- Let me give you some background on music in this part of the world. In Deep East Texas, if music isn't part of Friday night football, it's not supported. Therefore, choral programs struggle to maintain their place and orchestras are non-existent. An orchestra of any size is a rare and precious thing. One of the things that we struggle with at my university is to gradually influence the musical culture of East Texas.
Music and the other arts are alive in Fairbanks, more so than in other cities its size. So my question is why? Why does music continue to play such a strong role in Fairbanks when it seems to languish elsewhere? Is it the local culture? Lucy Green asserts that culture and society influence music making. Is it possible to suggest that because of its location and the pluck of the pioneer spirit (yes, I realize this is a bit cliché) exhibited by most everyone in the Golden Heart of Alaska that music has evolved its way into its cultural identity?
It seems that I may need to apply for sabbatical leave.
Casey Edwards, a student of mine from East Texas, asked "So the question becomes 'how do we help shape our (east Texas) culture to appreciate music?'" At this point I'm not certain that I have an adequate response. However, would the word "influence" rather than "shape" be more akin to what we want to do? With things that will last, there is no silver bullet. It will take decades to change a musical culture, and yet, isn't influencing a musical culture to change what we ultimately want? As for appreciate and music, I would venture to say that most everyone appreciates music at some basic level. What has happened in Fairbanks is that music and the other fine arts have moved up the pecking order of what you can do with your leisure time. Active musical participation is something people in Fairbanks value. It could be that a nice coincidence or just luck or that it’s a musical Shangri-La that disappears into the mist like Brigadoon. I certainly hope not.
ReplyDeleteHas music moved up the pecking order because of mass participation or a truly keen appreciation for fine arts? In my opinion, both are needed (to a degree.) Where we are, there is mass participation, yet when I see people who might have been in band a few years back, I find that there is no will to participate in fine arts again. Why?
ReplyDeleteAn interesting comment "no will to participate." It seems that this is the rub. Participation in music is a choice and choice implies intention, a willful act of making music. Therefore, why don't more people who participated in secondary music ensembles continue to use their "chops" as adults? For me a key is the word "appreciation." I can appreciate a college student's situation that she couldn't make it to class because of a flat tire but that does not require me to take any action. So my question is "do students appreciate the art of music by having their ensemble directors or private lesson musicians or an upcoming concert/contest hold a gun to their heads?" And, if the fear of not practicing does not affect students' behavior to actively play and sing as adults, should we consider alternative ways of approaching music education?
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