Kayla
Leland
Professor
SantosENG 003
January 29, 2016
Blog Entry #1
Ethnomusicology
This week in class we
have discussed issues regarding feminism and the role music has played in
everyday life. One particular reading that stood out to me was “Music, Power, and
Practice” written by Maureen Mahon which discusses ideas linking to ethnomusicology.
My first thought when reading this article was, what even is this word ethnomusicology
that the author makes so important. It was not until reading the full paper
till I found out that it came to mean the study of music. The author makes a
point that music industries today “assign artists to the categories they deem appropriate”
based off of race, ethnicity, etc. Why should they have the right to decide what
category a musician should be in? Many artists have an amazing voice but the industries
choose to cover this up with monotone and extra sound effects taking away from
the artist’s capability. Woman who do not write their own lyrics are controlled
by the music industry on what is played or the lyrics they feel just to make
more money. I found this to be ironic because many artists’ who have the capability
of writing their own music end up performing other people’s work.
I personally find it is more meaningful for an
artist to have lyrics they have written personally to tell a story. Although
monotone and sound effects in a song may sound cool it is the overall meaning
of the song and how relatable it is that matters. Most music is only popular due
to the amount of times it has been played on the radio not necessarily based
off of talent. I also believe that the age group the song is intended for has
to do with the success of the artist. Many musicians such as Billy Joel and
Neil Young sing about certain events that may have effected a lot of people. Right
away this reminded me of a report I did in high school on the song Louisiana
1927 by Randy Newman. This song tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood
of 1927 which was the most destructive river flood in the US. This was meant to
bring awareness of the issue on the flood and bring one another together.
Similarly, in one of the other readings the authors Peter Dreier and Dick
Flacks explain how during war music was used to “spread their message of one
big union”. These songs served similar to propaganda in order to spread their
message. Overall, these talk about uniting one another to gain acknowledgement or
protesters on the issue in which many viewers can relate to.
I agree with you if the artist isn't writing their own music he just taking credit for other peoples work which I think isn't right . You also make another great point about how some music is over played on the radio and thats how it becomes popular.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that it is more meaningful if an artist has a story behind their lyrics. If a song has a special meaning it is easier to relate to. It is very true in saying that most music now a days is only popular because it is constantly played over and over again on the radio. Many of the songs on the radio aren't necessarily popular because of the artist talent but how catchy the song is.
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