myself when I compared my music taste with a respected friend and vice versa but that’s ultimately no different than a deviation in favorite color or opinion on politics. One person can write a review for a band going on and on about how amazing they are and another person can call them the downfall of sound. When I think of music, I don’t limit myself to the dictionary definition because it really isn’t just an art of sound. But, then again, who am I to tell you what music is or isn’t?

-Angela