Is the traditional music of a country more important than the International music

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

There are many different types of music in the world today. Why do we need music? Is the traditional music of a country more important than the international music that is heard everywhere nowadays?

You should write at least 250 words.

Use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Sample Answer 1

We love listening to music at home, work or on the streets. Music has become a part of our daily life, whether traditional or international. Therefore it is fair to suggest that we need music because it is good for our souls, and it helps calm us down during times of stress and anxiety, besides conveying our human feeling from generation to generation. Because both “traditional music” and “international music” types enjoy a certain degree of popularity among music lovers, I am not hesitant to say that they are equally crucial for a country.

Traditional music, of course, can help understand the essential elements of culture, heritage, history and the emotions of a particular country. But that does not necessarily mean that those particular “elements” always remain the same. They also go through some internal changes as time progresses, simply because we, humans, are just not programmed to remain the same always. These changes are also reflected in “traditional music” through a different kind of rhythm or musical instrument. And, if these “changes” indeed are incorporated into the “traditional music”, they do not always remain “traditional”! Besides, who is to decide what is “traditional music” and which is ‘international music”, when many “not-so” traditional elements of international music are getting integrated into traditional music easily and instead “successfully” sometimes. For example, “traditional tabla” (made of woods) in Bangladeshi folk songs is frequently being replaced by “metal made drums”, but it doesn’t precisely reduce the appeal and traditional value of that particular type of folklore songs in any manner.

Then, of course, there are satellite TV channels and the internet, which have virtually erased the already “not-so” visible boundary line between traditional music and international music, whereby we are continuously being “subject” to the music of other countries. Sometimes, we even like music from other countries. But in that case, it does not mean that our traditional music is becoming any less important to us.

To conclude, traditional and international music are equally important for a country if it wants to preserve and carry forward its traditions and cultures.

Sample Answer 2

Music is an essential cultural and traditional component of a nation. A wide variety of music can be found worldwide that entertains not only us but also expresses our joy, nationalism, freedom, happiness, love and struggles in the finest form of art. Despite the massive popularity of international music, traditional music is still more critical due to its adherence to the traditional aspects of a country.

We need music because it makes our life meaningful and accompanies us throughout our lives. In our childhood, we listen to and learned music simply as a form of entertainment and joy. We learn to sing our national anthem, and our parents sing to us to help us sleep. Later in life, we come across various songs and music as part of our life stories, and our favourite music often defines the person we become. We see life and recite memories in our old age through the love of music. Music expresses and arouses emotions in a way that words alone cannot, and it tells stories of our lives that we long to hear. Thus we need music to relax, be entertained, be inspired, express our feelings and often relieve boredom in life.

In considering which music is the most important, we must acknowledge that traditional music teaches people about their history and helps them remember and retain their national and cultural identity. International music is often set in a different environment we have no experience. Despite engaging and entertaining lyrics and music style, it is often a commercial product that fails to reflect the true stories in our life. By contrast, traditional music expresses a country’s culture, tradition and history and gives narratives of people and their life in a way that will always be relevant. Thus traditional music, undoubtedly, is more critical for us as people in a society and a country.

In conclusion, music is a crucial part of our life and existence, and I believe that traditional music should be given more importance than international music so that we can enjoy music not only for entertainment’s sake but also to learn who we are.

Sample Answer 3

In this day and age, different kinds of music genres prevail around the globe, and one can find a stunning range of categories and styles according to his choice. No doubt, music is of critical importance to us for several reasons. Despite traditional music nurturing nationalism, I unswervingly believe global music is highly significant because of diversity.

No matter when, where and how music was invented, it has played a vital role in our society for a long time. Music can touch our feelings and even change them by soothing our nerves. Many researchers suggest that music can invoke catharsis in listeners with emotional stress and tension. In addition, music can reach the core of our minds and inspire us greatly. That is why, in nursing homes, they commence with musical therapy to let the old people remember the incidents of their sweet past.

