history of music

Whether you admit it or not, music imbeds our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you're interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, or other composers, artists and performers, we hope you'll spend some time with here and learn from these music articles of note for all ages and tastes.

When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of a trivial pursuit. In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits. I did not realize how completely fascinating music history is. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. For much of the world, music is a language, but for us it is something that we consumed passively. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me. I have had some experience playing musical instruments, but I have never mastered one enough to really understand what music is all about. This class showed me.

When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music. We assume that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case. The history of music, whether you're talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is always complicated. New chord structures are introduced bringing with them new ways of understanding the world. New rhythmic patterns are introduced, bringing with them new ways of understanding time. And music reflects all of it.

Even when the class was over, I could not stop learning about the history of music. It had whetted my appetite, and I wanted more. I got all the music history books that I could find. I even began to research forms of music that had not interested me before in the hopes of enhancing my musical knowledge further. Although I was in school studying toward something very different – a degree in engineering – I had thought about giving it up and going back to get a degree in musicology. That is how much I am fascinated by the subject.

If you have never taken a course in the history of music, you don't know what you are missing out on. The radio will never sound the same to you again. Everything will seem much more rich, much more luminous, and much more important. A new song can reflect a new way of being, and a new way of imagining life in the world. This is what learning about the history of music means to many of us.

music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike), "(art) of the Muses".[1]

The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within "the arts", music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art.

To many people in many cultures music is an important part of their way of life. Greek philosophers and ancient Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as "the harmony of the spheres" and "it is music to my ears" point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, "There is no noise, only sound."[2] According to the relativist, post-modern viewpoint, musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes, "the border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus.... By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be, except that it is 'sound through time'

music

Music is probably the most dynamic collection of our articles. This category abounds with ringtones that are sure to ring your ears. Be updated with who's in the iTunes Top Songs Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Be informed how songs find their way up to the chart, and become one of the most requested songs. Read reviews on our music articles on songs and artists. Each song has a story of its own, and artists have their own way of telling it through their songs.

Efective Communication

All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Thus begins Leo Tolstoy's epic Anna Karenina. What he meant, perhaps, is that communication is complete when the mind is happy and uninhibited, and distortion creeps in when the mood is sullen and sad. Most problems in an organization, family or group are the result of people failing to communicate. Haven't you often said "You don't understand what I say" or words to that effect? Communication is the exchange or flow of information and ideas between one person and another. Technically, it involves a sender passing on an idea to a receiver. Effective communication occurs when the receiver comprehends the information or idea that the sender intends to convey.

What does a communication process involve? You have an idea that you need to communicate, and a message is sent to the receiver, either verbally or non-verbally. The receiver then translates the words or nonverbal gestures into a concept or information. Let's take, for example, this message: "You are very intelligent." Would this message carry the same meaning to the receiver every time you voice these words?

The success of the transmission depends on two factors—content and context. Content is the actual words or symbols that constitutes a part of the message, known as language. It could be either spoken or written. We all interpret words in our own ways, so much so that even simple messages could be understood differently.

Context is the way the message is delivered-the tone, expression in the sender's eyes, body language, hand gestures, and state of emotion (anger, fear, uncertainty, confidence and so on). As we believe what we see more than what we hear, we trust the accuracy of nonverbal behavior more than verbal behavior. So when we communicate, the other person notices two things: What we say and how we say it.

Normally we think communication is complete once we have conveyed the message: "I don't know why it was not done. I had asked him to do it." Chances are that the message was not perceived properly. A message hasn't been communicated successfully unless the receiver understands it completely. How do you know it has been properly received? By two-way communication or feedback.

