Toward a Media Studies Framework for Music

The article from Gnovis below inspired this thought. Not sure if it has any validity yet, but just wanted to get it down.

Why approach music from a media studies framework? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach? One might argue that media literacy offers a more holistic approach to the study of music by placing it in the context of its mediated environment. Whether the soundtrack of film seen in theaters or a Wagner opera or the theme that opens the nightly news or the Daily Show, each music is part of a more general experience such as seeing a movie, going to the MET, or watching TV on a weeknight. These contexts naturally shape the way music is listened to, appreciated, and absorbed. One can divorce music from its context and study the theory of a composition or acquire the technical skill to perform a given piece, and these are valid and important pursuits that implicitly contribute to a thriving artistic culture. Yet those who lack formal or intensive education in music are bound to approach it from another angle, one which might be more akin to the ways they approach the other media in their life, such as books, television, radio, or websites.

Educators are identifying the need for media literacy curriculum in schools throughout Canada and the United States. I fullheartedly support the effort, as I fullheartedly support music education in all its forms. (By the way, music can be an excellent medium for teaching math and science, not to mention it's parallels with history and social studies, literature and language arts.) I'm no expert, but I would argue that the education system could benefit from more of both media studies and music education.

One particular qualification of a media studies approach is that it calls on skills we build in everyday life. In other words, we are already media literate in a basic sense by virtue of our existence in a media saturated culture. Students process sounds, images and text all day - from billboards on the road to school, to daily announcements and the pledge of allegiance over the intercom, to their textbooks, to afterschool television, and perhaps a bedtime story or song. Thus, a basic acquaintance with media is already inherent in the daily lives of children and adults. An awareness of this media environment and its interpretation is what is fostered by media studies and media literacy.

Granted, music occupies a similar role in our lives, and with the appropriate awareness we can find music in many moments throughout the day where we might not expect it. The bell that signals the next class, the song in a commercial, a ringtone or a tune hummed by a friend. Yet these musical or auditory experiences are not generally perceived as separate from the other mediated experiences of which they are a part. The school day, watching TV, getting a phone call or taking a stroll with a childhood friend. In this regard, music as media asks us to break down some of our constructions about music. That music is only in a CD or a violin or a concert hall. Though the musical traditions embodied by these objects are important and worthy of perservation, equally important is the socially embedded meaning of these objects or other musical/sonic artifacts.

I can think of a few disadvantages of studying music from a media studies framework. The arts are already lacking general cultural support and the funding associated with it. It's become axiomatic that these are often the first programs to get slashed when budget cuts role around. The constant threat of annihalation has forced music educators to also become advocates for their field. Arguably, the lack of money devoted to arts has caused those commited to them to hone their standards and push their boundaries of creativity and innovation. Conversely, one might argue that music and other arts have been pigeonholed into historic relics to be conserved and savored only by the elite who have the suitable means to afford their appreciation. In any case, music or other academic pursuits are often fractured by the lack of support from the public and private sectors. Thus, the temptation to study music as media may lead to a further fracturing of an already delicately balanced are of education. And, if warranted, the approach to music as media will have to work hard to achieve the standards achieved by performers, educators, critics, historians or theorists that have been crafted for centuries.