What was the most Interesting thing you learned about Music?
Principally, my exposure to various styles and types of music has evoked new insights into my mind. Initially, my perspective about music was narrowed to entertainment, a notion that lately realized as oblivious of the actual parlance of music in the social discourse. Importantly, I have learned that music is a systemized melody that is used to pass or express a given message. Thus, the meaning and the message that a song delivers is by far greater than the melody it bears. Indeed, I learned that music bears the socio-cultural aspect of a community, which is the biggest predisposition of any social setup. Therefore, different social and cultural backgrounds have distinct musical performances, and are reflective of their won social and cultural orientations.
Jean Ritchie is one such ostensible musician who contributed an immense progress in the folk music. Her songs were rich in the message and sometimes criticized the culture of impunity, while advocating for fairness in the society. One such composition was about the protest against strip-mining coal industry, which she considered inhumane.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about American music?
For the moment that I listened to the American Jazz, and Religious music, I was able to realize the apparent distinctions of each musical genre. Thus, music genre and their corresponding classifications became apparent on the firs spot that I was introduced to varying range of American songs. The religious, folk, and jazz music have clear distinctions in their musicality and verbal presentations. This is the easiest thing that I found about American Music.
What new connections between the music of the past and what you listen to today do you see? Be specific.
The new music and the old music share a lot of similarities. The first and the most fundamental point of similarity in these music relates to the genre. Music genres remain the same, and the modern music still conforms to the old classification of songs. It’s worth noting that musical genre bears the greatest element of music classification, and as such, different generational music would be compared along this lens. The next point of connection refers to the accompanying instrumentals to these songs. The same instrumental have been used in both generations of music, but the modern type has advanced types. These modern instrumentals have higher efficiency and performance, though share similarity in the end product desires.
