Music helps define our lives. One of the most commonly asked questions when someone ask you about yourself is : What kind of music do you listen to? While you study do you listen to Pandora, Itunes or the Radio? I know that while I study I almost always have some kind of music playing on my laptop. When I think back on people and experiences in the past I can relate all of those experiences to some kind of music. As a young child of 8 I was emersed in the the world of classical music due to piano lessons and seemingly endless hours of practicing the piano. When I think of my father I think of country music. While on car rides with my father growing up I don't think there was ever a time old albums with groups like Brooks and Dunn were playing in the stereo. While at church in the LDS culture are constantly using music. Primary in the Mormon church is structured around "music time" with songs like "popcorn popping" playing in the background. Groups are defined by music. The Emo crowd identifies with Indie Rock, Country Folk identify with Country Music, and High-Class sophisticated people largely identify themselves with Classical Music. I bet if every one of us looked back on significant events in our lives there is some kind of music that we can associate with that event. When you think of yourself and those around you there is probably a genre of music that you can associate them with.
My Question is this: Do you agree or disagree that Music has the ability to help define who you are as a person? Do you associate certain experiences in your life with specific genres of music?
My Question is this: Do you agree or disagree that Music has the ability to help define who you are as a person? Do you associate certain experiences in your life with specific genres of music?
21 comments:
I totally agree that music can be very reflective and spark memory recall. The one car accident I was in while I was in high school I had Jimmy Hendricks playing in my car. And now every time I hear Purple Haze my mind takes me back to that event.
I think music defines a part of you, but there is always more to people than what their music is saying. I think music provides an escape for people. When consuming too much music, it can change your actions and the way you feel. In that sense, it defines a person, but there is a whole world that also defines people. Sometimes we use music to drown out reality.
I think that the concept of defining yourself by a genre of music is unique to our generation. Because of the technology that is available today, we are capable of having music playing in our ears 24/7 and that is why people associate experiences in their lives with a particular type of music. Similarly, because of the prominence of music in our lives, our age group tends to identify with specific types of music and often turns to it to define who they are.
I listen to Pandora only when I'm not trying to focus on something. Some people claim that music helps them focus, but for me, I usually need quiet to focus my thoughts. I do believe that music can define you as a person. Descartes famously said, "I think therefore I am" referring to how his thoughts shaped his being; and I think there's a good case to be made that what we put into our minds influences our character and who we become. I definitely associate different kinds of music with different memories in the past; my Dad loves Beatles tunes so when I think of him, that music is a part of that memory.
Music can be very defining, but often times people listen to music that they want to define who they are because they want people to see them in a certain light and it may not really be a reflection of who they really are. I think when you start trying to use music to define you, it's more about creating an image you want to portray to the world than actually appreciating and relating to the music. As I've gotten older I've found that my music taste varies so much from song to song and artist to artist that my music choices define me less and less.
I believe that music does define you to a certain extent, although for some it is more true than for others. At first I wouldn't think that the music I listen to defines me, but when I think about my favorite songs, they are like me.
Music can definately define who you are as a person. Especially in this society where you can listen to music whenever you want with the use of ipods, etc. Music can consume some people.
I think that music definitely reveals things about the people that listen to it, but I think that we are too quick to lump everyone into neat little piles of "emo," "country," and the like. I identify with lots of different genres of music, and while I think that the fact that I like them does reveal something about me, I am not defined by the music that I listen to. Music is important to me, but you wouldn't be able to know who I am just by hearing what I was listening to.
I do agree that music can both shape who you are and bring memories back. I know that music affects some people very deeply and I have also heard people who have gained a testimony of something, or a belief in something based partly on a song they have heard or lyrics they read. Music is powerful.
I agree that music can be a defining characteristic of someones life. At the same time I often run into people who listen to a specific music and do not act in a way that reflects that music. For me when I hear specific songs or bands I have flashbacks and am reminded of the past.
One of the most important things to note in this discussion is that music doesn't necessarily define who we are, but describes us. To me, there's a huge difference between it defining oneself and letting it describe oneself.
I agree, music is very powerful and many people can identify with its messages and themes. I felt I could identify with a lot of music when I was younger, and now I feel like I am at a stage of my life that is left unwritten by most genres, but I like listening back to music that i used to be able to relate and allow it to trigger past emotions.
I think it can help to define you sometimes, however people are so multi-fauceted that you can never really define a person or come close to defining a person solely based on music.
I don't think that music defines a person, but you can certainly tell a lot about a person by their music preferences. I do agree that specific songs can trigger old memories or feelings associated with past events. Every now and then a song will come up on my itunes that takes me back to a specific memory.
I definitely agree that music both shapes groups and groups adopt music as their "theme songs." Also, I can think of music that I associate with certain experiences, but more often I think of experiences when I hear a bit of music, especially when I haven't heard a song in a while, and when I do I not only think of the event, but I can remember the smells, the feelings, the sights and sounds. It is amazing how that works.
I fully agree that music defines part of you. Its part of your life. Every time I hear certain songs it takes me back to ex boyfriends and the high school lockerroom.
I definitely think music defines people. As much as hobbies define people, I think music says a lot about a person when you find out what he or she listens to in their free time. As far as remembering specific events, I know that certain songs bring back memories of the time period in which that song was popular. Justin Timberlake's Summer Love, for instance. It was popular the summer right before my senior year of high school and whenever I hear it, I'm always reminded of that time in my life.
Music has been socially constructed to signify in some part who we are. Pop music says that we like to follow the masses, emo says we are a little different, and the list could go on. At the same time, I dont think music defines exactly who I am. I enjoy listening to Weezer and also Dave Matthews. Both have been associated with the "getting high" kind of person. While I have never gotten "high," I still enjoy the laid back tunes of both bands. I am not a pot smoker, but someone who does not know me and looked through my CD collection or iPod might think so, which is false. So in essence music does and doesnt define who we are.
I don't necessarily believe the music I listen to has the ability to define who I am. I listen to a variety of things and if you burn me a CD of any genre I will listen to it and find something unique or interesting about it. However, I do associate certain experiences in my life with specific genres of music. "Swing Swing" by the all american rejects will always remind me of junior high.
yes i agree that we associate music with certain times in our life. Music is one of the things that can spark my memory most. i don't know if it necessarily defines us but i do think we associate it with certain memories and experiences.
I don't think that music defines who I am, but I do agree that there are certain periods of my life where I identified with certain types of music. For example, as a child I was all about the classic oldies. Then moving into my teenage years I really enjoyed 80s rock. Probably because I still identified largely with my mother and father. In high school I moved more toward the mainstream pop music of the day, possibly in an attempt to fit in. And then, just as I was getting ready to graduate and move away from home I began to really get into country. It was then that I fell in love with Oklahoma, and embracing country and my roots seemed to be the normal thing to do.
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