Music, Music!

Music has become a commodity in our everyday lives. When you’re bored on the bus, when you’re trying to study in the library, when you’re exercising in the mornings, when the person beside you won’t stop talking to you… just pop in your earphones! We have gotten so used to carrying all 10,000 (okay, I exaggerate) of our favourite songs with us everywhere we go that listening to music is common… in fact, it’s becoming boring.

Think about what music had been like for the people who lived before computers were invented. Like in the middle ages, for example. On a special occasion, like their birthdays, if they wanted to listen to good music, they had to especially commission composers to write a piece (keep in mind that there wasn’t a lot of variety of music to select from back in the those days). Then, the composers had to assemble an orchestra, which rehearsed that music a couple hundred times, and finally, FINALLY, the piece is performed for all to hear. How absolutely exciting it must have been to listen to music back then for those poor deprived souls! Nowadays, if you want to hear a symphony by Beethoven, just go on YouTube and poof, there it is. In fact, if you wanted to hear Beethoven all day long, just download the video onto your iPod and keep it forever.

Back in Cleopatra’s days, it was a luxury only reserved for the privileged royalty to be lulled to sleep by a private lute duet. For us, it’s as easy as walking down the street. Just turn on your iPod and put it on repeat. You can even choose to be woken up at the exact time everyday by your favourite upbeat song.

I guess all this convenience has changed the way we perceive the value of music. In the past, people our age used to sit intently for two or three hours listening to a concert. Now, most of us find that to be an unexciting activity. But why? Is it because our attention spans are decreasing due to computer and video game over-use? Is it because we have gotten so used to the short three, four minute upbeat pop songs that are constantly played over the radio? Is it because teachers are assigning too much homework? (YES!)  Whatever the reason, it’s somewhat saddening to see that each and every one of us is slowly losing the ability to sit down for a while and really appreciate the music around us.

To conclude, I would like to share this interesting video I found on TED. It delves into the topic of our perception of music . Enjoy.