Music is a popular pastime, career path, and part of most people’s daily lives. It has impacted and even represented many cultures, religions, and regions from the beginning of time. It’s likely most music back then was created using sticks and rocks. Nearly 40,000 years ago, the bone flute was the oldest manufactured instrument recorded. And before that, humans would use our voices to articulate and influence emotions. Nowadays, music is nearly as accessible as food, if not more so, and therefore taken for granted. Before we had the ability to record music, you could only listen to music live, and if you felt like listening to music, you would usually have to make it yourself. Not until 1877, when the phonograph was invented; originally, it was thought it be used in business, maybe to make toys have sound and to record people’s last words, but then it was devoted mostly to music; phonograph recordings were put into coin-in-slot machines around cities so people could listen to jokes and songs while passing by, until they began selling recordings to people and eventually songs began to get big, genres formed, and music began to change, for one, it got shorter, like 

Originally, humans were nomads, therefore, they could not carry many heavy objects, and so they would use merely their voice and sometimes small instruments such as flutes. It was not contained by being written down or recorded; so, it would sound different every time. After humans started farming communities, they would move around less and have time to become curious and create things like rituals and religious ceremonies. But once humans truly permanently began to settle down in civilizations and towns, they began to invent heavier or more complex instruments, and music became more for entertainment or leisure. Once staff notation was invented, music could be written down, making music seem like an object.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Music allows us to communicate with others on a deeper level. When it is culturally exchanged, it helps further our understanding and connection with one another. It is a form of expression, communication, and entertainment. Many artists even use it to raise awareness of issues. Many songs have been used to fight injustice and encourage activism, like Strange Fruit by Abel Meeropol, which was used to bring awareness to the murder of Black Americans around the time of the Civil War. Even today many popular artists use their art to continue to bring light to present issues. Kendrick Lamar has mentioned multiple issues regarding civil matters, human rights, and mental health as well in many of his songs while still creating popular pieces with the current generation and keeping them invested in his music. Other artists like Macklemore, who wrote the song “Hind’s Hall” which is about the genocide in Palestine, and Alicia Keys, who wrote songs bringing attention to police brutality, are only a few artists who have taken action like this. 

All in all, while music has changed a lot, it has evolved with us and continues to impact us deeply and allows us to reach others in a deeper way.