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Music In Early Childhood Education

According to experts kids who grow listening to music in their young lives experience what they refer to as a rich sensory atmosphere. This meaning that these kids are exposed to a wide variety of colors, textures, smells, tastes, and sounds. Researchers maintain that this in turn creates more paths between cells and the kid’s brain. They have identified that music experience is a perfect way of increasing these pathways that they refer to as neural connections (Greata, 78). Studies conducted show that kids who are actively involved in music are usually better in mathematics and reading. The study further indicates that these kids are also in a better position to control their bodies and also focus. It’s clear that music in early childhood education is very important the following paper tries to emphasize on the same.

Researchers have insisted on music on early childhood education. They have based their arguments on very sound studies that have been conducted over the years. Research indicates that the kids who engage in music, it may be just dancing around or singing to the radio, reaps advantages thereafter. This is because these kids clearly indicate better reading capabilities in comparison to their peers not engaged on the same. This meaning that for these benefits to be realized across the divide music should be supported in early childhood education. Another advantage indicated in the research is that music increases the learning coordination, cooperation, goal setting and their concentration. Furthermore, the kids acquire higher self esteem and are able to get along with their peers this in comparison to the children who do not actively engage in music. The studies also indicate that these kids have a higher probability of going to college. One such study showed that when second grade kids are given training on keyboard while they were using mathematics software they score better in comparison to those who use this software only. Additionally, the students engaged in music programs score better grades in SATs as opposed to those who are not. This is a clear indication that music in childhood education may affect children lives positively hence should be encouraged.

Given the fact that music forms general communication of the emotion and senses which are very vital to the human experience music is very important part of every child’s education. Music has been identified as enabling the youngsters to foster understanding, awareness, and to value the ethic and cultural diversity (Gullo, 73). Furthermore, it enables them to record and reflect while it continues to issue understanding of their communities and the world at large. Music in early childhood education has also proved to develop the kids wholly. This is because music nurtures self awareness, problem solving, thinking creatively, thinking critically, and language. Through music kids are able to attain skills, knowledge, and also understanding what will assist them to get involved actively as members of societies, as individuals and at their place of work in the future. Music seems to start at very tender ages for this youngsters and all that is needed is just encouragement from the parents, teachers and the community at large. The kids start music from happy birthday songs to MacDonald. They will initially start with singing only small portions of their favorite songs but eventually will sing the entire song. Hence, the kids are able to appreciate the music at early age and the education could only be continuation of the music they already love.

There are various ways in which parents can improve their child’s musical ability and comprehension. This will go a long way in improving music in early childhood education. The most appropriate time to expose kids to all genres of music is in their early years of elementary. Most of these kids are at age of experiencing all the genres a condition that is most likely to end once they enter third grade (Walker et al, 19). At the time they are at third grade kids will most likely like the most popular music. Research has shown that kids tend to like music of higher tempo once they are in the fourth grade hence parents should ensure they have rock and roll music once the kids are in middle school. Various ways of assisting kids have been proposed by experts among them is that parents should place stereo that is small in size and also collections of CDs in their children’s room. Another way proven to be effective is placing a musical alarm to wake up the kid in the morning (Olson, 44). Certain songs could be sung by the parents as cues to the kids that it’s time to get ready for school. Encouragement from parents has been identified as a very effective way for kids to get interested in music. Lastly, it’s advised that parents should encourage their kids in order for music education to be more effective.

A research conducted indicated that kids who listened to Mozart did perform better in their exams. According to this study named ‘the Mozart effect’ the kids who listened to Mozart just before their exams performed better in the tests (Walker et al, 24). The secret to this was that this effect only lasted for around 20 minutes. The other researches carried out were twisted by economic differences between the kids who attend schools that have music programs as opposed to those who cannot have them. Robert Capanna insists that if the benefits of music are to be realized it should be learned and new skills acquired. In his statement, he maintains that those who play instruments and listen to music are better placed than those who just listen to it (Gullo, 88). In his arguments he compares the situation of a baseball player and the person who watches baseball. Also the kids who graduate from music schools will have far much lesser disciplinary cases and absenteeism in their later years, even after they stop their musical training. As a matter of fact a survey conducted by the University of Munster in Germany indicated that the brain is enlarged when children are actively involved in musical trainings. Lastly, early childhood education is closely related to the performance of the kids in the future.

The most exciting way of appreciating music is by the making of music using the musical instruments. In has been proven that children seem to be responsive to music when they use musical instruments (Harris, 78).Children love the experience of listening to different tones and sound qualities they can be from bells, drums or sticks. However, for youngsters to focus more on creative explorations more real musical instruments are proposed due to their provision of varied opportunities to the kids. There are very many instruments that they can play each one of them being different, easier to use and played in varying interesting ways. Though it’s important for the children to be allowed freedom in the usage of these instruments it’s also important that their teachers offer guidance on the same (Olson, 39). One of the things that the teachers must do is adoption of the notion or attitude that tuned and percussion instruments are real. Instruments such as the resonator bells that are tuned possess rich resonating tone qualities. Small children are more likely to model the behavior of their parents or teachers hence the way their teachers handle the instruments is very important to them. Consequently, teachers should develop a positive attitude towards the instruments for the benefit of the kids.

