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Kiara Bell Mrs. Thomas ENGL 1102 April 8, 2014 Writing this inquiry paper did not come with ease, I struggled mostly with trying to figure out how much research and personal opinion I should include. I had a hard time trying to make this first draft more authentic and interesting for other readers. Values of Music Do you ever feel as if you are just unstoppable or like youre standing on top of the world while listening to your favorite song? You may not realize it, but music is everywhere. Music, for the most part, is an important aspect of everyones daily life. When listening to music, particularly your favorite genre or artist, we tend to immediately notice the happiness or joy that music brings to us. What I would like to look into is the different ways in which we all value music. What are some specific reasons people listen, or dont listen, to music? Why does music affect us the way that it does? Overall, does playing or listening to music have any values or benefits other than enjoyment? Music is everywhere. Music has so many different ways of changing our lives, and sometimes it is in ways that we may not even realize at first. Throughout our lives, we face many challenges and hardships that may be too tough to handle, and sometimes

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music may have that little remedy that can motivate us to push through anything. Music may not affect everyone in the same way. For example, I love the way some songs make me feel, I just get put into such a peaceful and serene paradise and I never want to leave. I also love the way other songs make me feel empowered and as though I can overcome any obstacle and fight any battle. So as you can see, when I listen to music, it is because I truly value the enjoyment and motivation I get out of it. After realizing how greatly music effects my life, I have been intrigued to discover the ways music changes the lives of others. So overall, I want to know whether or not playing or listening to music has any values or benefits other than pure enjoyment. Music has been looked into and researched in so many ways. People have experimented and observed how music has the power of altering various situations. In one article I found interesting, the behavior of elementary school students was being observed. Throughout the article Music as a Classroom Tool, authors Lynne Chalmers, Myrna R. Olson, and Joyce K. Zurkowski discuss a study done on elementary students where they were tested in different situations, ranging from how music effects their classroom behavior to their academic performance. One of the authors decided to play music in the lunchroom and observe its effects on the children. She found that popular music with slow to moderate tempos had the largest effect on the students, there were less behavioral interventions while the music was played and the noise level dropped. I agree with the authors when they say, In short, music has the power to arouse or relax, create a feeling of happiness or sadness, and even alter physiological states of heart rate and blood

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pressure. I find this quote especially true because of my own personal encounters with music. The realization may not hit immediately, but music does have a rather large effect on our lives and our way of thinking. Music can be influential, as seen in this case study. Music not only alters the behavior of students, but also their reading and comprehension skills. Authors Dee Hansen and Elaine Bernstorf, who are music educators, created Linking Music Learning to Reading Instruction which discusses the positive outcomes of actually learning to read and play music. Hansen and Bernstorf say that If music programs are discontinued, students will be deprived of kinesthetic, aural, oral, visual, and emotional experiences that can ultimately bring written texts to life. and I could not agree more. The arts, whether it is music, visual art, etc., allow us to be creative and self-expressive and push us to enhance our imaginations. Not only does music provide us with the opportunity to express ourselves, but it has been found that early music education improves reading skills in students and provides long-lasting results. Music is not only important stateside, it is valued in so many different ways all around the world. An article called Values, Music and Education in China describes the importance of music education and how it all plays a significant role in their society. The authors Ho and Wing say, Musical works reflect the cultures and subcultures from which they originate and musical values can be understood in terms of the human contexts and human experience bring them forth. I found this quote interesting because I took it that music somehow provides insight to a culture and represents the people of the

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music. It is also stated that the arts in China are a powerful tool in the governments nationalist propaganda program. The arts are used as symbolic systems that are linked to cultural identity and ultimately social behavior. In China, music poses as a representation of their culture and society and has become an extremely large value to the country. -good sources -mentioned the author and incorporated my opinion. I feel like Im good enough to be on the same level of the author, a good they say I say -talked about how everyone needs or uses music -did incorporate and state my opinions -did a good job explaining the sources Critiques -sources mention educational purposes instead of enjoyment -instead of just focusing on education, my topic is trying to find the other values of music other than enjoyment.. like why it is important to other people? -find a way to conclude everything and bring it all together in the end -include the personal examples of the songs -china paragraph, negative effects of how the music conforms the people.. national anthems of countries?

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-in-text citations!!!!! -fix the repetition at the end of the first two paragraphs -title.. more specific about what Im focusing on