MUSIC
by Lyudmila Bali
Music... I can hardly find a single person who would ignore music. Through all the time, music has been an important part of every person’s life. The influence of music is just great. Do you ever think about what effect music has on your life? When you listen to the radio, your mood can be changed just by the song that comes on.

People listen to music, have their own music equipment home, lots of people play musical instruments, go to the concerts to listen to music. Yes, music is very important.

Different people like different kinds of music: classic, jazz, rock, opera, pop music... Some people like old songs. So do I. When you hear an old song, you always remember where you were when you heard that song for the first time in your life. Nothing pinpoints a moment in your life like music. It just brings everything back, as if you were there again. In my opinion the only really good songs were written between the mid-sixties and mid-seventies. I can never figure out if that’s because those years were really so much better or because I felt everything so strongly then.

Now I’d like to say some words about the music that has become very popular lately - Christian music. The number of people who love Christian music has greatly increased lately. The reason they love Christian music is because it can sound great and be so godly at the same time. It is about God’s love for us. Newer bands have been gaining recognition (and platinum records), which has led to a better ability to produce quality music. People accept contemporary Christian music, the message it sends trying to be a shining light in a world of darkness. There is a big group of people who wouldn’t agree that this kind of music is great. That’s because they have a bad image of Christian music, which really sounds great. Just call to mind the “Jesus Christ - Super Star.” Isn’t it great? Mainly, the goal of this music is to show people who God is and why Christians love and believe Him. Musicians who create this music want to show us what they care about - our lives, our art, our music; they want to give us the best music possible and the best lyrics possible. They want to challenge our minds, to let us see that there is an alternative to a nihilistic lifestyle.

Listen to “Jars of Clay” if you have a chance to. I hope you will love this music too. Just try.

Ex.1. Answer the questions and discuss the subject.

1. Do you like music, or are you a person who would ignore it?

2. What kind of music do you prefer? Does it depend on your mood?

3. When do you listen to music? Can you listen to music and do your home assignment simultaneously?

4. Do you prefer to listen to music with your friends or alone?

5. Do you play any musical instrument?

6. You go to the concerts to listen to music, don’t you?

7. What kind of music do your parents prefer?

8. Do you discuss music issues with your parents, friends, and teachers?

9. By the way, do you listen to music at your lessons at school?

10. Has Christian music become popular in your country?

11. What is your attitude to this kind of music?

12. What musical show is the most popular in your city (town, village)?

Ex.2.Read the passage and fill in the missing verbs. Use the past tense.

MADONNA

One of the most successful entertainers today is Madonna. She is one of the world’s top pop singers and has sold millions of records.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born into a large family in Michigan, USA, in 1958.

Even a child, she 1)... many talents. At the age of 8, she 2)... in a friend’s homemade film. She also appeared in high school plays and gradually 3)... interested in dancing. After graduation, she went to the University of Michigan for a while.

Shortly after that, she left for New York and 4) ... with only $35 in her pocket. She 5)... with dance groups for some time and then began to get interested in pop-music. She 6)... to play the guitar and write songs. She began to develop her own musical style, mixing the sounds and rhythms of rock’n’roll, pop, and dance music.

Then, in 1983, she 7)... a record of her own. It was called “Madonna.”

The first album attracted the attention of disk jockeys and dance clubs. In 1984, it was known across the USA. She quickly became recognized as one of the top talents in popular music. More successful records 8)..., as well as national and world tours.

Young people round the world 9)... her songs, like “Vogue” and “Like a Virgin” and they 10)... millions of copies. Since then, Madonna has continued to record successful hit songs and videos, and she has also 11)... in several movies. One of her best movies was “Evita,” based on a real story. This story was much more exciting with Madonna starring.

Her daughter, Lourdes, 12)… late in 1996, just as Evita 13)… for release. The movie was greeted with generally positive reviews and Madonna 14) … a campaign for an Oscar nomination that resulted in her winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy), but not the coveted Academy Award nomination. The soundtrack for Evita, however, was a modest hit, with a dance remix of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and the newly-written "You Must Love Me" both becoming hits.

But in spite of her starring in “Evita,” for many people she is still the Queen of Pop.

The verbs to use:

act

arrive

become

be born

buy

begin

follow

have

love

learn

produce

schedule

star

work