Teachers should introduce the instruments one at a time. By doing this teachers will have allowed the child to sensitivity to each and every musical in a gradual process. One the kids have experienced all the musical instruments they should be influenced to make rhythmic melodies. This respectful introduction of all musical instruments should be given to each and every youngster interested in the instruments (Greata, 89). This in turn will have opened a venue for their responding to melodies, rhythms, tones and harmonies. Even though the above presented ideas are good for the usage in a childhood class, teachers should also consider the usage of cassettes and compact disks for the same purposes. The most evident advantage of using cassettes and compact disks is that the music contained therein is grouped according to specified purposes. However, it’s good for the teachers to realize that it would be very difficult to provide them with a complete list of how to handle the early childhood education. It’s for this reason that teachers should identify useful ways to handle individual kids as different kids will definitely have different interests. They should also realize that early childhood education in music is a very vital part of the child’s education and that it should be nurtured right from a very tender age (Harris, 89).

Lastly, in the above paper it has been realized that music in early childhood education is very important. It has been positively identified as key to improve the performance of a kid at school and the kids’ relationship with the peers. Hence music in early childhood education should be encouraged and upheld. Parents have also been identified as playing a major role to improve music in their children. To this effect various ways in which parents can motivate their kids have been outlined. Also in this paper is how teachers can take part on this same endeavor and how they can improve their teaching of the subject. Hence this paper meets its objectives of outlining support for music education to children and ways to improve it.

Work cited

Greata, Joanne. .An introduction to music in early childhood education. Michigan: University of Michigan Publishers, 2010. Print.

Olson, Traci. Music and learning with students in early childhood special education in the kindergarten classroom. Minnesota: ProQuest Publishers, 2009.Print.

Walker and Andress, Barbara. Readings in early childhood music education. Michigan: University of Michigan, 2010. Print.

Harris, Maureen .Music and the young mind: enhancing brain development and engaging learning. San Francisco: R&L publishers, 2009. Print. Gullo, Dominic. Understanding assessment and evaluation in early childhood education. New York: Teachers College Publishers, 2005.Print.

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Characteristics of a good life

Human beings spend all their lives searching for happiness and fulfilment. This can be found in everyday activities such as family life, work, hobbies, travel and interests. Sometimes, people are willing to go to extreme lengths in search of the elusive concept of happiness. Literature is a reflection of this desire for a good life, for example, Lena Younger in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ wants a good home for her family and Nora Helmer in ‘A Doll House’ took a loan so that her husband could regain his health in Italy. Similarly, Elizabeth Bishop explores her love of fishing in her poem ‘The Fish’, and Calixta cheats on her husband in search of happiness. From these four works of literature, it is evident that health, a comfortable home, and coexistence with other beings are the key characteristics of a good life.

The first defining point of a good life is a comfortable home that can accommodate all the family members. Since a family occupies a home, a good life will also entail a devoted and thoughtful spouse. In Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, Lena Younger is the matriarch of the Younger family after the death of her husband. The family receives a check for the late Younger’s insurance money, and a conflict ensues over what the family should do with the money. Lena wants to buy a house, a dream she and her husband shared while he was alive (Hansberry). Her son Walter intends to start a business while her daughter Beneatha wants to use the money to pay for medical school. Lena finds out that her daughter-in-law Ruth is pregnant, even more reason to move to a bigger home. Their quarters are already cramped, and they share a communal bathroom. Moving to a bigger and better house would be suitable for the family; they would be more comfortable and have more space especially with the new baby.

The theme of a comfortable home with a devoted spouse is shown in ‘The Storm’ by Kate Chopin; Calixta’s husband Bibi and their son Bobinot head out to the store, and they get caught up in a storm. Alcee, one of Calixta’s old acquaintances, stops by to shelter from the storm (Chopin). They have sex during the storm; which is a sign that both of them may have been unhappy in their marriages. In ‘A Doll House’ by Henrik Ibsen, the play ends with Nora Helmer storming out and leaving her husband because she feels he treats her like a doll to be played with. Her husband got furious when he learnt of the loan that Nora had taken from Krogstad. He did not appreciate the fact that she did it out of concern for his wellbeing. He tells her that he will not let her raise their children but later relents (Ibsen). However, by that time Nora was already furious and declared that they did not understand each other even after they had been married for eight years.

The second requirement for a good life is health. Nora Helmer took a loan from Krogstad who happens to be her husband’s employee. A few years before, Nora and her husband Torvald were poor and had to spend their money carefully. During that time of want, they spent long hours working, and Torvald fell ill as a result. To regain his health, the couple travelled to Italy. Nora claimed that money for the trip came for her father, but she secretly took a loan from Krogstad without her husband’s knowledge (Ibsen). She prized his health above all. However, this comes back to haunt her as Krogstad blackmails her when Torvald fires him.

Coexistence with other beings is also another essential quality for a good life. In her poem ‘The Fish’, Elizabeth Bishop explores her fishing hobby. She has caught a large fish, and at first, she is proud of her achievement. She describes the fish with pride but later realises that she has harmed it when she sees the lines that have pierced through its lips (Bishop). She feels remorseful for having hurt the fish and lets it go in the end. This is a sign that human beings should coexist with other living things such as plants and wildlife. Humans also have a responsibility to care for these forms of life. Aside from coexisting with animals, people should also strive to coexist with each other. Many times people get into conflict with each other and must learn to resolve their issues peacefully. Lena Younger in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ came up with a plan for her family members to coexist. They would split the money so that each person could fulfil their own dream.

