Two of my favorite musical genres are hip hop and country. While these genres are clearly quite polarized, in terms of their delivery and major fan bases, the start of chapter 7 got me thinking about the divergent political undertones in these two genres as well. There are countless patriotic country songs praising the United States, even to the point in some country songs of demeaning other countries. America and all it stands for is the place to be as far as most of country music is concerned. (This is a very general statement and I mean it somewhat facetiously just to illustrate the differences). On the other hand, the premise of much of hip hop music is to fight against the oppressive systems of America and to live life according to one’s own system or the system of the streets. Some hip hop music surrounds hopes for a better America, but most does not praise the country for its current or past state. (Although I have heard several new songs commemorating Obama, so maybe there will be a shift in the political agenda of hip hop music.)
However, the chapter detailed the importance of understanding the influence that time, space and individual reality plays on the meanings of songs. What one country song meant in the 70’s for a 50 year old man is likely very different from what it means to me now. That does not mean that the meaning of the song changes altogether, but that interpretations and applications of those meanings are all relative and situational. Surprisingly, I had not considered this idea. It is beat into us in my psychology courses that everything is relative and that we all make our own realities, to an extent, but I never connected this to the interpretation of song. It is amazing what you never think of without being prompted to do so.
I personally loved the end of the book where the potential of music to be a “knowledge-producing, transformative, and communicative” property that uplifts a society was discussed. It talked about the need for inspirational music filled with hope and purpose in a “world in which pessimism has become common sense”. I have often been called by several classmates of mine an “extreme idealist”, some meaning it in a positive way and some choosing those words over “naïve fool”. I like to think that idealists are needed to give purpose to social change. Society can always improve and it takes hope for tomorrow to make that change. For many, ideas of this hope can be expressed through creative forms such as music which have the power to reach across the world. As the book so eloquently states, music can create “optimism, invigoration, and passion which are necessary for any struggle to change the world”.
I am having trouble deciding how I can include the information that I have learned about popular culture in these chapters to a classroom setting as I am still working hard towards removing my own opinions from information I present. Well, of course we will all have our own opinions on subjects, but I feel so strongly about some topics that my opinions and values are very salient and I risk teaching to my values versus teaching the information in general. Are there any suggestions as to how to remove values from being intermingled in lessons we are teaching? What does the field have to say about this?
"This is the end..."
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I want to write about the effect of increased youth isolation, and the
impact pop music and youth culture has on these teens.
There can be no doubt that t...
15 years ago
Alycia,
ReplyDeleteYou raise interesting points throughout your post. I enjoyed your comparison of country music and hip hop in reference to the American perspectives.
I agree with your statement that while meanings of songs may not change, people's interpretations of them do based on time, places and experience.
You pose an important question at the end of your post: "how (do you) remove (personal) values from being intermingled in lessons we are teaching?" When working with youth I keep in mind that I want them to feel comfortable and have the ability to create their OWN values, without influences; the only way to do this is to keep mine in check. This was very important for me when I lead a youth group at a church. There were certain values and beliefs I had but I didn't want those to affect that of the kids. I would remind myself that the goal was to guide them in shaping their own faith and beliefs, not inflicting mine on them. At a certain age, its okay to share your opinions with them, as long as you state that it’s your opinion, not necessarily what’s right or best for everyone.