The Significance of Music in Society
The main goal of this paper is to address music and its significance or interest to other people in society. Music can be defined as an art or a type of culture consisting of sound that is arranged in a rhythmic way (Garofalo and Steven 16). The key essence of music is that it induces unity and calm in the ears of the audience. There are various styles of music in the western world. Any of the styles or forms of music include jazz, punk, pop, reggae, and funk. Other styles or varieties of music include folk and country music; (Garofalo and Steven 24). At least everyone has one or more genres or music includes jazz, rock, pop, reggae, and funk music. Other types or genres of music include folk and country music (Garofalo and Steven 24). At least everyone has one or more genres or types of music that they like.
Background
The main aim of this project is to write an ethnography. In this case, I decided to interview someone who is outside my age bracket. There was a very wide selection to choose from: some of these selections included my parents, grandparents, or even my neighbors. After a thorough analysis of the situation, I decided to settle down on interviewing my neighbor who lives a couple of blocks right from where we live. Malcom Owen is the name of my neighbor. He is the father of my best friend (John Ephron), a very calm person who is very mindful of others. Over the past years that I have known him, he has been quite a good neighbor. What is more, both of my parents are in a good relationship with Malcom Owen, they have been friends for almost 20 years. That is why I decided to interview Malcom because of his love and passion for music. Malcom plays the piano at the local church and is a music teacher at a local school nearby. Based on this scenario, I decided to interview him. I felt I can get the best of what I wanted from him due to his love and passion for music.
Data Analysis
Without further ado, I started interviewing him. The interview was held at his place on a weekend. During the interview session, I realized that Malcom loves the country genre of music. This type of music originated from the United States of America, specifically in the Southern part of the Country (Carlin 45). It originated in the year 1920 (Carlin 73). From the very beginning, Malcom identified this type of music to be cool and relaxing to the mind. Most of the times, he said that he listened to this type of music to relieve himself from stress. Country music is a type of genre that is characterized or associated with playing the guitar (Peterson 73). During the interview session, Malcom was also able to name some of his favorite country music stars. In the modern world, he identified artists such as Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, and Miranda Lambert. Other past artists that he named to be one of his favorite were George Strait, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rodgers, and George Jones; this are some of the artists that he considered to be very creative and talented in the music world today.
Malcom Owen's Favorite Songs
Malcom Owen had to choose a list of three of his favorite songs. This was the most difficult part of the interview. In this case, Malcom had a wide list to choose from as far as he had very many songs that he liked. However, after a careful analysis, there were some songs that Malcom finally selected on. The first song was by a country artist from the 80s: this is no one other than Dolly Parton. This artist is an American songwriter and singer who was born in the year 1946, January 19th (Peterson 43). Currently, she is 71 years in age. Malcolm's best song by Dolly Parton was Here you Come again. This song was released in the year 1977. It was written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Although the song dates way back in history, Malcom said that this song greatly relates to his life in one way or another. When we look back at the year 1977, this song topped the charts in a lot of countries.
The next song that Malcom identified himself with was Remind me. This song was sung by an individual known as Brad Paisley. He was born in the year 1972, October 28th. The song Remind me was released in the year 2011 and was enlisted in one of his albums known as This is Country music. Malcom identified himself with this type of music since it is slow, smooth, and soothing for the mind, especially if one is depressed or stressed about a given issue or a problem.
The last song that the interviewee identified himself with is Blue ain't your Color. This song was sung by a country artist known as Keith Urban. This is an artist who has traces of origin from the country of New Zealand. He was born in New Zealand but was raised in Australia. Keith Urban is a very significant artist in the country music world (Peterson 67). He was born in the year 1967, October the 26th. Currently, he is 49 years old. Malcom's favorite song Blue ain't your Color is a song that was released in the year 2016 (Wolfe 83). This song was categorized under the album Ripcord. This song was one of the most significant and best-selling country music of all the times. It was also nominated for two Grammy awards - the 59th Grammy awards (Garofalo and Steven 87). Generally, based from this lists of songs that Malcom Owen chose, it is safe to say the fact that he has a rich taste in music. All of these songs that he chose are very calm and harmonic in nature. In addition, they are based on a good composition, and the contents of most of this songs can be related with current life today. Country music is one of the few genres of music that is of significance to very many people in the society today.
Reflection and Conclusion
This interview was very resourceful and informative. I learnt a lot of things. Previously, I did not like country music. However, at the end of the interview, I had to think twice about my choice and considerations on the type of music that I listen to. Malcom presented his love for country music in a way that was very enticing and well decrypted. I gained a lot of insights that are related with this kind of music. A good example that can be used to explain on this case is that I was able to understand the significance and importance of this kind of music, as well as how it impacts different people in the society. What is more, it is important to note the fact that different people listen to different types of music: the choice or the determination in the type of music to listen to is normally determined by very many factors, such as content or message being passed along, the rhythm, and form of play.
As a result of the interview, it was worth noticing and understanding how music is important in the life of an individual. For instance, I was able to understand how music helps Malcom. In this case, Malcom listened to this type of music to clear himself from situations that are hectic and stressful. Furthermore, Malcom admitted to the fact that this type or genre of music is very soothing, calm, and relaxing to the mind. This project interview helped me to understand and see through music. A good example that can be used to explain on this case is that music is a form of art that keeps on developing as time goes by. They type of music that was played and listened to in the 80s and 90s is not the same type of music that is played currently. A lot has changed. Some of these changes include the quality and content of the music being played. I was also able to understand someone who comes from a different generation and the type of music that they love listening too. Now, I am considering trying to listen to country as well.
Works Cited
Carlin, Richard. Country music: a biographical dictionary. Routledge, 2014.
Garofalo, Reebee, and Steven Waksman. Rockin'out: popular music in the USA. Pearson, 2016.
Palmer, Alan. "11 Narrative and Minds in the Traditional Ballads of Early Country Music." Narrative Theory, Literature, and New Media: Narrative Minds and Virtual Worlds (2015): 205.
Peterson, Richard A. Creating country music: Fabricating authenticity. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Wolfe, Charles K. Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky, 2015.
