Re: A loopy education; was:Dripsody

["Larry Tremblay" <ltct@concentric.net>]

I applaud Joe's efforts to teach outside the mainstream. He should be
commended for it. My own thoughts on the "classics vs avant-garde",
even more so these days, is that the early pioneers of electronic
music and electro-acoustic music ARE the classics for this age and
are the appropriate masters todays kids should study.

All the precedents for today's Art and music can be traced to
turn-of-the-century movements like Dada, Cubism, Surrealism,
the Lettrists - and later, the Beats and so on. One can point
to a work from any of these movements and say "That led to THIS".

> I'm very happy to here that many of us here were exposed to the outer
edges
> of art at an early age.  The Cubist statement, made me laugh as I just
> exposed some 10 year old kids to Surrealism today.  I will say that as a
> music teacher that attempts to open my kids' minds, the process is not as
> easy as one would assume.  First, I still feel a pressure from my
colleagues
> and from parents to teach more tradition subject material. Secondly,
> sometimes the kids are not always willing to experience an art that is
> "outside the box".  Still, I continue : I have a couple classes
> finishing up Acid pieces containing their own self-made loops
> (just to be sort of on topic).
>

Think about Acid Loops, for example, the discontinuous "cut-up"
methods of William Burrows influenced the later exploration of
sampling and looping. But "cut-ups" was borrowed from Montage,
a favorite tool of Dada and Surrealism. What kid didn't love making
collages in art class. Now, what if you could make a coherent
connection that runs from Dada to "cut-ups" to Eno to Hip Hop
to Acid Loops. Music history and appreciation made fun!

> Regardless, I think that we do have a responsibility on some small level
to
> expose the youth to different modes of thinking that may fly in the face
of
> what MTV tells them to think.  Plus I think that beating the standard
> notation system (as one example of traditional thought) into the minds of
> kids who don't even play instruments is foolish (my opinion).  It's
helpful,
> but definitely not the most important lesson these kids can learn.
>

The standard notation is fine for kids who are oriented toward a
standard music education. But they can get that from Music Lessons.
However, if the objective is primarily Music Appreciation then the most
engaging method is through hands-on experience and getting the Big
Picture. Back in school I hated Bach, Beethoven and and Mozart (who
picked these guys anyway?). Now I find them quite tolerable in small
doses. But had I embraced the "classics" too early, I probably never
would have discovered the other less traditional musics.

> I would ask that some musicians here volunteer some time to local schools
to
> demonstrate the possibilites.  Or for the looping parents here, make sure
> that art and music teachers show as many facets of art as possible.
> Otherwise, music class becomes a sort of a break for kids and their
teachers
> (ultimately degrading music's value), which is far more damaging than any
> anti-establishment message tha I may preach.  Sorry for the rant.  Just
how I
> feel.
>

Having no children of our own, I do all I can to expose my nephews and
nieces to all kinds of music and art that they might not get in school.
Most of my siblings home school their kids so I get to be the visiting
music instructor and all-around art guy. I find this very rewarding.
Funny thing is, my younger siblings *know me*, so it's even more
satisfying that they appreciate my subversive tastes in the Arts. ;)

Keep up the work Joe!