nokia communication

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Communication can be defined as passing of message from 1 person to another.
Various aspects of Communication
1. Verbal Communication
2. Non Verbal Communication
o Body Language
§ Eye Contact
§ Voice
§ Gestures & Postures
§ Facial Expressions
o Dress Code
TIPS ON HOW TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The English word communication is derived from Latin term ‘Communis’ which means ‘to make common, to transmit, to impart’. When something is made common, it means sharing and interaction and both of these are very important for communication, general and business communication in particular. When a message is sent out it becomes communication only when it is understood, acknowledges, reacted to or replied to by the receiving party.
The objectives of Communication: Why do we need communicate?
1. Sharing of Information
2. Motivation
3. Inspiration
4. Delegation
5. Education & training
6. Suggestion Persuasion
7. Influencing a potential customer.
It is a general observation that professionals devote a lot of time, money and energy in learning technical skills (Software Engineer learns programming, does certification, A CA does learns accountancy, learns international accounting). One may be excellent software engineer, accountant, back office executive, Architect, Graphics Designer but of he/she has not learnt the art and science of Business Communication it becomes very challenging to develop a career in Corporate world. Due to lack of Business Communication skills one may experience difficulties while preparing resumes, clearing interviews, expressing confidently in Business Meetings, getting the desired promotions, delivering presentations, managing and leading teams.
A professional who wants to constantly excel in his career in this vast competitive corporate world he/she has to commit to invest a lot of time and effort in developing interpersonal or communication skills. After years of research and training thousands of professionals here’s a list of tips to enhance these skills.
1. Develop listening Skills: It is a wrong notion that an excellent communicator is one who speaks very well. Actually it is the other way round. An excellent communicator is 1 who listens very well. Tips on how to develop listening skills:
o Watch an English movie with English subtitle.
o Listen to audio tips and practice writing down what was there sentence by sentence.
2. Learn the art of Observation Skills: It is very important to understand the situation, the people, and the background before communicating. How to develop observation skills:
o Before communicating on important occasions study the situation in detail.
o Read the body language of the person or group of people.
o Look at the Dress Code and take some hints.
3. Learn correct Body Language: Our body speaks a lot even when we are silent. So it is very important that we understand what are different body postures communicate and we also learn the right body language. How to develop correct Body language:
o Stand in front of Mirror and observe yourself.
o Practice impromptu speech in front of mirror and see for your self if your gestures & postures are consistent with what you’re trying to communicate. Make appropriate changes in that.
o Video shoot yourself delivering a speech and watch it repeatedly.
4. Develop a Quality Voice: A less energetic, low and unclear voice fails to arouse interest in a listener. A loud, clear & deep voice creates a powerful impact. One can say, the quality of voice defines the personality. A lot of practice is needed to develop quality voice. Tips to develop Voice quality are:
o Pitch of Voice: If you have a low voice, practice reading loudly as much as you can and if your voice is too loud practice speaking as low as possible.
o Pace of Voice: Of you speak very fast practice slow reading. Read each word followed by a 5 sec pause. If your words per min is too low practice reading fast.
o Pause in your Voice: Practice to take a 1 sec pause after every fullstop and comma.
o Voice Modulation: If you speak in plain vanilla voice, the listener will lose interest very soon. To develop voice modulation practice reading each sentence by stressing on any one particular word.
o Global English: If English is not your mother toungue, you may have mother tongue influence which may affect your English. How to develop Global English.
§ Identify the wrong sounds in your spoken English.
§ Learn to speak the correct sounds.
§ Practice tongue twisters.
5. Chose the correct mode of Communication: Now-a-days 1 can communicate through various mediums like mobile, SMS, fax, email, chat, voice mail and 1 to 1 meetings. It takes experience and proper judgment to choose the right mode of communication. How to choose right mode of Communication. (Ex: When instant response is required phone is the right mode of communication & when you require to have information or idea on records email is the best form)
o Before you communicate any important point or an idea stop and think and ask yourself.
o What are the modes through which I can communicate this idea.
o What will be the best mode of communication at this point of time.
6. Develop proper dress code: Before one start speaking body language & dressing already create an impression and the listener starts relating to what one communicates keeping that perception in mind. Ex: If you go to a party in a formal dress there are very high chances that the 1st question you might face would be are you coming directly from office? How to develop proper dress code.
o Identify one of your friends or family member who has excellent dressing sense.
o Budget a certain amount for changing your dressing style.
o Choose the clothing’s with the help of your chosen friend or relative.
7. Inculcate Corporate Vocabulary: Day to day communication may involve use of simple English. At the same time it is very important to use corporate vocabulary in importance situations such as presentations, interviews, emails & sales calls. How to develop corporate vocabulary. Ex: “Instead of saying we are thinking, if we can find a solution to this problem” You can use Business English & reframe it “We are developing a strategy in order to get a desired results.”
o Observe Senior Managers, Clients using corporate vocabulary and note them down.
o Read news paper, magazines, articles from net related to your field and make a note of Business Vocabulary. Keep these notes handy and use it at every opportunity till it becomes a habit.
o Habituate yourself to collect & use Business vocabulary.
8. Learn Public Speaking Skills: Speaking to groups of people is an important aspect which helps to effectively participate in Business Meetings & presentations. In order to develop Public Speaking skills:
o Take a topic of your choice and prepare yourself.
o Practice speaking in groups of people.
o Ask the listeners to evaluate your public speaking skills on parameters like body language, voice quality and clarity of speech.

