Music is important because it is subjective, for every person will interpret a song differently.  Music can bring people together, create a lifelong memory, raise money for a cause, or have an essential effect on someone’s life.  The visual text essay shows the reader how music can affect people from a large to small scale, and how both are just as powerful.  The plain background and lack of pictures in the beginning and end helps focus the reader’s attention to the author’s opinion on the importance of music.  Furthermore, every picture is cool-toned except for the first one, creating a nostalgic effect.  The objective of this visual text essay is to emphasize music’s significance through the use of icons, specific colors, and pictures.

The purpose of the plain white background is to avoid distracting the reader from the message the author is trying to send.  Moreover, music does not have a specific color. Because the color white can symbolize many different things, like purity or wholeness, it can be left open for interpretation and allows the reader decipher the message for his or herself. The absence of color and pictures at the beginning and end of the PowerPoint brings complete attention to the pictures and words in the essay. 

The essay used specific icons and moments in history to portray how an artist can affect people on a grand scale.  The reason the artists used in the essay have lived within the past century is to modernize the essay.  It is much easier to connect and relate to people who we, the readers, or our parents have been personally affected by.  The first icon used is Elvis Presley.  Unlike many artists of the 1950s, Elvis still is known for being one of the most influential artists of all time, and his music is still widely appreciated and listened to. Because the black and white photograph of him shows that the image is old, it proves his lasting effect in our world today. In addition, the black and white image may also symbolize how Elvis connected the influences of music between black and white communities in America.  The second artist used, Whitney Houston, is singing the National Anthem, a song that Americans live and abide by.  Her performance of it at the Super Bowl in 1991 is still one of the most widely loved performances of the Anthem. Whitney is holding her arms up in the picture and is completely engaged in the moment, just like most of America was when she sang. A moment in time that most Americans will hold in their hearts forever, the cool-tones in the picture gives the reader a feeling of remembrance, and makes the picture look like a memory.  The third artist used is Paul McCartney singing at the Concert for New York City, a concert held to raise money and support the victims of 9/11.  Similar to Whitney’s performance, the terrorist attack on 9/11 is another moment that most Americans unfortunately hold in their hearts.  The reader can see how the people in the background are clearly distraught, and how everyone seems to be united.  Paul McCartney is already known for being a part of one of the most influential bands of all time, and like Elvis, his music still transcends in our world today.  

The first picture used in the essay is just a generalized music-related picture, simply to open and introduce the topic.  It is the only warm-toned picture used so that the pictures that follow have a nostalgic effect on the reader. The last two pictures, however, are personal images and show how music can affect people on a smaller scale.  The second to last picture shows what appears to be a grandpa and a granddaughter.  She is crying, and he looks as if he is pleading with her or thanking her after a performance.  It is a cool-toned picture, creating a nostalgic feeling, and it is clearly an extremely emotional and important moment.  Her grandfather seems to be deeply touched by her performance.  The last picture used is just a picture of someone singing, with people talking and laughing behind her.  This picture is used to show how even a high school performance can bring people together and have a lasting effect.  Whether or not the audience has been affected, the people in the choir have been.

As the reader moves on to each slide, he or she can see how music affects people on a large scale, to an average or small scale.  The plain white background allows the reader to interpret the message as he or she wants, and it draws one in.  Also, the transition from warm-toned to cool-toned pictures creates a feeling of nostalgia.  The use of icons and personal images show how music is important in all aspects of life.  As said in the essay, a musician’s sole purpose of performing is to create a feeling and bring people together.  Without music, millions of people would have trouble connecting to real events, or would not have an emotional pathway or outlet.  The importance of music is something valuable, and it is worth fighting for.  
