Exploring Music and Culture

“The countless and varied musical instruments that have existed through time are evidence of how people make music meaningful and useful in their lives”(Wade 34). In her book Thinking Musically, author Bonnie C. Wade describes how “ideas about gender sometimes dictate who may and may not play an instrument”(Wade 50). This notion can be observed across many areas of the world, including Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. The concept of gender roles assigned to various instruments was increasingly predominant in early Western European culture. Women were not supposed to play wind instruments because it was said to take away the grace and beauty from their faces. They were not allowed to play in churches, because men were to lead church. This idea lives on even in today’s culture, where many churches do not allow women to be the head of music because it wouldn’t be “appropriate” to have a female pastor. One acceptable women’s instrument of that time was

“What is music?”(p.6). Can music be defined? Various societies around the world have vastly different ideas about the concept of music, yet music is the one consistent phenomenon that can be found in every culture ever studied. However, the musical traditions within these communities differ tremendously in terms of societal function. What may be considered music to one culture may serve an entirely separate purpose to members of a culture on the other side of the world. In addition, what may be considered music to one individual may serve an entirely different purpose to fans of an alternative genre or style. The term “music” is a notably loose construct. “Music” may be applied to the act of performance, the absorption of sound, or the composition of musical notation. Is music a physical thing? An idea? In her book entitled Thinking Musically, author Bonnie C. Wade expertly defines music as “not only a thing-a category of organized sound, or compositions-but also a process”(p. 6