I enjoyed reading Barbara Wheeler's recent topic about local music and cultures (See Cultural Aspects of Music Therapy). I think that what is happening across America, and in many parts of the world, is that radio and TV broadcasts dictate what is popular and familiar to the masses. There is a lot of concern over this among modern songwriters, singers, performers, and artists who want their own folk/cultural music heard, rather than what the DJs decide needs to be heard.
Even in rural Kentucky, there are very few opportunities to hear traditional music on air. There is one program, Barren River Breakdown, that is aired on public radio for 2 hours on Saturday afternoon, that addresses what is happening in traditional folk music in Kentucky, i.e., bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and folk singing. This music is mostly heard at festivals (or back rooms at the local music stores), which are numerous and held somewhere in the state almost every weekend from early spring to late fall. There is a great following at these festivals, and always wonderful musicians to be found.
I think it is a "participatory" type of music, and enjoyed in the live settings more so than in a passive setting. If you think about other indigenous music, I think it is similar. How long can you listen to recorded music of African drumming, unless you are dancing or practicing along? So, perhaps it is the social context of the music that does not bring it to mind when using recorded music, but as I said earlier, does become a connection when presented live. As an example, I have an acquaintance that is a bluegrass player and has been battling cancer for a long time. In his attempts to regain his health, he often holds "jams" at his bedside at home and even at the hospital. Sometimes he has the strength to play along, but if not he loves listening and watching and being involved with what the musicians are experiencing in their delivery.
Thanks for speaking about a topic I enjoy. I hope others will respond to my musings as well.
Reading Barbara Wheeler's column (See http://voices.no/?q=fortnightly-columns/2002-cultural-aspects-music-therapy), and the responses to it, I found myself asking two questions: How much weight is given to geographical location when considering one's musical culture and preferences, and what can we consider a "traditional" music in any given location?
To address the first question, I make note of a session given by Noah Shapiro at the recent American Music Therapy Association's annual conference, entitled "Sounds in the World: An Exploration of International Musical Styles." Professor Shapiro discussed the effort it took just decades ago to obtain recordings of international music, while living in New York City. He described poring over library holdings and researching other ways to obtain recordings of music from various cultures, whereas today, urban-dwelling (and even many rural-dwelling) Americans can easily walk into any major record store and find a huge selection of international CDs.
To me, this speaks to the influence of technology on current musical preferences in the United States. One no longer has to rely on live performances or mainstream radio to find music to enjoy. Therefore, I do not find it surprising that most of the people I know have an eclectic taste in music, though they may prefer one genre of music above others. I do not think one's geographic location is any longer of utmost significance on one's music preference, though the people/media in an area (such as the Louisville radio scene mentioned in previous columns) may play a larger role.
For example, in my own current music therapy practicum, I work with at-risk adolescent girls in a residential program outside of Boston, MA. Many of the girls come to the program from Boston proper, while others come from more rural areas in the region. Regardless, the largest genre of music present in this school's culture is rap music. Two of my individual clients arrived at the program liking country music and show tune music, respectively. Yet, although they individually continue to work with these genres in individual music therapy sessions, they have both come to enjoy and sing rap music. Is this simply the influence of "peer pressure," or is something more subtle occurring, where the culture these girls currently live in is shifting or widening their musical preferences?
Is this phenomenon of the rising popularity of rap music isolated to Boston urban culture alone? Hardly; in another session at the recent AMTA conference, I discovered in Bethany Cook's session "Rap Music: the Metaphor," that music therapists working across the nation use some of the exact same songs I use with my own clients for lyric analysis. Thus, I believe the factors contributing to adolescents' obsession with rap music are not limited to cultures of specific geographical locations.
Regarding the question of what we consider "traditional" music in any given location, I think of my own involvement in the Massachusetts folk music community. Having interned at local folk music management companies, volunteering at folk festivals and the historic "Club Passim" in Cambridge, MA, and through creating and producing my own folk music concert series with my best friend in undergraduate school in Western MA, my musical preferences are deeply rooted in the local folk music scene. Performers here often talk about connections with America's folk music past, such as the legacy of Woody Guthrie (having attended grade school with Woody's granddaughter, I personally feel particularly drawn to the generations of Guthrie music). At concerts, audience members describe performers playing fiddles and banjos as "traditional," in comparison to the large crop of local "contemporary" performers, utilizing only an acoustic guitar. However, can the folk music extending multiple generations backwards truly be considered "traditional"?
