What is Music?

The smell of marijuana was in the air mixed with a thundering bass, and staggering people intoxicated with alcohol and emotion...

I went to a Jhené Aiko concert a couple nights ago and it was amazing! It was my first concert ever and it left a great impression on me. My best friend and I sat at the very top, but we could see the stage clearly. Jhené Aiko, who has a beautiful voice, created psychedelic art visuals with colorful lights and even had a harpist with fairy wings playing on stage! The feeling is different when listening to an artist in your home and in person at a concert. It’s as if I crossed the line between time and space. Her message in the music became real when standing there with hundreds of other people singing along with her. When I came home, it felt weird to listen to her music. She was no longer a voice in my ears, but a real human being with a personality, a life, and actual struggles. Her lyrics turned into reality.

Because of that, I am sharing a revised essay I wrote on music in my Music Composition class in high school adding in my experience from the concert. There were three questions we needed to answer, what is music, why is it powerful, and what is the musical experience.

Music was introduced many, many years ago, and it has evolved from various stages to where it is now. It started with Mozart writing "Twinkle Twinkle" at five years old, to Michael Jackson using his active and live dance songs to bring people on their feet. Music can make you feel, help you heal, and tell you a story about someone’s life. It has evolved in terms of sound and production, but the meaning and use has stayed relatively the same. Music is interpreted in many ways, whether it’s by actual instruments or by using the sounds of your mouth. It’s sung by anything and anyone, from birds chirping a song high in the air, to whales belting out, deep in the waters. Music is the tapping of your feet, the snapping of your fingers, music is everywhere, and you can’t avoid it. There are a lot of different genres of music such as Pop, Country, R&B, Hip-hop, Electronica, Techno, Rap, and so on. They are all unique types of music with the same purpose at hand; to bring a melody into your willing ears. Music is a way to escape, flowing out of reality and into the notes and/or beats of a song. Getting lost in the story an artist created with a few drum booms here, or the strike of a violin is a given.

Music brings people together to share their one love despite any differences they might have. It has the ability to inspire you to do great things, or be someone greater. The artists play a major role as well, by reaching out into the world and capturing the hearts of fans by the sound of their voice. They compose something that will attach itself to you in a way that will help you to connect with the artist on a personal level.  It can make you happy, or sad, or motivated to do something brave. Experiencing music firsthand is a special thing, feeling the vibes in your body, in your soul, in your mind. It puts you in a mood that is unable to leave you days after you listen to the song. During the concert, so many people were happy. They screamed, laughed, danced, and sang together. We all had her music that banded us together. We weren’t friends, family, or even classmates. The feeling was exhilarating. I felt alive and almost one with the crowd. In that moment, singing along with Jhené, we were one with her.