MUS 223 Appreciation & Hist of Music 1-1 Discussion: Doctrine of Ethos Erica Mitchell October 24, 2023 Hi, everyone! My name is Erica Mitchell, and I live in Little Elm, TX, a great county for families & fun. I have three children, four grandchildren, my life never gets boring. I am a Psychology student specializing in Mental Health, and I'm eagerly anticipating hearing from my peers as we move through this course. I'm looking forward to learning new things in this class and I hope to share and learn from my peers in this course. In the doctrine of ethos, the Greeks believed that the right kind of music had the power to heal the sick and improve one's character, and I can agree. Music was a huge part of my childhood, and it still is today. Music can bring you together. As a child, I remember that my entire family loved music, including my grandmother, who loves blues and gospel. I remember that my mom was a soul lover, my dad was a soul lover, my aunts and uncles loved the same kind of music, but of course the l kids love fast upbeat typo music the kind you can burn a lot of energy, turning everyone into dancers as the bass and beat hit the walls, people even my grandma could dance, believe me. We used to have good times in the house when there was a death in the family, after the funeral we all gathered to talk and reminisce about the times we spent together and before you know it music could come on and everyone would get up and dance, turning the atmosphere from sad to happy in some way.
It was also during family reunions and get-togethers that music brought people together, whether they were dancing in a line or standing up because they just felt like dancing. I also loved watching my family dance even if it was line dancing. I began to dislike blues as I grew older because it was exactly what it is. The blues seemed sad, but all told stories my grandma could understand. The sounds of smooth jazz are so beautiful, and instead of just listening to the voice of the person singing, you can really focus on the sounds. You could be dancing, smiling, or enjoying both before you know it. Music can lift you right out of your seat in some cases. Whether I am cleaning the house or riding to my destination, I listen to music, which is good for the soul. Music can calm you down, relax you, make you smile and laugh. Music, however, can be a powerful tool as it can evoke powerful emotional responses, like I believe rap music does not all have a negative impact on how kids behave today. As some of it is violent and rap music can inspire people to do things that are not good for them, I suggest that they shouldn't be listening to it.