In conclusion, all the four works; ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, ‘The Fish, ‘The Storm’, and ‘A Doll House’ share a similar theme, the search for a good life. From the four it is clear that to have a good life there must be good health, a happy home, and coexistence with others. For good health and a happy home, money is the underlying factor in the short stories under study. Peace with nature and other people is also emphasised; Elizabeth Bishop lets her prize fish go, and the Younger family finds a way to share the insurance money. These stories and poem reflect the general society where people spend their lives searching for things that make them happy.

Works Cited

Bishop, Elizabeth, and David Ishii. The fish. John Sollid, 1974.

Chopin, Kate. The complete works of Kate Chopin. LSU Press, 2006.

Hansberry, Lorraine. A raisin in the sun. Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2007.

Ibsen, Henrik. A doll’s house. A&C Black, 2008.

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Charges Against Socrates as Recorded in the Apology

The Apology written by Plato gives an explanation of the speech made by Socrates at the trial following the charges brought against him by Meletus (Schofield n.p). Socrates is accused of corrupting Athens’ youth, and not believing in the gods of the State and inventing his deities (Plato 24b). However, Socrates is not guilty of these accusations. Although there were multiple prosecutors and evidence pointing to Socrates’ guilt, he stood firm in his beliefs. Many of his beliefs and opinions to defend himself were supported by evidence, which will be presented throughout this essay.

Socrates interrogates Meletus in order to defend himself against the charges brought against him. Socrates is very skillful in the way he questions Meletus. As a result, Meletus proves to be contradicting himself and making absurd charges. For instance, in regard to the charges brought against Socrates that he was corrupting the youths, Socrates asks Meletus who is the improver of the youths (Plato 24b). He tells him since he has taken the pains to discover who their corrupter is, he must be knowing their improver. At first, Meletus does not answer. Socrates considers Meletus’ silence a disgrace and a considerable proof of Meletus’ lack of interest in the matter. He further urges him to speak up and tell who the youths’ improver is. In response, Meletus claims that all citizens are youths’ improvers apart from Socrates, who is the only one corrupting them. Socrates asks Meletus whether the good do their neighbors good and the evil do them evil, which Meletus agrees with. Socrates further asks Meletus if he alleges that he corrupts the youths unintentionally or intentionally. According to Meletus, Socrates corrupts the youths intentionally. He further uses Meletus’s response that the good do their neighbors good and the evil do them evil and asks if having this information, he would be unaware that living among the youths he has corrupted would be posing him the danger of being harmed by them (Plato 25d ). Socrates states that the Meletus would convince neither him nor other people. Socrates then claims that he does not corrupt the youths; and if he does it is unintentional. Defending himself, he says that if his offense is unintentional, the law does not recognize unintentional offenses. He tells Meletus that he should have taken him aside privately and warned. He further states that if he had been advised, he would have stopped doing what he only did unintentionally.

Socrates then challenges Meletus to explain how he is corrupting the youth. He asks if this is so because he teaches them not to recognize the gods that the State believe in but rather acknowledges the gods that he has invented, or is it because Socrates is an atheist who does not believe in any god. Meletus replies by stating that Socrates is an atheist as long as he does not believe in the godhead of the moon and the sun but teaches that the moon is the earth and the sun is stone. In his defense, Socrates reminds Meletus that these things about the moon and the sun were never taught by him but are rather teachings of the Clazomenian and Anaxagoras, who considered the moon and the sun material substances. He tells Meletus that he has a very bad opinion of the judges if he thinks they do not know that the doctrines of the moon and the sun are found in the books of Clazomenian and Anaxagoras. Also, Socrates asks Meletus whether he believes Socrate does not believe in any god. In response, Meletus says, that Meletus does not believe in any god at all. Socrates points out Meletus’s self-contradiction where he accuses Socrates of introducing new gods of his own and still claiming that he is an atheist who does not believe in any god at all. In this case, Socrates defends the two charges brought against him.

Also, Socrates defends himself against the charge of corrupting Athens’ youth brought against him by Meletus by explaining that some of the men from the wealthy social classes are attracted to him since they enjoy listening to him as he exposes the ignorance of the people who consider themselves as wise. He further explains that his followers observe who are assessed and found to be anting in wisdom, and instead of becoming angry with themselves, they become angry with Socrates and refer to him as the misleader of youth (Plato 23e). Socrates explains that he is the wisest man in the land and considers himself a spokesman for the Delphi’s oracle (Plato 22e).

Overall, Socrates is put on trial for two main charges, including corrupting the youths, and not believing in the gods of the State and inventing his own gods. Although there are several prosecutors and evidence to prove Socrates guilty, he is not guilty of the charges against him and uses evidence to defend himself. He interrogates Meletus skillfully, which lends him contradicting himself. For instance, Meletus claims that Socrates is a complete atheist who does not believe in any god. This contradicts one of his accusations that Socrates had failed to acknowledge the gods acknowledged by the city and instead had invented his own gods.

Works Cited

Grube, George Maximilian Anthony, and John M. Cooper. Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. Hackett Publishing, 2002.

