By Parker Ward

The lights came up to transition into the next song.
The piano notes I had heard all throughout my childhood began playing once again. I knew what was coming, and I was ecstatic.
My childhood idols played the song I used to listen to for hours on end with my father.
I was able to sing all the lyrics. I was able to remember every note, every little verse and every reason I used to love that song. Before that night, I had not listened to that song in almost 12 years.
That is the power of music. Music.
One simple word.
It can mean many different things to many different people. To some it’s therapy, to some it is a memory and to some it is a part of their culture. There is no escaping music. It is always there, waiting to be heard.
A wide range of sources now grant access to a variety of music, so it’s hardly surprising that people listen to anything and everything they could ever want.
Music is without a doubt one of the most subjective topics you will ever debate. Some people will protect their choice in music faster than they will defend the name of their mother.
Still, I’ve heard,“That is not music.”
I can’t even begin to count the number of disgusted looks I have received when I tell people that my main choice in music is a good heavy metal song.
I get even more when I can’t name the same songs you have heard a thousand and one times on the radio. Put simply, it’s not my cup of tea and I will not drink something I hate. That said, a sip or two never hurt me or anyone else.
However, that is the problem. People will not take that one tiny sip. In an age where everything is just one click away, people are so quick to completely discredit a certain style of music.
Music is not meant to be made solely for money. At the core it’s a form of expression. It is a feeling captured in a moment. That is why it pains me to hear a good song and later find out that it took five people, none of whom were the actual person singing the song, to write it.
We do not need big business and Record Companies controlling the artists. We need the artists’ creativity to drive the music. Although, there is little chance of big business ever not interfering. As long as someone can make a profit, they will.
Music is an experience for me. I actually drive to the store, buy the package and open it to reveal the golden treasure inside. Not only is there the cd, but there is almost always the lyrics, the credits and who the artist would like to thank, and most of all, the art. Each and every album every album, no matter how old, has some kind of art on it.
Music is what you make of it. Everybody has their own concepts of what music is and just what it means to them. It does not matter whether you listen to Kanye West or Queen.
Music is personal and there is no such thing as bad music. No matter the artist, there is always a fan. And as long as somebody finds meaning in what they produce or just enjoys it, it is music.