International music is of considerable importance despite the fact that folk music resonates with a nation’s culture, heritage and legacy. There are myriad reasons in favour of international music. The most prominent one is solidarity. In simple words, world music brings together a diverse range of cultures and histories. It thereby demonstrates different paradigms of notions, worldviews and so forth, which in turn transcend cultural differences and tear down the barriers of social class, ethnicity, national identity and so on. A case in point is the song “Wind of Change” by Scorpions, a rallying cry for unification and freedom and a message of hope.

On a final note, traditional music is a strong carrier of a nation’s culture, history, and heritage. Nevertheless, global music paves the way for international unity, which is crucial as our world has become a global village.

Sample Answer 4

The kinds of music people listen to nowadays have different tastes and types. For instance, modern international pop and rap music, as well as classical, traditional country songs, vary from each other, and people listen to them with great interest. This is because music has been part of our daily lives even in ancient times. This essay will discuss why music is necessary for every Filipino people and the importance of Philippine traditional folk music over foreign songs that young Filipinos and Filipinas always hear.

Music is a vital part of every Filipino’s life. Firstly, Philippine folks considered it one of the most popular and ancient modes of human expression. It features mainly in all histories and all cultures and, indeed, has been one of the main ways of passing on cultural traditions to new generations of the country. Secondly, because of this, many people view music as a positive influence on society. This influence on individuals is wholly beneficial as it is a long-established way of communicating and helping us understand the whole range of human emotion and experience in a more spiritual language than words can represent.

However, the classical music traditions of the Philippines are not necessarily part of the music many Filipinos and Filipinas experience today. In the modern world today, most of the country’s young people are constantly exposed themselves to loud modern foreign songs as a result of globalisation via the Internet. But I think it is more important for young people of the country to learn traditional music to let them know the origins of our Philippine ancestors.

In conclusion, I think that we need traditional music because it is an integral part of human expression that we cannot separate from our lives even if there are the various evolution of modern music we tend to listen to every day through the web nowadays, such as American rap songs and Korean pop music.

Sample Answer 5

It’s often said that “music is like magic, ” which is true since music works as divine magic for us. Music, for many of us, is a way of living. Many can’t live a life without listening to music each day. Music is the food of a soul to them.

Music impresses us, inspires us, tells an untold story, remedies us and lets us understand others. There are many different types of music almost in each language of the world, and they vary from religious types to anthems and even hard rock or rap. The music listeners decide what to listen to, which significantly depends on mood, time, level and age. But I believe no matter what type of music one listens to; we need to listen to and preserve our traditional music hence traditional music says what we really are. There are lots of importance of music in our life. Music lets us know a nation’s position against the war, and music is a message that reaches all ages. Music refreshes us and inspires us to do something.

With the modern communication facility, satellite channels and the internet, people today hear music from other parts of the world. Teenagers are greatly influenced by western music, and they even don’t like traditional or country music. Naturally, the generation will follow their trends and choices and accept only what they feel like accepting. Still, traditional music bears the old history, lifestyle and tradition of a country. And as part of education, everybody should know about his/her tradition. So we should listen to the music that attracts us and inspires us no matter where we are from or their genre, but we should not ignore our traditional music.

Sample Answer 6

Music nowadays has turned out to be an activity by which many of us relax. Many people feel so relaxed by listening to music and while others find themselves more comfortable with playing music more often. Music is used to cheer up your mood and state of mind. You feel internal peace, and it helps you forget all your tensions.

The World is divided into many different cultures and traditions. Every part of the world has its own unique identity. Different countries and people of different countries have their likes and dislikes. Similarly, when we talk about music, it also differs from region to region. While subcontinent people are more attracted towards classical music, which is often slow rhythmic music and people of western people like the fast track music because classical music is part of the subcontinent’s culture and mostly on different occasions and events, people prefer classical music over rock music.

