Music helps form individual identity and identity among groups of people. As an expressive means, music help us express what we're feeling, what we believe and value, what we are protesting, our hopes and our longings. Among groups of people, music can support national identity through:
- nationalist classical or folk music
- national anthems
- musical ambassadors
Music may express the interests of subcultures within a nation through:
- community musical expression (choirs, bands)
- collective conscience (Live Aid)
- common religious identity (songs, hymns, canticles)
- adolescent and teenage identity conjoined with clothes, colors, symbols (goth, rap, hiphop)
While the phrase music is a universal language may be widely accepted, not everyone can appreciate how it bypasses cultural barriers. It also expresses our diversity. Music may express differences of:
- meaning (interpretation, aesthetic values)
- cultural pratice (musical elements, context)
- generations (styles, associations)
- preferences (familiarity, personal choice)
In respectful music care, we need to know that music has this dual expressive function: expressing connectedness and expressing uniqueness.
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