Dear Musician - Do We Take Music for Granted?
By Dendy Jarrett | (edited)
I ask this question because the past two weeks, have found me completely surrounded by activity. It occurred that the majority of those events involved music. I attended the Broadway show "Wicked" (which was fantastic), and if you’ve seen it, you know – it’s a musical.
My children introduced me to the movie "The Greatest Showman" – and if you’ve not seen it, do yourself a favor and do so. If you’ve seen it … then you know – it’s a musical.
I watched much of the playoffs for the NHL because the Nashville Predators were part of them, and music is abundant (and loud) during those games (to include some fantastic live music).
All of this made me think: I wonder how many things we attend in which music is a primary part of the event?
Being musicians, we typically clue in to music that's around us … or do we? Most musicians are like “soundhound” — the music app that tells you what song’s playing. We’re intuitively wired that way in most cases, but I do find that many people are not.
Especially today it seems like everything that’s instant gratification can tug at our awareness. Consider a time when (if you’re a baby boomer) you had to wait an hour or more to hear your favorite song come on the radio (or if you were lucky … stereo). Not so anymore. “SIRI” - play my favorite song and POOF…it happens.
I said in a previous Dear Musician to try and imagine the world if music were suddenly gone. Vanished. Poof! No Music.
NOPE! I prefer not to go there.
Next time you’re out, be aware of the music. I’m sure if there is no music, you’ll notice that for certain. The lack of music can take a great experience and make it only good at best.
Harmony Central’s here to inspire people to make better music. In doing so, we want to make certain we don’t take music for granted. It's a major part of that mission. Calling attention to music and acknowledging it is also a way to keep musicians making music and, for many, making a living.
Take inventory of your last two weeks – was it surrounded by music? If you’re not certain , maybe you were taking music for granted. -HC-
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Dendy Jarrett is the Publisher and Executive Director of Harmony Central. He has been heavily involved at the executive level in many aspects of the drum and percussion industry for over 25 years and has been a professional player since he was 16. His articles and product reviews have been featured in InTune Monthly, Gig Magazine, DRUM! and Modern Drummer Magazines.
Edited by Dendy Jarrett
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