Tia DeNora
Silky Carter
CPIII 12/3/09
Dr. Schmidt
Tia DeNora
Music as technology of self and Music as a Device of Social Ordering is very elusive yet lucid, in that it illustrates how important music is, and how we as musicians, teachers, and regular listeners sometimes take the power of music for granted. We do not understand it but music is truly a part of what makes us who we are. Music can shape and construct beauties as well as beasts. I can remember writing my first few drafts of my music education philosophy which said, “Music education is the portal through which we release our moral fibers, ambitions, and psyche and should be shared throughout the world so that we relate in nature.” While I meant what I said, its appearance today comes back as a living testimony. I didn’t realize how dependent I was on music. Sometimes I can’t do homework or clean without listening to music. When I’m going through family issues, need a pick me up, or having surreal romances, I turn to music. I’m also a participant of using music to enhance or alter my mood. I say participant with the loom of victimization because music could be used as a manipulative factor. Major keys seem to make you happy while minor keys provoke sadness. While I have always been aware of music and the emotion it evoked, I was not aware of the influence music had on me subconsciously. Music acts as an agent to evoke memory, mood, and identity.
DeNora made me realize that in most instances, music is what feelings sound like. It’s important to consider how people feel, how do students see themselves and how do they want others to perceive them? If we do not engage in the music that influences students, and the actions and environment around them which prompts them to choose certain music then we make assumptions and draw improper conclusions about who they are, and what they have to offer. Their abilities are misperceived and then limits are put on them. Based off of everything we’ve discussed this semester this notion is not conducive to building a community of possibilities. Therefore it’s important to create moments and environments where people can meet, greet, and understand each other through music. DeNora speaks about using music as an agent for change. In an article Entitled ” The Power of Music: Europe’s commitment in the Middle East and in the world” It spoke of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and said that the solutions through music. The entire article is quite powerful but what struck me the most was this statement “In times of totalitarian or autocratic rule, artists have been able to remain uncompromising in their art under otherwise very restrictive circumstances. Culture, in this context, has often been the only avenue of independent thought. It is the only way people can meet as equals and exchange ideas freely. Culture then becomes primarily the voice of the oppressed and takes over from politics as a driving force for change” by Daniel Barenboim.
This to me is exactly what DeNora was expressing about using music as a social agent for change, but the key is to liberate students in the context of musicality, sociologically, and individualistically. The article also stated that despite geographic, cultural and social class differences we are all related and connected when we make music together. A perfect illustration of that is in this YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEW0BtFuj5I There are people of all sorts of back grounds and nationalities but they’ve come together with hopes to promote peace by lifting their voices together, singing Bob Marley’s One Love. Again, the question is how do I promote this in the classroom? How would I bring music as a private self into the classroom or use music as an agent for change? I believe students should keep a journal; it could be a weekly or daily thing. The teachers should read and respond to the students logs. The teacher should allow room for students to put any extra writing they would like but centrally to speak about the pieces of music they listened to outside the classroom and why? The teacher should have students speak about the pieces being worked on inside the classroom and how it makes them feel. What music makes them happy or sad, etc. I believe students should bring their playlist to school to share with their teachers and peer and vice versa. Then promote them to listen to music they’re unfamiliar with and have them describe its characteristics and how it makes them feel. This will give the teacher partial tools to come-into the students world. The more elaborate and sincere the teachers requests and responses are the better the chances are students will begin to open up, expose, and identify their real self as oppose to the idealized self.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEW0BtFuj5I Playing for change: One Love
http://www.danielbarenboim.com/index.php?id=36%22%20http://www.danielbarenboim.com/index.php?id=36 The Power of Music: Europe’s commitment in the Middle East and in the world
