This is a short addendum, a 4th point for ensuring a healthy musical culture and society -
ALL MUSIC IS CREATED EQUAL.
Yes, people can have preferences, but musical discrimination is akin to ethnic discrimination. Witihin this too, you can establish that some artists may be more skilled and proficient than others, but the issue is how well they advance their art and their genre. A rapper isn't as skilled on piano as a classical pianist, but a classical pianist is also not as skilled at rapping (probably). You can't judge rap vs classical, you can simply judge quality and how genuine the artist is.
With this understanding, we can start to move forward and fuse different kinds of music and truly create community.
Genre is based on culture, attitudes, and behaviours. If you can't understand a genre, you probably can't understand the people that play it. We can understand each other through music
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
the startup
Hey people
I started this blog to coincide with my application to start a workshop for Manifesto, though its based on ideas I've been developing and researching for years. Basically its this:
-people need to be making their own music
Turn off the radio!! Boycott corporate ownership of music! Create a new mainstream! Music before money!
-music education is in general ineffectively taught (in Toronto)
I've been teaching guitar since high school, and I see the typical cubicle in and out approach that most music schools use. Not to mention the elitism associated with learning classical music (don't get me wrong, its worth learning!). Still, kids want to form bands, music is collaborative. We need to bring back the each one teach one mentality to music education, and create a supportive environment that encourages musicians to strive to be better artists
-musical groups are an organizational unit in civil society
Again, music is collaborative. Its a common language that brings people together. Playing music together is important. Its a social thing, just like playing sports together, or sharing a meal. The more people come together with music, the more we can unify our voices and make serious change in this world
Its my hope that this blog (and workshop) inspires more people to grab your instruments and take them into the streets. Shoutouts to all the great bands already out there in this city and beyond - especially all the samba bands - and all those groups that have already left a major mark on history. In the words of Fela Kuti, music is the weapon!
peace
I started this blog to coincide with my application to start a workshop for Manifesto, though its based on ideas I've been developing and researching for years. Basically its this:
-people need to be making their own music
Turn off the radio!! Boycott corporate ownership of music! Create a new mainstream! Music before money!
-music education is in general ineffectively taught (in Toronto)
I've been teaching guitar since high school, and I see the typical cubicle in and out approach that most music schools use. Not to mention the elitism associated with learning classical music (don't get me wrong, its worth learning!). Still, kids want to form bands, music is collaborative. We need to bring back the each one teach one mentality to music education, and create a supportive environment that encourages musicians to strive to be better artists
-musical groups are an organizational unit in civil society
Again, music is collaborative. Its a common language that brings people together. Playing music together is important. Its a social thing, just like playing sports together, or sharing a meal. The more people come together with music, the more we can unify our voices and make serious change in this world
Its my hope that this blog (and workshop) inspires more people to grab your instruments and take them into the streets. Shoutouts to all the great bands already out there in this city and beyond - especially all the samba bands - and all those groups that have already left a major mark on history. In the words of Fela Kuti, music is the weapon!
peace
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