Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Jessica Johnson (FRI)
Music has always been a proponent for change. From the spirituals of slaves in young America to the words of Bob Dylan in the sixties, musicians have inspired many a movement with their stories, their passion, and their desire for a better world. Oliver Sacks describes music as a force that “can lift us out of a depression or move us to tears…it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life.” In today’s environmental movement, music again takes on its traditional role of fighting for change. This song is the result of an exploration in musical protest techniques applied to issues addressed by the environmental movement. Do we have a responsibility to fight for change in today’s world? Do we have anything to fight for? Environmental degradation has a severe effect on the human population, and the song’s lyrics focus on these negative effects as well as on the weight of our obligation to reverse them.
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What is your major thesis here? Is it musics is the most powerful way of strengthen environmental movements? You might want to mention the effect of musics on social movements as well.
ReplyDeleteSo you are writing a song for your project? That's really cool. Do you think that the song should have a heavy and negative tone like, "This is what is wrong, and this is what you must do"? Or do you think it should be a positive tone to make listeners optimistic about change? What do you think is the right or most effective (can be different answers for either) way to create change through music? Perhaps you'd want to write a two part song with two tones.
ReplyDeleteOne problem facing the environmental movement is that many people refuse to acknowledge that there is an environmental problem at all. Will your song address the responsibility of environmentalists to educate others about the environmental problems we're facing?
ReplyDeleteWhat songs have already been written about the environment? Do you think environmental songs are different than songs about social struggles considering it is easier to sympathize with our fellow species than trees etc?
ReplyDeleteDo you believe songs can bring to light issues of abuse on our earth in todays society? Do you believe that songs will motivate society do to their part to take care of the environment?
ReplyDeleteWhat are other ways to stimulate feelings of responsibility for the environment? How will creating music about the environmental problems we face differ from these other ideas? Is music more effective at provoking desire, understanding, and motivation? Why?
ReplyDeleteWhich will be a more effective approach: an anthropocentric one claiming that we should care about saving the environment because it will benefit humans, or the argument that we need to save the environment simply because it has intrinsic value? Which approach will people react to best via music? If the goal of music is to get people to react then does the method of approach matter so long as the end result (action by the people) is the same?
ReplyDeleteWhy did you choose music and what makes it more effective from other ways (e.g., papers, speeches, websites) of motivating people for change? What are some of the pros and cons of using music? You should list some previous examples in history in where people used music as a way to protest (e.g., Blues and jazz singing of the first half of the 20th century). Also does the form (folk, hard rock, hip hop) of music matter or do all forms accomplish the same thing?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the ethical point in your paper? what is the relationship between music and environment?
ReplyDeleteBeing an artist myself, I know how powerful words, actions or representations of the human condition can be and how they can transcend cultural barriers that other mediums cannot. Would you advocate that in adherence to the ideas pressented in your song, a lifestyle or cultural worldview with biocentirc, ecocentric or anthropocentric views? Would a certain viewpoint, such as anthropocentrism, be more accesible to the majority of people and therefore more effective in its ultimate root to its goal? Could political stances such as a libertarian or green party prospective be taken within the songs context and if so, since America tends to see our government as a two-party system could it unite similar values in the democratic and republican parties? Or would it deepen the chasm that much more?
ReplyDeleteI am assuming you're writing a song for your project. What types of ethical and philosophical views are you using? Is the song going to be argumentative or informal? What kind of musical instruments, if any, do you intend to use?
ReplyDeleteHow can music affect people who feel differently about the importance of the environment? Are people with certain beliefs more likely to get the message? For example, would a person who believes in a magical tradition of things feel inspired by the music more than a mechanist?
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