The Thoughts of We

Ever since the birth of music, mankind has been fascinated by it and for very obvious reasons. Even the earliest forms of music pieces created to convey messages of peace during war, the very same messages being passed on by some of the greatest musicians in history. Why Humans Love Music is a book written by David Michael Slater that delves deep into the question, ‘What is it about music that makes it so powerful an emotion?’ It’s a book that challenges our perceptions and ideas about what is possible and even inevitable in this world.

The first two sections of Why People Love Music focuses on how music shapes our personality and influences our thoughts. Music conveys many feelings including happiness, anger, fear and stress, just to name a few. As someone who has studied music for over twenty years I can personally say that much of what is written about in this text is based on personal experience. I have spoken with countless people who have shared their stories about how music has impacted their lives and how it has helped them recover from personal tragedy, such as the death of a loved one or emotional trauma.

The third section of Why People Love Music considers the physical aspect of music. There is an enormous variety of sounds, pitches, rhythms, and tempos to choose from and each represents something unique about a sound. We have all experienced the joy of hearing a song performed by a group of professionals who take the time to carefully synchronize the elements of their instruments and voice to produce a piece of art. For me, nothing delivers the feeling of total connection and contentment quite like a live performance by a string quartet or a group of backup singers. While listening to the music of these incredible artists I was able to picture myself in their place and feel the emotions of the piece was trying to convey.