Teaching Harmony: Instructing Music in Relation to the World - Essay Example

Teaching Harmony: Instructing Music in Relation to the World Modern high school methods of teaching music are diminishing student interest rather than fostering understanding or appreciation. Part of this stems from the methodology, and part is rooted in administrative priorities. In his article "The Second Class Status of Music Education," N. M. Weinberger notes that school administrators frequently regard music as a less important subject than others due to its relation to emotion. This attitude hinges upon the assumption that logic and emotion are diametrically opposed and, as if in attempt to sever the two brain hemispheres, music is entirely emotive and not cognitive. Weinberger argues that 'feeling' is merely an intuitive reward of music, and that when one considers the complexity of actually playing music (translating sheet music, following the conductor, etc.), it proves to be every bit as challenging as traditional scholastic subjects1. Unfortunately, too much of the administrative and scholastic approach have infused the methodology with which music appreciation is taught. Music is taught almost entirely on theory and history, the first of which, while useful eventually, is only loosely connected to the musical variety students are exposed to in the world. As for the history of music, through the course of the school year, students are subjected to an evolution of classical music, but rarely extend beyond it. This essay will attempt both analyze the importance of music appreciation and suggest methods to captivate and increase students' interest. In1980's Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, James Hanshumaker described the conclusions his studies had revealed. To summarize, he found that: 1) Language and reading are improved through study of the Arts, as well as promoting general intellectual, social, and individual development, 2) Participation in the Arts results in lower absenteeism and a more positive respect for school, 3) Direct music participation promotes creative development, and 4) Arts activities are valued by the students. These factor indicate that music can not only communicate a mood, it can alter perceptions as well. Certain studies indicate that exposure to Mozart can elevate one's IQ2. This, however, does not mean that only Mozart can benefit the mind a tenet many instructors refuse to recognize. This belief is reflected through commercial radio, where hour long blocks of "Classical" music (a genre spanning some 400 years) are channeled into a "Top Ten" composers. Yet while Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaicovsky, and Wagner are carefully dissected, the roots of music and the evolution following are rarely acknowledged. Classical music did not end, nor has it remained the same, as exhibited through such composers as Ligeti, Partch, or Bartk although the designations may be called by different names, such as avant-garde or atonal. Yet just like every other human knowledge, music grows. Educators do not recognize the parallels between distinguishing Baroque and Romantic and distinguishing reggae and ska, punk and emo, or Delta and Chicago blues. It is almost as if teachers are unwilling to explore, despite the obvious connections: the majority of American music is based off of Appalachian music or African work songs and spirituals, yet they also show the influence of various world music, from Japan to India, the Caribbean to Central America and, yes, even Europe. Polka and Klezmer music are part of the American heritage from Europe just as much as "Classical" music. The teachers do not admit these connections however, and the students either fail to realize the interconnection or divorce their studies from the reality of their experiences. Meanwhile, notes musician Gary Burton, "it's far more common for young up-and-coming musicians to go to school somewhere and learn a lot more about music of different types, and music history which makes them capable of more versatility and sophistication"3. More sophistication in today's musicians means greater influence from broader genres of music. This in turn results in a broader range of commercial music through the radio and cinema which culminates in exposing students to all of music. Classical music might be intriguing in it's own right, but it is a very small portion of the spectrum of music existing today. Small wonder that students become discouraged when forced to focus on only one genre. Burton recognizes that music "communicates culturally it doesn't matter if it's classical or pop or Japanese it has that capability"4. Both history and music are interconnected in their respective evolutions; it is hardly surprising that the two subjects themselves are related. Japanese sitar bears the same minimalist aesthetics as reflected in other Japanese arts; Balinese music directly relates to a religion based on exorcism (which had been fostered by a long series of colonization); early Afro-American slave songs are rife with "signifying", a means of coding complaints against slave owners. Here history has directly influenced music. In the case of today's electronica, the music moves in progressive rounds, much like traditional Celtic music, while still being driven by beats similar to African rhythms. Of course, the Afro-Celt combination derives from intentional experimentation by the British music industry, who become interested in it after the punk movement, which is seen as