Snapshot 4 By John

This is Charlie Pride at the beginning of his music career.

When I was younger my father really influenced me on the type of music I listened to. My dad lived during the time of what they call "The Golden Age of Country" which is saying that that was the time that country music was at its best. I'll never forget the first day I listened to Charlie Pride a country artist from the early 70's. It was a hot summer day and I was with my dad on his property in Marengo, Ohio. It was so hot and steamy you cook cook an egg on the sidewalk. My Father and I where driving around in his truck and he popped in a Charlie Pride tape. The first song that came on was "Kiss an Angle Good Morning". I loved the sounds and tones of his voice and at the time I'm only a 7 year old kid so I'm really just getting introduced to music for the first time. I'll never forget the stories my dad would tell me about his childhood while riding in his truck listening to Charlie Pride. So whenever I hear a Charlie Pride song it really takes me back to my childhood and the memories I have with my father telling me stories of his childhood.

Snapshot Four by Miranda

The meaning of music to me, is a way to let go of reality. Just when you need a step back from life, put that set of headphones in, turn up that radio station, or listen to your favorite song on a CD. Music allows you to relate to the lyrics of which seems to be wrote just for you and the situation you could be going through. As I have gotten older, I’ve noticed some go for the drinking, smoking, or the drugs to get away from their problems. I on the other hand, personally listen to music to allow my feelings out and make myself feel better. Whether I listen to a song that makes me want to cry, or hear that particular song I can scream at the top of my lungs and it never gets old.

The genre of music that means the most to me is classic rock. Growing up that’s all I would listen to. From AC/DC to Led Zeppelin, this type of music is one I hold close to my heart. Being raised by my dad since I was five, we would have jam out sessions every chance we got. We would be out in the garage, or house, even on random car rides, we would turn up the music and sing together. Although we sounded like cats falling of the empire state building, we didn’t care because we was having fun.

The current musician I want to write about is Tom Petty. I know most kids, or those my age have no idea who he is. He is one of my favorite classic rock artists of all time. His songs are ones I can relate to. For example the song ‘I won’t back down’, I have memorized every word. For the times I have been put down and told I couldn’t do something or when I feel like I’m not good enough, I can listen to it. My emotions seem to float away along with the guitar cords fading out of the speakers. Not only can I relate to those lyrics of his songs at an older age, but I have memories with his songs from when I was real young.

Still to this day, I remember being four or five years old and listening to music with my dad. He would turn on his record player and everything would become a dream. One thing specifically I remember is when he would play his Tom Petty record. We would be in the middle of the concrete floor of the garage. I would stand on his feet, holding hands, and we would slow dance to the song ‘Free Fallin’. I would sing the song to him word for word, not really knowing what it all meant. I just knew the girl loved horses, just like I did at the time. We had nothing but smiles on our faces, and lyrics in our minds.

Even now when I hear that song, it brings me back to those innocent times of giggling and smiles. I wish like hell it was that easy to have those type of memories with him now. As I have gotten older, we hardly talk to each other without arguing or getting along. We mostly stay away from one another, to avoid an argument. I guess when you live with someone for all of these years you’re bound to bump heads. I would give anything to be able to go back and create more memories with him like old times. Even dance to that song again, while I still can.

This is just some of the lyrics to the song that dad and I would dance to. Without the lyrics of this song catching my eye, I would never of had such a precious memory with him.

Snapshot #4 by Regan Endsley

Music to me, is a way to express yourself, and a chance to relate the story of songs to your own life. Mostly to me music gives me great memories. If I hear a song I know it will bring me back to a flashback of a time when i was listening to that song. An example is when I hear the very old song by Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me when I was younger whenever me and my mom would listen to that song and it says "she wear short shorts, i wear t shirts, she's cheer caption and I'm on the bleachers." My mom would always point at herself for the good thing and point at me for my bad i would do the same to her, its just something i always remember doing when we heard that song. Also the song We Will Rock You by,  by Queen was the intro song when we ran out for volleyball so everything i hear that song I think of my volleyball season. There are many songs that I can listen to and think of a memory, those are just some examples. My favorite kind of music is hip/hop and rap, mostly anything you see on the top 50 charts. My currently favorite musican is Drake, a rapper, I just love his music and the story he raps about in his songs. That is what music is and means to me.

This is Drake, my favorite rapper. His most viewed and popular song is "Hotline Bling"
not personally my favorite mine is probably "Marvin's Room" He is my favorite because i just
like the way he raps and tells a story and me and one of my friends have been obsessing over him since
he first started rapping so the connection just stuck.
 

Snapshot #4 By: Jussett Flores

What Music Means To Me

Music to me means that I can express who I am and that I can escape from reality for a brief moment. I can show people that I’m not just a person in this world, but that I am a unique person with a purpose. It is also a way for me to show some emotion when I need to. The genre that I listen to is alternative music, country, pop music, Christian, Indie. I can not choose which genre mean the most to me because each of these genres have amazing, talented singers that their music speaks to me in different ways and in different situations. Each song that they sing has a different meaning to me.

Britt Nicole is a Christian singer. Britt Nicole songs are like one whose voice was venomed melody every time I listen to her. So this past month which was October to be particular it was October 4th, I was sitting in my English class working as always and after class was over I was heading to my next class. I get on social media as usual and little did I know I lost a friend to cancer. I was listening to this song called “The Sun Is Rising” after the moment I found out, since I know that this song will make me feel better even though I was devastated and crying.

