Musical social workers...

Music is universal, even more so than body language(!). The combination of rhythm, melody, harmony and sound, along with a “dress code”, which many (most) adherents use to show belonging, create both a sense of identity and display your stand, political values or other views on life.

Music creates a mood and very often visualize a lifestyle.

A study conducted by Adrian C. North, “Lifestyle correlates of musical preference”, shows this to be true. http://pom.sagepub.com/content/35/1/58.abstract (I like it when I find science which support my own personal opinions based on observations.)

Some people think that only a few of the genres are accepted musical forms. They have the opinion that either you love what they enjoy themselves, or you are not a connoisseur of music.

I suppose I find that strange because in Norway all genres of music are being approved of being part of the musical “family”.

Or so I thought: I need to modify my “all genres of music” a bit: In Norway, someone clever came up with the idea to rule out the category of HipHop/Rap entirely, and include them in the genre of Pop. (I never really thought they were the same, but then again; I just base my opinion on how I myself comprehend the issue in my mind. I’m not an expert.)

In addition best female and best male artist is ruled out, just to prove how equal they think the sexes are.

Anyway. When I take a look around the musical world, it kind of strikes me how different musical genres are used as tools in society.

There are numerous foundations, i.e. within classical music, which work to educate future musicians or promote visual arts.

 

Jon Bon Jovi opened in 2011 The Soul Kitchen, a "pay-what-you-can" restaurant with his wife Dorothea.

 

 

In Australia a Metal Band, Nekrofeist, just released an album which raises a voice on troublesome issues in their country:

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1330435/band-offers-heavy-metal-with-heart/?cs=2387

In addition Nekrofeist’s vocalist went to teach kids rock music in Ti Tree, Northern Territory.

Music Outback Foundation is an organisation that uses music and the arts as a powerful and creative tool to help improve education, health and other critical social outcomes on remote Indigenous communities in Australia. With a collective of over 50 committed workers and volunteers, working in partnership with remote community elders, parents, kids and schools  lenke.

These are just a few examples, but it seems to me that all the different genres of music have a social purpose: chosen causes they feel they need to highlight and support, in lack of good enough support from society and the governments in general.

They raise people’s awareness and by that make a difference.

Keep up the good work; don’t allow anyone to reduce yourself and (your) music to a limited (often stigmatized) venue.

Musicians are not just pretty faces; Music breaks frontiers, at all levels, regardless of genre.

 

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth
 
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed-and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.