Music is Culture

     Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic I have found that music is a very important and essential part of our everyday lives and culture. Music has proven itself to be arguably one of the most popular forms of art and that popularity has only risen throughout the pandemic. Music is closely associated with culture and as different cultures continue to evolve and change, so does music. 

    Every culture has specific genres or types of music that are connotated with them. As important cultural issues or situations arise, the music that most accurately defines that specific culture will often speak on those issues through lyrics and messages. In my personal experience, music has always been important to me and although I don't consider myself a very "cultured" person or identify with any specific culture, I believe it's important to understand different views and cultural situations through music. 

    Just like culture creates a sense of community, so does music. the two are so closely related because music is a way to uniquely define a culture and spread views, messages, or a sense of warmth for those that identify with the music. It can make you feel at home or even just remind you of where you came from and what one's culture has done for them. A quote I found that really intrigued me while doing research on the relationship between the two was one by the famed rapper/artist Macklemore. He claims, "Music is therapy. Music moves people. It connects people in ways that no other medium can. It pulls heart strings. It acts as medicine." In relation to culture, I believe that the medicinal aspect of music if you will, is something that can cure or ease a culture's combined issues. Although some culture's may be plagued by the issues and hardships of the past or present, music is something that can help ease that pain for the community as a whole and make a group feel as one.  

    In recent light of the Coronavirus, I believe that the way music is created, and the messages spread through the musical medium will shift. The past few months have been difficult for the country and the entire world, but I hope that all the negativity arising will allow musicians to collaborate, unify, and instead of feeding into the negativity, use it is a way to preach for positivity and peace among all cultures. 

                                           Image: Man playing a violin, Source: Contiki.com

Link to Snap: 6 Feet Apart By Luke Combs.docx