Jill's Final Presentation

I have always looked at music as a way for people to express emotions, ideas, and stories. However, I never thought of music as a way for people to come together. One of the biggest ways that this blog portrayed this idea was through the video, “We Are the World.” This song was sung as a fundraiser for Haiti. Different styles of music, and many, many famous people, all came together in order to support a country in need. These styles of music that often separate people came together to make an extremely powerful song that truly touched many people. However, this video also showed that Music does not just unite a Nation, but the world. People were using music as a fundraiser. By singing, people were taking action towards helping, not just saying they wanted to help. This fundraiser allowed America to show its support for Haiti in a time that it was most needed. As the blog said, music allowed American’s to come together for humanity. I also found it very interesting that music was seen as a way to feel free. According to the short story that was mentioned in this presentation, “Sonny’s Blues,” gave the character a chance to feel limitless. No one had any control over his music, and he was truly free to express his own thoughts. The blog said that the character felt that there were not racial boundaries. Music is words that are sung and words that are expressed with true passion. I think it is very unique that a change in the way as idea is expressed, such as through music, could give Sonny the chance to feel true freedom. The blog shows how music has grown over the years, and that different types of music have been created throughout history. One of the most popular and recent genres of music is rap. This blog brings up a big idea as to whether rap influences violence, or whether it is just another form of expression. Rap is one of the most blunt and vivid genres of music. However, I think that it is a form of expression just like any other type of music. I think that Music is one of the most honest ways to express an idea. Rap, like many other genres, is a form of music that expresses true America. Just because there is violence and harsh ideas within Rap does not mean that they are wrong, and more importantly confronts the idea that violence and bad things do happen in America. Music expresses the truth.