Now read the text about different kinds of live music.

Agnieszka Sękiewicz-Magoń Live Music Is Life Itself

They say music is a universal language, and there must be something in it. Who wouldn’t like a tunetunetune that makes your feet taptaptap? It is also a social phenomenon traditionally experienced together in a live concert. Whether it is mainstream musicmainstream musicmainstream music, or classical music, or something avant‑garde, it inspires listeners to attend live concerts, even though they could enjoy listening to recordings in their homes, which would be both cheaper and more convenient. What is there to choose from?

The most popular types of live music are concerts of rock, pop, or heavy metal bands that give a performancegive a performancegive a performance in big venuesvenues [venue]venues such as arenas, stadiums, parks, or fields. Hundreds of fans attend these events to feel, dance, sing, and experience the music together. Did you know that heavy metal and classical music fans have similar personality traits? According to a study by Heriot‑Watt University in Scotland, lovers of both types of music genresmusic genres [music genre]music genres tend to be creative, at ease with themselves, and introverted. For these people, live concerts are the way to connect to the bands and artists on an emotional, in‑person level that can’t be achieved or mimicked with streamingstreamingstreaming or a recording.

Classical music concerts, with an orchestraorchestraorchestra of musicians playing various musical instrumentsmusical instruments [musical instrument]musical instruments under the guidance of a conductorconductors [conductor]conductor, or a solo recitalrecitalrecital of a talented pianist or other instrumentalist, are also very popular. Even though they usually follow a rigid formatrigid formatrigid format, they have millions of fans all over the world. Additionally, a new generation of young classical musicians often breaks away from standard content and they incorporateincorporateincorporate new elements relatable to young people. For example, they become YouTubers and increase the popularity of classical music by combining it with trendy challenges or games.

There is also a renewed interest in choirschoirs [choir]choirs and glee clubsglee clubs [glee club]glee clubs. Largely thanks to the Fox’s hit comedy “Glee” about a group of teenage misfitsmisfits [misfit]misfits in a high school glee club, these musical groups are gaining more and more popularity, especially at American high schools. In glee clubs people practise part songpart songpart song (called the glee), and it is a real pleasure for an audience to listen to how beautifully they sing in tunesing in tunesing in tune together. Interestingly, multiple studies show that singing in a group is soothingsoothingsoothing and raises one’s spiritsraises one’s spiritsraises one’s spirits because our bodies release feel‑good hormones like oxytocinoxytocinoxytocin.

And what about all these talented people in the street who can play by earplay by earplay by ear any music we ask them? Street music is the essence of authentic joy of performing live for people. We got used to listening to buskersbuskers [busker]buskers in tube stationstube stations [tube station]tube stations or town streets (although some of them sing out of tunesing out of tunesing out of tune), but think about all the street live performances of artists from various cultures, which in fact are cultural experiences. Can you imagine the world without the New Orleans jazz scene or grunge rock without the first garage shows in Seattle? More than 50% of Americans attend live music concerts every year. When concert‑goers were asked in the Live Nation study what defines them most as a person, they ranked music above religion, politics, race, or hometown. It only proves that live shows are more than just a good time. They influence music fans and shape the world around them.

1 Źródło: Agnieszka Sękiewicz-Magoń, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.