Music is important because it is subjective, meaning that every person can interpret a song differently.  Music has the ability to bring people together, to create a lifelong memory, to raise money for a cause, and can have an essential effect on someone’s life.  The visual text essay “The Importance of Music” by Alexa Ford, 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 at both the beginning and end help focus the reader’s attention to the author’s opinion on the importance of music. Furthermore, every picture, apart from the first one, is cool-toned in order to capture the essence of the time period each was taken in to create 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. 

Each slide features a plain white background; this way the reader can avoid being distracted by other designs or colors other than the ones that are part of the author’s message about music. Moreover, music does not have a specific color, and it is instead up to the listener which particular colors and emotions can be related to a certain song. It is for this reason that a neutral color is more favorable for the presentation. Also, because the color white can symbolize many different things, like purity or wholeness, it can be left open for interpretation.  This way, the reader can come to his or her own conclusion about the pictures themselves. 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 uses specific icons and moments in history to portray how music and can affect people on a grand scale.  The artists featured in the essay are notably all from the past century. This was done in order to modernize the essay, so that the readers have much more personal connection to the people. The first icon used is Elvis Presley, an artist known for his wild dance moves, flashy outfits, and above all, bridging the gap between African American and White artists by incorporating a lot of African American styles and influences into his music. Elvis stood out as being one of the most influential, and at times controversial, artists of the 1950’s.  His music was, and still is to this day, widely appreciated and listened to. The photo appears old due to it being in black and white and having a vintage feel, which attests to his lasting influence, as his appearance is still very much iconic. The second artist featured is Whitney Houston as she sings the National Anthem, a song that most Americans live and abide by and that has been performed by countless artists at countless sports games and events. 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 triumphantly, showing she truly feels the patriotic pride that she is singing about. She seems to be completely engaged in the moment, just as most of America was as she was singing. The cool-tones of the picture incite a feeling of remembrance in readers, capturing a moment in time that most Americans will hold in their hearts forever, like it was a memory.  The third artist used is Paul McCartney, who is singing at the Concert for New York City, a concert held to raise money and support the victims of 9/11.  Similar to how Whitney’s performance of the anthem is held in the hearts of Americans for its power and patriotism, the 9/11 attacks are remembered grimly by Americans for the many lives lost and people affected.  The reader can see how the people in the background are experiencing a variety of emotions. Some men appeared to be inspired to rally by McCartney, some seem to be experiencing a certain reverence for the gravity of the situation, and some seem to be enjoying how the music is uplifting them in the face of tragedy. Above all, however, 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 to our world today.  

The first picture used in the essay is just a generic picture of someone playing music, simply for the purpose of opening the essay and introducing the topic at hand.  It is the only warm-toned picture the essay uses so that the other cool-toned pictures will stand out more as vintage and create a nostalgic effect on the reader.  The last two pictures, however, are personal images and show how music can affect people on a smaller, more individualistic scale.  The second to last picture shows an elderly man standing and a younger girl, who is seated at a piano, whom one can assume are a grandfather and a granddaughter.  Both appear greatly moved by the performance.  She is crying, and he looks as if he is pleading with her or thanking her after a performance and his hands are together in a praying position. It is another cool-toned picture, creating that nostalgic feeling, and it is clearly an extremely emotional and important moment. The last picture used is just a picture of a girl singing, with some young teenagers talking and laughing behind her.  The reader can see a girl and a boy talking and smiling at each other behind the singer, and everyone appears to be happy. 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, and there is a clear sense of togetherness amongst them.

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, whether it be a singer reaching a platform that is televised throughout the world to millions of viewers, or a song a granddaughter sings to a grandfather that transports him back to his younger days.  The plain white background allows the reader to interpret the message as he or she wants, and permits the individual pictures to stand out.  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.  
