Prompt: IELTS Writing Task 2 - Topic: Music Question: Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different cultures and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Many people hold the view that music can strengthen the bond between people who differ in cultural backgrounds and age groups. From my perspective, I disagree with this opinion because different tastes in music and culture-related lyrics are the factors which cannot help to foster relationships. Ċ First of all, favorite music genres of different generations can widen the gap between the young and the elderly. While youngsters have a common tendency to enjoy listening to pop or rock songs, the elderly seem to prefer classical and folk music. As a result, older people are not likely to participate in teenagers' discussions about the latest and trendy songs. Based on the interview carried out by BBC News, many adolescents would encounter difficulties in starting a conversation with the elderly when it comes to music. Ċ What is more, cultures represented in the lyrics are not always appropriate for people around the world to make a connection with each other. There might be some cultural conflicts when a song unintentionally includes something which seems to compromise the other cultures. Since music is often an expression of cultures, people of indigenous cultures hardly connect with those of foreign cultures. For instance, the Western and Eastern cultures have different religious beliefs, so the religious content of a Western song may be unsuitable for Eastern people to listen to. Ċ In conclusion, music is not a significant factor in improving relationships of people who have a disparity in cultures and age groups due to a variety of preferred types of music and the content of songs.