Music

What do we think of when we think of music? The beauty of it is that everyone will have a different answer to this question, with some picturing rock stars donned with guitars, keyboards, drums or a microphone and other picturing dance music defined by DJs working the decks. Others might picture a full orchestral ensemble of a hundred musicians, performing classical music in sections of woodwind, string, brass and percussion.

Some might think of music only when they are deciding what to listen to. Perhaps they are about to embark on a walk and are trying to decide what to listen to on their walkman, or maybe they are working on an essay and need something on in the background to help them concentrate. And then there are those that use music in their line of work – perhaps they work in a recording studio or maybe they are a film director deciding on what kind of music would best suit the spectacular actions scene they have just shot. It shows how diverse and versatile music actually is. It finds its way into everything, with jingles on TV adverts helping us to remember a certain product or perhaps it is part of a great memory – a party with a good mix of tunes or a festival with a line up of our favourite bands.

To some, music is a defining part of their personality and in certain cases it is easy to spot what kind of music someone listens to. In its heyday it was easy to spot a punk rocker compared to say a modern day ‘goth’. Equally there are whole worlds and subcultures where certain music is attributed. Some music will easily find its way into the skater scene, just as bikers might listen to rock music.

Music is a huge part of our culture and will stay here for as long as we exist. It has infiltrated our way of living in almost every way. And so it should, for it brings joy to so many people and being universal, brings us closer to our neighbours in foreign countries. Without music, there would be a profound knock on effect that would be apparent across the board.

CDs, tapes, mini discs, records, mp3s and files on a computer. There are so many ways of listening to music that it would be hard to be without.