Recently, our long-time friend Keith Gough, who is currently stationed in Ukraine with the Peace Corps, invited us to get involved in an essay contest open to the students of Peace Corps Volunteers. Students were invited to write about the role of music in the lives of people. After much deliberation, we have chosen our winner. And the winner is…
…Natalia Danyluik! Congratulations, Natalia! Her winning essay is reproduced below.
We would also like to congratulate Vadym Kucher, Veronika Zharska, Lyuda Boldar, Anton Korsun, and Natasha—thank you for your excellent entries! To view these essays, click here.
To the students: thank you for your essays and the hard work that went into producing them. As it has in ours, may music forever play an important role in your lives.
To the Volunteers: thank you all for your hard work! Special thanks to Keith Gough and Claire St. Amant for allowing us to share our common love of music across geographical boundaries.
Find out more about the Peace Corps at: http://www.peacecorps.gov
- Matt of 650north
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Natalia Danyluik, 8th form, Tysmenytsya, Ivano Frankivsk Oblast, size S
PCV Claire St. Amant Gr. 35, Tysmenytsya, Ivano Frankivsk Oblast
The importance of music in my life
I enjoy listening to music because it reflects my moods and
emotions. I think people cannot live without music. They listen to
music, dance to music or learn to play musical instruments. Music in
the lives of different people is different: some people compose music,
others play music and others only listen to it. A lot of people who
cannot plant any musical instrument love to listen to music either at
home or at a concert. Everybody likes different kinds of music. You
may prefer pop or rock music, folk or country music, jazz or classical
music.
There is music everywhere: at home, in a concert hall, in the
park, at the seaside, in the forest, in shops, on TV, over the radio,
in the cars, and even in the streets. I have a lot of CDs and records.
I try to watch all the programmes on TV about music. My favorite
singer is Katy Perry. I think she is very talented. Her songs are so
happy. They can give many positive emotions. Unfortunately, there are
so many false singers on the stages, that it makes me sad. To have a
good producer doesn’t mean to have a good voice and ears. I think that
only talented people can be true singers.
Music is not a combination of pleasant sounds only. It is an art
which reflects life. Nowadays, filled with conflicts, tragedies, and
joys, music can give to us hopes that our world can be better. Very
often, when I feel bad, I listen to my favourite songs and I feel much
better. So, music can help us to feel better and be so organized.
Sounds! We hear all sorts of them. The sounds of nature: the
rustling of leaves in the wind, or the patter of rain and the crashing
of waves. Put sounds together ad create a tune and we have music. I
think, it is very difficult to create true music. So it can only be
done by true talented composers. There are many singers and musicians
which are famous all over the world. And there are many other singers
who may not be as famous as the international stars, but they play an
important role in their communities and are able to bring joy and hope
to many whose lives are bleak.
I don’t know any student who doesn’t like music. Everybody can buy a
lot of CDs and tapes. All people have their tastes in music. I listen
to music in my free time. I prefer popular music because it is very
happy. Usually such kind of music can make people laugh. Most of
pupils have mobile phones and usually there are many songs. Now many
young people go to the concerts. I think they do it because they want
entertainment. I talk to my friends a lot about music. I think, music
is the best topic to communicate to each other because everybody
listens to music.
I believe music is a big part of culture. For example, folk music
can show people from foreign countries who are the people which have
such good or bad folk music. And it’s true. If I want to know more
about characters of people from other countries, I can listen to their
folk music, then I’ll know more about them. I can listen to music when
I do my homework, when I’m cleaning, and when I have a good mood. I
think sometimes people forget about classical music. Usually I listen
to popular music, and I don’t like classical music so much. But this
is music, too.
Often teens like rock music or other modern music. They don’t like
classical music because it’s very boring. I agree with them, but every
kind of music is original and the best. So, listen to music and enjoy
it.
You know you’re going to have a Thanksgiving Day hangover anyway—might as well come earn it with us. So, spread the word, and we hope to see you there. 4 hours of rock and/or roll—we’ll be throwing in some covers—maybe even a few surprises 
