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Ashley Cline English 1101 Elizabeth Hinnant 9/17/1013 Road Trip to Knowledge For as long as I can remember, my parents have always taken me everywhere with them. I remember sitting in the back seat alone, strapped in a car seat, listening to my parents up front talking about their day, and the radio playing in the background. I tried to understand what they were talking about, but failed since I was merely a toddler. I always ended up just listening to the radio instead. Sometimes for minutes, or even hours, depending where we were going, music was always there to entertain me. I loved it, I loved how the words somehow felt like they meant more with the instruments playing behind them, I loved how it made me feel, I loved that it calmed me. Even early on, music meant so much to me, the fact that music was always around was comforting, and to this day it still takes me to my "happy place." I loved exploring the different genres, all the different types and sounds. Music fascinated me, and has had a bigger influence on me than I had ever imagined it would. Music has changed the way I speak and communicate in social situations. It has altered the way I write, socially and formally. It has even influenced the way I learned to read. Music initiated my literacy. I was a shy child, I was always afraid to talk to new people and found making friends to be very challenging. After a while, I realized that everyone likes music, and music became a great outlet for communication and socialization. Whenever I felt awkward trying to talk to someone new, I would always bring up music. What better topic to start a conversation about

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than music? Sooner or later we would always find some common interests. Ultimately, this led to some major developments in my communication skills. As said by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Music is the universal language of mankind." No matter how different we may be, music has the power to unite us and bring us all together. Music is anywhere and everywhere. Every culture has their own type of music; each type is unique and different. By exposing yourself to their music, its almost like you are becoming a part of what their culture is like. I used this as a learning tool when learning about other people. When I learned what type of music people liked, I would often try to learn more about it in an effort to have more to talk about. For example, when I met my childhood best friend Rachel, one of the first things we talked about was music. She told me about how she loved pop and rap. After that I made an effort listen to pop and rap music more, I found that it strengthened our friendship more since we could both be goofy and sing along with the songs she played. It really made a difference back then, and is still something we love doing today. As a kid, I went through many phases on the journey to finding my own musical taste. Each new phase resulted in a new genre to learn, and in return, my vocabulary grew as well. As I broadened my musical horizons, I also had fun in the process. Imagine a buffet of music just waiting to be browsed, each genre so unique and special. With each and every genre so intricate, they all have different things to bring to the table. Each genre taught me something new. Rock taught me vernacular like "blast" and "chick." Pop and rap taught me words like "shawty" and "twerk." Love songs taught me words like "heartbreak." Country taught vocabulary terms like "ain't" and "ya'll." As you could imagine there are thousands more, but overall you get the idea. With all of this, I remember finding the grammar if each genre interesting as well.

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The grammar of each genre has taught me many things when it comes to writing. I found certain genres to be great examples of proper grammar, as they were very poetic and well thought out. At the same time, I knew others were not the best examples, like Rap and Country. You could say certain genres have taught me what to do and what not to do. But music has had a bigger effect on me than just the technicalities of writing. Music opened my mind. I often use music as motivation or inspiration when writing. I use music to set my mood and get into the correct mindset to write. For example, if I need to write a serious paper, I will play very calm and relaxing music, as opposed to if I am writing something that is creative; I will play something fun and crazy. My favorite music to listen to while writing papers is the BoysLikeGirls Pandora station. I have found that when I do so, I am more focused and I can really get into a deep, critical thinking mood. It makes the writing process feel like a flowing and constant process, which in return makes my papers flow better. Johnny Depp once said "Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't, and I completely agree. Something about music just keeps me calm, it has the power to connect my emotions to my topic and put myself in complete focus. Along with this, music has also enhanced my reading skills. When I first learned to read, I disliked it very much. I thought it was boring and a waste of time. But over time, music has changed that opinion drastically. It has changed the way I look at things. If you think about it, music is just like poetry, it just has a tune behind it. Once I realized this, reading became ten times more interesting for me. When I listen to music, I can really feel the emotions in the artists voice as he or she sings is her heart out. The qualities of the music really help me analyze what the song is about and really figure out the meaning behind it. For example, one song is Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas; I have always loved the deeper meaning behind the catchy chorus. I remember being really intrigued by

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the metaphors in this song, which pushed me to look further for the deeper meaning. He sings Its hard to see them on the ground, her diamonds falling down. At first I took this literally, and wondered why she would drop diamonds, but after I listened to the song a few times I realized this wasnt the case. I used other lyrics to infer that the diamonds he is speaking of are actually tears, because she is upset. After years of practicing with music, I have learned to use the same process for reading. I try to think of the emotions that drove the writer to write what they did, this helps me understand the book better and understand what the writer is trying to portray. For example, while reading The Great Gatsby, I remember the green light being mentioned throughout the entire novel. The concluding sentence even states Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. By using the context clues and the ability to analyze metaphors, I quickly deciphered the hidden meaning behind the green light. The light isnt just a pretty glow Gatsby admired throughout the night but so much more. It represented his connection to Daisy, so close yet so far, it was symbolic of his desire to obtain her love. This realization wouldnt have been possible without the skills I have obtained from music. In addition to gaining a better understanding, music has taught me how to analyze things. Music has really revolutionized reading for me personally and has made it a more enjoyable experience. I have learned that there is always more to a story then what is brought forth. In other words, music has taught me to read between the lines and pick up on metaphors. I have learned to think of things in a more imaginative way, and not take things so literally. It has helped me figure out the overall big picture, like I did with The Great Gatsby and Rob Thomass Diamonds, without losing the valuable details that make the book or other literary work so special.

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Overall, music has had a huge impact on not only my literacy narrative, but also my life as a whole. Music meant so much to me when growing up, and still does to this day. With the improved skills that I have derived from music, my communication, writing and reading skills have been enhanced greatly. Without these skills, I would not be in the position I am today, and for that I am grateful.