music education
Rock N Roll High School - a Washington Post article on rock music in music education.
This was posted by a friend of mine on facebook. She asked for input. I didn't think I had much to say. Then I started typing.
I can think of two band directors I know who actually teach a "history of rock" type music class in their high schools. From what they've said, the kids love it and really get into it.
When I was in high school (early 1990s) we had a drummer who loved all kinds of hard rock and metal, and spent HOURS trying to convince our band director (an old jazz cat) that Metallica was exactly like classical music.
Kids are already listening to rock and are interested in it. Incorporating it into existing curricula seems like a logical step. It is part of our musical heritage & culture. Teaching it alongside other forms of music makes sense.
When a field of science has a new discovery, they begin teaching it with their existing theories, discoveries, etc. They don't ignore it because it's new or different. Why is music different? Because we treat certain composers and time periods as the holiest untouchable pinnacles of music? (And major symphony orchestras wonder why they're in financial trouble?)
Have you seen the documentary Rock School? Those types of music schools are popping up across the country - some of those kids might also be involved in their high school bands, jazz bands, etc., but for a lot of them rock (metal, punk, pop, etc.) is where it's at. And I think I'd rather have them receive some music education as opposed to none.
My own musical education was pretty traditional from elementary school through what I studied @ university. Then I burnt out on music and barely touched my tuba for nearly a year. I all but quit listening to music. Towards the end of that period, I really got into some rock bands and jam bands that have jazz-roots, and that's when I picked up bass. I had to spend a lot of time (and should still be spending a lot of time!) learning an entirely different musical process. I started to learn to play by ear. Here I was, in my 20s, with at least 10 years of formal music education behind me, including a minor in music from a conservatory, and I was just learning to play an instrument by ear.
People who learn rock music on their own are typically learning by ear, learning song structure, learning to write parts, instrumentation, etc. I think there's actually a lot we can borrow from rock in teaching young and aspiring musicians of any genre - the basics of MUSIC. What makes a good song good? How do you orchestrate parts to make the whole sound good? How do you play together to sound like a cohesive unit?
The flip side, of course, is that rock (and it's derivatives) has a strong tradition of rebellion, do-it-yourself, anti-establishment, well, ROCKING. You might lose some of that fire in a formal setting. But, as someone else mentioned, that has happened in jazz, too. It doesn't mean you can't find great new jazz musicians.
Ultimately our goals as musicians and music educators should be developing great MUSICIANS. Regardless of genre or instrument, there are certain elements that make music good. It's about identifying those and applying them in new ways.
This was posted by a friend of mine on facebook. She asked for input. I didn't think I had much to say. Then I started typing.
I can think of two band directors I know who actually teach a "history of rock" type music class in their high schools. From what they've said, the kids love it and really get into it.
When I was in high school (early 1990s) we had a drummer who loved all kinds of hard rock and metal, and spent HOURS trying to convince our band director (an old jazz cat) that Metallica was exactly like classical music.
Kids are already listening to rock and are interested in it. Incorporating it into existing curricula seems like a logical step. It is part of our musical heritage & culture. Teaching it alongside other forms of music makes sense.
When a field of science has a new discovery, they begin teaching it with their existing theories, discoveries, etc. They don't ignore it because it's new or different. Why is music different? Because we treat certain composers and time periods as the holiest untouchable pinnacles of music? (And major symphony orchestras wonder why they're in financial trouble?)
Have you seen the documentary Rock School? Those types of music schools are popping up across the country - some of those kids might also be involved in their high school bands, jazz bands, etc., but for a lot of them rock (metal, punk, pop, etc.) is where it's at. And I think I'd rather have them receive some music education as opposed to none.
My own musical education was pretty traditional from elementary school through what I studied @ university. Then I burnt out on music and barely touched my tuba for nearly a year. I all but quit listening to music. Towards the end of that period, I really got into some rock bands and jam bands that have jazz-roots, and that's when I picked up bass. I had to spend a lot of time (and should still be spending a lot of time!) learning an entirely different musical process. I started to learn to play by ear. Here I was, in my 20s, with at least 10 years of formal music education behind me, including a minor in music from a conservatory, and I was just learning to play an instrument by ear.
People who learn rock music on their own are typically learning by ear, learning song structure, learning to write parts, instrumentation, etc. I think there's actually a lot we can borrow from rock in teaching young and aspiring musicians of any genre - the basics of MUSIC. What makes a good song good? How do you orchestrate parts to make the whole sound good? How do you play together to sound like a cohesive unit?
The flip side, of course, is that rock (and it's derivatives) has a strong tradition of rebellion, do-it-yourself, anti-establishment, well, ROCKING. You might lose some of that fire in a formal setting. But, as someone else mentioned, that has happened in jazz, too. It doesn't mean you can't find great new jazz musicians.
Ultimately our goals as musicians and music educators should be developing great MUSICIANS. Regardless of genre or instrument, there are certain elements that make music good. It's about identifying those and applying them in new ways.
Labels: classical, music, music education, rock n roll
posted by Silver Turtle at
6:54 PM
2 Comments:
My god, and the truth spews from your fingertips just to speak, not to be heard. You're right, absolutely. Art hs recognized this(if not formally acknowledged) for a long time. There are classical lines that any genre can adhere to and be called 'art' and there are folk lines that will be recognized as the same.
There are dischordant notes, and there is just bad art...however enthusiastic the artist or musician is.
And sometimes...someplace there just exists art/music/poetry.
Ah, but it is the laborer who works with his hands, the craftsman who works with his mind and hands, and the ARTIST who works with his mind, hands, and heart.
I've heard you for nearly 30 years, my friend.
By
Helen, at 10:11 PM
I think that all art forms suffer from a similar syndrome. There's the "old guard" intent on holding on to the "way things 'always' were". We too often forget that those greats were frequently revolutionaries of their time.
By
Silver Turtle, at 12:16 AM
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