Music as a Culture

During class on Wednesday, Professor Johnson asked if music was a language? I think that it is. Language is a way for the artists who create it express how they feel. Also, it allows their listeners to see what the artist is thinking and sometimes relate to songs. For example, I have heard of people saying that an artist's music has "saved their life"--changed them for the better, prevented them from suicide, etc. Language is a means of communication. If a music listener has that impact from a certain band then I believe music is its own language. It is a language that people sometimes do not understand but it still is a language. Furthermore, if music is a language I believe it is also a culture.

Cultures are able to communicate through their different languages which is what music does. It allows the musician to communicate to their listeners their feelings on a certain subject through their lyrics and music. Also, music is a culture because of the impact it has on people. For example, I have a friend who is into a music genre called alternative music. A few bands in this genre are Boys Like Girls, Valencia, and Paramore. For her, this type of music has become a lifestyle for her. Most of her friends listen to the music, she meets a lot of friends at the concerts, and she dresses a certain way as a result. As a result, she always wears tight jeans, tight t-shirts, bright make-up, and Converse chucks. People might say that this is just her style of dress, but it is not.

Everyone who is "scene" and has made alternative music part of who they are dresses this way. I think the same goes for goths. They dress a certain way which I think is affected by their taste in music. I do not know much about this for goths. Correct me if I'm wrong. I think that some people clearly can just listen to the music and not dress any differently as a result. However, I think if music becomes a huge part of who they are it affects it to an extent.