ABSTRACT
Music is a powerful and unique form of communication that brings together human thought, creativity and action, feeling and sensitivity. Today, music is as much a part of any culture as it was in the past; it helps us explore attitudes and values that inform societies, understand cultural change and develop physical and perceptual skills. As a subject it is so much more than a series of concepts, rules and theories that are not open to personal interpretation. Music, like art, is largely subjective and stimulates personal expression, reflection and emotional development. Listeners’ opinions on musical quality are influenced by personal taste and opinion rather than objective reasoning. It is not just a collection of organised sounds, although certain key elements can be identified: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and silence combine in various ways to create different musical structures.
