Kelsey L. Brown 1-12-12 Laws of Life Essay Music can change the world because it can change people.

- Bono From blaring trumpets to synthesizer sounds, rim shots to 808s, bass guitars to electronic bass lines, live band studio sessions to FL Studio on the computer, music is still music. Through all of those genres and musical eras, Ive consumed most of them in my short 17 years of living so far. Not only was I entertained by the songs, they also helped shape me into the young man I am today. Music helped my relationship with my father, my creativity, and most of all, my cultural awareness. Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, and Sonny Rollins, as well as DMX, Run DMC, Public Enemy, 50 Cent, and EPMD penetrated my ears as a child, all thanks to my father. My father, known for his broad taste of music and his ability to play instruments, always kept a lot of CDs around in the house. When I would see an artist I didnt know, I would put it in the CD player and listen. My knowledge of different music made a connection with me and my father by allowing us to be in the same vicinity, play one artist, and still be able to stay around each other. I believe that this connection between my father and I has not died, even though he no longer lives with me. When I grow up, I want to be a filmmaker. This is an extremely creative position, where one of the main components to a film is the soundtrack. I believe that the different genres of music I listen to will help my creativity. Artists like Screaming Jay Hawkins and Tyler the

Creator are deemed creative because of their weird, eccentric style of music. Being creative doesnt always fall into the category of art; it can also be expressed through writing, ideas, and thoughts. My creativity comes out through my writing, whereas I relate a lot of my topics to music I have heard at one point in my life. That particular song or artist that I have heard has made an extreme impact on my train of thought and my creativity. From jazz to gospel to rap, music takes a lot of credit for the learning of my cultural awareness. In the African-American community, music has helped us through a lot of situations. We sing to relieve pain, to overcome sorrows, and to add to our excitement and happiness. Through the years, I have had the pleasure of hearing many African-American-made songs, many of which were a catalyst to a period of trouble. Hearing these songs injected a sense of self-worth into me, knowing that our race had many trials and tribulations. From that, I gained a sense of self-respect and an extreme sense of cultural awareness. Music has given many people hope throughout the years. We all can benefit from music, and I am not an exception. Music has shaped my life tremendously and has also defined me in ways I cannot fathom. Through parental connections, creativity, and cultural awareness, music has made me, me.