First off, let me just say that music has many layers to its purpose. In fact, it wouldn’t be fallacious to say that a song can be defined as a multi-purpose art form in that it expresses contrasting themes in one ‘sitting’. Unfortunately, it is probably the art form most subject to being categorized as a “feelings-holder”. There isn’t necessarily anything inaccurate with this label; the unfortunate part is when people connect to sad, sad songs, they sometimes lose the ability to see the song as art in and of itself and not the articulation of their own personal feelings. In short, it’s tempting to be selfish when listening to music.
I believe the primary purpose of music is self-expression, and this can be accomplished by both playing and listening. As one who plays music (I play some instruments), I’ve begun to think of making music as more of a bodily function than anything else. It’s not some special event that I schedule my day around (although in professional positions with music this is necessary), and it’s certainly not something I ask everyone to crowd around for. Often, an appreciation for music is subconscious, and there’s no formulaic reason for why we are drawn to certain things that we hear, other than our connections to the responses that the sound generates interpersonally between artist and audience.
The most profound lesson I’ve learned from listening and playing music is that music is as much of a creative inlet as it is a creative outlet. However much we like to use music as an escape, or even a [puerile] “feelings-holder”, it shapes our outlook towards life in more ways than we think. Pop-punk bands seem to proliferate angst ridden pre-teens, and we’ve all heard the trite albeit half-true arguments towards hip-hop inciting violent attitudes in its listeners. However, we’ve also heard music that calls for certain civil freedoms, or even the music that triggers our ability to think positively about stressful situations.
Music’s effect on us is internal. I’ve found this to be one of the most intriguing realities behind sound. However, writing songs with a band has been one of the most formative experiences of my life in that it has shown me how to put words to these internalized interpretations of a single sound. In a band, success relies on creative reciprocity. You influence those you play music with, as well as those whom you talk about music with.
There’s no clear explanation why we connect to certain pieces of music. Philosophers have been arguing about the definition of beauty for thousands of years, debating whether it’s in the eyes of the beholder or in the piece of art itself. The one clear reality of music is that it encompasses basic human emotion. As long as we’re able to generate internal responses to sound, music will lead self-expression.
By Rudolph Tucker Bartholomew