MUS 240 Summary Paper Bonnie C. Wade author and professor of ethnomusicology starts her first chapter, “Thinking Musically” with the sentence, “People make music meaningful and useful in their lives” (Wade, 2009). Initially this statement struck me. Prior to taking this course I had thought little about music could be useful to a culture. Besides propaganda events and rebellions in the 70’s, music being useful wasn’t something I bought into. After taking this course I have gained an appreciation and sophistication for music, and a basic knowledge of how to study music. Throughout this course I have gained a greater appreciation for music. I’ve grasped a sense of discovery, willingness, and understanding of diversity in music. Initially I
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I now have questions to ask and a sense confidence to learn about music. Asking questions about a piece of music, such as: “what is the purpose for this ____ (rhythm, beat, lyric, context) change,” “was this music socially accessible during this time period,” “what are is/are the musician(s) trying to tell us through this piece,” and “what does this piece of music tell us about this time period or cultural era?” These questions help to better grasp the importance, story, and purpose of the music around us. Asking questions allows us to take more out of a song, genre, or artist. It enables us to be a part of the musical process. As a child I took dance lessons and later performed in public school concert band. These activities exposed me to music and were great developmentally although they also came with challenges. Dancing was fun, but it was stressful with long practices and big recitals. In this setting, music was not the focus or something that was relaxing of fun. Instead, music was viewed as more of an accompany to the dance. Playing in middle and high school bands tended to be even more frustrating. Pieces had to be polished and perfect and there was little to no time for exploration of an instrument or music. This made playing an instrument and constantly practicing more stressful than fun. Because of this and my large class load I eventually stopped taking classes. It wasn’t that I …show more content…
My understanding of music and its relation to humans has broadened. Prior to taking this course I thought I had a good grip on music, but I see that what I did know was very superficial knowledge. Although I had been around a diverse range of music I didn’t understand what music really was or the complexity of it. Music has always been a sense of escape and relaxation for me. Now, after having taken this course I think music will be more of a relaxing and an entertainment where I can discover good music. Having a rounded knowledge of music allows me to listen to music as an entertainment instead of just constant noise. I look forward to exploring music and cultures through music. I’m not nervous to mess up in music now, but excited to learn, grow, and experience the process of music in my own
I now have questions to ask and a sense confidence to learn about music. Asking questions about a piece of music, such as: “what is the purpose for this ____ (rhythm, beat, lyric, context) change,” “was this music socially accessible during this time period,” “what are is/are the musician(s) trying to tell us through this piece,” and “what does this piece of music tell us about this time period or cultural era?” These questions help to better grasp the importance, story, and purpose of the music around us. Asking questions allows us to take more out of a song, genre, or artist. It enables us to be a part of the musical process. As a child I took dance lessons and later performed in public school concert band. These activities exposed me to music and were great developmentally although they also came with challenges. Dancing was fun, but it was stressful with long practices and big recitals. In this setting, music was not the focus or something that was relaxing of fun. Instead, music was viewed as more of an accompany to the dance. Playing in middle and high school bands tended to be even more frustrating. Pieces had to be polished and perfect and there was little to no time for exploration of an instrument or music. This made playing an instrument and constantly practicing more stressful than fun. Because of this and my large class load I eventually stopped taking classes. It wasn’t that I …show more content…
My understanding of music and its relation to humans has broadened. Prior to taking this course I thought I had a good grip on music, but I see that what I did know was very superficial knowledge. Although I had been around a diverse range of music I didn’t understand what music really was or the complexity of it. Music has always been a sense of escape and relaxation for me. Now, after having taken this course I think music will be more of a relaxing and an entertainment where I can discover good music. Having a rounded knowledge of music allows me to listen to music as an entertainment instead of just constant noise. I look forward to exploring music and cultures through music. I’m not nervous to mess up in music now, but excited to learn, grow, and experience the process of music in my own