Of Musicians and Authors...

After reading several excerpts from the writings of Copeland, Etheridge, and Kobain I have formed an opinion on styles of writing which should and should not be used to convey information.

I will start with Aaron Copeland. Mr. Copeland’s essay was in the form of a lecture. It was very well written, cohesive, and cogent. He began by introducing his topic and then systematically covered all that he had to say by bringing up various arguments in favor of his position to help his readers understand what he was teaching. I think this form of writing is a good way to present information to a reader. It is easy to follow and can be understood very easily. A downside to Mr. Copeland’s lecture is that he was very abstract and intellectual. What I mean by this is that he expects his readers to have a certain knowledge of his topic before he starts lecturing. I did not completely understand the intellectual processes behind everything in this essay, but did enjoy reading it as a whole. I believe a lecture style is a powerful and useful way of presenting information to an audience.

The second essay I read was by Melissa Etheridge. Ms. Etheridge’s essay was in the form of autobiography – she was telling the story of her life to, hopefully, teach her readers lessons she has learned. I believe this is a very effective way of communicating information. I try to be, as I believe everybody should be, an astute observer of the lives of others. I observe their successes and their failures, the things that bring them joy and the things that bring hurt, and how they have been wise or foolish. The way Ms. Etheridge wrote about her life was ripe with lessons to be learned. I believe life lessons can be learned much more easily if we can see an example of a success story or a failure rather than just being told that to do such-and-such is a mistake. Ms. Etheridge’s account of some of her life accomplishes this very well and thus, I believe, uses autobiography as an effective form of communication.

The third entry I read was by Curt Kobain. Mr. Kobain’s entry was not an essay, but rather a collection of excerpts from his journals. I must start by saying that I did not enjoy reading this collection of journal entries. They were very disjointed, not very well articulated, and sparsely punctuated. However, these dissatisfactions with Mr. Kobain’s journals aside, I believe reading journals are a great way of learning about a person. Just as autobiographies are a great source from which to observe lessons, journals may be even more so. An autobiography is a person writing about what they did, but a journal is a catalogue of thoughts, emotions, and ideas. We can learn, not only about one person, but maybe a lot about ourselves through reading the journals of others. They may have insights into feelings we are having or struggles we are facing that we haven’t had yet. People often write about their successes and failures in a very personal way in their journals. This is a source for learning that could be even better than autobiography.

I believe all three of these forms of communication (lecture, autobiography, and journals) can be very effective. Just like with anything else in life, some authors resonate more with some readers than others. We may enjoy reading some authors more than others but we should not discount those we don’t like because there are many lessons that can be learned from them.

The Influence of Music

I believe music has been a very powerful instrument in the formation and shaping of who I am and who I am becoming. When I was in junior high school, if I had to describe myself in one sentence, it probably would have sounded something like “I’m a Christian 13 year old that plays guitar.” From a very early age, a love for music has been engrained into who I am, largely by my Father who is an active and very proficient musician. My Dad used to play his guitar for hours on end when my sister and I were growing up. One of my favorite times that he would play was after my sister and I were in our rooms going to sleep. He would sit in the living room playing and we would drift off to the beautiful melodies of his acoustic songs. To this day one of the most comforting and peaceful sounds to me is a solo acoustic guitar. It makes me think of my Dad and the comfort and safety of knowing he loves me and also reminds me of the influence he has been on my life.
I believe that the study of music has taught me a lot about how to think critically, solve problems, and express myself. Music theory is very mathematical in nature and demands the use of the technical side of the brain to understand and analyze. However, the creation of music itself is a very expressive endeavor, requiring the use of the creative side of the brain. Both of these elements blend beautifully together to exercise the entire brain. When composing a piece of music, one must understand the workings of music theory, but also listen to the music they are creating and evaluate the emotions being evoked by the blend of melody and harmony. Learning to play and compose music has helped me develop both sides of my brain.
I also believe music has been and still is a powerful tool in the formation and development of society and culture. To my knowledge, there is not a culture on planet earth from the past or present that does not have music in some form. Everywhere from the jungles of the Amazon, to the mountains of Mongolia ring the echoes of rhythm, melody, harmony, and lyric. These essential elements of music blend together to influence the development of thought and heart in as many diversities of people as the styles of music they play. As long as we have music, it will continue to be a part of who we are and who we are becoming.