By: Fernando
Guízar Pimentel
Within the cultural discussion circles, issues
related to the situation of
music – both as an industry and
art form- are almost always considered
relevant. As an aspiring musician who hopes to be appealing to a broader
audience someday, I will state my views about the changes of notions respecting
music and it’s performers in a popular context, followed by a brief hypothesis, trying to explain the relationship between music education and the impact of
the music industry toward society.
It is arguable that entertainers who happen to sing
are considered musicians these days. This was not the case before the
countercultural movement of the 1960’s; It was until then when anybody who
grabbed an instrument to play simple chord progressions could call themselves
“artists”. As simple as that, without any kind of formal schooling, as the
practice of playing gigs every weekend at local venues was more than enough; accomplishment was not something
sought-after anymore, but fun was.
Without a doubt, most classically trained musicians
find this recent shift of popular perceptions shameful. They no longer hold the
mastery of fine musicianship exclusively, as many universities worldwide are
granting honorary Doctorates in music to popular composers who can’t even read
scores. These kind of titles were previously reserved solely to the elite. Nowadays, it is also
common for orchestras to be joined onstage by mainstream acts belonging to
completely different genres. Boundaries seem to have vanished.
Interestly enough, while people started to expand
the concept of artistry, they also found an innovative way to delve deeper into
music by ignoring the limits imposed by classical standards. As musicians with
more progressive tendencies explored with such resources as uncommon time
signatures, contagious and often unpredictable rhythms, catchy lyrics, and a
sonic palette fueled by electricity, they found the formula to achieve a
successful change in the entire structure of the folk song archetype. They went
far beyond the horizons known
until then.
It is also true that the music business has greatly influenced
the way we perceive music by using
viral marketing campaigns to promote a wide range of artists –talented
or not- taking advantage at some
extent of the ignorance of people concerning the quality of the music itself.
Even though education is supposed to be the Government’s first and
foremost responsability, they have failed to create and effective program to
promote a learning of music that encompasses theory, playing and appreciation,
making people an easy target for the industry tactics from a very early age.
It is truly pitiful when any art form degrades to a
product, and music is the example par
excellence of this situation. Hopefully, the new technological advances
enable people to produce and share their own work, shaking the very foundations
of the greedy entertainment business. We can only wait and see what
happens.
