The language of the universe is music. To understand the message that a song is trying to express, one need not understand the language in which it is being sung. The sounds of music can carry a message where spoken words might not be able to. Music may comfort the aching soul and deliver the tranquility and peace that a person longs for during the darkest hours, in times of difficulty and distress. Music talks to our souls in times of solitude and contemplation, and occasionally it even calls to mind some of the smaller pleasures of life that may have long since been forgotten but for which we should always be grateful.

We also express our joy, adoration, and appreciation to the One from whom all blessings flow through the language of music. But while choosing the genre of music we want to listen to, as with anything else, we must exercise judgment. There is music that uplifts us as well as music that depresses us.

The late, great vocalist, Aretha Louise Franklin, declared, “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.” Louis Armstrong, a renowned jazz trumpeter who lived from 1901 to 1971, once declared that "music is life itself."

Music Speaks Directly to the Soul 

According to Aldous Huxley, "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” English essayist Joseph Addison observed, "With unsuspected eloquence, music has the power to influence and control every man with a secret art. It can convey great ideas, incite rage, ignite love, and so on. The only kind of sensuous pleasure in which people can overindulge without endangering their moral or religious sensibilities is music. The soul is awakened by music, which also raises it high, fills it with heavenly desires, and prepares it to speak of the Deity."

Since man's earliest days, music has been a component of daily life occurrences. For instance, the musical festivities that took place after the Israelite children crossed the Red Sea are described in Exodus 15 of the Bible's Old Testament. Music has occasionally both accompanied soldiers into combat and been used to commemorate military victories. At kings' coronations, songs and dances were performed in their honor. Music has long been used to comfort anxious souls, support prophecy, and communicate personal sorrow. David included musical imagery throughout the Psalms to express both his gratitude for God and his own feelings.

Our Different Tastes in Music 

Our musical preferences vary from one another. For instance, although some people love classical or jazz, others might prefer country, contemporary, Christian, gospel, oldies, or any of the many other musical genres. While some people love their music to be as loud as possible, others may prefer peaceful, calming music. Regardless of our personal musical preferences, music has a significant impact on each of our lives and can have a variety of effects.

Certain genres of music can have a favorable impact on us while we are feeling down by uplifting us and making us feel refreshed. But music also has drawbacks that can harm us. We can truly feel depressed, lonely, unwanted, and hated by listening to certain songs and musical genres. As a result, we need to develop the ability to choose music carefully.

Important Questions Concerning Music Selection

Ardeth G. Kapp stated the following regarding music in an article published in the November 1990 edition of the Ensign magazine:

Music has a very powerful and wonderful influence in establishing feelings and moods that can lift and elevate your thoughts and your actions. But because it is so powerful, it is clearly used by the adversary to stimulate your thoughts, feelings, and moods, to pollute and poison your mind and cause you to do things you would not otherwise consider doing.

When deciding what kind of music to listen to, it might be a good idea for us to ask ourselves a few crucial questions. Examples of such inquiries might include the following:

• How long do I spend enjoying music?
• I listen to music because...
• Which genres of music do I like to listen to?
• Have my mood and attitude changed as a result of listening to a certain genre of music?
• Would I feel safe letting my family and friends listen to the song lyrics?
• Does the performing group uphold principles similar to mine?

"Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind and spirit of man," Elder Boyd K. Packer said in a speech to Brigham Young University on 26 September 1967.

If we identify as Christians, we always represent Christ in whatever we say or do, and wherever we go. Like every other aspect of our lives, the music we listen to should honor God. In order to show our thanks to our Heavenly Father, we should reflect on what He has done for us.

The Bible specifically advises us to protect our minds and hearts from negative influences. In Deuteronomy 4:9 we read, “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thou soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.” In Proverbs 4:23 we are taught, “Keep [our] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” And in 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are taught, “[Cast] down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and [bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

We were given the following sound advice by President Gordon B. Hinckley regarding music (Be Thou An Example, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1981, p. 56):

Let there be music in the home. If you have teenagers who have their own recordings, you will be prone to describe the sound as something other than music. Let them occasionally hear something better. Expose them to it. It will speak for itself. More of appreciation will come than you may think. It may not be spoken, but it will be felt, and its influence will become increasingly manifest as the years pass. 

Finally, the following criteria should be used while deciding what kind of music to listen to:

• Do these songs respect God and His ways? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
• Does this music inspire me to consider what is true and right? (Philippians 4:8)
• Does this song help me in my faith? (Romans 14:22,23)
• Does this music support what God forbids? (Proverbs 19:27)
• Do the lyrics to the songs make God angry? (Ephesians 4:29)
• In the name of the Lord Jesus, am I permitted to enjoy this music? (Colossians 3:17)
• Does my family like this genre of music? (Colossians 3:20)
• Will the Holy Spirit who resides within me be offended if I listen to this kind of music? (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)

May we carefully and fervently choose the music we listen to. “Let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever [we] do in word or deed, [may we] do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by Him” (Colossians 3:16, 17).