Music, the Universal Language
...l Workers' Song”, about the life of people who work in the mines. This song does not only tell a story, but it also makes people remember it and feel the pain the men in the mine felt and were going through. People of all ages can learn through music. When teaching children the alphabet we use music. The purpose of the song is not to make them better singers, but to help them remember their alphabet. This technique is also used when teaching children their vowel sounds, "I like ti ite, ite, ite ipples and bininis"; "O loke to out, out, out opples and bononos". Singing songs makes it easier for children to understand and remember the information. Both of these are key to successful communication. I find music fascinating because it has no language barriers. If someone were to hear an opera, and it was in a language which they did not speak or understand they would still be able to follow the story because the emotions tell the story. It is quite possible that I could go to a sad or upsetting opera in a language other than English, and leave in tears. Heavy metal is another example of this. Quite often people do not understand the lyrics but they still listen to it and are affected by the music and its tones. Even music without lyrics, portray ideas, stories, and feelings. One of my favorite examples of this is a piece of music called “Pictures at an Exhibition”. The music represents a man walking through a museum stopping to look at different pictures. Each picture the man stops at tells a different story and portrays very different images. When you listen to this piece it makes no difference what language you speak, you will still understand it. It is amazing to be able to communicate the same messages, feelings, and ideas to many people who all speak different languages. It makes no difference what your nationality, your age or your level of education is, you can still know and appreciate music. Every award, religious and academic ceremony I can think of has music in it. Music is used to convey the meaning of the ceremony. For example, a church hymn tells us something very different from "Pomp and Circumstance," which is used at graduation ceremonies. Everyone who hears the "Pomp and Circumstance" knows the meaning of the ceremony, so playing it is an excellent way to communicate the purpose of the gathering. Another example would be, the first song at a wedding reception. It is normally a song that has special meaning for the bride and groom. Quite often even when they are not married a couple's song communicates an important meaning for them. Every movie you watch, sports game you attend, bar or party you go to has music playing. It is something everyone has in common. Music is a great form of entertainment. Music is the only means of communication which everyone in the world is exposed to without exception. Music has the amazing power to unite people, and make a large group of people feel the same way. Every country in the world has a national anthem for this purpose, a country's anthem is supposed to instill national unity. During the sixties, music brought many protes...