Music brings us together in society by sharing the same interests, learning about different cultures on a musical level, and allowing trust. I don't know about you, but I won't be singing or dancing to a song if I feel like I can't trust someone next to me. So, can music really bring people together? Of course it can, as we find an interest in a specific genre of music- we usually surround ourselves with others who like the same thing. It can bring everyone together by also expanding our knowledge and learning more about other cultures. Think about meeting someone new, and you both come from different cultures; as you get to know each other, you begin to learn from each other. Lastly, trust. When reading the article "How Music Brings People Together," I learned how we form this trust, and it's through oxytocin, which can be released by soothing music and allows people to feel safe and come together. This is why we need music; it allows us to come together and share our interests and opinions with others.
Down below are two videos of the same music artist, Rod Wave. I wanted to include both to show how people can be united. The first clip is short on YouTube (originally from TikTok), and we see that three girls have come together to share their love for Rod Wave, and we see others coming together and enjoying the music and his performance. In the second clip, we see the music performance and how many people came together because of the melody, lyrics, and tempo. The melody in Rod Wave's music sets the tune of his music and begins telling us the story of the song, which can see how people come together because they may relate to it. His lyrics are also very strong, which kinda goes hand in hand with melody- it helps create the story. His songs are known to be from his personal life. Lastly, tempo. Most of his songs range from 140-160 and are usually played by guitar, piano, or drums. But in my opion I think this a great way to bring people together, because they all relate to each other, wether liking his lyrics or just enjoying the beat.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HOO6oZSNNp8
Trust, how does it bring us together? The last clip I want to show is placed below; this video is of a choir singing a Christmas song. I wanted to include a different way of how music can also bring people together by sharing similar talents and an interest in singing. The three elements I found in this is melody, dynamic, and rhythm. Rhythm is important when singing together because we hear the different lengths of each voice singing. Next, a melody tells us the tune, whether it's high or low; in this case, both are used. Lastly, dynamic, which is known as the loudness, can also set the mode, which in this video the mode is soft and has a flow. I really like this example because, in my opinion, we see each person playing a part in the song and coming together to make one beautiful-sounding piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87hqhxKfbg&list=PLeLoyyuFckPBksStY10rMZ1ntSyEPkgmU
(Once in Royal David's City, performed by Trinity Singers)
My relationship with music has changed so much over this course. I now find myself thinking of why others listen to certain music and how those lyrics relate to them. I even catch myself trying to spot some of the musical elements we have learned throughout the course, and I have stepped outside of my comfort zone and explored new music that I normally wouldn't listen to. Another thing I have spotted throughout this course is the relationship of music through my job, at my job I work with kids who have disabilities and one girl specifically loves Disney music. Because of this course, I was able to find out why she loves it so much, and it was because of the lyrics, the musical beat, and the characters singing them. But overall, I really enjoyed this class and seeing others' work and how they chose music to express themselves through music.
Sources:
Dr. Hashmat Shahhram. "How Music Brings People Together," Psychology Today. Nov 30th, 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/202111/how-music-brings-people-together
Jill Suttie. "How Music Bonds Us Together," Greater Good. June 28th, 2016 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_music_bonds_us_together
Captin Plugins. "Rod Wave Type Beat, Explained," Mixed in Key. 2024. https://mixedinkey.com/captain-plugins/wiki/rod-wave-type-beat-explained/
Mersey Wave. "Reading Choir Music for Beginners". March 3rd, 2017. https://merseywavemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Music-theory-for-choirs.pdf
