Introduction
You ride in a car--you hear music. You go to a ball game--you hear music. You go to the mall--you hear music. It's all around you! Right? So what does this have to do with sociology?
Of course, the types of music an individual likes differs from person to person. One person might prefer R&B while another likes country music. One person might like rap and gospel while another person likes classical and jazz. These are our personal musical preferences . Nevertheless, every person has developed a sense of what music means to them because of the particular culture or society in which they live.
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If you are an American, you will immediately recognize The Star Spangled Banner as a song celebrating our country. However, an African citizen living in a remote area of Malawi would not recognize or understand this song because it is not part of his culture. Likewise, an American who hears music being played during a Malwian perekani perekani celebration (a traditional African celebration where gifts are bestowed upon a newlywed bride and groom) might not like or appreciate the music they hear.
So, why does this matter? Because music plays a role in our every day lives--whether we hear background music while shopping, hear our favorite songs when we attend a rock concert, or hear a percussive cheer as we watch a political rally on television.
Who Studies the Sociology of Music and Why?
Although sociologists have been concerned with the role that music functions in society since the 1920s, it was not until after World War II that musicologists (those who study music from a historical or scientific perspective) got interested in the sociological aspects of music. During the 1950s, a new form of musicology emerged-- ethnomusicology , that is, the study of music of different world cultures (or music of the non-western world). The ethnomusicologists who studied the music of these various world cultures quickly became fascinated with how music was completely integrated into daily lives of non-western tribes--used during debate, play, rituals, work, et cetera.
Of course, music plays important roles the western world just as it does in non-western cultures. In our own industrialized society, music has functions . Music can function to help people articulate new ideas, create self identity, escape from worry, and make and shape friendships. Music can also inspire change and can assist in community development.
It was an ethnomusicologist, Alan P. Merriam , who first proposed a broad theory about the functions of music in society. Merriman suggested that humans engage in musical activity for certain purposes--regardless of society, culture, or level of sophistication.
These purposes, or functions , include: (a) emotional expression, (b) aesthetic enjoyment, (c) entertainment, (d) communication, (e) symbolic representation, (f) physical response, (g) enforcing conformity to social norms, (h) validation of social institutions and religious rituals, (i) contributions to the continuity and stability of culture, and (j) contributions to the integration of society.
The list below further defines Merriam's functions of music ." As you will see, Merriam's functions describe broad reasons or purposes for how music is used in society (e.g., music provides a vehicle for emotional expression). Specific uses of music , as they relate to each of Merriam's functions, are given as examples for each function. Uses of music are more specific ways or situations in which an individual might use music (e.g., a person might sing the love song I Will Always Love You as an expression of their feelings for someone.)
Emotional expression
Music provides a vehicle for expression of ideas and emotions which might not be revealed in ordinary discourse.
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Examples:
. Social protest songs of the 1960s allow young people to express anti-Vietnam war views.
. Some people express feelings of love through song.
. Music is sometimes used to express grief, happiness, fright, and virtually all conceivable emotions. |
Aesthetic enjoyment
Aesthetic enjoyment of music involves the consideration of music in terms of its beauty, meaning, and/or power to evoke a meaningful experience.
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Examples:
. Your favorite song as a teenager was Elvis Presley's Hound Dog . Now, each time you now hear the song, you get butterflies in your stomach and have feelings of comfort and recollect events from your youth.
. As a teenager, you were a member of the All-State orchestra when the group performed Beethoven's 9 th Symphony. There was one powerful section in the finale of the symphony that you always enjoyed playing. Now, when you hear that portion of the symphony, you get goose bumps and think back on your time in the orchestra with fond memories. |
Entertainment
Music that entertains engages the attention of the listener and has the potential to amuse or relax.
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Examples:
. You and your friends are gathered together to attend a country music concert.
. You purchase and download the latest digital music of your favorite punk artist to enjoy on your portable MP3 player. |
Communication
Music can convey information about experiences and ideas.
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Examples:
. A musical therapist might use music to communicate with an autistic child.
. Jason wrote a song about his experiences at war in Afghanistan and performed the song for his squad. |
Symbolic representation of other things, ideas, and behaviors
Music can represent a larger idea or emotion.
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Examples:
. The school band plays the "fight" song at a football game to promote school pride.
. I'll Be There for You is the theme song of the television show Friends .
. Hail to the Chief was played by the Navy band as the President of the United States exited his airplane. |
Physical response
Music can be used to accompany dance or other rhythmic activities.
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Examples:
. All the people at the rave were dancing to the DJ's music.
. A child learns how to keep beat with the music. |
Enforcing conformity to social norms
Music can be used to define acceptable behavior and beliefs.
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Examples:
. Sally learned that hygiene is important in kindergarten class when her music teacher taught her class The Bathtub Song .
. In some cultures, music can be used as a form of social control by providing direct warnings to erring members of the society or by indirectly indicating what is considered proper behavior. |
Validate social institutions and religious rituals
Music can be used to establish social traditions such as in church or in school.
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Examples:
. Bobby's church choir sang There is Power in the Blood of the Lamb at Sunday's service.
. The Lord's Prayer is often sang at weddings. |
Contribution to the continuity and stability of culture
Music can shape and maintain widely accepted values and history.
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Examples:
. Some teens during the early 1990s defined grunge music as "their" music.
. In the late nineteenth century, Irish settlers in Ohio continued to sing the songs they grew to love in Ireland as a means of keeping a cultural link to their past. |
Contribution to the integration of society
Music draws people together.
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Examples:
. Clara played in the International Youth Symphony, where she made music with fellow students from all around the world.
. Susi and Sandra went to Africa to work for the Peace Corps, where they often sang and played percussion instruments along with an African tribe that lived near where the two girls were stationed. |
Conclusion
Since it appears that music serves the same functions across all cultures, could we not say that music is the universal language? Perhaps you have heard music referred to in this way. Nevertheless, we do not all speak the same language. Right? We are not all from the same culture. Right? Music is shaped in terms of our own cultures. Mendelssohn's Wedding March would certainly not be appropriate for the Malawian couple during their wedding ceremony! Therefore, a more appropriate reference to music and its overall role in our global society might depict music as a form of universal communication-- not a universal language. We all communicate. We all experience music. However, music can only function if we are culturally conditioned to it.
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