But as the world is forwarding fast daily and advancements are taking place in every field, the same is true for music. In music nowadays, there are different kinds of music introduced that are also suitable for listeners.

I believe that people pay more attention and show a high level of interest when something is directly related to their tradition and culture; the same goes for music. Especially in our subcontinent, people are attracted to traditional music compared to international or foreign music. People give more importance to their traditions because tradition is something that makes you proud, or we can say that it’s your identity.

Sample Answer 7

Music has been one the most popular aspects of art and undeniably has a special place in our daily lives. We mostly listen to different types of music when we go anywhere from our houses to shopping malls, festivals and parties, and it seems that music is an inseparable part of various environments. In other words, living one day without listening to music is very hard, and perhaps because of this, music has been considered the food of the mind, whether listening to traditional or international types.

The reason that we need music is embedded in its effect on our feelings. Music quickly puts us in different moods and makes new frames for our minds in different situations. For example, it gives us energy when exercising or more relaxed when we have a dinner party with friends. Sometimes it’s the best way to be awake while driving a long distance, and sometimes it opens the horizon for us to remember some sweet memories of our lives. Therefore, music can break the monotony of life, recharges our batteries and create our favourite atmosphere in each second of living.

However, there have been many debates about the importance of traditional or international music; music is just a tasty matter, and no measure can be taken to show the importance of different types of music. Put another way; people prefer to listen to their favourite list and choose something which can respond to their needs. So anyone would be attracted to music composition, music genre or lyric, and it’s not logical to encourage people to listen to a specific sort of music or opening which music is suitable and more critical.

Therefore, music is such a miracle that anyone can exploit it according to his feelings or character, and no prescription can be written for people to cherish or listen to a style of music. People listen to what they like, and it’s the reality.

Sample Answer 8

Globalisation and information technologies made beautiful changes in music. Most of the music is internationally famous, even in a particular language. There are strong reasons behind the importance of traditional music and modern music. However, I believe that country music is more important for everyone than world music because it shows the culture and dignity of each country.

Firstly, music has a vital role in everyone’s life. Some people hear the music for their happiness but others in their sorrows because some songs have a psychological impact and can change their mood. Secondly, in many vocations like marriage, festivals and cultural programs, music has an inevitable part. For example, some regions of India have a culture of using songs for their funeral. New research has shown that music can cure some physical and mental illnesses.

When thinking about the values of traditional and international music, country music is used for most cultural activities and festivals. Still, international music is used only occasionally, like at club functions and parties. Traditional music shows a society or country’s cultures, meanings and values. In the same way, it shows the history of the people. Most of the music is meaningful. For instance, some festivals in India, like Onam, and Deepavali, have their songs. People use these songs only on these occasions.

Given international music, it can use only for happiness. Most of the songs are fast-track music. It is used at birthday parties and disco clubs. People do not even think about its words or meaning. They dance according to the beats of songs.

To conclude, music has its value. Songs are measured according to their importance. Even people living in abroad will not forget their traditional music because it shows their culture and beliefs. So, I think traditional music is more important than global music.

Sample Answer 9

Each country has its unique music style. For instance, Opera and Jazz music are famous in western countries; on the other hand, India and Spain are famous for classical music styles for salsa dancing.

Globally information technology has made tremendous progress. Information technology has invented numerous sophisticated devices to play music anywhere, anytime. People tend to listen to music depending on their mood. They tend to listen to sad music if they feel down or sad. It has become a popular trend to listen to music while doing Yoga or exercise in the gymnasium.

Listening to music while doing sports can boost energy and bring the passion for sports in mind. Music is a daily activity nowadays and is considered the food of souls according to many people. Furthermore, some students play music while solving math equations. According to students, math is the only subject that can be studied while playing music. On the other hand, for example, in massive shopping centres, the background music is played 24/7 because people love shopping and walking in the malls.