Schofield, Malcolm (2016). “Plato (427–347 BC)”. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Characteristics of a Highly Effective Team

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Characteristics of a Highly Effective Team

A highly effective team is vital for the success of an organization because it allows team members to perform tasks without interfering with personal space and achieve the organization’s objectives. Under a highly effective team, Team players can communicate efficiently, make meaningful connections, and be more engaged in their work and the relationship with their colleagues (Shuffler et al., 2018). In most cases, such teams align with the organization’s values, leaders, and peers in the working space. A highly effective team is characterized by specific aspects that make it a success and contribute to the enhanced performance of an organization. Having clear roles and responsibilities for each team member is one of the characteristics of a highly effective team. The team leaders should prepare a well-laid and detailed plan showing the roles of each team member to avoid conflicts and confusion regarding tasks assigned.

Additionally, practical communication skills are critical in any team working towards a specific goal. It allows team members to openly express their opinions and concerns, creating a pool of ideas and otherwise helping the organization tackle issues and provide solutions to challenges in the tasks at hand (Baker et al., 2006). Other essential characteristics include but are not limited to trust and respect among team members, prioritizing urgent tasks and projects, practicing continuous learning, recognizing contributions, learning from mistakes, and celebrating success

Some of the barriers to teamwork include team size, lack of trust and proper communication among team members, objective confusion, poor decision-making, ineffective leadership, and poor conflict resolution techniques (Etherington et al., 2021). All these barriers bar a team from achieving its effectiveness and facilitating improvement in the organization.

References

Baker, D. P., Day, R., & Salas, E. (2006). Teamwork as an essential component of high-reliability organizations. Health services research, 41(4 Pt 2), 1576–1598. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00566.xEtherington, C., Burns, J. K., Kitto, S., Brehaut, J. C., Britton, M., Singh, S., & Boet, S. (2021). Barriers and enablers to effective interprofessional teamwork in the operating room: A qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework. PloS one, 16(4), e0249576. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249576

Shuffler, M. L., Diazgranados, D., Maynard, M. T., & Salas, E. (2018). DEVELOPING, SUSTAINING, AND MAXIMIZING TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: AN INTEGRATIVE, DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE OF TEAM DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS. The Academy of Management annals, 12(2), 688–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0045

Charismatic Worship and feminism

The term ‘Charismatic’ comes from the Greek word which means ‘gift’. Thus in Christianity, Charismatic worship means the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Worship is adoration and it is considered that it brings the people near to God. There are some common practices which is adopted by most of the all Christian churches like bible reading, importance of Sunday’s prayer in church, a collection or offering, music with or without instrument, teaching in the form of sermon etc. In the Christian church, charismatic worship are those actions that shows uninhibited joy in the practice of faith in the Christian. It includes speaking in tongue, clapping, raising hands and formal ways of prayer etc. As according to the Christians, charismatic worship means worship God in terms of in Holy Spirit and in truth. Every Christian should do prayer and worship to God because this is the only way to enter in the heaven and they can do worship as they want. In fact, they have to worship as He has commanded through Jesus and Bible.

In Christianity, feminism is a very important aspect of feminist theology which means that all women has equal rights like a man. It sends a message to the society that we can discriminate the people on the basis of their biological gender and races. Every person whether he or she is equal and should get the equal rights in terms of morally, socially, spiritually and in leadership also. In fact, Christian feminist has strong believed that contribution of woman is not only necessary but important also for the complete understanding of the chirstanity.

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The last music concert that I attended was in June 12, 2012 when the RNB singer and songwriter, Ne-Yo, released his 2nd single Let me Love You of his new album R.E.D which was later released in November 6, 2012. The concert took place at The Park at Fourteenth, 920 14th Street NW in Washington DC. The album R.E.D is an acronym for Realizing Every Dream and is Ne-Yo’s 5th album. The album received better reception than his previous album Libra Scale released in 2010 which was very disappointing.

The concert was lively as one can expect in most of the singer’s live performances. The park was full to the throne with a majority being young college students who danced their hearts out and could not miss to sing the lyrics of the song along with the RNB star. The performance began at around 9 PM when the singer together with his band made to the stage. This was accompanied with shouts, applauds and ululations from the thousands of the fans majority who were ardent Ne-Yo fans me included. The album R.E.D was well liked by the fans at the concert and in the public since it sold nearly 113,000 copies in its 1st week of release in the US. The album ranked at number 1 in its debut on the UK R&B rankings.

The most interesting things at the concert were the dances by the dancers. The moves were breathtaking and intriguing as they were lovely to watch. The chorus of the song was equally powerful and sentimental giving the messages and themes of the song a sense of realism. The song unlike the other R&B songs is a fusion of R&B and pop music specifically Euro pop. The song is a club song with an up-tempo rhythm making it the people’s favorite at the concert. The song was co-written by Sia Furler who is an Australian song writer.

The lyrics of the song as explained by Ne-Yo are not solely on the relationship between a man and a woman. The song is about letting one to be close to you so that he can teach you how to love yourself. The song therefore urges people to relate with others closely so that they can share their problems in order to get help from their friends. This song particularly targets those with low self-esteem and who do not love themselves. The theme of the song as a result, is love but not love between a man and a woman, but self-love or love foe oneself.

The most evident characteristic of the song is the dance pop& R&B fusion that makes the song unique and a microcosm of a new generation of music of current periods. This is evident clearly at the closing stages of the song as dance pop becomes the most evident dancing style. The song is not energetic and consequently characterized by slow jams. To connect with the characteristics of the song, the performance was not high-tempo but mid-tempo. The performance is not fast and is accompanied by emotional gestures and body language to bring out the theme of love.

