What Music Means to Me
Music is defined differently for each individual. It is the universal language that speaks to us all, but in different ways. It is one of the few genres that can instantly transport a person back to the past. Music is also an art of sound which expresses ideas, thoughts, and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony. It is the design of giving structural form and rhythmic pattern to combinations of sounds produce instrumentally and vocally. To me, music brings a sense of calmness, happiness, and peacefulness. Music is the absolute bread of life because it feeds my soul. I was raised up in church, but I was associated with R&B, Blues and Gospel music. I remember my parents playing music all the time. My father would play from time to time R&B and Blues which consisted of artist like BB King, Marvin Gaye, The O’Jays, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, The Temptations, The Staple Singers, Percy Sledge, Bobby Womack, and Sam Cooke. On the other hand, my mother would listen to what my father played, but was more into Gospel. From my mother I was associated with artist like Shirley Caesar, Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mother), Rev. James Cleveland, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and The Canton Spirituals. I mainly stayed with my grandparents because my parent’s jobs required them to travel. Back then, leaving with grandparents and going to church four days a week, the only music one would have known was Gospel. When I was with my parents listening to these various artists made me feel different each time I heard them. It really depended on the mood I was in. I liked listening to the Gospel more than the R&B and Blues. The Gospel songs just seem to uplift my sprit more and the R&B was music to dance by, but the Blues sound sad. As a child it was a good experience to be exposed to different music because it showed me to appreciate all music. My adolescence years were when I was introduced to Hip-Hop and Rap music, but I did