How do we arrive at our musical taste? Is musical taste an individual consideration or purely a product of our social circumstances? Why do people acquire musical taste and what do they use it for?
“Tastes are relatively unproductive: the objects are simply random signs, the subjects are merely reproducing the hierarchy of social positions.” (Bourdieu, 1984). In the quote above Bourdieu argues that personal taste is related to social positioning. He mentions how the subjects of taste (in this case musical taste) are basically defining ones social status and creating a pecking order of status/authority. Bourdieu’s (1984, p. 1) theory argues that taste is installed into people for them to then be guided into the “correct” or most appropriate
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182), something we use to fit in with others, however it is usually experimented with until we have found the right taste for us so that we are able to feel comfortable and enjoy our music. Pegley and Caputo (1994, p. 302-306) conducted an experiment on two different girls to see how music affected them socially and what they used it for. One of the girls, a singer, used music to become friends with other girls as she felt it helped her to fit in, whereas the second girl used it as “an escape from involvement in stereotypical girls' culture.”(Pegley & Caputo, 1994, p. 306). Throughout my research it has become apparent that taste is also very often used to define ones status and authority, making ones class noticeably obvious to others. Frith (1987, p. 140-144) talks about the four functions of music, the first one being how we use taste as a form of identity, to create a “self-definition”, the second function consists of how we use music and taste to manage our emotions. Thirdly, taste can be used as an organisation of time, meaning when a certain song or artist can remind you of a specific date and time and lastly we also use music and taste as ownership, for example when we refer to songs as “our song”, as if we feel like we have more of a connection with the music. One of the main uses for music and musical taste would be communication. “Music is an essential form of human communication and has probably been so since before the dawn of speech.” (Brown & Volgsten, 2006, p. 10), musical communication has been used for many years within tribes and animals and is still being used today amongst every day
Because of human intention, people have music. So I think music should be related to human intention. The next thing is about human perception. The interesting thing of music 's origin is that there is no clear record to tell the public when and how people have music. The time period, about 60,000 and 30,000 years ago, is an indecisive period and it only came from speculation. So maybe music emerged in different ways in different places, just as now in the world every country or even every city have its own musical cultures. In this perspective, music is really subjective since it is inescapable tied to culture and the experience of the audience. Hence, music is all about personal opinion, which is corresponding to perception. Even though music does have some basic component, everyone has different opinion on music. The definition of music should satisfies the subjective of music. "To be successful, a definition of music must balance these various stories, defining music in terms of its traditions"(Davis 552). The HIP approach solve this difficulty by reserving the subjective of music and balance various musical cultures and traditions in the world. This definition lets the audience judge if they think the sound belongs to music. Therefore, a successful definition of music should be related to human perception since only in this way can balance the various cultures. From the analysis
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
... themes of individualism and alienation. The chief value of living with music lies in its power to give us an orientation in time. In doing so, it gives connotation to all those indefinable aspects of experience which nevertheless helps us make what we are.
Music is defined as vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion, but music is not bound by its meaning. Music can be almost anything a person wants it to be. No one can put a date on the beginning of music. Some say it began before humans spread around the world or possibly originated in Africa. A conclusion that most people would agree on is that music has been around for mostly all of time. Whether or not people know it, music is a key aspect of their lives, and it affects them in many ways. One may begin to question why do humans participate in and enjoy music so much? This question can never have a concrete answer, but many have ideas of what might be the reason.
