Music is always changing to fit the lives and experiences of the people who listen to it. And although it is different for each generation, its purpose has stayed the same.
“I had a professor who once said that all music is political, so I think most of it is in reaction to the experiences people are having. I think about Taylor Swift in that regard, she’s a great songwriter because she really does have the ability to capture what’s going on in her life but it also parallels or mirrors that of the people who listen to her music,” choir director Brian Hartman said.
Music in experiences can change the way people look at that moment, listening to different music while looking back can give them a different perspective and different views that they may not have thought of before.
“It changes the way that I experience the world. There’s a whole lot of scholarship behind the idea that when you go to an art museum and you’re listening to a certain type of music while you’re looking at all the art, it becomes a different experience. For me that tends to be a soundtrack to my life, different stages of my life, the music that I was listening to, and then it becomes more of a reminiscent type thing when I hear that music,” Hartman said.
The music we listen to today has many different meanings, each song made to tell a story of the artists’ experiences to the listeners.
“Music has changed because music tells a story of life, but when that story shifts the music shifts with it. It influences the emotions that we feel, and that changes based on who we are and what we listen to,” freshman Joshua Jones said.
People’s opinions and minds can be changed depending on the music they listen to; it not only can change or affect the way they act and behave, but music can also change the way their minds work.
“Unfortunately, the music consumed today in this generation, the music that’s on the radio seems to fit the attention span of the people listening to it. Even Post Malone, I love Post Malone, and his music, but it’s all repetitive, and it’s very short snippets of repeated things, to where the way I think it shapes people’s minds is, because there’s not too much intricacy going on in todays music, and therefore people aren’t innately critically thinking about things and so it just becomes passive, they don’t become active listeners,” Hartman said.
Different perspectives in music can be interpreted in many different ways, no matter the generation. And while new perspectives on the world can be insightful, it can also affect how the listeners see the world, which can affect how they act in the world.
“I think some music can talk about the world as the worst place imaginable, but there is other music that just talks about how good life is and how we need to be appreciative of the things that we have. And I think that affects how the listeners see, and act in, the world too,” Jones said
Music is a large source of learning about other views that the listener may not have thought of, not just different perspectives, but also looking at the artists’ views, and the more we progress in this society, the more music is being produced the more messages are being shared.
“I think that as our society progresses people get new ideas and they learn how to get more out of life and they kind of show that in their music. And the events in society can also impact the music and that in turn impacts the listeners,” freshman Emily Peters said.
As technology is growing, listening to music has been growing easier and easier. Because of this, music has become a much more integral part of people’s lives, they can listen to it on the bus, at home, while running, anywhere.
“I think especially in the last 50 years with the way technology has changed things whether that be music technology or simply the way that you can write it quickly and consume it and then when you’re talking about consumption how fast people can get things now, you used to have to wait for a release date to go buy the whole album, now it’s like songs are dropping before the album does and it’s just instantaneous on your phone, and that’s a huge difference on the way we consume music. The things that go on, for instance, during all the civil rights movements, some of the greatest most provocative music that’s ever been written came out of that because of the struggle and strive,” Hartman said
Listening and discovering music from different times, other struggles, and special stories can help a person with looking at different and multiple perspectives. Times are different now and because of how open every generation of music is, it can be easier to connect with older or younger people and generations.
“I think that it gives you an entirely new perspective, and it gives you different outlooks. I also feel like the music that people are listening to has thing big effect on how they look at the world, how they act, the way that they look at others, and how they treat others,” Peters said
Music can change people’s minds and actions without them even noticing it. In time, if someone listens to the same songs enough, they can start to act on the values that are portrayed.
“I think music does affect the way different generations live because it has an influence over us for the better or the worse and even if we don’t notice it, the music plays an effect on what we do and don’t do,” Jones said
It’s not just the music that affects people, it can be the artist too. Artists are very influential people in this world, so many people tend to listen to them and end up getting influenced by their values.
It’s not just the music that affects people, it can be the artist too. Artists are very influential people in this world, so many people tend to listen to them and end up getting influenced by their values.
“If one artist gets super popular and they don’t necessarily have the best values, that can impact a lot of people differently.I also think the different genres of music incredibly impact the person, different genres of music impact different people in different ways to make it into one special thing. Peters said
Even though music has changed through the years, it is a common aspect of generations and cultures throughout history, making it easier to understand one another.
Music is a great source of connection to anyone and everyone, no matter the music style, no matter the generation, it brings people together and connects them in a special way that’s direct for that person.
“It’s every day in class when we’re doing everything from that 16th century to Christmas tunes or trying to connect with students of other faiths that might resonate with them in a choral setting. We don’t sing a whole lot of pop music in here, so it’s legit fine art music that the kids in the choir aren’t going to be listening to on their own without us exposing it to them, and even so, they probably won’t even listen to it outside of class. So, yeah, it definitely can change the way that we relate to people, to students,” Hartman said.