However, the traditional music of any country is essential and plays a vital role. For instance, traditional music expresses what we belong to and our culture. A country is judged by its heritage and traditional music. If a country is rich in traditional music, then it is possible that it can be famous around the world. But nowadays, young children are addicted to listening to international music. They are not even aware of their culture and traditional music. The new generation is following the Western music style. It is the responsibility of parents to give them knowledge of their traditional music.

In conclusion, everyone perceives listening to his/her favourite music. But in most countries, people avoid taking an interest in traditional music. Therefore, most countries are losing the value of their culture and traditional music. At last, the primary responsibility of parents is to make children aware of listening to and introducing traditional music to the world.

Sample Answer 10

In recent years, the world has seen many kinds of music, and the broad category of music is mainly international and traditional music. Music has diversified functions for every region in the world. Why do we need music? Because music can inspire us, represents our emotion and can remedy our wounds. Traditional music has more significance than International music, which people listen to everywhere in this era. Traditional music has far greater functions and prominent roles than international music. I will explain some reasons for my belief in the following paragraphs.

First, traditional music has become essential to many cultural ceremonies, such as weddings and death ceremonies. For example, in a wedding ceremony, we need traditional music when a couple each other. Without music, this ceremony will not be complete. Secondly, nowadays, we still use traditional music as a medium for communication and praising God or other people. For instance, sometimes, we use music to praise our creator. Thirdly, every country or region has a distinguished genre for identity. Music also aims to differentiate a country or a region from others. For example, Indonesia has dangdut and keroncong music, and these kinds of music have become the Indonesian cultural identity.

In addition, we need traditional music to accompany traditional dancing. In Indonesia, we have a lot of traditional dancing; each dance has music to escort to manage every motion. For example, the traditional music accompanying jejer dance is different from Sandra Dewi dance because the music has to be suitable for every motion in each dance.

Although people often listen to international music, it does not mean that it has more critical functions than traditional music. In contrast, people mainly use international music for entertainment; traditional music represents our identity and culture.

Sample Answer 11

Music can be presented in several ways and variations that we can observe in the world these days. Many people consider music part of their life and get motivation and inspiration from the music they listen to. However, some people argue about the significance of music in our life. Many others compare the importance of folk and global music in terms of people’s preference to listen. Furthermore, people tend to enjoy life better when they put on music to listen to their daily activities. In my view, music can bring some advantages to improve people’s lives, and local and international music has both advantages to our life.

In every place, music and people are hard to be separated. They love music because it can relieve the stress and bad feeling we usually have. Moreover, the music’s rhythm triggers our body to feel free and relaxed each moment. In addition, different varieties of music are available for everyone. For example, people can feel free listening to soft, classic and loud music based on their choices.

Another issue of this essay is whether traditional or popular world music has more importance. Traditional music has vital to the identity of a nation. Indeed, every citizen has to maintain this legacy for their generation. Nonetheless, global music is undoubtedly good to be heard regarding people’s passion. In other words, none can be forced to stop listening to popular music because it is their right to choose any kinds of music that are suitable for them.

Hence, every person can choose to listen to many genres of music. It describes how music has become so popular today. Music just serves benefits depending on individuals’ preferences about it. Folk or international music contributes to aiding someone through their life.

Sample Answer 12

Nowadays, contemporary lifestyles and technological advancements have triggered international music’s popularity. Traditional music, on the other hand, is the symbol of a society’s tradition, values and history. Although both are important for people, I believe that more emphasis should be given to traditional music as a nation’s identity, unique tradition, and culture will be lost without promoting traditional music.

Music is a form of communication and prayer. In many communities and religions, music is still used to eulogise God. Our ancestors devoted songs to praise the Almighty as a means to deliver thanks and pray for their needs. For example, Japanese people celebrate wedding ceremonies with traditional songs that convey their thanks and appeals to God. Moreover, musicians use music to communicate with other people. They reveal their emotions through poetic and harmonious lyrics expressed in beautiful melodies to pass their emotions and messages. The message in a song is often believed by many and is accepted by society as it inspires people. Music touches our hearts, cures our wounds, and gives us motivation.

