Imagine a world without music: a world where people fail to understand what music is and why people sing. Picture yourself in such a world but with a taste of music or with a little knowledge and interest in music. Such a world is quite boring, and life seems less sentimental. The truth is, many people would not find life easy in such an environment because music is an important part of life. From the young to the aged, music gives people a reason to wake up in the morning, walk, drive, or cycle to work, fall in and out of love, as well as a reason to live. Without music, life would be empty, and many people would feel robbed off the opportunity to express themselves. However, in spite of its importance, it is only a few people who understand how to enjoy music and appreciate the different genres truly. Normally, people grow up listening to a particular genre and thus become attracted to it. As one grows and gains other perspectives of the world, they also learn to listen and love other types of music. The above explanation is a vague representation or description of the term music appreciation. Music appreciation simply means teaching people how to listen to music, what to listen for, and what makes the genres of music different. By learning music appreciation, one gets to acknowledge music and to comprehend the value of music.
Listening to music and dancing to it is one way of appreciating music. However, it is important to understand that most of the time, people dance to the beat but then fail to connect with the song or even the message a song had. To appreciate music, one has to connect with the musician and understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. The connection should not just be physically listening to the song, but it must also entail a deeper emotional or spiritual connection. Music appreciation takes you deeper than the practice of having your headphones or earphones everywhere you go and pretending to be enjoying music.
The first step to learning music appreciation is to understand the history of the different genres. History lessons are essential and often helps one to understand and appreciate why people composed the songs they did. One gets to study reasons why some genres began and why people during that time liked such songs. In such a class, you are taken further into the pioneers of, for example, jazz music. The goal is not only for you to grasp the history, but also to help you connect with the gist of, for example, jazz music. Eventually, as you listen to jazz, the effect will be different, and instead of pointlessly dancing to it, you will connect with it and even feel the different emotions in the music.
Finally, music appreciation also helps you to learn about the instruments used in certain genres, the original composers, as well as the ensembles. Instruments help to complete and supplement people’s voices. Music is made complete by the different instruments people use. One notable observation is the use of different instruments in the different genres. While taking a music appreciation class, there will be instances where you will be asked to listen to recordings, watch live musical performances to understand how instruments supplement the artists. Through music appreciation, the world gets to appreciate and acknowledge the true essence of music and to respect its existence.
