Music is a very general term that has been given to thousands of songs throughout history. Anything from monks chanting to today’s new pop album is considered, “music”. What each individual has as a personal preference is not relevant to the term. Music is, by definition, ‘The sound produced by singers or musical instruments.’ Music, to me, is the individuality, and expression‘s of an artist that are captured into song. The ability to please everyone throughout different genre’s of music. And the fact that music also has the power of memory. I value music because of all the different ways it effects people and because of its artistic expression.

Every artist can produce a song that is different and individual . Yes, every artist originates from another and yes, all artists have influences. But, the point is that each artist that creates his/her own work has brought something new to the world of music. Personal opinion goes greatly in the determining factor of good or bad, but few can deny that originality, on any scale or level, originated from the artist and therefore gives them value of some sort. It is true that some artists do not follow the orderly rules of conduct, and it is also true that in today’s society we give the ‘celebrity’ artists a pedestal in which they feel the rules do not apply to them. But, putting the artists personal lives aside, the creativity that originates may not always be from the most likely places, but must be valued to the furthest extent that can be given to a particular song. Though originality in an artist may be important to his/her music, the different gene’s have the ability to effect everyone differently.

Different genre’s create a wide birth for diversity in music. Not one human being is the same to another, therefore their must be something different for everyone. Some people prefer classical to country. Others prefer Latin to Death Metal. Music opens up opportunities for personal expression and the ability to wonder from genre to genre. This may be because of a mood change, a new perspective on life, or just someone looking for something new. The beauty of the different gene’s is that it presents a variety of music for all different people at all different stages of their lives. No matter the person you can always see the personal preference in music and the individuality behind that choice. No matter the genre, some music can possess the power of memory.

Once in a while an artist creates a piece of music that holds a certain significance to someone. For me it was “Face of a Faith”. When my best friend died I thought that no song could ever seem significant enough to remind me of her and her strong spiritual beliefs. But this song had that significance to me. When a happy, sad, memorable, or tragic event occurs, music can become a reminder of that experience. It is rare enough to find an event that has such a dramatic effect on a life. But when that does occur those are usually the memories in which we begin to find representation for, typically in music. The songs that have the power of recalling a memory are usually one in a thousand but, the significance of those are important to the individual who the memory is recalled to.

Music has many different meanings. To the artist, it means being able to create an original work. To the people who listen to any kind of music, no matter the genre, who have the opportunity to find meaning through the different kinds of songs. And to those lucky few who find significance in memory through a song. This is why I value music to the extent that I do, it opens up a new world of ethnicity, differentially, skill, freedom of expression, and taste.