Uses and Impact of Music – JSS3 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (Second Term)

Music is organised sound, sung or played on instruments, that people use to express ideas and feelings, and it has many uses and effects in society.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. state at least five uses of music;
2. list at least five impacts or effects of music;
3. explain how the lyrics of music can mould or mar a person’s life;
4. give examples of occasions when music is played;
5. name the songs that suit particular occasions, such as the lullaby and the funeral song.

What are the uses of music?

The uses of music are the roles it plays in everyday life, from ceremonies and worship to hospitals and advertising.

• Entertainment at ceremonies: music is played to entertain guests at weddings, naming ceremonies and birthdays.
• Cultural festivals: music adds life to the event, as in the New Year festivals and durbars held in many communities.
• Religious worship: hymns, gospel songs and praise songs support prayer and worship in churches and mosques.
• Advertisements: music is played in the background of radio and television adverts to attract listeners.
• Treatment of patients: medical practitioners use music in hospitals to help patients relax and recover.
• Lulling babies to sleep: nursing mothers sing lullabies to send a baby to sleep.
• Comfort in sorrow: funeral songs give soothing relief to a bereaved person.

On what occasions is music played?

Music is played at happy, sad, religious and national occasions.

What are the types of songs for different occasions?

Different songs are made for different occasions, and five common ones are the funeral song, lullaby, gospel song, folk song and insult song.

• Funeral song: a song sung at a burial to comfort the bereaved who lost a loved one.
• Lullaby (cradle song): a soft song mothers sing to send a baby to sleep.
• Gospel song: a religious song of praise and worship.
• Folk song: a traditional song of a community, handed down from one generation to the next.
• Insult song: a song that ridicules a person’s bad behaviour so that the person will change.

What are the impacts or effects of music?

The impact of music is the way it affects people and society.

• Builds relationships: people who sing, dance or listen together become friends.
• Promotes brotherliness: shared songs bring people together as one family.
• Creates awareness in the mass media: songs on radio and television pass on messages about health, safety and public issues.
• Projects important dignitaries: praise songs and theme songs make leaders and important people known in society.
• Moulds or mars life: the lyrics of a song can shape a person’s behaviour for good or for bad.

How can the lyrics of music mould or mar a person’s life?

To mould a life means to shape it for good, and to mar a life means to spoil or destroy it.

How lyrics mould a life

• Teach good morals: songs on honesty, hard work and respect guide behaviour.
• Give hope: encouraging words help a person who is sad or discouraged.
• Inspire action: songs on unity and love for the country build good citizens.

How lyrics mar a life

• Promote bad habits: songs that praise violence, drug use or indecent behaviour can lead listeners astray.
• Spread insults and hatred: abusive lyrics can hurt people and cause quarrels.
• Waste time and kill ideas: listening to harmful music all day can stop a student from studying and thinking well.

What is the difference between the good and bad effects of music?

Music can have a good effect or a bad effect, depending on the lyrics and how it is used.

Evaluation

1. Mention two functions of music.
2. Highlight three ways music can impact humans.
3. Explain what it means for the lyrics of a song to mould or mar a person’s life.
4. Name three occasions when music is played.

Assignment

Reading assignment

A Proper Approach to Cultural and Creative Art by Peter Akinyemi (Book 3).

Reference pages: 83 to 87. Attempt the revision questions.

General revision questions

1. What are local crafts?
2. Mention two notable areas in Nigeria where fabric dyers practise tie and dye.
3. What is self-control?
4. State three ways in which one can exercise self-control.
5. What is teamwork?

Weekend assignment

1. ……………. song gives a soothing relief to a bereaved person who lost a loved one. (a) Funeral (b) Cradle (c) Insult (d) Folk
2. ……………. is a kind of song that mothers sing to send a baby to sleep. (a) Lullaby (b) Gospel song (c) Folk song (d) Insult song
3. Music is a form of entertainment. (a) True (b) False
4. Which one of these is NOT an impact of music? (a) Moulding and marring one’s life (b) Creating disunity in the country (c) Creating public awareness through the mass media (d) Building relationships
5. Which one of these is NOT a function of music? (a) Killing one’s idea (b) Adding life to an occasion (c) Celebrating cultural festivals (d) For religious worship

Theory

1. State two uses of music.
2. Enumerate two effects of music.