Music

Music makes my world go round, and round, and round.... haha

Seriously though, we are doing a unit on music in my class... and I am really enjoying it. Specifically, we are talking about how music describes us as people, articulates our moods better than words, and can even be used to set a mood or disposition.

More often than not, people let their music choose them. What I mean by that is... you "choose" songs that reflect the mood you are in, and not necessarily the mood you want to be. If I know how you are feeling and what your perspective on life is... I could probably predict what music you are "choosing". The closest most people come to setting their own mood with music is probably when they workout. (dates dont count, because usually you are trying to set someone else's mood)

My question is, if we know music is so powerful, why dont we choose songs that reflect the emotions we desire, and only listen to them? Or is it essential/ necessary for us to express or rather, relate to our own moods with our music, for better or for worse? Should we use music as a tool to amplify our current state, or should we use it to direct our state?

My class is doing a unit on Utopias, where in they are trying to build their own utopia. Next class, I am going to ask them a question: Do we want to control the music, so as to control the disposition of the citizen in the Utopia, or should we grant them the drug of music to allow them to do as they wish?

What do you all think?