Exemplification Essay: The Influence Of Music

Music is that dreaded sound you hear waking you up in the morning. It makes some people want to sing and dance, it helps others when they’re feeling down or depressed, and it irritates all those people stuck on hold for thirty minutes. Music has played an important part in our lives from infancy to adulthood. From mothers singing lullabies to their infants, to the teenagers becoming preoccupied by songs that they believe define them. Music has had an influence on every person since they took their first breaths. It causes a wide range of emotions to surface in us. Music can get our adrenaline running, cause us to feel joy, sadness, love and some may cause us to feel aggression. Music is a large part of our culture and the impact it has on our

Humans can subconsciously attach a memory to a person, place or thing and music can both consciously and subconsciously enhance that bond. For instance, say you were driving some friends somewhere and a popular song comes on the radio. You all start singing in sync and it feels like there is not a thing wrong with the world. When you hear that song again, you will be reminded of the time you felt both connected to the friends that shared the moment and the joy you felt when, for those few minutes your world was completely carefree and all was good. This can also work in reverse by attaching a sad, painful or heartbreaking memory to a song. For instance, a song played after a recent break up or loss of someone close. Both the lyrics and the music can be almost to painful to listen to or bring tears to the listeners eyes as they reflect on their own pain or loss. Many people can not listen to “Amazing Grace” or “Taps” without thinking about someone who has passed away. Connecting memories to songs is just another way music can influence our emotions. I personally can not listen to “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton without remembering my baby cousin’s funeral. Though this may not have been the intent of the song writer it does affect my emotional association with that sad time in my family’s life everytime I hear