Once  upon a time in a faraway land there was a huge debate between all the  possible political candidates so everyone could judge for themselves who  was best to lead the country. Unfortunately, they judged the speakers  the way they judge musicians. They grouped them into genres by the sound  of their speech. The ones who had a slight Southern twang were put it  in one category, and the ones who had a little New York edge to their  phrases were put into another category, and the ones who had that  midwestern plains sound were put in another category. If you asked  somebody what was said or what the candidates stood for, the only answer  you’d get was: Ah, he sounded like he was from Maine, or: Oh, that guy  was from Oklahoma, as if that described the speech that was delivered.  Were people really not hearing the meaning? Were they only hearing the  sound? When you ask: “What kind of music is that?,” Isn’t the question  more about what it does to your heart and mind? What about the ideas and  emotional assumptions that were sung? How did it inspire your  imagination or affect your sense of wonder? But maybe in our made-up  little story about the political candidates, the truth is that most  people aren’t looking beyond their desire to listen to someone who’s  from the place that they call home. I always wanted music to move me,  but maybe for most people, the purpose of music is not about how it  moves your heart and mind but rather just its ability to make you feel  comfortable sitting where you are.