Does Music Have The Power To Move People

Words: 2052
Pages: 9

How does music have the power to move people? Perhaps it’s a soft serenade that begins to cantillate through the radio and manages to evoke emotion and nostalgia from a father driving his family down the road, or maybe it’s the heavy, vociferous cacophony of a drum set and electric guitar roaring through the loudspeakers and causing a crowd to cheer with passion. Behind every melody and beneath every harmony is a poet who struggled earnestly to reach people and make them feel the same emotions he felt when composing his music. The vast effects music has on society can be seen everywhere, from the classical music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven to the more contemporary music of John Williams and Leonard Bernstein. Music …show more content…
One of the biggest positive aspects of a career in the music industry and composing is the wide array of emotions one can express and the vast ways one can leave an impression on their audience. Such ability invokes in one the power to reach deeper into their own mind and tell a story that many will be able to understand and apply to their own lives. John Denver, an American singer-songwriter and record producer, once said in an interview, “Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same” (Denver). This quote highlights the ability that music has to bring people together and speak a common message, and, even more so, it exemplifies the power composers have as they write their music to reach people with their own emotions and ideas. Though to many it may not be abundantly clear how music makes one feel such emotions or interpret such ideas, to a …show more content…
Nina Ulloa of the website “Digital Music News” estimates that anywhere from 91-97.8 percent of all musicians and composers are undiscovered or unrecognized (Ulloa 2014). This success rate in the industry, or lack thereof, is comparable to that of both the acting industry and the sports industry, which are both famously competitive fields of work. This potential lack of success turns many would-be composers away from the industry and discourages them to the point where they look for a new job or pursue other interests. While in a perfect world, those most passionate and dedicated to this craft would be most likely to receive such recognition, too often that is not the case. However, the truly dedicated and passionate people in the world of music will often ignore such setbacks and pursue the art anyway whether they ever become successful or not. A second negative to the industry is the potential for relocation. Most people would rather stay in their hometown or relatively close to it in order to pursue their passions in a place that is, for lack of a better term, home to them. However, in the music industry, just as in many others, more often than not, relocation is a beneficial or even necessary step to take in order to achieve success. Many small-town composers or musicians simply lack the ability to reach the recognition and