‘Every part mixes to the whole, remove the lungs, liver and
pancreas, whether or not you have a brain becomes irrelevant, remove the plants,
the forests, the waters, whether or not you have scientists or opposable thumbs
becomes irrelevant.’ Stephen Harrod Buhner
I find this quote just as relevant to do with music,
education or music performance, the fact that the arts are crucial to the well-being
of the society seems obvious to an artist however I do not think it is obvious
in this society as a whole.
Societies driven by the greed of a few people within and the
idea that business and the academic pursuit of knowledge in order to create
wealth beyond everything else to the exclusion of the arts does very little to
benefit society in the long term; it is killing the goose that lays the golden
egg.
As musicians we need to tell a story instead of just looking
at music as some sort of industrial process, we need to get to the heart and
soul of what music really is, we should be telling the story of people-kind in
such a way that integrates music back into its landscape.
We cannot operate in a vacuum whether we are teaching or
playing as it does not give what we do any meaning and then it just becomes another
job which kills the very reason why we became involved in the first place.
Make your music and the music of those that you inspire to
have meaning and let the surroundings in which the music is set feed what you
do first then let the money come from that, it is more rewarding and
sustainable in the long term.
Vic
www.bluescampuk.co.uk three days of learning the art of playing in
a band.