“The type of music you prefer relates to your personality.” Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, has attempted the biggest study so far of musical tastes and identity sort. He is a specialist on music brain science and has done far reaching research on the social and connected brain science of music, specifically the relationship between popular music society and uncommon conduct in puberty, music and customer conduct, and the part of musical inclination in ordinary life (Collingwood, 2008). He found out that there are different personalities linked with different genres of music, including rock music, on his research.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
Music are a few things we tend to hear every day. Whether or not it’s from our own ipods, in our cars, or background music to our lives. A song exists for pretty much every feeling and music will be thought of as extremely healing mechanism. Over the years there are various varieties of music that everyone embrace completely different beats, sounds, and evoke different emotions. Such varieties of music is hip hop and rap, alternative music, and rock and roll music. Music incorporates a long line and every single sound and sort of music is tangled together inside each other and influenced by each other. For these reasons, music not solely defines a sort of sound, however additionally recreates lifestyles and defines entire generations. The ability of music will be seen from all differing kinds of music.
Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a role in the separation of social and economical identities in within cultures.
Music has been around since the very beginning of time. The human body flows in a rhythmic syncopation. Music is used to change one’s mood and to inspire those who open their minds. It has the potential to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Humans, of every culture and society, function with a type of rhythmic music. As humans, we are hard wired to respond to music (Mannes). The human brain responds to music in such a way that the brain becomes more open to new rhythms, ideas, and values. Music has the power to take over the human body. This makes it easier to overcome conflict and change the ideals of somebody while using music (The Power of Music).
It’s also interesting to think about how music plays a role in someone’s identity. Many articles found discuss the Social Identity Theory, and the people who conduct these experiments always keep this in mind, “Social identity theory (SIT; Tajfel, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1979) maintains that individuals gain a social identity from the groups to which they belong. The theorists claim that members have a desire to evaluate their own group positively and that they achieve positive evaluations through social comparisons with relevant other groups along valued dimensions. One maintains positive social identity and self-esteem through in-group favoritism, positive distinction from the out-group, and, occasionally, out-group derogation (e.g., Noel, Wann, & Branscombe, 1995)” (Tarrant, North, Hargreaves, 2001). Towson’s online database is an excellent place to research what has been found on music’s effects on psychology, and ...
Not every person is going to have the same taste in music, but why is it that people find a certain genre more appealing than others? A person’s personality and individuality clearly has a large role Research indicates that there is a definite correlation between personality and music preferences (Rentfrow & Gosling p. 1236-1237, Chamorro-Premuzic & Furnham p. 180-183). Those that enthusiastically chose to involve music in their lives will be more open to whatever music findings they come across in their everyday lives. There are also individuals who can play one or more musical instrument(s) and would be considered music lovers. Most of them have started from a young age and as they grew older would spend huge amounts of...
taste of music, people still like to listen to it and enjoy it. My own personal experiences and attitudes to music have stemmed from my own life and relationships.
There are many ways in which music affects and surrounds us. It is our creative outlet, our passion, our distraction, our night out or simply our moment of relaxation. Throughout the centuries, music has played a vital role in our lives. We as a society immerse ourselves in music day to day. From grandiose social gatherings and dances in the Middle Ages, to live concerts and monumental performances to date. Music is in films to elicit emotion and in television commercials to make us consumers of the newest technology. More importantly, it is in our preferred listening device because we choose the particular songs and artists we like and want to hear. The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines music as “sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments; the art or skill of creating or performing music.” But why do we choose attend the Bruce Springsteen concert at Wrigley Field and not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra? What makes us enjoy one type of music or artist and not another? Whether you make music or simply enjoy it by listening to it, we are all connected to music in a variety of ways.
A person can do more than just dance to music; they clean, laugh, sing, cry, and make some of the greatest memories while enjoying music. Music can take us back in time to past memories, whether they are good or bad. It can make us think of different phases of our life. Just hearing one song can take us back years. It can make us think of a certain person at a particular part in time. The words and lyrics in songs have a way of relating to some people. (White) (Lyon, Suzanne)
Through music we are able to comprehend someone’s personality, their views, their culture, and who they are as an overall person. The music you listen to is a reflection of who you are and your own personal thoughts. As I reflect on the music I listen to I came to the conclusion that I gravitate towards songs that depict the emotions we feel through lyrics while being able to relate it to my own personal experiences.