TOEFL essay: People listen to music for different reasons and at different times. Why is music important to many people? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

Music seems to be a natural need for people. I’ve read that from ancient times human beings have produced sounds from “instrument” like rocks or skins stretched over a wooden frame. Music is something most people want and need. I think it’s important because it can be a major part of both community and individual experience.

Music is a way of sharing a common bond or feeling. When we’re children, we learn very simple songs called nursery rhymes. These songs help make us part of our culture by telling us what’s acceptable and what’s not. We play and sing music in our religious ceremonies because it enhances the worship experience. We play music when we’re going to war or celebrating the fact that we’re won a war.

We have national anthems to share our love and pride for our particular country. We have music we play for our school, and music we play for our athletic team. In fact, music has become a big part of athletic games. We use it to taunt the other team as well as celebrate when points are scored for our team.

Music is also a major part of individual experiences. When we fall in love, music is usually a part of that experience. People talk about having “our song.” That means the song that was playing when they met or a song they both liked when they fell in love. When we get married, we play music before and after and sometimes during the ceremony. It expresses how we feel. We play music to calm our nerves or to stimulate ourselves to get on with a task. We also play music for the simple enjoyment of listening to the sounds.

Music is special to us because it expresses our connection with our culture, and because it enhance our individual experiences. Nothing else seems to capture our feelings quite so well.