What is Musical Expression?

Music is the discipline of arranging sounds in sequence in time to create a particular composition, usually through the elements of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and timbre. It is also one of the primary cultural aspects of all human cultures. Music has been the fundamental mode of communication for thousands of years, from the caveman days to the coming of music in the form of instruments and the ability to move sound around using voice and body movements.

The history of music often represents the history of human culture and progress. It can be seen as the development of Western music through the ages that came into contact with the other forms of music often made by the indigenous people of the Old World. This mixture of Old and New World influences resulted in a massive flowering of music styles that came to be known as “post-colonial classical.” This flowering included such diverse styles as Caribbean polyrhythmic music, Southeastern European folk music, North American folk music, Russian, Asian, and African music.

Today, many people play a variety of instruments including drums, keyboards, and many others. These instruments are used to create both spoken and written music. Most commonly played instruments are the guitar, piano, bass guitar, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and the like. Music, regardless of its genre and purpose, is an expression of human emotion that has been an integral part of our history, society, culture, and economy for thousands of years. Today, music is used in a wide variety of ways from sports, to music for church services, to music for meditation. Musical expression has not only brought people together, it has helped shape modern society in the way it exists today.