Apart from the song Let me Love You, the song Lazy Love, which was the 1st single of the album, was also performed. This song is a prime example of R&B unlike the 2nd single and it divulges on the sexual desires between a couple that makes stay in bed way past morning. The two songs performed were heavily influenced to the overall theme of love and by Ne-Yo’s strong admiration to women in general.

Music In Middle East Cultural

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Characteristics of Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074575 h 1Instrumentation in Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074576 h 2Arab music genres PAGEREF _Toc381074577 h 2Arabic Maqam system PAGEREF _Toc381074578 h 3Arab musicians PAGEREF _Toc381074579 h 4Arabic music roots PAGEREF _Toc381074580 h 4Changes in Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074581 h 5Suppressing of Arab roots in music PAGEREF _Toc381074582 h 6Rediscovering or rejuvenating of Arab music PAGEREF _Toc381074583 h 6

The Arab culture is one of the cultures that are found in the Middle East. Within this Arabic culture there is the Arabic music which is the music that is for the people who speak the Arabic language. Classical Arabic music has been in existence for a very long time and it is popular among many people not just in the Middle East but all over the world. This paper will therefore look at the Arab culture music roots. It will look at the Arab music generally, the instruments used and some of their popular musicians. It will also focus on how this music has changed throughout time. There will also be an insight on the efforts that have been made to rejuvenate and rediscover the music and the reasons as to why these roots have been suppressed.

Characteristics of Arab musicA lot of Arab music is characterized by emphasizing rhythm and melody and not harmony. Some of the genres are polyphonic and others are homophonic. There are five major components which characterize Arab music and they are; the tone system, the Arab tone system is a system with musical tuning which relies solely on structures with a specific interval and it was invented in the 10th century by al-Farabi.the second component is that the music has a rhythmic temporal structure which leads to the production of a wide range of rhythmic patterns which are known as awzan. These are often used in company of vocal cords that are metered as well as instrumental genres which give them form or assertion. The other component is musical instruments which are found throughout Arab culture and world which represent a tone system that is usually standardized. The instruments in the music are played using standard techniques which display same details when it comes to their design and construction. The fourth component is that the music often has specific social contexts which lead to the production of various sub categories or genres of the Arab music. They can be broadly ne categorized into urban which is meant for those inhabitants of the city, rural meant for country inhabitants or Bedouin which is meant for people that inhabit the desert. The fifth component is the mentality of Arab music. This mentality is aimed at creating a esthetic homogeneity of rhythmic-temporal as well as the tonal-spatial structure that is found all over the Arab world whether it is improvised, or composed, secular or sacred and vocal or instrumental. The Arab music is described mentally as being made up of many things.

Instrumentation in Arab musicThe instruments that are used in Arab music are diverse and too many when it comes to being listed. The four main melodic instruments in Arab music are oud, qanun, nay and violin as well as main percussion instruments known as riq. The riq is often substituted by a table or daff which is a frame drum. When it comes to style the instruments are categorized into two groups the sahb which is played by stretching or puling and the naqr which is played through hammering or plucking. The nay and violin are categorized as sahb while the qanun and oud are categorized under naqr. These two categories are meant for accompanying each other that there can be creation of music which is richer and more complete. Where there are duets the combinations which are common are oud with violin and nay with qanun.

Arab music genresThere are various genres within Arab music and they include Andalusia music that originated from Abu Hassan Ali who was known as Zirriab. This was a famous singer and composer in the 9th century. This music is characterized by use of instruments which are complicated. Its lyrics are in Andalusia dialect. The other genre is Aissawa which was founded in the 15th century by Sidi Ben Aissa.it is characterized by the use of percussion instruments. Another genre is Bedouin music which is meant for Arabian tribes in the desert. It often based on poems and accompanied by the sun. Berber music is another genre that originated from the Berber culture which was rich and diverse and it uses various styles of music such as Celtic style to music which is pentatonic which are combined with rhythms that are African in nature. The music is an important stock of oral literature which is authentic. Other music genres in Arab music are chaabi, Gharnati, Gnawa, Griha, heavy metal, khaleeji, malouf, Ra’I and so on. These genres can be broadly put into two categories under secular art music and sacred music. The secular art music includes analusi, layali, dulab, liwa and many others. On the other hand sacred music includes Jewish music which is Baqashot and pizmonin.it also includes Christian and Islam music. However some of the Islamic music is still categorized under secular while Christian music is under the influence of Coptic, catholic, orthodox and so on.

Arabic Maqam systemThe Arabic system of music is quite a complex one even more complex than the ancient Greek harmonica. Arab music is based on the Maqam system that is similar to the mode but not exactly it. The maqam used determines the dominant note, the tonic note and the ending note unless there is occurrence of modulation. There are over 110 maqams in the Arabic music which can further put into categories that are often larger known as fasilah. The fasilah are groups of maqams which have their first four pitches being similar. The maqam is made up of two scale segments known as ajina. There has been continued innovation which has led to the emergence of other ajinas there is therefore no solid number of ajinas that scholars have come up with. However there are eight main ajinas that have been universally agreed upon and they are Saba, rast, kudi, ajam, hijaz, sikah, bayat and nahawand.

