A World Without Music?

Submitted by: University of Western Australia

by Samantha Regenbogen (mentor: Dawn Bennett)

In response to The Savvy Musician Challenge #1 

Are Musicians Truly Important? Most people immediately agree that doctors, farmers, and teachers provide essential services to our communities.  But what about musicians?  Is our work vital?  What kind of important differences can we make?

The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is often casually tossed around. Yet the answer, particularly for university students for whom being “grown up” is not too far away, is not a casual one. For many, students experience the pressure to respond with “important” answers like medicine, or social work. But what about the students who answer “musician”? Is that role any less important than the others? Hardly. Though often discarded as merely an “art,” music holds a significant importance in society, in terms of motivation of youth, expression of culture, and inspiration for social change.

For students with less privileged upbringings, whose parents may not have the time or resources to provide supervision after school, music programs provide students with opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills, hone a student’s determination, and encourage a strong worth ethic. In fact, according to a study performed by James S. Catterall of the Imagination Project from the University of Los Angeles, students involved with arts are considered more academically and socially advanced in every measure studied than those with less artistic involvement. Even more significant is that the involvement in arts has even more of a profound effect on low-income students than middle-class students. Ultimately, the academic subjects of mathematics and readings are most improved by sustained involvement in activities such as music and theater. In particular, the arts are considered to be such powerful motivational tools for youth because they “provide young people with authentic learning experiences that engage their minds, hearts and bodies.” (Catterall) 

Yet the significance of music is not limited just to society’s youth. In fact, music can benefit society at large. As a powerful tool of communication, music has the power to define, inform, and bond a society. For instance, music can be used to disseminate information. In South Africa, music is used to provide information to communities about prevention and treatment of AIDS (Health Communication). Sacred Harp singing, also known as shape note singing, originally from the colonial period of southern America is a practice that unites communities purely from the love of singing and music. For hours on end, community members of all skills and abilities join together to sing a collection of songs (Sabol). There are few other activities that can unite people from all walks of life and require neither money, nor particular skill. Music can even go so far as to inspire social change. For instance, American singer Bob Dylan is renowned for his protest songs that he wrote from 1962 to1963. By expressing his fear of nuclear weapons, poverty, racial discrimination, and war, he fueled a radical revolutionary spirit in the American population that will never be forgotten (Marquese).

 The true way to speak to the power and importance of music comes from personal experience, however. As a practicing musician myself, I can attest to the ineffable power of the art. As a dedicated and determined student, I could have easily become caught up entirely in academics. Yet music provided me with an artistic outlet for expression that balanced my academic rigor. As I developed my singing and performance skills, music inspired confidence in me and allowed me to stand assuredly in front of crowds of people and proudly demonstrate my talents. Music taught me the dedication needed to refine a skill, become proficient, and to work to be the best. It immersed me in a social atmosphere, in which my team-building skills improved through endless work with concert and chamber choirs.

Now, as the director of my own singing group, music has provided an unforgettable lesson about the difficulties and the rewards of leadership. Though unfortunate, I know that societies exist in which there are no doctors, teachers, are social workers. But the best way that I know that music is undeniably important and significant is that there is no silent society- whether it be a society who teachers its lessons about AIDS through song, or a society who uses music to bond a community- one simply cannot fathom a world without music.

References:

• (2005), Health Communication: Lessons learned from HIV and AIDS experience. Available from:  http://www.healthcomms.org/comms/hiv-aids/vc-hiv.html
•  Catterall, J, (2008), The Impact of Arts on Learning: Champions of Change, . Available from: Music council of australia:  http://www.mca.org.au/web/content/view/46/6
• Marquese , M, (2003), The Politics of Bob Dylan. Available from:  http://www.redpepper.org.uk/The-Politics-of-Bob-Dylan
• Sabol, S, (2005), Sacred Harp Singing: History and tradition. Available from: http://www.his.com/~sabol/SHhistory.html

Music in the Community is a second year undergraduate unit for both Music Performance and Music Education majors at the University of Western Australia, and the class commonly welcomes students from other disciplines such as Arts Law or Communications. We explore the many faces of community as well as developing plans for students’ future lives in music.

2 Responses to “A World Without Music?”

1. Stereolove/Agoria :The Longtail Music Catalog says:

   April 8, 2010 at 8:00 am

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   February 4, 2012 at 9:45 pm

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