Music in Movies

     Background music in movies often goes unnoticed, but it can still drastically affect the feeling of a movie.  The Shining is a perfect example of this.  This movie is a classic horror film, and one of the reasons it is scary is because of the background music.  During several scenes in the movie, the musical score makes the scene.  Even if the scene itself has no emotion, the music gives it all the feeling it needs.
     To provide a specific example, there is one scene in the movie when the mother is walking across the floor of the hotel lobby.  Normally, this would be a very bland scene in the movie, but the music in the background makes the scene absolutely terrifying. It is hard to describe the music, but just imagine the most suspenseful music you have ever heard.  That's it.
     If you take out the terrifying music in this movie and replace it with happy music, it is actually a very funny and light movie.

Music and Sports

     One of the most common places people encounter music in a public setting is at sporting events.  Most events usually have some kind of sound system or speakers which they play music on.  The music is used as a way to get the players pumped up and get the audience into the action and feel of the game.  High school and college athletics also have live music, at least at the football and basketball games, in the form of a pep band or marching band.  Pep bands are usually much more effective in getting the crowd into the game, mostly because of the familiarity of the fight songs to the home crowd.  When the band starts playing, the audience starts singing and cheering along.
     As a member of the BSC pep band (soon to be marching band) I get a lot of joy out of playing these songs and contributing to the atmosphere of the game.  We have been told many times how much more enjoyable we make games, especially for the players.  In the words of one football player, it makes them feel like they are "playing a real football game."

Top Five (at the moment)

It is nearly impossible for me to pick my top five favorite songs. My favorites change everyday, so I'm just going to list the songs that I've currently got stuck in my head.

The first two are from Phish's new album "Joy". The very first song on the album is "Backwards Down the Number Line" and this is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is a very happy song (how could it not be when the opening lyrics are "happy happy oh my friend"?) and it always seems to cheer me up. Unfortunately my CD is scratched so that song is skipping. Another one of my favorites on the album is "Time Turns Elastic". This is a song that was originally written by Trey Anastasio, the lead singer, for an orchestra to perform. It is one of my favorites because it has so many different parts to it (it's ten minutes long) and it's like a musical journey of sorts.

My other favorite songs are just random songs that I've heard on my radio. One is "Say Hey" by Michael Franti. This is another very happy song that's fun to sing along with. I've also got "Freaker by the Speaker" by Keller Williams stuck in my head. I really like the guitar and bass riffs in this song.  "Mantis" by Umphrey's Mcgee is another one of my favorites. It is similar to "Time Turns Elastic" in the fact that it is made up of several completely different parts that have different feelings. It's a roller coaster of a song.

That is my top five (kind of) favorite songs.

You call this music?

I don't know why Disney had to get involved in music, they should have just stuck to cartoons and theme parks. I can't stand any of Disney's latest round of pop sensations, such as the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. I understand that I'm not the target audience for this music, but I still get bombarded with it from every direction. I don't mind if people like it, they have a right to. I just don't appreciate having it drilled into my brain every time I turn on the radio and TV.

I wouldn't mind it so much if the music was actually the brainchild of the artists themselves, but it isn't. They are singing songs that were written for them by other songwriters and approved by Disney (Since they are "Disney representatives" and every aspect of their lives is closely monitored).  Also the fanaticism of the people that listen to them gets on my nerves.  I just can't understand why these little girls are freaking out over these guys that have mediocre voices and a serious lack of talent with their instruments.  To each their own, I guess.

Music Industry

      The buying and selling of music is something that is necessary for music to survive.  Musicians would not spend their time creating and performing music if it did not offer them some sort of livelihood.  However, because of the ridiculous contracts that record companies have with musicians, many don't make any money from selling albums and studio recordings. Most artists make music from selling other merchandise and performing live.  Playing in a sold out stadium will make an artist many times more than what they would make on CDs alone.


     The illegal downloading of music is a very hot issue in the music industry, however, not many artists seem to care that much about it.  That's because it doesn't really impact them, it just keeps their producers from making as much money. Sure it cuts down on their record sales, which looks good and gets them on the top 100 charts, but it also distributes their music much faster than CD sales.  As more people download and enjoy their music, their popularity goes up and they start selling more tickets for their live shows.


     I personally use peer to peer file sharing to get free music, but I don't really see a problem with it. None of the artists whose music I download are going bankrupt, and I don't think the music executive's wallets are hurting either. I will occasionally buy a CD from one of my favorite artists, but that has more to do with wanting to have an actual copy of the album (I'm not sure why, I just do).

Music & Art

     I listen to music every chance I get.  I wake up in the morning and turn on some music to get my day started. I play music when there's a lull in the action of the day. I listen to the music in the caf, even when it's not that good.  I even listen to music when I'm going to sleep, and it's almost impossible for me to fall asleep without it.  As I write this post, I've got my iTunes open and playing away.  It is fair to say that I would not be able to function without music; I just wouldn't know what to do.
     When it comes to the question of whether music is art, my view is very simple.  All music is art.  From the great classical composers all the way to (I hate to say this) the likes of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, it is all technically art.  The only differentiation that I make is how serious the art is.  Some music, like any classical piece or well thought out rock song, I consider to be serious art, or something that someone would be proud to display in a gallery or hang on the wall in their living room. This is music that is made in order for the artist or composer to express themselves.  Others, like the aforementioned Disney horrors, are merely doodles, and they have no real meaning or artistic intent.  They are not made by an artist to express any feelings to an audience, they are just fun meaningless drawings in the margins that help you pass the time and maybe enjoy that time a little more.

Music Culture

     My musical tastes have gone through many phases. When I was very young, I listened to what my parents and siblings listened to, mostly because I didn't have any control over the radio in the house or the car. My parents listened to 80s rock mostly, and my brother was into the hippie music culture of Bob Marley, the Grateful Dead, and Phish. After I started going to school, my friends got me interested in more of the popular music of the time, instead of the 70s/80s rock that I was used to listening to. That interested me for a while, but I eventually turned back to my parents music, because that was what I was used to. It also may have been that 70s and 80s music is better than anything that came out of the 90s.
     During high school, I got involved in the band playing saxophone. This experience greatly broadened my horizons to many kinds of music, more specifically classical and jazz. I came to really enjoy the improvisational style of jazz, and eventually found this element in other musical styles, such as rock and electronic music. I ended up listening to groups like the Grateful Dead and Phish. I have definitely joined the hippie music culture, and my brother is responsible for it.