Everyday people have many ups and downs. People naturally need something that helps them cope with daily life. Whether it be a sport, activity, or art. Music is a universal coping mechanism that people all around the world use. It is proven that music is necessary in society because it improves the quality of life.
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| “Recycled Orchestra members Maria, Nohelia, and Tania.”
OIC Moments. N.p., n.d.
Web. 7 June 2015.
<http://www.oh-i-see.com/blog/2013/04/08/landfill-harmonic-sounds-of-life-changing-experiences/>.
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Cateura, Paraguay is a town built on mountains of waste and garbage. The people that live there are very poor. Most of the people garbage pick to survive. But a music teacher, a group of children, and a garbage picker worked together to bring happiness to this sad place by creating musical instruments out of the trash around them. They became the Landfill Harmonics. In the picture you can see the attitude of the children is very happy. They all have huge smiles on their faces and are standing up straight, instead of slouching. If the children were slouching it would convey sadness. Happiness is necessary for people to continue to move forward with their lives. Even though they are surrounded by negative things, these instruments have focused the children's energy on positive rather than the negative things going on.
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“Sound and Taste.” Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 June 2015.
<https://www.pinterest.com/pin/136445063681939940/>.
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In this photo it compares music to water. The symbol of the music flowing into the glass represents water.This shows that it is a necessity that people cannot live without, like water. So in essence the artist is pointing out that just like water music is also of great importance to the way we live our daily lives. Just like water, we come into contact with music on a daily basis, like when you're in a grocery store and there is the subtle music playing in the background or when you watch a horror movie and there is the creepy ambience. It would be extremely unnatural and strange if there was not music in either of these things, just like going a day without water.
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Girl with headphones.
8track. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 June 2015
<http://8tracks.com/datmusik/house-chillstep-fall-2014-datmusik>.
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This painting also demonstrates that music heals the soul. The photo shows a girl who looks at peace, her eyes are closed and her body language is very relaxed. She has a pair of headphones on which shows that the music is the reason for her relaxed body language. The color blue is a calm color, used to demonstrate how the music has soothed the girl of any stress. For example if the color the artist used was red it would change the meaning entirely. Even the brush strokes of the painting suggest that the girl is calm. There is no sharpness to the strokes and it is very light and smooth. This painting makes it clear that music is necessary not only for entertainment but for healing as well.
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“Healing with Music.” Musiciansway. N.p., n.d.
Web. 7 June 2015.
<https://musiciansway.com/blog/2010/02/healing-with-music/>.
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In conclusion, music is not only an entertainment method. People need music just as much as people need air. It provides hope, happiness, and a coping mechanism.
I love this topic, I was thinking about doing a similar topic but choose not to. I agree with all the statements made in the blog. I noticed that you had to drawing/paintings, which is a nice way to prove your point in different type of photo. I'd like to know if their studies that prove people who are more musically inclined are happier and stress less than those who are not as musically inclined. I'm surprised that a community created instruments out of garbage, I find that very fascinating. It's wonderful because not even having access to such simple things such as instruments and creating them is a beautiful thing to see. I could totally relate to this especially for the third photo music does calm me down and it usually very soothing.
ReplyDeleteI would really like to know if there are studies as well. I chose this topic because I relate to it so much too. Music always makes me feel better no matter what so it was really interesting to find out that it works for other people as well. I was very surprised and fascinated by the Landfill Harmonics. There story is very interesting and beautiful.
DeleteI also love that you brought in the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra. It’s such an unfortunate set of circumstances and it’s amazing that the people living in that town can have so much hope and drive. The girls in the image truly do look happy, but I’m surprised that you didn’t talk more about the image’s background. I think that the background is incredibly significant in this image because it demonstrates the extreme level of poverty faced by the members of this community. It’s one thing to say that these people are living in a dump, but most people cannot truly comprehend what they cannot see. I feel that your point about the quality of life would have been clearer if you had taken note of the trash strewn about and the clothes-lines that are hanging from the dilapidated buildings. All of these things emphasize the poor quality of life that is a reality for the members of this community, and then you should’ve come in with your point about how the music helps people to overcome their circumstances. Overall, this was a lovely blog post and I think that your point is very clear. Although, after seeing so many positive effects of music I began to reconsider my belief that music can be negative and harmful in some situations. Do you think that some music can be harmful to people?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the awesome feedback! I totally agree that music can also have a harmful affect. I think it mostly depends on the person and how they interpret it. If you listen to music and take it in a negative way, then thats what it will become for that person. But if a person has the right attitude towards the music then it won't harm them.
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