FEATURE:
New Musical Education
IN THIS PHOTO: Jay-Z in New York City, 2003/PHOTO CREDIT: Armen Djerrahian
Why Music’s Rich Lessons and Perspectives Deserve Assimilation into the Curriculum
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AN interesting article caught my eye...
PHOTO CREDIT: @danielcgold/Unsplash
that made me think about music and the many ways in which it can teach and enrich (I will mention it later in the piece). Think about music as a means of therapy and rehabilitation. It can be used to simply lift the mood or, for those with neurological disorders and memory problems, it is a way of unlocking something hidden. Many patients with dementia and other disorders use music to help uncover memories and access parts of the brain traditional therapy cannot. We know music’s potency when it comes to tackling depression and the capacity of its healing powers cannot be underestimated. I wonder whether we pay enough attention to the words and what lessons are imparted through music. Whereas parts of the national curriculum seem dated and generic; is there new wisdom and revelation to be found in music? We all take certain lyrics to heart and have our favourite lines – how often do we use entire albums and artists to, essentially, act as scripture? It might sound preposterous to think artists can imbue the same education and importance as philosophers and teachers but I feel music, more and more is eroding from the curriculum. The standard music lessons most of us experienced at school seems to be a thing of the past and most people who get an education in music do so at college/university and special schools. That often involves money and it seems ridiculous music has to be paid for!
PHOTO CREDIT: @element5digital/Unsplash
I do wonder whether there should be a reintroduction of music onto the syllabus. It does not have to involve playing or practicing an instrument; it can be as simple as listening to music and discussing it. I feel there are entire periods of music that document society with great clarity and controversy than politicians and public figures. Even listening to music as a form of decompression and anxiety balm would be a wise thing considering the growing epidemic regarding poor mental-health. I feel music listening is becoming more private and that there is an opportunity to bring it back more comprehensively. Maybe there is subjectivity regarding music’s wisdom but I find a lot of what is taught in school is rigid and generic. It is, of course, essential to learn basic maths and science; to discuss classic literature and have talks around sexual education but in terms of general life skills and guidance; where are the musicians? I think, actually, there is great philosophy and poetry that can form and mould young minds. Consider lessons of love and relationships that have been revealed in music since the dawn of time. A lot of children and teens rely on their peers and parents when it comes to heartache and how relationships go but, thinking deeply, can we use music? Think about lyrics and lines that have wise shoulders and how powerful that can be.
Fewer young people are listening back to older music and there is a lot of anxiety and sameness in mainstream music. Maybe they get some guidance from modern Pop and the mainstream but I think a wider study and appreciation could help them immensely. From The Beatles and Carole King through Prefab Sprout and Tori Amos; do we see songs as throwaway and for a specific occasion when there are everyday lessons and important goldmines that are not being explored? Consider that as ‘life lessons’ and there are messages regarding sex – safe or otherwise – that provides a more accessible and less embarrassing form of education. Many might say it is rather controversial and dangerous using music as a firm of sex education but, so long as educators are sensible and employ some censorship, I do not see why music cannot be used to accompany traditional lessons. Maybe there is less wisdom to be found regarding science and maths but, in some ways, there are things that can be extrapolated. I think, in terms of the subjects that naturally fit into music, we’d have English and history. From the English side of things, I do not think enough contemporary or ‘classic’ music is incorporated. Think about the poetry and gems of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell as a form of education. Not only is the language beautiful and intelligent – there are so many important lessons and ideas young students can take to heart.
I can understand why classic literature and poetry needs to be studied but how can one be snobbish when it comes to popular music? The world has moved on in terms of technology and the way many of us interact but, in many ways, education has not really stepped on in decades! Music stores are parlours of discussion and connection and, years ago, music used to be a very physical and sociable thing. As the years go by, we are becoming distant and music enjoyment is singular and lonely – unless we are bonding at gigs and talking there. Think about another school subject and music’s biggest draw: history. From the plight of black lives being narrated through classic Hip-Hop albums and how international politics has been portrayed in Folk. Pop music, at every stage, portrays modern life but think about the way songwriters talk about life and how that differs from rather dry and stoic texts. British Hip-Hop and Grime give you an understanding of estates and the lives of a certain sector of society. We can listen to classic albums of the 1960s and, not only get a thrilling blast of sonic gold, but get a real and direct sense of what was happening in the world and how the world differs to how it is today. Hip-Hop, especially, provides perceptive regarding tensions and divisions in America in the 1980s and 1990s. Classic albums from the likes of Public Enemy, I feel, are more potent and tangible than huge text books and rather boring lessons.
