I start my inquiry-based physics class with a song called "Think" sung
by Judy Mowatt (who sang with Bob Marley). I start units on E&M with
"Electric Boogie" sung by another reggae singer. When I get in my car
to go home tonight I'll put on a station with hip-hop. I can't
imagine doing aerobics or dancing to classical music. I listen to
some kinds of music for the words. There are even some rap songs that
make very strong social and political statments that should be heard.
Music reaches into our hearts and souls, not just our minds, and
different beats move different people in different ways. Its all
music.
Music or sports or anything else cannot make you dumb. It depends how
you use it. It depends on what you use it for...
Beth Thacker
thackerb@gvsu.edu
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: The troubles (revisited)
Author: <phys-l@mailer.uwf.edu > at Internet
Date: 10/19/97 3:25 PM
Hi Folks,
When I was discussing why kids are so dumb and the role played by TV
in "the closing of the American mind", I neglected a major influence,
namely, Rock and Roll, which is my name for any popular music that
employs a back beat excessively, puts the bass line too far in front,
ditto the bass drum (both of which may be machines). The difference
between Rock and Roll and 'Country' is negligible in this discussion.
They are both essentially dumb music or, better stated, not music at all
- because music *can't* be dumb.
I shall omit the discussion of how listening to dumb music makes
people dumb and go on to how all of this happened, but very briefly. I
am not prepared to supply the proof. I *know* it's true, so I am already
convinced. Since a proof is to convince someone that something is true,
I don't need a proof. You could prove it for yourself if you were
willing to do the (considerable) work.
Shortly after *the* war (WW II), the radio stations decided to avoid
paying royalties to The American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers (ASCAP), to which Gershwin, Kern, Porter, etc. belonged.
(This was just after the famous Payola scandals; so, it was well
understood that radio stations could force their audiences to like
whatever they wanted them to like by playing records repetitively.) The
radio stations got together and formed Broadcast Mutuals, Inc. (BMI) to
be their own publisher. BMI hired hack musicians, sometimes sitting at
drafting tables in large open rooms with dozens of co-workers, to grind
out hundreds (thousands) of tunes based on the simplest blues chords,
which were already obsolete, or other trivial and simple-minded forms.
A 'good' man could write a pop tune in 15 minutes. (Steve Allen once
wrote 60 in an hour.) You can imagine the intelligence and creative
imagination that was devoted to each tune. The point is: BMI (who *was*
the radio stations) played pre-selected candidate 'hits' incessantly, hit
tunes were produced, stars of modest musical talent (to put it mildly)
were created out of nothing, e.g., Elvis, who was presumably picked for
his lack of talent to assuage racist sentiments, and the kids listened.
After they out-grew the music, they didn't stop listening, because of
the heavy role played by childhood nostalgia; the music adjusted, but
only slightly; and now we have a popular music that is the shame of the
human race. And, THAT, brothers and sisters, is why Johnnie can't
learn. (That and, as I said before, TV - with all of its ramifications,
e.g., propaganda.)
I intend to write about thirty pages on education next year. In that
essay, I will explain the details. In the meantime, it's a good idea to
understand where capitalism has been headed and what its intentions are,
so as to subscribe to a different system ---- soon.
Regards and thank you for your patience / Tom
P.S. This is really not off-topic insofar as teaching physics is
concerned. Moreover, it is as important as an air raid siren when you are
about to be bombed.