The Crow here for c4ocradio
Growing up in the fifties (50) and sixties (60) in America was the best of times, you could ride your bike to school and not have to lock it up, there was plenty of things you could do outside, be it summer or winter we always had thing or adventures we could do. Most of all we always looked forward to the beginning of school. Walking back and forth carrying books and music equipment. Most parents in my neighborhood couldn’t afford to buy or rent music equipment, like today, the market had most parents more worried about rent or mortgages along with food and utility bills, not to mention the cost of keeping clothes on the backs of growing children. The cost of living, growing a family and staying above the ever advancing economy was paramount. Schools and their music and arts programs were a vital and necessary part of life. It gave you the knowledge and a bit of history into how music and the instrument you chose makes a particular song or melody with or without words can express and arouse your soul. If you were in music class, the pep club band, or the more advanced orchestra, you could sign up to take your instrument home during the school year. Teachers were very knowledgeable and always willing to take you aside to help if you were stuck on a certain lesson. Music was art and considered criteria learning in public schools. And then by the glide of a bureaucratic pen it has all been forgotten, wiped away and replaced by the mindless pursuit of Playstation, XBox and social media, for the latest fade trending in real time.
Somewhere along the way we lost our vision in the arts in public schooling, we no longer encourage or children to seek out any type of music, we let them discover the latest fad or techno song on whatever media platform they my accidentally stumble upon. As far as knowing about great music and musicians, they know absolutely nothing. Ask them to tell you a little history on music or the background of their favorite musician, actor or actress and they run to Google for a quick run down. What we need to do is bring the music and it’s history back to the public school systems, bring back the lessons of struggle by some of the American icons who’s classic tunes have been the soundtrack to our lives, bring back the music 101 classes, start a music theory appreciation and discussion class, talk about how slavery and gospel music influenced the blues which in turn influenced rock and roll and so on and so on, I think you get what I’m trying to say, in other words, lets stop letting video games and social media placate and babysit our youth, lets teach them to live life to it’s fullest through art and music, let children discover and expand their minds through the arts, after all, you never know, you just might have another musical genius sitting on your couch just waiting to amaze us all.
The Crow is a contributing writer for c4ocradio
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