This post has nothing to do with cooking, but it was an assignment for my media class and I am quite proud of it.

Music is the one form of popular media that transcends cultures, genders, classes, ages, and time. Music can bring a group of very different people together, or it can create divisions and controversy. It can move people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The history of some civilizations was passed down in the form of song and dance. Many tales and legends would have been lost to time had it not been for song. It tells a story, creates emotional response, and is almost impossible to ignore. Music stirs people’s souls and can take them out of the moment to another place and time. It can help salve a wounded heart and is used as therapy for emotionally disturbed people. Song lyrics have stirred a nation into action against wars, helped to feed the hungry and brought attention to the plight of less fortunate people. No media can speak to such a broad spectrum of humanity the way music can. Every culture and civilization, since the beginning of time, has had some form of music. Each generation has created music that has influenced and helped create the next generation’s popular music. Many current trends can be traced back to music and songs from centuries past. Musicians of today often use parts of other composer’s and song writer’s music in a new form, borrowing pieces of older melodies to enhance current songs. Every generation claims a genre of music as their own, not realizing that music cannot be claimed, it is owned by whoever hears it. It can be replayed in one’s mind over and over. Of all of the types of popular media, music is the one form that always has existed and can cross all barriers.