Reality Check: Arts Education and Technology

I broke my computer and lost my iPod.

That sentence alone could be the makings of a novel. Despite this deplorable chain of unfortunate events, I have been able to remain steadfast in being without Facebook and my music collection at my fingertips. You know this "absence" of resources is new territory for me and has made me think of my previous stance on the argument of our generation's dependency on the essentials: cell phone, laptop, some sort of portable music player, and accounts with MySpace and/or Facebook, which are now almost like political parties.

I'll admit I have been apart of two major factions about the issue. I have been on the side where people scoff of the idea of Facebooking and have said things like, "Why would people walk around with their brains in a music closet." This was most likely referring to people who go to restaurants with their iPod buds in their ears. Mind you, there is music playing in the establishment—loudly. Maybe their earphones were noise-canceling, etc., but even so wouldn't that have been a hazard?

The other side of the argument is that Facebook, and other networking sites, actually have merit because there are many positive uses: contact information, event planning, and now with the new developments on Facebook, people can do everything from buying/selling textbooks to planning student rallies. I'm serious! I advertised my Junior Clarinet Recital with Facebook. As for the iPod, it works as a major mood enhancer while completing brainless activities from jogging to even riding the Metro. Both sides of the argument have their strengths, but a bigger question is--why can't the arts deal with the use of technology if it's such a major component of the human experience?

The arts cannot compete with something that is now so imbedded in how we experience life. Instead of wasting our time being upset and persuading people not to use their equipment, maybe we should think of ways to participate. Now, I certainly don't mean to be preachy at all. I also hate that young generations are usually the root of all select problems when clearly the development of these issues has something to do with those who are responsible for us. Who might that be? Yeah, our parents and teachers! Oh, and we're totally not the only people who are a little unhealthy with our contact and protection of our cell phones. In fact, there was a Blackberry outage that ruffled the feathers of many, many business folk who even threatened with a legal action against their service providers. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/11/AR2008021101947.html).

Wow, if I could file a lawsuit for all the things that irk me. I'd always be in the court room. "Ugh! You stepped on my toe on this overcrowded Metro; I'm suing you!" "Wait, what, you don't have this in a 28? You're going down; I'm calling my pro-bono!" Folks, give me a break.

Mind you, most influence comes from our media intake. How many commercials, if you admit to watching television, are geared towards us? Disclaimer: The rest of this is hopefully not to seem coming from a self-righteous technology junkie all-genre music loving musician. My craft aside, this is just my opinion laid out for you. Technology Rocks!

1. Technology offers dissemination and immersion.

There are a plethora of iTunes albums that I've purchased because I just happened to check out an iTunes only band, a friend recommended them, or I read a blurb about a group. I've also prepared for auditions from the materials that I find online; YouTube, Facebook, and other music downloading/ sampling programs have their merits for much more than stifling the record label industry. Thank you record companies for publishing CDs with little royalties to the artists, but most especially for allowing an influx of self-starters who have proved that their opinion of their own art is sufficient to share with others. With self-publishing capabilities from our desktops, now, we rule.

2. Technology expands performance opportunities.

Multi-genre performing artists and major symphony orchestras are beginning to utilize technology to enhance their work. Projects, broadcasts (podcasts), and other streaming services allows there to be substantiation to an ensemble not performing in Carnegie Hall. I could set up shop in my basement and stream anywhere making it accessible to people across the globe. This year, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was re-released by Sony BMG. It's totally guerilla marketing, but now more people involved in this project have jobs. It's an interesting look at how arts and advertising can collaborate. Check out this story about dancers who literally perform on a Metro.

3. Technology aids in Arts Education.

I know that as a clarinetist, many musical concepts can feel very esoteric and confusing and I'm even more certain it would be mind-boggling to a non-musician. Electronic keyboards, aural and music theory can be foreign if there is no way to display examples and reiterate their definitions without hearing and experiencing the terms. Technology allows this to happen. Interactive components to encyclopedias, websites, dictionaries, and other research materials can create lifelong learners and deliver information more efficiently.

So, no, all technology isn't all bad. However, the time we spend keeps us from enjoying other enriching activities. Obviously people should find pastimes other than checking Facebook for two hours and then spending the afternoon playing Guitar Hero, but if they choose to, that's their own prerogative. Heck, I'm guilty as charged; Facebook research is a craft. Nonetheless, they (we) aren't the reason arts suffer. Should they decide to go to a symphony, and never go again, that's okay. If they never have a single arts experience, it's apparent that we've failed to make them interested. If people feel welcome and don't feel they're treading on exclusive snobby arenas, then they'll become frequent patrons. Doesn't that make sense?

I could only suggest one change. Arts education in schools is the biggest opportunity to instill in children an appreciation (not obsession, mind you) for the arts before it's too late. And, it's not just important to include the arts in the schools so that as adults the children will buy season tickets to a symphony. The aim should be to actually mold them into more sensitive beings that are competent to at least enjoy art on some level. New artists are a by-product of this process, not the primary purpose.

Dana Gioia, the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, mentioned something in a discussion with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Bolz Center for Business graduate students yesterday (3/12/03) that solidified my pursuit to teach music in a school. He gave us an anecdote as to why it is important to have arts courses in schools with a description of a student using art as a means of coming of age and being accepted. I've captured the essentials in the following narrative:

Imagine that Juan is a student who is smart, but not exactly completely dedicated to his studies for competitive reasons. He may even be smarter than those that received accolades for their abilities. In fact, he may underperform to purposefully not be in the limelight. He feels as if maybe people would be jealous and say negative things. He just wants acceptance. You know, this Juan could go to an extremely culturally monolithic type of school and be "odd" looking to both his peers and his teachers. Then, he finds out about the school production. He auditions, gets a part, and feels more comfortable with his surroundings. He joins a supportive community. He performs and the audience who gives him a standing ovation includes his sometimes unfair teachers and his bully classmates. For Juan, this is gaining acceptance and for once he feels like everyone else. He is a better person, a respected person, a talented person, a smarter person, a more loving person, and most of all, an artist.

Without arts in schools these opportunities are lost. Believe me, I should know. I am Juan.