Music & Culture: An Emotional Connection

I have a culture that I’ve formed through friendships and social interaction, in which an interest in Rock & Roll, as well as a particular band is shared. We all enjoy the music of The Black Keys, and have learned many of their songs on different instruments. We can come together at any time to enjoy each other’s company while playing their music. We all share a common value system that revolves around this type of music and band, and can all connect it to our own personalities and individual lives. Because of this, we can all connect with each other, and reconnect with our roots and how we were raised. Our environments were such that when we were growing up and developing, this type of music was all around us. We were already in the culture of Rock & Roll and Blues from a very young age, and through it have created a sub-culture that is specific to this band. There is a song that we all enjoy and have experienced with one another called Gold On The Ceiling. It is a very unanimously preferred song, and is very adaptable to any situation. Through the music comes an emotion that can only be felt by those in our particular culture, and is shared throughout. It is difficult to express those emotions by one’s self, alone and isolated. It is easy to come together in a culture or group and experience those emotions radiating and connecting you to each person through the music. This is true for many culture groups and communities, but there is a special aspect to music that really brings it out in each individual. The desire to have your views, opinions, emotions, and personal connections shared in a community is a natural human desire, and it drives us to find these people who are alike us in a social environment. This instinct is what influences us to make social connection, and through it expresses even more of these emotions. It is a never-ending cycle that thrives wholeheartedly in the culture of music, whatever your preference may be. Everyone has a personal story that can be told through a song, but the emotion that it expresses is one that can be shared and experienced throughout.