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Mario Aparicio
Ms. Gardner
Honors English 10- 4
27 January 2015
Pathway of Musicality
Sometimes I ask myself: what if one day I was never able to hear all the different sounds
in the world? Would I have to begin a new life not having a clue whats going on around me? I
wouldnt be able to listen to the most graceful, exquisite, outstanding sounds, and notes of nature
around me. This possibility frightens me. Since I was little, Ive always been mesmerized by how
the human ear functions as the ear canal acts like a funnel to catch sound waves and direct
(conduct) them to the eardrum. (Dr. Kim). My ears give me safety and security by allowing me
to be aware of whats going on in the world around me. Not only do they offer me safety and
security, they are my reliable and familiar pathways on my adventurous journey with music and
my world.
When I was little, my family would always put on cheerful music for me for many
reasons. It was either to laugh and bond with my family, or it was for stress relief after a long day
of traveling to one of the greatest amusement parks, Disneyland. Listening to different genres of
music at these times gradually changed my perspective towards them as I was getting older. I
knew that over time, I would constantly expand the pathway of this new music experience. I
learned that I could only listen to certain types of music as well as certain songs when doing
school work; however, when I finished, listening to different artists continued to help my music
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knowledge develop. In the seventh grade, I sat back and relaxed to the most sensational jazz
playing by John Coltrane in his album My Favorite Things as a powerful meditative tool. I
would persistently find famous musicians in a variety of genres such as The Beatles, Elvis
Presley, A Tribe Called Quest, and The 1975 -- all of which gave me a special vibe. These vibes
give me a different feeling when I listen to them. They make me feel similar emotions to what I
felt when I was younger, though theyre different because Im advancing in years as I walk this
pathway. Getting the chance to hear new music still feels like a huge life change even if the
central emotions are the same.
Having been given the opportunity to explore the vast variety of music, Im able to relate
to extremely different talented musicians. Special songs allow me to reminisce on memories as
well as unique places I was able to visit. With the power of music, Im also able to express my
feelings in a way that cant be described with words. It can be a sensational feeling of pure
satisfaction or melancholy. Playing an instrument can replace my words with the language of
letting out notes, which I know that once someone listens to it, it will be enough to explain
myself. Likewise, if someone needed to express themselves in this similar way, hearing it would
be enough for me to understand what theyre going through. By listening to recordings of my
jazz idols songs, Im able to improve my skills at playing the drums, a skill I wouldnt have if I
could not hear.
Just like all the joyful sounds in the world, there are also the bad ones. My aunt used to
tell me, Stop screeching the fork on the plate, but all I could say was Sorry! because I
couldnt fully grasp the sensation she felt. Over the years I was able to listen to the most catchy
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tunes; however, I also came across godawful, crummy, pathetic sounds or more specifically,
songs. I go on Youtube and see the top trends are sometimes what I consider bad songs.
Sometimes the viewers in the comments share my opinion, but they waste their time degrading
the artist and their fans when they could be listening to the music theyre interested in.
Regardless of the sound in general, one should appreciate the bad sounds to realize how
special the good sounds are. These sounds make you feel different emotions because you can
hear them in the first place, something we should all be grateful for.
The communication and safety that being able to hear provides is crucial, yet, at least for
me personally, the most important is the feeling of pleasure in discovering new sounds and
appreciating them. Most of us today are gifted with the chance to hear, but there are also many
like Beethoven who, after his deafness set in, somehow heard in his head, perhaps even his
body, while in a very different context (Kimpton). He may gone deaf, but he was never able to
hear the beauty of sound in the world again. His adventurous pathway of music and his world
might had ended short, but he was always grateful of his ability unlike many people today.
Although my trustworthy pathway-- that was once plain-- has changed over time, the main
foundation has gotten more complex affecting my life forever.

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Works Cited

Kimpton, Peter. "Readers Recommend: Songs about Ears and Hearing."Theguardian. Guardian
News and Media Limited, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

Kim, Doctor. "Ears - How Your Ears Work." Kids' Health - Topics - Ears - How Your Ears Work.
Child and Youth Health, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.