What is the meaning of music? One person's music might be another person's noise, devoid of significance. On the other hand, a simple melody might tap into a deep vein of emotion, call up a cherished memory, deepen spiritual devotion, make the body move, or spur social action. When people endow music with meanings, associations, and values, they lend it power--power to communicate, to move us, to transform our frame of mind and our emotions. A common musical grounding can be used to strengthen social connectedness, to bring people together in common cause, or to create symbols of identity for public representation.

What, then, is the meaning