Arab musiciansClassical Arab music has been known for virtuoso singers that sing long songs which are ornamented elaborately using tunes that are melistic and are known to drive those listening to the music into ecstasy. these musicians get their tradition drive from the times where Islam was not in existence when the singers were women who were slaves and they were meant to entertain the rich people, give inspirations to warriors when they were in the battle field with rajaz which was made up of poems, they also staged their performances in weddings and other festivals. There are various Arab music singers who produce a wide range and genres of songs. These musicians create their music and record them as well as produce videos for them. Among the famous Arab musicians are Amr Diab, Mohamed Moneer, Kadim Al sahir, Nancy Ajiram and many others. These musicians are not only famous in the Middle East bust they are known all over the world from the music that they produce.

Arabic music rootsArabic music is independent and has been in existence and alive for a very long time. It has some interactions with various genres and styles of music in the Middle East region. The Arab music has its roots deep in Arabic poetry that dates back to the pre-Islamic period that was known as Jahiliyyah. Arabic music as is known today came into being as a result of art that is termed as evolutionary form which dates back to the Greek civilization. Many cultures as well as political powers led to the evolution of this art of Arab music. The recitation of Arab poetry was done with rhythm and tone which was spoken in a manner that was highly musical that was incorporated with several instruments. Therefore the Arabic music is marked by focusing on melody and style and less emphasis is put on harmony of the music as compared to the western music. The tone system of the Arabic music as well as other rhythmic- temporal structure that the musicians use makes the Arabic music very distinct from other music. The music has been harmonic in nature since its development and has not features like polyrhythm, polyphony as well as a development that is motivic.

Due to its roots on poetry Arab music is made up of tones and semitones which can also shift to quartertones. It is therefore it is so far music that has the very smallest of the tonal steps. This is therefore the typical character of Arab music and as it plays repeatedly around the notes with variations that are slight, there is loss of key notes by the musician.

Changes in Arab musicNowadays there is use of western temporal instruments in the Arabic music. There is use of instruments like piano, guitar, synthesizer, electric organ and so on. This has led to the diversion of Arab music from what it was known to a new form that it takes. Arabic music has therefore changed and transformed totally. There has been creation of new genres which are as a result of the combination of Arab music and the western music. Therefore Arab music has undergone major transformation and people are now getting to know and like the new Arab music version as opposed to the old Arab music.

Suppressing of Arab roots in musicThe strong roots of the Arab music are slowly being suppressed this is due to the fact that there has been a strong interaction between Arab music and popular music from the western cultures. This began in the 1950’s and by 1970 most of the Arab musicians adopted these changes and Arab pop came to existence. Arab pop was made up of songs that were of the western style but with use of Arabic lyrics and instruments. Western pop music was also influenced by Arabic music as surf music developed from this. Several west-meets-east music styles began to develop and they were such as Franco-Arabic. There was also development of Arabic reggae, R&B and hip hop, Arabic jazz, Arabic rock and so on. These interactions between the western culture and Arabic music therefore led to suppressing of the initial Arabic music roots. A complete deviation from the Arabic root was seen and the Arabic music became completely different from what it was before.

Rediscovering or rejuvenating of Arab musicThroughout time Arab music has gone through changes and has been some what been lost. It is no longer what it was intended to be as the western culture has greatly influenced it. The music is seen to have taken a western tone that has greatly changed it. There are seen to be efforts made by musicians to try and rejuvenate as well as rediscover Arab music as it existed before these interactions. Arab musicians are constantly being encouraged to produce Arab music like it was done before. They are discouraged from incorporating the western culture too much each time they make music. There are also shows that are organized where Arab music that was produced before influences from the western culture.

This is aimed at giving an opportunity to people who have never had the opportunity of listening to this music and hence be able to appreciate it and want more. The shows are also aimed at encouraging musicians to get ideas from this music and appreciate its value so that they can try to produce such music. Without this efforts to rediscover the Arab music then it might be completely lost as it can be taken up by the western culture. If this is not done in good time then the generations to come will not have a chance to listen to the original Arab music tunes as they were. They therefore will have been denied a great opportunity which other generations that came before them enjoyed.

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Music Culture

Music can be a combination of tunes or beats lyrically put in a set of rhythms to pass some information. As a culture, music can be called an art introduced in ancient times for particular purposes. However, music is very complex as it is divided into different genres, representing people’s sense of choice and preference according to their personalities. The biggest reason behind the division of music into several genres is that every person seems interested in music related to their nature and character. What makes one person happy might not create another one happy too, whereby the same fact applies to music where people will listen to different genres based on how they are feeling, exposure, or the environment one grew up in. This paper has explained facts about the originality of different genres of music and how the culture affects the standard way of living, whether positive or negative.

Music has a lot of advantages, the most important one being about inspiring others. For centuries, music has been used as the motivation to the listeners as these artists also speak to their fans either directly or indirectly (Kruse, 40). As said earlier, music passes massage to the people, thus being used as a tool that generally influences the listeners’ lifestyle, hence proving that music affects the mind.

Society is controlled and defined by the culture in it. At the same time, music happens to be a culture accepted by all communities globally, hence being a unique one. Research done by Dr. Shaw shows that music provides both peaceful states of mind and is involved in sharing ideas, thoughts, or feelings, which influences how an artist feels about an issue in the community. Every artist sings what they think will make the listeners happy or relaxed. Other kinds of songs bring a state of loneliness or sorrow, which happen to be loved by some people.