Due to globalisation, easy access to foreign TV & radio stations, and widespread internet use, international music has become quite common. International music is entertaining, has a great variety and represents contemporary issues. However, they are often fleeting and have less importance in many cultures. For instance, rap or rock songs might attract a lot of teenagers, but they do not represent the true identity of many cultures. There are inevitable requirements for traditional music to express true joys and traditions. Traditional music is regarded as the remarkable legacy of our ancestors. Since traditional music reflects genuine emotion and represents the tradition and way of life, they have more importance in our culture and society.

To sum up, international and traditional music both have essential roles in communicating, healing and entertaining people. Still, in my opinion, traditional music is more pivotal to keeping and representing the genuine values of a society. Therefore, no matter how much we enjoy international music, we should foster traditional music as much as possible.

Sample Answer 13

Music is the world language and presents the unique tradition and customs of a tribe, society or nation. People listen to different types of music with great interest because it inspires us, refreshes our mind, heals our wounds, motivates us and so on. However, it is arguable whether the traditional music of a nation plays more crucial roles than the modern music that is popular worldwide. From my point of view, the former is more important than the latter because it can reflect the cultural identity and history of a nation.

First, no one can deny that most people love to listen to music as it inspires them, relaxes their minds and lets them forget their anxiety and tension. For example, a person may get stressed out and tired when returning from the office, and the music can work magic to remove his tiredness. A growing number of people these days listen to music while commuting, and this is quite effective for enjoying the time even on a busy road and amid a tiresome journey. Rich lyrics can enhance our intellectual level, and it is often true that a person can be judged by the types of music he listens to. Music is a global language that connects people, protests unjust, inspires people and creates a unique form of entertainment that is not only refreshing but also educational.

Traditional music itself represents the traditions and customs of a nation. Behind the music is history, a nation’s story and even religious lessons. In addition, traditional music can connect people with their cultural heritage left from ancestors. Hence, it plays a vital role and bears a nation’s indigenous practices and dignity. Thus, we must preserve our traditional music as it could tell the history and life of our ancestors as well as what we are. Despite that, many people choose to listen to international music. It can bring different nations together and teach lessons that are unknown to a person. The music is different and can suit a person’s choice.

In conclusion, traditional music is much more important than modern international music, which can be heard worldwide. Youngsters should give their heart to their traditional music to keep their cultural heritage alive.

Sample Answer 14

The importance and popularity of various genres of music worldwide are undeniable, and music is called the food for our soul. Nevertheless, with the popularity of various international music, it is necessary to underline the importance of traditional music in an era of globalization, as it allows small nations to keep their tradition alive.

We need music because music speaks out the heart and aids cognitive development. It also allows people to pass through challenging moments in life by inspiring them. Music not only calms our nervous system but teaches us how to continue to persuade our aims, regardless of external circumstances. That is why music is essential and popular among people. When humans fall in love or struggle to find themselves in the big world, music accompanies them. In an era of competition and mechanisation, and immediate gratification, music plays the role of the counter-balance, which balances our life by affiliating our emotional tensions.

It is at the same time crucial to underline the significance of traditional music in an era of globalization and cutting-edge portable devices which promote international music and decrease the diversity of cultures. Traditional music nowadays is not popular, especially among the young generation, but it plays a crucial role in keeping our traditions and national customs alive. Therefore traditional music is often played on various national holidays and events. Traditional music can gather people with the same cultural and religious affiliations together and enrich the bonds among the same nations living in different parts of the world. For example, a range of Indian communities, which nowadays exist all around the globe, still listens to their traditional music, allowing them to maintain and successfully translate various national traditions to the next generation born and grew up abroad, away from their homeland.

In conclusion, music is a necessary element of our life that supports and cures our emotional states. The significance of traditional music might be seen in its ability to save and translate cultural traditions among generations.