Can you think of a day without music? We can hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music. They listen to music, they dance to music, they learn to play musical instruments.

But what is music? Specialists explain that music isn't only a combination of pleasant sounds.

There are a lot of different kinds of music. Some of them appeared long ago, and some are modern. For example, folk music appeared long ago, but it is still alive. There are many local performers, choirs and folk groups in Russia; but perhaps the most famous singer is Nadezhda Babkina. Folk songs are very tuneful and pleasant to listen to. Classical music is often associated with the music of the past. However, this style also includes music being written now, and we may speak of modern classical music. Rap is a modern musical style where the singer speaks or shouts the words in time to music with a steady beat. Such artist as Eminem or group House of Pain are leaders in this style.

Tastes differ. So people's musical interests range from pop and rock music, which are extremely popular nowadays, especially among young people, to classical music and opera.

When I have free time I listen to their records. I also like having background music while I am working.

It's a pity that many young people like to listen only to modern music. As for me, I also enjoy listening to classical music. Classical music is always a complex of emotions. It gives me delight, pleasure and a sense of happiness. Not long ago I listened to the Polonez - Goodbye to the nature land, composed by Oginsky. This music is sad, but I like sad music too.

The music I hate is heavy metal. I find it noisy and dreadful. Though some young people are fond of this style of music, it is not to everyone's taste. To my mind, music too loud can destroy our ears. I am indifferent to other styles of music. For example, I don't mind listening to jazz.