In Living with Music, Ellison’s primary argument revolves around music’s utmost significance in everyone’s life. He argues that music and creativity have a positive impact on how people perceive the world around them. However, he also shows that having too many restrictions can have the opposite effect. To prove this point, he recalls his personal experience describing how teaching children according to classical music standards can make them hate music. In Ellison’s opinion, this approach eliminates creativity and makes music much less impactful and beneficial for the person. Following this line of reasoning, he develops the argument that music is a part of life that helps people better understand themselves and enjoy their lives.
First, Ellison argues that music, in general, is a valuable instrument of self-discovery. It helps people connect with the world around them and express themselves through notes. Secondly, he compares different types of music, such as classical and jazz, showing that musical freedom is necessary. For instance, he states that strict classical music lessons might harm one’s understanding of music. On the other hand, free jazz allows people to express themselves even if the melody is far from perfect. Next, he connects music to culture, showing the contribution of jazz to the African-American community in the United States. In his opinion, it is the critical role of music to unite people culturally. Lastly, he argues that inspiration that helps people express themselves is essential in music. Moreover, he returns to the topic of jazz, showing that this music style is particularly efficient in conveying one’s emotions through notes. However, although he enjoyed jazz, he argued that everyone should choose the style that they can personally relate to. In summary, music can help people understand and express themselves, but only if they enjoy and feel the music.