Music culture relates to the listener’s behavior, meaning that the kind of music a person listens to defines a lot on the type of personality one has (Cook, 39). It is proven that the choice of music is connected to the functioning of the mind, where it is used as an activity so that one can exercise the brain to think out clearly. Again, music is a culture that keeps on updating itself, meaning that most listeners stay updated. Artists are now focusing on what is happening now as a way of capturing attention from their listeners. Music comes in hand with some advantages, which define the role the culture plays in society.

In our daily lives, we plan different kinds of celebrations where we meet and enjoy. Music in this matter happens to be the only determinant that decides whether the festival will be a success or not. By listening to music, the feeling makes most people happy, thus making it easy for them to celebrate and be excited. Occasions such as weddings are always cheered up by listening to music; hence it has become normality for almost every individual in the world. Again, passing information may be different from expressing oneself (Blacking, Bruno 24). Music can be used as a tool where the artist explains how they feel about themself, thus allowing the listeners to compare their situations with those of the artists.

Dancing brings happiness, burns calories, and makes the body fit. Music is defined by beats and rhythm set by the producer, whereby the artists use the moments to create movements that people use to dance. Dancing changes the mood of an individual while introducing a feeling of relaxation and happiness. Every genre has particular activities or dance styles, which are strictly followed by the fans. For example, people who listen to hip-hop tend to have a unique way of flexing their music, where they dance differently from people who listen to reggae or African music.

New trends come up every day, forcing people to switch from old to modern times (Bennett, 46). Music as a culture is considered a flexible sector, where music is being transformed into contemporary music. Unlike the ancient times, some artists are graduates who sing differently from local people, meaning that the kind of music they sing is highly upgraded and is covering the new era. Music is compared to art or can be termed as an art as people express their ability in thinking and other skills such as dancing. Art keeps on changing, meaning that music changes as time goes on.

Communication is done through music. Artists pass important messages to their listeners through music, expecting them to understand whatever the song says and abide by it (Kruse, 33). People express their feelings differently, meaning that a group of people will speak out directly; others will write notes or poems while others write songs to speak out for themselves. For example, J. Cole, a pop artist widely known for singing about what is happening now, expresses his feelings with sad or emotional songs well understood by his fans. On the other hand, King Von, a hip-hop artist, speaks his love to people who love violence or show off their riches. The two artists have special massages to their listeners, confirming that music is a form of communication.

Lastly, music is a culture that offers intimacy. Intimacy applies to both the listener and the singer, where each has a chance to quietly make decisions on what they feel and express themselves privately. People who cannot speak directly to others are highly favored by music, whereby artists express their deep feelings and other emotions to the people without fear (Cook, 38). Relatively, the listeners get private chances to listen to the music in their own time, where they compare their lives with what is being sung and make decisions out of it. Songs also act as a channel where people communicate with others privately as they always convey messages to different kinds of personalities possessed by human beings.

Works Cited

Bennett, Andy. Popular music and youth culture: Music, identity and place. Macmillan Press Ltd., 2000: 40-53

Blacking, John, and Bruno Nettl. Music, culture, and experience: Selected papers of John Blacking. University of Chicago Press, 1995: 20-45

Cook, Nicholas. Music, imagination, and culture. Clarendon Press, 1990: 36-40

Kruse, Holly. “Subcultural identity in alternative music culture.” Popular music 12.1 (1993): 33-41.

Music In The 1960s

In the mid 1960,s a number of rock and roll bands crossed into America in droves after being inspired by the success of the Beatles who had already made a breakthrough in America. The bands way of playing differed as they played a wide variety of rock which included hard rock, kinks and Herman’s Hermit

Most of the bands that took place in the invasion were playing blues or pop, with loud guitars and melodies. Between the years 1964 to 1966 the British topped the charts both in America and the United Kingdom. A second invasion occurred in the late 1960,s, many of the bands had become households name in the U.K and America.

By 1962, driven by the attitude that anyone could sing and the popularity of rock, most British teenagers developed interest in American rock and roll which they blended with local beats and came up with music that they played and sang proudly. Groups of young people with electric powered guitars began composing tunes such as melodic pop and electric blues. The defiant tune and image of the blues musicians was well received by the British youth and ultimately influenced the Artists of the popular invasion.  

The arrival of the Beatles to New York on the 7th of February 1964 is recognized as the occasion which led to other pop and rock groups cross into America, even though there had been earlier attempts in 1950,s, none had succeeded like the Beatles.

The Beatles formed in 1960. Was from Liverpool and played a major role in the invasion .they were the most successful music group in the sixties, selling about over a billion records world wide, releasing over 40 singles and leaving a legacy of being the group topped both the United Kingdom and United States of America charts.

Liverpool was the place where one could find the latest American hits before they were circulated in the other parts of Britain, this was because Liverpool being a seaport most of the sailors who visited the United States came back with the music.

The Beatles first public appearance in public in the United States was on a show hosted by Ed Sullivan on 9th February 1964. The studio had the capacity of only 703 seats but a record 50,000 people requested for seats at the studio and another estimated 73 million watched on television, as the Beatles performed five songs.

The Beatles right away became a house hold name in rock music and the most known music group, but at the end of the 60s the Beatle members went separate ways to begin solo careers. Another type of music known as Motown music it was produced by the first black owned company which was known for catchy lyrics.

