Earlier this week I attended a lecture by Leonard Slatkin, the music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Music has always been a huge part of my life and I think the impact that being part of the arts community throughout grade school made a really significant impact on who I am today. Slatkin's lecture touched on a lot of topics including his past, quirky stories about his family and his incredibly impressive personal resume. One of the main points of his lecture was the importance that music and arts education has in schools. He spoke so passionately about the profound change that music can have on an individuals life. That music and the community that it creates gives people a sense of pride and belonging, as well as a connection to culture, history, and a creative outlet.
Everyone always says "oh it's such a small world". I truly do believe this, not just between people and relationships, but also between ideas and experiences. The beginning part of Slatkin's lecture was about how involved his family was in music (both of his parents were principal musicians for major motion picture companies)and how music has always provided a type of solace for many during tough times. He explained that right after WWII there was a huge push in the arts community to commission plays and pieces of music. It also led to the development of many local symphonies and dance companies. For some reason, our country is currently in a similar state of turmoil and financial strife, yet more and more schools and communities are cutting music and arts programs from the budget.
Parts of the lecture made me think about a lot of different things in relation to my experiences with music and how it has shaped me. It also surprisingly made me think a lot about music's interaction with technology. I know that is sounds like I am fishing for a connection but it really seemed to make sense. (On a side note, it was also one of the first times I thought "I should blog abou this" which is an altogether new experience.) Technology has had such a major influence on the way we experience and access music. From production and recording to performances, technology has completely revolutionized how we experience music, art, and performances. But has it been for the better? I think that our immediate connections to music and art on such a huge scale through the internet has made live performances more obsolete, but it has also provided these things to access a larger audience than ever though possible several decades ago. I would really like to explore this further!
I also find the fact that they are cutting arts programs in schools disturbing. It is an important aspect of many peoples lives and a lot of times gets started during their school years. There are also a lot of studies that say that students who are engaged in such areas receive higher grades and test scores. I personally was involved in music up through high school, and though I didn't necessarily like the band aspect of it that I was in, I am still finding other ways to engage myself in it. I do think that technology has helped me in this respect though. I am teaching myself to play guitar and am constantly looking up different youtube videos or tabs and chords for different songs to learn online. I am also an avid ipod user; you can rarely find me without music in my ears or playing from my itunes. I am constantly browsing for more artists to listen to.
ReplyDelete