humanity

Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of music professionals, amateurs, inspiring students, celebrities, lifestyle influencers, and general feel good human stories in the music sphere.

Just Listen
It isn't always the easiest to find time to simply listen to something. Whether it's a podcast, audiobook, music, ambiance, recording of Jeremy Irons narrating fan-fiction, whatever. Our time has shifted inwards towards a system of an instantaneous nature. There has been great public outcry from music snobs everywhere that the loss of the album as a legitimate art form signifies the end times. They're obviously too busy anticipating the arrival of the iTunes Lucifer to realize that virtually all music still comes out as an album. Yes, you can buy a single alone without the "baggage" of the remaining ten or so tracks. So? Honestly, it saves money. This worry has extended to the advent of playlists. Sometimes people make album-based playlists (myself being one of them), but they usually curate solo tracks. These changes are good despite any sad-sack complaining. However, while the album retains its strength for the time being, consumers don't appreciate an album in the same way. They listen to it while they're at work, in the car, at the gym. They endure a full listen, cull their favorites, and dispose of the rest. Sometimes I wonder if there's some giant B-side graveyard where all the underplayed album cuts go to die in their loneliness. If such a place exists, it's due to the way we listen.
By Wes Muilenburg7 years ago in Beat
How Country Music Influenced the Love of a Family
If you grew up with country music blaring from your radio, you know that, no matter how old you are, those old songs can evoke some mighty pleasant memories. Sometimes, they seem to coincide with events that happened in your own life.
By Chuck Hinson7 years ago in Beat
There Is Nothing Wrong with an Eclectic Music Taste
I listen to and love almost every type of music and I say almost because there are some genres I've never heard before but I'll more than likely love them at some point. From Heavy Metal to Bubblegum Pop, it's all pretty amazing to me and it's because there are so many different songs and musical pieces that have a significant meaning in my life.
By Kelly Ann7 years ago in Beat
Inside of the Mind of Perfectionist Musician
I have always enjoyed listening to the different rhythms in songs, even from an early age I found music something I can turn to. In primary school, I learnt classical guitar, recorder and ocarina. Not having many friends at primary school, I just focused on my music alongside playing video games and playing sports. These areas of interest were places I could be me, I could be happy. I could escape.
By Beth Cooper7 years ago in Beat
Being Black and Loving BTS
I adore BTS. I love everything about them. From their music to their cute humor to their humbleness. I adore these boys far more than you can imagine. It’s to the point that a person could just put a picture of one of their ears and I would likely know who it was and what event it was taken at. Over the time that I have come to know BTS my obsession over them has grown; as well as my awareness of the racism that exists in the fan base. Disclaimer: I know that not every A.R.M.Y. will have the same experiences as me, this is just my opinion after being in the fandom for a while.
By Kendall Earl7 years ago in Beat
Songwriter in the Making
Ever since I was a child, I've always loved music, the universal language of emotion and desire. I've also have thought of music, just like any other fine art, as a way of expression you can't put into words. No matter what genre you like or dislike, a painting, a composition, or a poem are forms of feeling.
By Elaina Balzano7 years ago in Beat
What Happened?
I'm not sure where I missed it, but music used to be something to listen to and make out to. Nowadays, rap is something you can't even understand what they are saying. Most of it is about drugs, making money, or prostitutes. Back in my day, music was hanging out with your friends and enjoying listening to music. Rap actually told a story about life and it meant something.
By Brandi Payne7 years ago in Beat
How Music Helps My Physical Health
First I'll start by telling you a little something about myself... I love music, I always have. If you looked at my music collection the only word to describe it would be eclectic. I have everything from pop, rock, jazz, to musical theatre. When I was younger, I used to sing along to the radio with my dad. My mum and dad were always surprised how quickly I picked up lyric even from a young age, singing along to the radio in the car. If me or my sister were ever ill my grandma used to bring us one of her old musicals to watch like Top Hat or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I loved all the over-the-top songs and dancing, pouring their hearts out to each other through the power of music. Then as I got older I started listening to the lyrics of songs on the radio and in musicals more, getting lost in the stories and emotions that the songs built up inside me. When I was 16, I started singing in a band that played at friends' parties. So music and singing were always a hobby for me but I never thought though that it would ever be something that would help me physically.
By Kiki Lyn7 years ago in Beat
Just Sing
Eight or nine years ago, my son announced he wanted to use his birthday money to buy a ukulele. This was something of a surprise to me, as we’d never exposed him to the films of George Formby nor to any music not from my extensive collection or 90s indie rock. His school had started a ukulele club, and he wanted to join. We bought one. I helped him out tuning it, and strummed a few chords. “This is fun,” I thought to myself, and ordered myself a cheap uke (this is how ukuleles spread, like a cheerful disease). I found a local pub jam, Ukejam, where I would take him for the first half (it was always on a school night, so we had to get home early). Ukejam is a large amount of people sitting in a pub, strumming ukuleles and singing to popular songs. I would sit there mouthing the words.
By Catherine Rogan7 years ago in Beat
Being a Musician Is Hard
Being a musician is one of those hard things to do that nobody outside of your field understands. As a musician, seriously putting time into your craft, you start to notice that you pull away from certain friendships. Family members give you crap because they don’t see why you’d rather put faith in something unstable rather than focus on getting a job you hate. Relationships tend to go sour really fast with the wrong people.
By SeDari World7 years ago in Beat
Life Without Words
The well used wooden bench squeaks against the floor. Chipped, yellowed keys that have also been well used, some more than others, are revealed under the cover. My fingers brush over black and white, feeling the hum of the piano. I settle myself and breathe before my fingers take me away to a gondola ride in Venice.
By Clair Solstice7 years ago in Beat
10 Songs That Get Me Emotional
Music gets me in a lot of feelings. I can have the worst day and all I have to do is put on some songs to get me dancing or walking in a good mood. The same goes for the other way around, I can have the best day of my life and something can cause me to have a bad day off so I listen to music reflecting what I'm feeling. These 10 songs in no particular order gets me emotional and it usually depends because sometimes I can understand the lyrics, but I can also focus on the way it sounds, so some songs may not be emotional to whoever reads this but maybe they share how I feel as well.
By Don Anderson II8 years ago in Beat