Homework, by Nuno Coelho

thomas, I could really use your email for sending you my homework, but since i don't have it i'll just paste it here on the blog

The aim of this essay is to examine the effect of music in society, having in account the perspectives of professional musicians and music teachers. My opinion shall sometimes be provided as well.

It is often said that music was born with mankind, providing a rather useful mean of communication, due to its universality; one cannot dispute that music is nowadays more available than ever before. Nevertheless, some find current music quite unpleasant – “way too noisy”. People don’t seem to realise the role of music in our society, and it is yet remarkably important: take marketing, for instance. Marketing experts have mastered the use of music for profit – recall the music you hear at the supermarket: it is proved that people will buy more or less according to what they’re listening to.

In what regards professional musicians, they can be split into three groups: those who play in local rock bands, profiting little from CD sales (even though many of them exist due to the fact that making one’s own CD is nowadays easy) and earning mainly from minor events; the classical performers, who fairly claim there to be little offer and low wages, regardless their skills and hard work – I personally find this worrying, as there will be ever less people to pursue this career; and the top performers, who make quite a profit. It’s certainly true that they are very skilled; however I think their earnings might be just a bit too high, especially when compared to those of classical musicians.

Moreover, music teachers rationally support the idea that some school subjects, such as Maths, are more important than music. On the other hand, they argue that children should have lessons from early age. I agree to this point, as it is true that children who develop musical skills tend to have more academic success.

From the teachers’ point of view, music brings other benefits besides the one previously mentioned: one argument in favour of this is that it has been proved that playing increases one’s creativity and self-acknowledgement; and listening is in fact relaxing and amusing.

After presenting all these arguments, I consider music to play an important role in society. Still, should everyone possess musical skills, in a way that would forbid a few people (professional musicians) to earn for their livings through music?