When I think of traditional music in my region, I do not think of folk music. Rather, I think of music from centuries ago created by Indigenous or Native Americans. When I lived several years ago with an Aboriginal (Ngarrindjeri) family in Southeastern Australia, I found their own traditional music is inextricably connected to the land they live on. An elder once responded to my questions about his culture's music by saying, "You want to know about our music? Go out and listen to country." After following his message and spending several days alone on the land, listening to the sounds of nature in that area (i.e. the winds rushing through the grasses, the quiet continual gurgling of the surf, and the animals calling to each other), I returned to the elder and reported what I heard. He then challenged me to hear the same sounds in the clapsticks and other instruments used in Ngarrindjeri music. Indeed, in not only the lyrics translated for me, but also in the actual timbre of the instruments and voices, I could sense the replication of and response to sounds in the natural environment. This traditional music (in the truest sense of the word) is very connected to their culture, which does not consider the environment as a separate entity from people.
This connects my thoughts to the previous discussion. That is, perhaps the rap music preferred by urban youth across the United States replicates in sound the culture of the city. For instance, the pounding, driving bass beats could reflect the steady, hectic pace of city life. This is an idea I would like to explore further. In conclusion, an inescapable fact is that advances in technology are not only allowing people easier access to recordings of music from cultures unlike their own, but also are affording people increasingly inexpensive means to travel to experience first-hand other cultures. When my peers of "Generation X" and I reach retirement age, with all of our continually expanding preferences of music genres from around the globe, I wonder how geriatric music therapy programs will adapt to accommodate this variety of musical cultural backgrounds, and I again sense the growing importance for the AMTA to require multicultural music competencies. I appreciate the vibrant discussion Dr. Wheeler initiated on this topic, and look forward to continued responses.
Reading Dr. Barbara Wheeler's article and cultural aspects in music therapy made me think of my extended family. My family is from the hills of Kentucky; they all grew up listening to bluegrass music, and all play and sing it beautifully as well. Now, in Kentucky, there's a phenomenon called the Kentucky Derby which, for those of you who may not know, is a horse race that draws attention from all over the country, and provides the city of Louisville Kentucky with an excuse to party nearly half the year. In pure Kentucky tradition, my family holds an enormous gathering -- it's the type of event where I meet relatives I never knew I had, and the watch them all drink and eat. It's generally a wonderful time.
Every year, anyone who plays an instrument or sings will sit around in a circle and have an old-fashioned sing-a-long. Mixed in with Bobby McGee and modern country tunes (Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, etc.), they sing bluegrass songs very few of which I've heard, all of which are wonderful. It amazes me when they know all lyrics and music to songs that have basically disappeared.
This makes me sad. Will these songs disappear with my family? Granted, not all of the singers are older -- some are my age or younger. But, I'm sure that as my older relatives pass away, the Derby festivals will cease, and these songs will no longer be in my life.
I wanted to learn them, I wanted to keep the songs from leaving me -- but I didn't even know the titles. I have begun asking about these tunes, but my collection is nowhere near complete; it has barely begun.
I recently had a great aunt die due to complications with Alzheimer's disease. She exhibited the classic symptoms to the disease, and I have no doubt that music therapy could have eased her suffering and that of her family. But, would anyone know the songs as she held most dear? I almost guarantee that they are not found in any bluegrass songbook. Would anyone have even thought to play bluegrass for her at all?
This made me think about my own future. When I am in a nursing home, will anyone think to play me songs from the 1960s or the 1940s, the ones which hold the most meaning for me? I was not alive then. What about the more obscure bands I enjoy? Will they vanish due to lack of popularity?
I have not quite ascertained the full implications of these thoughts and feelings. I do know, that music therapists should make an extra attempt to have at least a basic knowledge of all musical genres, and experiment with them in their sessions. Play Simon and Garfunkel for a 12-year-old. They may be able to begin talking about their parents or grandparents. Play John Mellencamp for the 80-year-old. It may bring back memories of grandchildren. Play old bluegrass for the four-year-old, it may get them to move. I think we may all be surprised with the results.
