Close Reading - Assignment 3

Music Changes Lives - And Saves Them - The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3562926/Music-changes-lives-and-saves-them.html

Music has always been a big part of many lives, it touches and moves people in ways that are not describable even when it happens to you or any individual. Music has lately been examined in medical and mental situations and has shown to increase individual health and save lives. As Webber's article suggests music can help children get and stay on the right path, preventing them from doing crime or drugs, as well as potentially saving their lives.

Webber's use of imagery throughout the article is very evident. In the first paragraph he writes "what began as a low-key breakfast meeting soon turned into a full-blown conference" (Webber). This statement created the image of a group in a conference room talking about the political importance of music education, like something that would happen in a school board meeting. The article ends with a real account of how music helped change the path of someone and how they have gone onto become involved with music and the importance of music education. He recalls that "beyond the call of duty, she took a tiresome little boy to a performance by the first great cellist I had ever heard" (Webber). Authors use imagery like this to create a personal and emotional connection with the reader and by seeing these scenes in my mind I felt that connection to the people and their stories. At the end it made me think about my own life and how much it has been shaped by music.

I found some of Webber's diction throughout the article to be very unexpected. Diction helps elevate the sophistication in an authors work and gives the reader something to think about  past the articles subject. He uses words such as "spearhead, "inception" and "low-key", words that one wouldn't find in the everyday article. I found these words gave an extra ring to the article's tone and even though the words are very simple. In addition to words Webber's use of alliteration was also evident. In two instances Webber wrote that some people "worked so hard to hammer home the crucial point" and that music was "hot on the heels" (Webber).  His use of alliteration jumped right out to me as a literature student but made me remember that you don't need to be studying AP literature to recognize it as a reader.

Webber's combination of imagery, detail and strong personal voice made this article come alive. It informed me as a reader of the importance of music education and left me thinking about how music education has personally changed me and how crucial it has been. Webber's opinions on musical importance and sharing of personal stories left me wanting to read more and look into the shaping of music education of children's lives.