Music by Corey Styles

The particular piece that I wrote is an instrumental guitar piece (no lyrics) that blends my Canadian and Scottish roots, by blending the simplistic finger style guitaring reminiscent of old Scottish/Gaelic folk music, and a more modern Canadian rhythmic folk tone. The piece itself was improvised on the spot, in the moment based on the feelings I had as I reflected upon what I've learned and the person I've become in these 24 years of life. 

The idea of an instrumental piece spoke to me in the sense that it really seemed like a fitting metaphor for the ideals that this course has been instilling in us. I believe that music is the international language, a cultural bridge, if you will, that has the power to do amazing things. Regardless of your ethnicity, gender, race, or religion, music is a constant, it feeds the soul, the body, the mind in ways that many, if not all peoples can relate with. There is a famous quote by Billy Joel that says, “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.” His words speak volumes, to the fact that although the music may change, the idea of music, an unwritten sense of community is still there.

So it was with those thoughts in mind that I created this instrumental piece, for now it's an untitled work for me, however I feel it's better left to interpretation. To conclude my analysis, I want to end with a quote by Victor Hugo that has always been my favourite, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

My song can be found at:  http://youtu.be/cZW3DIc8dbY