Introductory Music

Year taken: Junior

In the year of pandemic, although I was being stuck online and asynchronous learning, I gained lots of fruitful thinking and a sense of inclusion in the course Introductory Music. I learned Merengue and Salsa dances, refreshed my music theories I knew from playing piano at a young age, and put together a final project revolving around the topic “red” using GarageBand. This course was not only a continuation and deeper exploration of what I knew and am interested in, but it also was inspiring to me as a growing global citizen.

Through exploring the progression of music from a historical perspective and analyzing the different genres and their origins, I realized how important a role music plays in society back then and now, how it reflects and symbolizes historical events, and how powerful it is as a tool to raise your voice and protest. The Jazz age was a period after WWI in which jazz music and dance styles rapidly gained nationwide popularity in the U.S.. When learning about the emergence of jazz, I immediately thought of the book The Great Gatsby and started linking jazz with lost generation and post war phenomenon. Jazz provided opportunities for women – the Women’s Liberation Movement was furthered by it. The rise of Jazz also brought African American culture into the mainstream, for example, famous jazz musician Louis Armstrong with his “What a Wonderful World.” Similarly, blues music has significant historical meanings related with slavery. Enslaved people would sing work songs while working the plantations, forming the foundations of blues. People often use this genre of music to tell their struggles and urge for freedom. Nowadays, music continues to be a major part of human society. Hip hop has become the way to disseminate culture. It can be a very powerful tool and easily influence the decisions people make about their lives and health. Music is sometimes a more effective medium in spreading and forming opinions than propagandas or other obvious forms of persuasion which could provoke public reluctance.

Music means so much more to me after this course. Other than treating it as a soul meditation and a way to express myself, it gives me a wider lens in observing and understanding the world now. Thinking back to the origins of each music, I would remember world history and how it leaves traces of marks in the specific type of music. It is a great primary source for me to feel and walk through the things that help form the world today, and thus I can cherish each type of music more and be more conscious in how they play a role in dealing with global issues.