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Q1: Discuss the importance of music in our life.
SUGGESTED APPROACH
Students should be aware of the contemporaneity of the question. The question deals with the functions that music serves in our everyday life. Everyday life should encapsulate all experiences of different people. Students should consider negative and positive roles.
1. Music serves a therapeutic role. People find that they can relax with music and it may be cathartic for others. Subliminal messages in meditation music are some examples.
2. The entertainment value of music cannot be undermined too.
3. The ornamental role of music is most apparent when one switches on the T.V. or watches a film at the cinema. Music gives that much-needed support in creating atmosphere and effects for the horror movie, the cow boy flick, the advertisement with striking visual effects. Step into an air-conditioned restaurant, a shopping mall or an art gallery- canned music or Muzak (music in the background) contributes to the ambience of the surroundings and may put patrons or customers in the right mood for romance (in the restaurant) or may incite potential customers-to-be to buy!
4. Music is valued for its aesthetics function. It is appreciated as an end in itself and people appreciate mu sic for its forms, styles, rhythms and textures. Some also use music to express their innermost feelings.
5. Music’s informative and educational roles cannot be disregarded. Certain songs may make one socially more aware (songs on racial discrimination, environmental protection)
6. The cultural/traditional role of music helps give a people a sense of identity and affirms their heritage, distinguishing it from other traditions.
7. Music as a tool in helping to cultivate the spirit of nationalism.
8. The ceremonial/spiritual role that music plays in ritual, religious rites, marriages and funerals is to be noted.
9. Music, for some, is a source of income. It has also been proven that the right type of piped-in music at offices and workplaces can increase work efficiency. Thus, its economic function is pivotal.
10. The socialising role of music. What sort of people listen to what type of music? This may help perpetrate different types of sub-cultures within society. Music is an international language.
COMMENTS
Weaknesses:
1. Inadequate and limited coverage. Many of the weaker candidates belaboured a point over and over again.
2. Points, when made, were not supported adequately with the necessary illustrations.
3. Some candidates defined any and everything as music. The definition as taken from Collins – Corbulid should serve as a guide for what we can define as music in this essay.
4. Most candidates felt obliged to say that music played a positive role in our everyday life and neglected to mention some of its negative influences. When this was done, however, coverage tended to be limited and the oft-cited example was that of Satanic music!
GP tutor’s comments; good examples are music to ease anxiety, music to boost peak performance, and also to forge strong national identify of citizens.
(This GP model essay on Books & Media represents an-going thought about whether books, especially hard copy books would no -longer stay in print, and go extinct.)
More Model Essays for General Paper on other media types here: Books | Film or Movies | Art
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