Conversation

It has been said that one of the greatest fears people hold is speaking in front of a group of people, yet we seem to have no shortage of public speakers. There is a kind of speaking that inspires greater fear. This is the fear of having a real conversation.

Conversation is when two or more people talk openly and honestly, listen deeply to each other, and reach a common understanding. Agreement is nice, but irrelevant. The art of conversation is not about getting someone to agree with you. It is about seeking and finding a common understanding.

The first goal in conversation is to understand the thinking of the other person. The second goal is to articulate one’s own thinking in a way the other can understand. A true conversation is blameless, non judgmental, direct, and respectful. Conversation is a way of connecting.

Most of us are afraid of a real conversation. If we really listen to someone else, it may upset our world view, our self image, or our view of life. We might find out we were wrong. We might discover how they really feel about us. If we said what we really felt, the other person might be hurt, angry, disapproving, or judging. They might take action against us.

We are afraid of conflict. It poses a threat. We don’t want to be rejected, hurt, or embarrassed. The thought of conflict provokes the flight or fight response. We either avoid or attack when we feel threatened. We tend to do everything but engage in conversation.

In our organizations and families we are starving for conversation. Blaming takes its place. It’s easier. It’s easier to tell myself how wrong you are than it is to tell you I want to have a conversation. Many will say: “I tried that. I tried talking to that person.” Trying to get someone to see it your way is not a conversation. It is certainly important to state your preferences. In conversation you are willing to suspend your judgments and conclusions while you listen to the other person. You are willing to allow new conclusions to arise as products of your mutual understanding.

Conversation is responsive. In it we see the other person as a real person. We accept who they are. We see past perceived differences in gender, race, ethnicity, religion, intelligence, sexual preference, economic status, age, profession, title, or background. The person with whom we are conversing is first, and foremost, a person. You are first, and foremost, a person. Moving beyond blaming makes it possible to have a conversation. Occasionally I meet someone I dislike. I purposely initiate a conversation. More often than not, I come away with an appreciation for the person. The dislike I felt was in me, not in them. It was my projection.

How often do we give ourselves negative messages about others without actually talking to them? How often do our negative thoughts become self fulfilling prophecies when we treat people as if they have already offended us? How often do we refuse to hear the facts because we already have an opinion?

When you are experiencing difficulty with others ask: “What is the conversation I am having and what impact is it having on this person? How am I allowing them to affect me?” Briefly step outside yourself and observe. Ask yourself if this situation is what you want.

It is certainly okay to express your anger. For example, you could say, “When you did that, I was angry.” Conversations are not always perfectly rational. Just remember you are talking to a real person. Conversations need not be devoid of emotion. Emotion adds meaning to conversation. Maintain an awareness of your emotion and the effect it is having on your conversation.

A lack of communication produces a void. People fill in the void with thoughts that assume blame. Insist on communicating with people. Refuse to blame them when they don’t communicate with you. Refuse to be disturbed by the opinions of others. Your ability to listen and to express your truth will be influential. Is there someone you are blaming right now? Consider having a conversation.

Communicating in a Crisis

Don't shut down communication
When a crisis or some other adverse situation occurs, the natural instinct is to close ranks, work furiously to contain the damage, and set the situation back to normal. We go into protection mode – for both our organization and ourselves.

However this approach can badly wrong. We’ve all seen major companies terribly wounded when the press senses a “cover up.” And we may also have seen situations where gossip has spiraled out of control with damaging results.

When official communication channels are shut down, communication does not stop. In fact it can often increase.

The problem is that this communication can be full of rumor, innuendo, inconsistencies, half truths, and exaggerations. More than this, the trust and confidence of employees and clients can be undermined, with often-damaging long term consequences

Communications Planning

Getting the right messages across in the right way
Have you ever received a memo and felt the sender really wasn’t thinking about what you needed to know or hear? Maybe you have attended corporate presentations that have simply left you cold? Or perhaps you’ve even delivered communications yourself and realized, in retrospect, that you really hadn’t got the measure of your audience and their needs.

This is at best frustrating. At worst it is such a huge “turn off” that it can have a negative effect, or even produce an effect that is the exact opposite of the one you had intended.

Whether you need to communicate general day-to-day information or "big news" about major changes in your organization, the best communications start with some good planning.

