Because it
allows us a means of
Expression . . .
Simply listening to music stirs a
wide-variety of emotions. Since the beginning of mankind, music has been the most
delicate, most subtle, and most powerful medium for the expression of man’s emotions.
Allan C. Inman wrote that music has inspired "men with hope, kindled their love,
given a voice to their joys, cheered them on to valorous deeds, and soothed them in times
of despair". Most people identify with special songs for special occasions. Christmas
wouldn’t be the same without "Jingle Bells" or "Silent Night",
and New Year’s Eve would be hollow without "Auld Lang Syne". Nature even
creates a symphony with the whistling of the wind, the pounding of the surf, the melody of
birds, and the percussion of a storm. Creating music enables the expression of feelings
and provides a healthy outlet for stress, anger, and frustration, as well. Plato, a Greek
Philosopher, once said, "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings
to the mind, flight to the imagination, charm to sadness, gaiety and life to
everything." He believed that music helped people developmentally, saying "Music
is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is
the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form".
