Music is the auditory form of art, used as an expression of creativity, spirituality, and individualism since before the days of written history. Music distinguishes humanity from the rest of life on earth, and recent archaeological discoveries in the interest of art insinuate a deeper cognizance of man than assumed in the Paleolithic days. Archaeologists found that cave paintings were positioned in locations with the best acoustics, suggesting ritualistic singing while painting. In a recent study, it was theorized that the stone tools of this ancient people doubled as instruments, and could produce distinct and clear notes, and even be tuned by chiseling.

The progression of musical development is difficult to track from the pounding of stones in the Paleolithic era to the first emergence of the art form in recorded history: the Gregorian chant of 600 AD. Throughout much of the history of music, the songs were defined as sacred, performed primarily in church and written for the purpose of worship. Secular music replaced the sacred to some extent with the Renaissance, and took on a more ornamental structure in the Baroque period. This age ended with the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Classical period gave birth to symphonies and string quartets. The next musical transition did not occur until ragtime, the first solely American genre, coaxed couples onto the dance floor in 1896. Dissonance became the trend in composition soon after, and ragtime evolved into jazz. This traditionally "black music" was reintroduced to the white populace as rock 'n' roll, from the derivation of rhythm and blues, and the invention of electric guitars gave a new edginess to the sound of music. Soon, rock was heard playing on every radio and many genres derived from this father genre, including punk, metal, and alternative. Rap became popular among youth in recent days, although the first commercial hit played on airwaves before the year of John Lennon's death. Rap was just as controversial upon introduction to the masses as were the first chords played on an electric guitar and the swinging pelvis of Elvis in the fifties.

Although religion was the main purpose of music for over one thousand years, the spirit of music in our century is very disparate from religion. However, there is certainly a message lying beneath even the most contentious lyrics coupled with catchy tunes. In music is heard the voice of each generation and the sound of societies. The music between countries varies as much as their languages, but the songs can be understood and appreciated far beyond language barriers. "The art of muses," as the Greek etymology defines music, is more than organized tones, but provides a cultural foundation for society, a template for creativity, and a voice that speaks loudly across the boundaries of generations, stereotypes, and nations.