a revolution against the folk-rock of the Sixties and so on back to the beginnings of history. Music instructors need to not only be aware of the complexity of music and its roots, but also be able to transmit this knowledge to their students. Burton admits that many musical projects now have agendas, a "political, business, or artistic orientation."5, but once students become aware of the inter-textuality of music, they become more aware of the world around them. The influence and implications of music are now being applied in other subjects. For instance, John Chase, a social studies teacher in Cooperstown, New York, has begun using music to teach students about politics, history, and social issues. Students are encouraged to select a song that deals with an issue - ranging from historical to health issues - so long as it takes a definite position on the subject. From this point, the student must then research three other sources, then analyze the connection between the evidence and the song's point of view. Song's such as U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" are used to discuss religious strife in Northern Ireland; Public Enemy is examined to determine the importance of the historic speeches they have sampled. This program, called "Learning with Lyrics" is going strong after 12 years, and Chase has founded a nonprofit organization called MUSIC (Musicians United for Songs in the Classroom) accessible via the Internet6. Having indicated the value of music to other subjects, perhaps it is not too far a stretch of the imagination to encourage music teachers to incorporate similar tactics. There are various methods through which this could be accomplished. One genre of music that gets little respect is rap, which, while urban in the tradition of Motown or Rhythm and Blues, has a large audience in "suburban white teenage boys"7. Part of this lack of respect is the claim that it has no melody, just a beat and words (which is untrue, considering the organ prowess of such bands as early Pharcyde or the Roots, or the jazz knowledge and improvisational performances by Digable Planets with such legends as Wah Wah Watson) but the very nature of rap bears direct correlation with such Shakespearean poetic devices as alliteration, consonance, apostrophe, caesura not to mention tight versification. Likewise, a band such as Public Enemy deals directly with political issues, although that can easily be said of the punk band Dead Kennedies with Jello Biafra or the metal band System of a Down. There are even genre spanning bands of equally fierce astuteness in Rage Against the Machine or Ice-T's metal experiment, Body Count. Folk songs such as "John Henry" or "Pretty Boy Floyd" are not only covered still, but lend a vision of Americana during the early 1900's; Robert Burn's "Auld Lang Syne" or Henry the VIII's composition "Greensleeves" immediately pique interest in the connection to Europe and history. Music can even lead into the sciences, as the genre Math Rock specifically incorporates mathematical formulas as it's form, or an interest in effects can create entirely new instruments, such as the Theremin. Music, like all art, allows one to contemplate a subject through a new medium. Perhaps this same logic could be applied to the methods music is taught and come out with equally startling results. Musical education in upper levels is essential. A quote by Michel de Montaigne illustrates the problem: "There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and thought it time well spent."8 The issue with students is that they too are developing a love for music too late, if at all. The rudiments of music theory and history need be ground into students at the youngest age possible. A comparable subject is history, for students must normally take at least three courses: their state history, then national history, then civics. Many of these start off by covering the same subjects again and again and, though new information is eventually gleaned, students are rarely enthused and their attention naturally wanders. This same sequence happens with music, for too often the same information is rehashed ad infinitum. The secret to increasing student interest in music is to teach them young, then continue to teach them at new levels of thought. If a brief refresher is required, then so be it, but the important step is to progress. Music has never ceased to evolve; neither should there be any dwindling of subject matter to apply to it's learning or instruction. Works Cited Burton, Gary, interview by Michael J. Bandler, USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1998 [journal on-line], available at http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0698/ijse/garyburt.htm, Internet, accessed 20 June 2006. Megna, Michelle, "Schoolhouse Rock: An innovative learning technique uses music to keep students from tuning out during class." New York Daily News, 19 Aug 2001, available at http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/dailynews.html. accessed 20 June 2006. Weinberger, Norman M., MuSICA Research Notes, Vol. II, #2, Fall 1995 (The Regents of the University of California, 1995) [journal on-line]; available at http://www.musica.uci.edu/mrn/V2I2F95.html#outcomes; Internet; accessed 20 June 2006. Weinberger, Norman M., MuSICA Research Notes, Vol. II, #2, Fall 1995 (The Regents of the University of California, 1995)[journal on-line]; available at http://www.musica.uci.edu/mrn/V2I2F95.html#outcomes; Internet; accessed 20 June 2006. Read More