This song actually reminded of another friend that I lost back on February 5th, 2013. I was just a junior in high school and I was just getting ready to go to school and I get on facebook and I found out that she passed away in a house fire with her boyfriend and a classmate of hers. She was my sister and I’s friend and she graduated with my sister in 2012. I could not make it through my first period class without crying because of this tragedy that happened. All day I was emotional and every teacher knew about the tragedy, so they made that day an easy day for every student that it affected. That same day at night it was freezing cold and snowing really hard and there was going to be a candle lighting that night of course my sister and I went to it.

Few days later my heart was breaking and I could not stop crying and my sister told me to listen to this song “The Sun Is Rising”. The lyrics “When life has cut too deep and left you hurting, The future you had hoped for is now burning, And the dreams you held so tight lost their meaning, And you don't know if you'll ever find the healing” spoke to me because I felt lost and I didn’t know what to do because I have lost a friend. Every single word to this song made me stronger. This specific part of the song “Whatever you're facing, If your heart is breaking, There's a promise for the ones who just hold on, Lift up your eyes and see, The sun is rising” this made me cry so hard, but I knew right there and then that I was going to make it through this rough time. This artist and song are important to me because whenever there is a tragedy in my life this song will lift me up and make me feel better and that my life is not over, but that it is getting stronger and that God is always with me.

Britt Nicole is one of my favorite Christian singer. Her most famous song is "The Lost Get Found" Every mission trip I went on I would ask them to play her songs. She is an amazing singer and a follower of God. 

Snapshot #4 by Jordan Kightlinger

Adam Levine is an amazing singer and I love
all of his songs. If I had to choose a favorite
     I believe it would be "Sugar." I watch the voice,
           so I see him work well with others, and try his best
      to help others succeed in their careers for music.
                 Plus, he always wears a sly suit, and they look awesome

      

      People listen to music all of the time. I, myself, do so as well. But what does music mean to me? I have such an undying affection for music because it has a way of conveying feelings that simple words cannot. Isn't music just words with instruments playing? Well yes, sometimes, but tell me. Do you feel more compelled to hug something who says I love you, vs someone who says that while also playing a piano? Throughout history, music has been used as revolutionary tools for healing and reconstruction, while also being used for rallying and cheering. Music is a story that can be expressed without words; a symphony of colors, an aurora of emotions, a best friend to cheer you up when you feel down. Music is all of theses things, and more.
      I love all types of music, and while I find myself not really having a favorite the genre of music I am talking about is pop music. I love these types of songs because I find them to be more catchy, and man, do I love a good love song. There's something so appealing about someone telling the one that they love their true feelings in a symphony of instruments. One time, my sister and I started listening to the song "Barbie Girl." She would be Barbie, and I would be Ken. It was our favorite song, and we performed it in front of our entire family once. I'll never forget the fun we had.

Snapshot Four- Emma Kleinknecht

Snapshot Four

My favorite genre of music is rap. Rap means the most to me because most artists tell a story with incredible lyrics. I also enjoy listening closely to the beats behind the lyrics. Lyrics mean a lot to me because you get to hear powerful stories or lessons. I love meeting new people and hearing where they came from, or what they have done to be who they are today. Rap is like getting to know someone and hearing the high and low points of their lives. Artists also teach important lessons in their lyrics and state them in very clever ways. I love hearing lines that have creative double meanings. One of the most engaging musicians in my opinion is Kanye West. He is an amazing writer and produces all of his songs which is very rare. He is extremely talented and wise which is why I enjoy listening to him. 

My best friend Micah and I were on our way to our friends house on campus last year, listening to all of our favorite songs very loudly. One song came on that had been our go-to for years. We looked at each other and went back and forth reciting the lyrics, getting super into it. When the chorus came we joined together yelling it and dancing intensely like we were front row at a concert. It was so much fun and such an iconic moment. 

My favorite lyrical rapper, Kanye West. Here he is putting emotion into his performance on Jonathan Ross. 

Snapshot Four by Max Balderson

Ever since I was a kid in middle school, I have been listening to rap and rock. They are my favorite genres of music, and you will hardly ever see me listening to anything else. These two music genres are so important to me because of one thing: lyrics. When it comes to music, lyrics are the bread and butter. Sure, a song can have some catchy beat or a cool drum solo, but those are just sounds. When you hear the same sound enough, it can become boring or even annoying. However, if a song has lyrics that mean something to you, it can last a lifetime. For instance one summer when I was 13, someone had shown me the song Handle Bars by Flobots. At first I had only heard it for the sound. I thought it was a catchy song. I actually listened to it a lot, but I grew tired of the song after about a month. It was about a month or two later that someone had showed me the song again. When they showed it to me, they explained the lyrics as it was playing. This made the song light up in a whole new way for me. It wasn't just a boring catchy song anymore. It had transformed into a story of two friends, and a story of how someone can abuse the power given to them. It made the song take on a whole new meaning to me, and I've always listened to music for the lyrics ever since.

A scene from the music video for handlebars. It shows people
in protest against the leader that in narrating the song. The
music video actually played a big role in helping me
understand the meaning of the song.