Amanda Pretlow- Modern Music

Van der Leeuw says that modern music is done for its own sake. I have to disagree with this. As a music lover and musician, I know that music is created for the sake of the creator in many cases. When I write songs, they are a sort of catharsis for me. Music is one form of self expression that many people depend on. I doubt that many songwriters wake up in the morning and say to themselves, "I am going to write a song today." If it becomes that, they should probably stop writing songs because I can't imagine the songs having much true meaning. The music is written to express an emotion and to share it with others. When I go to a concert, I am there for the communal experience. I saw one of my favorite bands (Gogol Bordello) with my sister during the summer. I obviously love their music, but I was not really there to listen to the music. I was there to dance and enjoy the experience with everyone around me. When the band started dancing the entire crowd began to dance in waves together. It was like we all moved in one single motion. We were all connected though our love for the music and our excitement about seeing the band. Modern music, therefore, can have a similar sort of ritual purpose today to the rituals of primitive man.