There is no more powerful statement than to say that "It is their passion; nothing else excites them as it does; they cannot take seriously anything alien to music." Allan Bloom in “Music” writes of an inseparable connection between music and the youths of today’s generations. There are many moments, if questions were asked in classrooms of junior and high school students today pertaining music, that one would immediately notice that nearly every student shares an intensive bond with music that cannot be separated. Although not permitted, electronic devices such as but not limited to ipods, mp3 players, and even laptops, are all items that can be found within the backpacks of students. There is an ever-growing interest within the music industry as more and more enthusiasts within the younger generations arise. This is not seen as a problem because it allows for a different source of revenue or career outcomes for students.
This also leads me to the idea that I don’t necessarily believe this is an overgeneralization because of the effects music has on people. Auto enthusiasts share overwhelming interest towards machinery and models of cars, and this is generally tightly associated with series of rock and roll music. Individuals with a great interest within the gaming industry show appreciation for certain techno-type related genres. These are a few of the common generalizations, but let it be known that people have often associated their interests with music; the impact is only stronger and more apparent in the current generations. With close ties with music such as the ones shown here, it can be seen that music follows the generations in their lives.
Despite my unbelief in an overgeneralization, it does not negate the fact that people do share stronger interests elsewhere. There are many individuals which can be found in many industries, most often found as geniuses in their specifics. My sister is a skilled artist, that has been drawing and painting for as long as I could remember are there are at times when she can be so focused into her artwork that any distractions, such as music, could lead to mistakes. This could also pertain to many scholars whose primary interest is in attaining knowledge. Music could be a distraction towards individuals who are attempting to stay focused and this could lead to passive resistance passion towards music, and possibly hostility against it altogether.
Bloom also asserts that “those who are interested in psychological health, music is at the center of education, both for giving the passions their due and for preparing the soul for unhampered use of reason.” He then compares the work of Hobbes, Locke, Smith, Aristotle, Plato, and others, to further his argument that music was a new growing form of education within the society. Bloom offers a contrast between politics and poetics from back in the older generations to today. He attempted to prove the point that even though artistry was limited to some extent in the older generations, it was present and continued to grow steadily until it came to be what it is today.
I like the fact that in the blog, you are able to defend Bloom and yet at the same time pull up examples that, in a way, defy his statement. I think that the youth of today almost has too much access to music, whether it is the iPods, Zunes, laptops, even cell phones have Pandora now. In the beginning there may be a passion that forms with the music and the feelings that it can define, but after so much of the music, without having to sit and focus on it, I think that there comes a point where it becomes background noise and loses the magic.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it may be an overgeneralization though. As a musician, I am very passionate about anything that has to do with the music business, from attending concerts, to going on road trips, from recording a 5 song demo, to selling out to the industry. But that is not to say that I cannot take anything else seriously as Bloom argues. I am also passionate about gaining knowledge (I get bored over the summer intersession), to moving up the corporate ladder. In a strange way I have also used my passion for music and success to plan on starting a record label in the future. Overall, I do like the ideas that you presented, and the ways you stated them, very well written.