The first step is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to know, and want to hear? What’s their preferred way of receiving information? What will stop them listening to what you have to say? And how will you know that they have got the message?

So there’s quite a bit more to good communications than preparing a good memo or presentation! This tool will help you through the preparation steps and so help you create an audience-focused communication plan that’s sure to get your message heard.

Communication Skills - Start Here!

Why you need to get your message across
Effective communication is all about conveying your messages to other people clearly and unambiguously. It's also about receiving information that others are sending to you, with as little distortion as possible.

Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver. And it's a process that can be fraught with error, with messages muddled by the sender, or misinterpreted by the recipient. When this isn't detected, it can cause tremendous confusion, wasted effort and missed opportunity.

In fact, communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication.

By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you actually send do not necessarily reflect what you think, causing a communications breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals – both personally and professionally.

In a recent survey of recruiters from companies with more than 50,000 employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important decisive factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factor contributing to job success.

In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many individuals continue to struggle, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively – whether in verbal or written format. This inability makes it nearly impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of career progression.

Being able to communicate effectively is therefore essential if you want to build a successful career. To do this, you must understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circums

Improve Your Communication Skills

Regardless of the size of business you are in – whether a large corporation, a small company, or even a home-based business – effective communication skills are essential for success.

The articles in this section of Mind Tools help you to understand how to communicate your message in the best possible way.

We start with a look at some of the key ideas behind successful communication, and offer a brief quiz that helps you evaluate how effectively you communicate, so that you can identify the areas you should focus on for improvement. The articles that follow help you develop the skills you need to produce effective and inspiring spoken, written and electronic communications to individuals and groups.

To read each article in sequence, click "Next article" at the bottom of the page and, for other useful communication skills information, see the suggested 'Next Steps' and 'Extension resources' links below.

Communication Theory

Currently, many definitions of communication are used in order to conceptualize the processes by which people navigate and assign meaning. Communication is also understood as the exchanging of understanding. Additionally the biocommunication theory investigates communicative processes within and among non-humans such as bacteria, animals, fungi and plants.Additionally, the communication theory is used when analyzing technical texts.

We might say that communication consists of transmitting information from one person to another. In fact, many scholars of communication take this as a working definition, and use Lasswell's maxim, "who says what to whom in what channel with what effect," as a means of circumscribing the field of communication theory
Other commentators claim that a ritual process of communication exists, one not artificially divorcible from a particular historical and social context.

There is an additional working definition of communication to consider that authors like Richard A. Lanham (2003) and as far back as Erving Goffman (1959) have highlighted. This is a progression from Lassell’s attempt to define human communication through to this century and revolutionized into the constructionist model. Constructionists believe that the process of communication is in itself the only messages that exist. The packaging can not be separated from the social and historical context from which it arose, therefore the substance to look at in communication theory is style for Richard Lanham and the performance of self for Erving Goffman.

Lanham chose to view communication as the rival to the over encompassing use of CBS model (which pursued to further the transmission model). CBS model argues that charity, brevity, and sincerity are the only purpose to prose discourse, therefore communication. Lanham wrote, “If words matter too, if the whole range of human motive is seen as animating prose discourse, then rhetoric analysis leads us to the essential questions about prose style” (Lanham 10). This is saying that rhetoric and style are fundamentally important; they are not errors to what we actually intend to transmit. The process which we construct and deconstruct meaning deserves analysis.

Erving Goffman sees the performance of self as the most important frame to understand communication. Goffman wrote, “What does seem to be required of the individual is that he learn enough pieces of expression to be able to ‘fill in’ and manage, more or less, any part that he is likely to be given” (Goffman 73) Goffman is highlighting the significance of expression. The truth in both cases is the articulation of the message and the package as one. The construction of the message from social and historical context is the seed as is the pre-existing message is for the transmission model. Therefore any look into communication theory should include the possibilities drafted by such great scholars as Richard A. Lanham and Erving Goffman that style and performance is the whole process.
Communication stands so deeply rooted in human behaviors and the structures of society that scholars have difficulty thinking of it while excluding social or behavioral events. Because communication theory remains a relatively young field of inquiry and integrates itself with other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology, one probably cannot yet[update] expect a consensus conceptualization of communication across disciplines.

communication

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs".

Communication is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by a sender to a receiver via some medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback. All forms of communication require a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, however the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication in order for the act of communication to occur. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such as speech, song, and tone of voice, and there are nonverbal means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, through media, i.e., pictures, graphics and sound, and writing.