Rock music had some negative aspects; it began to be associated with drugs. This was after a singer from the group Doors died of drug overdose

Other groups that made an impact apart from the Beatles were, the Pace makers, quintet and also the Dakotas. The first British music group that made it to the Americas top hit singles chart was the Tornados, a little time later the Beatles followed suit and soon the rest of the groups joined in 1963. Not all of the performances by successful British artists were successful in the United States of America like the case of Cliff Richard.

By 1964 London was the resident to a dozen musical groups like, rolling stones Dusty Springfield and many more. Newcastle was home to groups like the Animals, Birmingham was home to the moody blues, Belfast had the music group as the zombies.

From the year 1964 to 1966 scores of British artists went across the Atlantic into the United States of America following on the footsteps of the now successful Beatles, groups such as Manfred Mann, Petula Clark, Donavan’s and many more.

Right through 1966 and 1967, a movement which was opposed the war became an astonishingly very important concern in the political landscape of America. The movement received support of the most influential politicians, and eventually the movement gained support from the west coast through the hard work of the musical groups which had the support of most of the youth.

The musical icons included John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, and others. When addressing the audience, the icons saw them as a faction that could run the society in the best way they wanted, and oppose the authority .The music brought out the belief they shared on the war in Vietnam and the political state in America.

In the 1960s the music had a big role in addressing social problems such as war, and other forms of social repression that was seen as the major reason for the youth protests. The bands played to mammoth crowds to tackle such issues. But none of the events could have impacted more than the Woodstock festival that took place just outside New York City from the 15th to 18th August 1969. This was viewed as the peak after years of revolutions around the world; more than 500,000 came together to listen and watch the performance by some of the most established in the world.

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Characteristics of God in Psalm 18 In the 18th section of the book of psalms, David, the king is seen rejoicing in the goodness of the lord and in the deliverances God has given him. These are seen in the verse 1 to 19 of the 18th section. There onwards, David is further shown taking comfort and enjoying the integrity which God has placed upon him. He further gives God praise in verses 29 to 50 for His goodness and mighty deeds. The book of psalms also commonly known as the psalms is a book found in the Christian bible and also in the Hebrew bible. It is composed of about 150 poems all of which express the full range of the faith of Israelites in religion and in God. In this particular psalm, we are shown the strong believe David had on the Lord and how he depended on Him for his strength and integrity. This paper will, therefore, explore some of the characteristics this psalm gives, God. Furthermore, the paper will consider some of the similarities and differences in the character of God as seen in the books of Psalms, Genesis, and Exodus.

Psalms 18 shows God as a God of strength. David calls God a rock to show His strength. He was not really a real rock but He acted as one to David when he asked for help to be delivered from his enemies. The characteristics of a rock include strong, hard, unbreakable, and stout. These were the same characteristics that David gave God when he called Him his rock. This is seen in the second verse of psalms 18. God is also shown as being merciful. He offers David help when he calls upon him for help. Verse 4- 5 of psalms 18 shows that David had numerous enemies who wanted to finish him. There were many people around David who wanted to harm him and this made him feel helpless before them. When he called upon God, He did not hesitate to give David the help he needed to conquer his enemies.

Another characteristic of God that becomes apparent in psalms 18 is that God knows everything; he has all the answers to our questions and problems. When David did not know what to do with his enemies, God send an earthquake that moved the earth bringing buildings down this is in verse seven. In the 8th to the 14th verses, God answers David’s calls by sending a storm when David did not know how to deal with his enemies. God is also shown as being righteous. David says that the lord helped him because he was righteous, because his hands were clean. He also says that his enemies who were not righteous did not receive any help from God even when they cried to Him because they were not righteous. In verses 20 to 23, it is indicated that Christians must be righteous so that they show everyone else how to be righteous christens. This is proof that God only likes people who are righteous and clean.

God is also shown as the provider. Everything that David has has been provided for him by God. He is strong and wise; he is also given the ability to win over all his enemies. He wins all of the battles he gets involved with because God has provided him with mercy, integrity, strength and wisdom. The image of God presented in psalms 18 can be compared and contrasted with His image as shown in the creation and the flood story. The image in psalms is that God is all powerful, He is righteous, He is strong, without mercy for those who are not righteous, helpful, and all knowing. This image can be compared with the image of God presented in the book of Genesis about creation. In the creation story, God is shown as powerful, righteous, vengeful, and a God of order. The image of power is clear when He creates the whole world all by himself by word of mouth. He says let there be, and a creation takes place. Power is also shown when he creates and breathes life in man. This image of power can also be seen in psalms 18 when God is able to help David overcome his enemies by sending storms and earthquakes to destroy them. Another image in creation is righteousness. God demands obedience from his creations, and when they sin he becomes extremely angry with man and He punishes them. This shows that he likes righteous people just like in psalms 18 where He only helps those who are righteous and clean before Him. The image of God being the provider presented in psalms 18 is also clear in the creation story. God creates man and provides them with food to eat. The vengeful and destructive image of God presented in the creation story when he punishes man for disobeying him can be compared with the way He lets the unfaithful, enemies of David get destroyed in the battle.

The flood also shows this side of God that does not like unrighteousness. He decides to flood and finish the whole world because people have been unclean and unrighteous before Him. He only saves Noah and his family because they were the only faithful ones. His vengeful character also becomes clear when he decides to kill all humans because they disobeyed Him.

Work cited

‘The Psalms 18.’ In The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: The American Bible Society, 2000.