Post #1 Why I Chose to Write About Music

     Regardless of what emotion you are feeling, whether it is happy, lonely, angry, or depressed, there is a song out there that fits the way you feel at that time. You could be angry one moment and then "Tay Swift" comes on the radio and tells you about how "the haters gonna hate" and how you just have to "shake it off, shake it off." That may not be the best example in the world, but I'm sure we have all experienced a time in our lives where music has truly helped us and has molded or changed the way we feel. I have chosen music as my topic to write about, not only because it is a great love and interest of mine, but also because I am fascinated by where it has gone, how it has changed, and what it can do. I believe that music is essential in living a happy and wholesome life. 

     I have always loved listening to music and always had the desire to learn how to read and play it, however, the requirement of learning the recorder in elementary school wasn't very helpful in learning any musical skills and just didn't cut it for me. When I began middle school, in sixth grade, I joined band and learned how to play the trumpet. When I first began, I used to just open my trumpet case and stare at my trumpet, thinking it to be the most beautiful and shiny thing that I had ever seen. It made me happy just looking at it. FUN FACT: I named it Ed, short for Edward, because Twilight was a popular thing at the time. And a primary instrument should always have a name. Joining band had opened me up to different genres of music that I had, and most likely wouldn't have, considered listening to. I now have a wide selection of genres that I enjoy listening to, 90s alternative, rock, funk, and indie genres being at the top of the list though.

     There are so many wonderful and amazing things about music that I will highlight in my future blog posts. In the 2004 movie, Mean Girls, when the main character, Cady Heron, is asked why she likes math, she replies by saying "because it's the same in every country." Music is the same in that aspect in that it is also the same in every country. It is a universal language, hence the title of my blog, "Universally Speaking," which is named after the song by my favorite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The fact music is universally read and understood is just one of the many interesting things about music.