A worthwhile notion, Erik.
When I was coming along in the 70’s, my high school did not happen to offer a music program, but it was an exception, most schools did. I’m sure the internet, video games and social media have changed the focus of the masses, to the detriment of other things of leisure, like listening to music or playing outdoors or whatever.
But, now more than ever, music is thought of as just a commodity...it is to be bought, sold, downloaded, uploaded, marketed - and marketed as an object of fandom or even to the point of some kind of worship in some cases...an industry always in search of the "next big thing" - and into manipulating the public to buying into that as much as possible (cruise Amazon’s music section and see what all they throw at you to induce you to buy).
But, when a young person takes the time to learn how to play an instrument, I think something a bit miraculous begins to happen...I don’t think it matters much at all if they are playing because they want to set the world on fire some day or if they just want to see if they can manage the basics and play for themselves, a huge underlying part of an **appreciation** of music can be gained from just coming to grips with the understanding of just how difficult and challenging it can be to master not just the instrument, but music itself. I don’t think that’s some kind of punishment, on the contrary, it’s enlightenment. And like the music itself, the understanding of what it may take to create it is a form of awareness. I suspect that can often be the point in a young mind at which music ceases being the commodity society continually programs us to accept, and starts to become what it really is - an art form.
As a result, a young music student may then glimpse deeper insights into what they feel music is - whether good music or bad - not because they are more "educated" than others or because they are some kind of experts at music theory, but because they’ve taken the time and energy to involve themselves directly with it’s creation.
Just the sort of antidote to the effects of a mass-market society you might like to have around, I would think.
When I was coming along in the 70’s, my high school did not happen to offer a music program, but it was an exception, most schools did. I’m sure the internet, video games and social media have changed the focus of the masses, to the detriment of other things of leisure, like listening to music or playing outdoors or whatever.
But, now more than ever, music is thought of as just a commodity...it is to be bought, sold, downloaded, uploaded, marketed - and marketed as an object of fandom or even to the point of some kind of worship in some cases...an industry always in search of the "next big thing" - and into manipulating the public to buying into that as much as possible (cruise Amazon’s music section and see what all they throw at you to induce you to buy).
But, when a young person takes the time to learn how to play an instrument, I think something a bit miraculous begins to happen...I don’t think it matters much at all if they are playing because they want to set the world on fire some day or if they just want to see if they can manage the basics and play for themselves, a huge underlying part of an **appreciation** of music can be gained from just coming to grips with the understanding of just how difficult and challenging it can be to master not just the instrument, but music itself. I don’t think that’s some kind of punishment, on the contrary, it’s enlightenment. And like the music itself, the understanding of what it may take to create it is a form of awareness. I suspect that can often be the point in a young mind at which music ceases being the commodity society continually programs us to accept, and starts to become what it really is - an art form.
As a result, a young music student may then glimpse deeper insights into what they feel music is - whether good music or bad - not because they are more "educated" than others or because they are some kind of experts at music theory, but because they’ve taken the time and energy to involve themselves directly with it’s creation.
Just the sort of antidote to the effects of a mass-market society you might like to have around, I would think.