Music is magic. Nothing else brings people of different ethnic groups, cultures, socio economic backgrounds, religion and age all together. Music is the connector of all peoples and for that it is something we must cherish deeply and try to share as much as possible. Community Music (CM) is something that does exactly this. CM comes in a variety of forms and settings, however it is simply meant to be music education that reaches out to a specific community, trying to make it accessible for all.
In the article Community Music Making by Kari Veblen it is made clear that music education is undergoing a serious change. In our fast paced post-modern society music education must be ready to to change quickly and follow the rapid fluctuations and modifications of modern music and education. It is interesting to see the efforts of music educators who assist in keeping music education alive and relevant to everyone. I never truly noticed all the factors at work to keep this form of education active. Music educators must pay close attention to the changing world and try to develop pedagogy to reflect and teach what is going on in the musical world.
However, a frustrating aspect of community music is that it does not always get to everyone. CM organisations are typically non-profit, thus they rely on sponsors and their members for funding. Because the organisations rely on their members for funding it is made difficult for those of the lower class to participate, as they don’t have the adequate funds to be accepted. This is the unfortunate truth of our post-modern capitalist society. If you can afford it you get it and you get the best, but if you cannot then you are left with nothing. I hope that one day our society can afford to send anyone who is seeking an education in music can pursue it without having to worry about the financial aspect.
To conclude, though community music is unable to reach everyone it is still surprising to see how many people it can effect positively. CM exists in churches, hospitals, schools, community centres, old folks homes, etc. The list goes on and it is profound to see how music education as a whole is being affected by CM. However, is CM a threat to music educators around the globe or is it a method to pave the way to a society that has increased knowledge and appreciation for both music and pedagogy?
Questions for the author:
Is CM a threat or benefit to music education as a whole?
When did CM really start becoming prominent in our society?
How might we make CM accessible to everyone?
In the article Community Music Making by Kari Veblen it is made clear that music education is undergoing a serious change. In our fast paced post-modern society music education must be ready to to change quickly and follow the rapid fluctuations and modifications of modern music and education. It is interesting to see the efforts of music educators who assist in keeping music education alive and relevant to everyone. I never truly noticed all the factors at work to keep this form of education active. Music educators must pay close attention to the changing world and try to develop pedagogy to reflect and teach what is going on in the musical world.
However, a frustrating aspect of community music is that it does not always get to everyone. CM organisations are typically non-profit, thus they rely on sponsors and their members for funding. Because the organisations rely on their members for funding it is made difficult for those of the lower class to participate, as they don’t have the adequate funds to be accepted. This is the unfortunate truth of our post-modern capitalist society. If you can afford it you get it and you get the best, but if you cannot then you are left with nothing. I hope that one day our society can afford to send anyone who is seeking an education in music can pursue it without having to worry about the financial aspect.
To conclude, though community music is unable to reach everyone it is still surprising to see how many people it can effect positively. CM exists in churches, hospitals, schools, community centres, old folks homes, etc. The list goes on and it is profound to see how music education as a whole is being affected by CM. However, is CM a threat to music educators around the globe or is it a method to pave the way to a society that has increased knowledge and appreciation for both music and pedagogy?
Questions for the author:
Is CM a threat or benefit to music education as a whole?
When did CM really start becoming prominent in our society?
How might we make CM accessible to everyone?