PHOTO CREDIT: @timothypaulsmith/Unsplash
In fact, you can listen to any period of music and get a very deep and vibrant sense of how things used to be. Apply music to subjects like art and fashion and you can see how things have changed. From the Punk and Goth ages through to fashion icons like Madonna and David Bowie; why not use music as a form of education? I feel every subject on the curriculum could be heightened and expanded by using music. Perhaps you feel there is little ‘wisdom’ to be found in songs by Rock artists and it would be folly to replace a more structured and academic foundation. I am not saying that we replace what is being taught...simply understand how music can inspire and influence an individual and apply that to an entire generation. This article in The Guardian sees Ted Kessler discuss music as a form of education – how artists have taught him lessons and made an impact. Kessler’s book, The Ten Commandments: the Rock Star’s Guide to Life, uses lessons and words from big artists as a form of religion and education. Here are some snippets from the feature:
“Noel Gallagher famously sang that listeners of Oasis should not put their life in the hands of a rock’n’roll band. I fundamentally disagree. Everything good in my life has been recommended to me by my musical heroes. My moral compass has been set almost entirely by pop stars. No teacher, no institution, no writer (OK, maybe some writers, actually) has had the same impact upon me as rock stars....
Who forged your direction in life? Your parents? School? Your peers? Maybe it was a religious calling, or even a political party. If so, it’s not too late to rethink your choice and invest in musicians instead.
I drew everything I believe in, initially, from Paul Weller, lead singer with the Jam. He changed my life, forever. The London I grew up in the late 1970s was grim: the rubbish piled up, the National Front daubed their initials upon school walls, Thatcher snatched our milk. But Weller rocked up with visions of social utopia attached to the kind of chorus that any idiot 11-year-old could remember. His clothes were fantastic. He was pictured reading Alan Sillitoe and George Orwell. He proclaimed that his fans should investigate an array of soul, reggae, funk and 60s beat records.
School failed me, marriage failed me – or rather, I failed them – and no job is for life. I am a strong advocate of therapy in moments of crises, but have found it frustratingly opaque as a navigational tool when not negotiating emotional emergency: tell me what to do! The wisdom in song, though, the insights of musicians… that light never goes out. As mind-expanding as books, film and art can be, as tightly as you can hold those to you, they have not shaped my tastes, my politics, my worldview, my wardrobe as consistently as watching the Specials on Top of The Pops in 1979. I remain lost in music, and glad to be in that trap”.
IN THIS PHOTO: A shot of Dumbo, Brooklyn (U.S.A.)/PHOTO CREDIT: @bantersnaps/Unsplash
There are a lot of reasons to learn an instrument and get involved with music from an early age. It opens up parts of the mind and can take your life in fascinating directions. There is the social side of things but, when we look at the wider curriculum; are we making the most of the beautiful and endless words from iconic names? I have only scratched the surface but feel musicians, as they are normal people, are not biased and lying. They have lived lives similar to us and experienced the same things. Their knowledge and words can help motivate students and there are so many lessons to be learned. From Hip-Hop’s chronicling of the racial tensions felt in America; that can be applied to the here and now and how many textbooks are as current as popular songs?! Look at fashions and genres as a documentation of specific periods and how the world has changed. Of course, the music itself is as important as the lyrics. I have spoken about the multifaceted and therapeutic side of music and how it can aid a person in so many ways. Learning an instrument can bond people and tech so much and merely playing music can help lift the mood and soothe depression. Some claim that form of ‘education’ is rather lazy and random but few schools are harnessing music in any real or significant sense.
IN THIS PHOTO: Lorde (one of modern Pop’s stars whose songs could act as guidance for young pupils)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I have learned so much from music and feel, as the years have progressed, I am still picking up new lessons and insights from my favourite acts. Maybe (these lessons) have not been as substantial and evocative as classes I took at school but I feel music holds so much potential. Even if every school around the country introduced a class such as Music Education as standard and integrated that alongside regular lessons then it would make a huge difference. Children and teens would learn about new cultures and countries; they would get a more interesting and eye-opening tributary into a new world and I think music would stick in the mind more quickly than a lot of what teachers are saying. That is not a slight against them but it can be rather challenging taking it all in and music would provide a great education but is a different way of learning. As much as anything, music as an art needs to come back into schools and, as we push it out to the colleges and special schools; so many children are being denied fundamental pleasures and lessons. Maybe the sermons from New York Hip-Hop artists seem reserved to a time, place and location but, open your ears and there is actual history and reality being laid down. You might think many loves songs are too personal and lack substance but there is so much you can take from them and teach to your young students. Open music up to its fullest and do not keep it in record crates and private collections. Introduce it into the national curriculum and I feel music, in so many ways, can enrich, guide and nurture...
PHOTO CREDIT: @pistos/Unsplash
SCHOOLS throughout the land.