I have noticed cultural differences/preferences in music working in an inner city hospital in Trenton, NJ.
I have noticed that the majority of MICA (dual-diagnosed, mentally ill and chemically dependent) patients, ages 20-40 request current Hip-Hop, R & B and Rap to listen to. They are very closed minded about listening to any other style of music. The majority become intolerant and/or bored and "tune out" when introduced to something different.
I understand that their preferences come from their comfort zone and I always try to use at least one piece of music that they can relate to; however, it has been very difficult to expand their listening choices. Interestingly enough, the over 40 MICA patients prefer Classic Rock and/or African-American performers from the '60s and '70s. My thought is that this is an age and cultural issue. I'm just not exactly sure what the culture is. Is it an "addicts" culture, inner city culture, generational culture or something else?
In Barbara Wheeler's column, it sounded like her findings indicated a generational and cultural difference related to Blue Grass, etc. Anyway, this is food for thought. We don't need to have all the answers to use music effectively and therapeutically.
In reading the recent article written by Barbara Wheeler concerning music and culture (See http://voices.no/?q=fortnightly-columns/2002-cultural-aspects-music-therapy), I have to say that I found it quite interesting. The article was highly enlightening, as I would probably assume that by moving to Kentucky, I would then be exposed to traditional mountain and bluegrass music as well. I think this may be an assumption shared not only by music therapists, but the general population as well.
One of the things I find so interesting about this article is that when she arrived in Louisville, Kentucky for the first time, she was shocked to at first only find a variety of stations to listen to on the radio. I think I too would have imagined more of a variety in the beginning, which did later prove to be true. However, could it possibly be that we raise our assumptions of a different area to be true simply due to the influences that our own cultural upbringing has had on us? Does radio, television, and other factors influence how we think about a particular region, thus causing us to think our assumptions to be true? I know that these factors have caused me to make assumptions about music and other cultural influences of a certain area, only to be disproved later.
I also enjoyed hearing about the similarities she encountered when she began her practice. I was surprised to read that the adults of Louisville, Kentucky seemed to respond to the same types of music that her clients in New Jersey had previously responded to. Again, I think that television and radio broadcasts have a strong correlation to this as well. It seems as if people respond to what they are familiar with, and most radio stations across our country play what they feel will appeal to everyone in general. It was very interesting to note that the people from the most rural mountain areas seemed to have the highest response rate to the traditional music.
Again, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. I think it is something that I will continually make reference to, especially in my future practice as a Music Therapist.
I hope that it will give other readers insight as well.
In response to the article on "Cultural Aspects of Music Therapy," (See http://voices.no/?q=fortnightly-columns/2002-cultural-aspects-music-therapy) I too can identify with the experience of moving to a different state. I lived in San Antonio, TX, USA, all my life and at the age of 23 I married and moved to Mississippi, USA. But because of the vastness of cultures in Texas, I never really thought about how music actually relates to a particular culture. By this I mean that Texas hosts many different cultures. There are Caucasians, African Americans, Latin American, Indian, etc.
When I read this article by Barbara Wheeler I could relate to the feeling of a different culture in itself. Coming from Texas, I was very familiar with what is called "Tejano" music. This is a mix of Spanish/Texas style music. I guess this in itself is an example of "cultural" music. I was also exposed to many different styles of music because of music education and because the city itself offered opportunities of sorts to enjoy many styles. I feel that in a way certain styles of Spanish music are a part of the "Mexican" culture. However, to venture out to say it is a part of "everyone's" culture that lives in Texas would be a misrepresentation.
I found that, as I became more familiar with Mississippi, there was somewhat a connection with country, southern gospel, and blue grass styles of music. This is not to say that the whole population prefers these styles of music.
Much is to be said for the factors that possibly lead to musical "preference". An individual's upbringing including what music was played at home, if any, and what type of musical training that individual received, may offer answers as to why he or she prefers a certain style of music.
There is still much to learn regarding music in relation to culture. It would be premature to say that music and culture are inseparable. On the other hand, can we say that they are totally on opposite ends of the spectrum? I think not. It is amazing to think that a person from one side of the world can enjoy and appreciate the mainstream of music from another side of the globe.