Let's Remember

09 Apr, 2024

MUSIC Information:

Emperor's New Clothes

C Major

48 Measures

Cello and Piano

3:19 Min

4 Pages

“Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased.” ― J. Krishnamurti

BACKGROUND NOISE

Music is undeniably a universal language. It exists in every corner of the globe and is, perhaps, the most widely loved art form in human history. Yet that same openness has made music one of the most bastardized forms of art. Because music is everywhere - streamed endlessly - it's consumed more than it is heard. It has gone from a deeply human expression to background noise.

Music is being judge more and more by numbers and digital momentum than by artistic value. It has been reduced to marketability. And the most unsettling part is that this degradation doesn't happen in secret. It takes place in front of us, disguise as entertainment.

A FACTORY

Some musicians monetize obscene sums every year by exploiting the many channels they are allow to operate, whoring themselves out and doing the impossible to become rich and famous. In the process, the music itself is pushed aside. After awhile is no longer about the art. The music industry becomes exactly what the word suggest - an "INDUSTRY: a factory that mass-produces catchy tunes, recycled rhythms and predictable lyrics.

The battle to promote their creations then becomes fierce, and as sales flourish, profit-making evolves into the ART itself. Promotion overshadows creation. Strategy replaces substance. It doesn't take rocket science to know that marketing budgets often exceed production budgets. Certainly, that is an argument more sinister than we allow ourselves to admit.

TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

With the help of the diabolical monster that social media has become - urging users to interact with one another through comments, clicks, likes, posts, reactions, and given that everyone has an opinion - social media rarely values quality, beauty, truthfulness or education. In this toxic environment, the competition for exposure becomes merciless. Music is caught in the middle of this storm, dragged down into a virtual hell.

Once music becomes about exposure and metrics, competition becomes inevitable. As a musician I greatly value live presentations, recitals, concerts - spaces where music is heard for what it is. But music competitions, in all their forms, should be banned altogether. There is nothing beautiful about musicians parading their skills, using music as a tool to feed their self-admiration and outshine one another.

After awhile, reality shows much the same as American Idol, The Voice, and countless others stop being harmless entertainment. What once seemed fun begins to reveal something darker. Watching children or adults compete in piano competitions breaks my heart - not because they lack talent, but because they are being fed to a machine that thrives on tears, elimination and disappointment. There's no mystery what happens behind closed doors - the pressure, the politics, the manipulation - yet audiences continue to cheer.

LITTLE ROBOTS

Not long ago, I watched a video of a piano teacher proudly boasting that several of her students had participated on international piano competitions and won first prizes. Of course, she made no mention of the political aspect that often shape these competitions, nor of the pressure and the abuse many competitors endure. She couldn't possible have acknowledge those realities. Her ego was too busy speaking for her.

To even be consider in one of these international piano competitions, the level of playing must be superb. Each participant has already achieved what very few ever will. There is no need to push them further to dispute their obvious position. Organizers, judges, and everyone involved know this. On stage, these performers resemble little robots - precise, programmed. At times, they seem almost incapable of crying.

They are all excellent pianist. That is precisely my point. There is no reason for turning music into a competition they have, in many ways, already won. Music itself should be the reward - not the means to measure superiority. But again, people continue to cheer. Is it impossible to enjoy music without the need to exaggerate our own self value?

HELLO?

In my many years of teaching, I encountered a few obnoxious parents with oversize dreams for their children, constantly asking for information about exams, skill levels, competitions—blah, blah, blah. Some of these parents erroneously pushing their kids to the limit, demanding, requesting, only to find out later, deep into their musical journey - that their kid has lost all interest in music.

One case stands out: an email from a particularly rude woman who, apparently forgetting all rules of common courtesy, opened her message—not with a friendly “hello,” but by declaring that she was unimpressed with my credentials. Charming. I’m sure the world paused in awe. I found her social skills equally unimpressive and denied her any and all further requests.

LET'S REMEMBER

I wrote this piece thinking of all the recitals I organized over the years and the students who participated. These were small events for them and their families, where the music itself was the reward of their efforts -nothing more, nothing less. Each student did what they could. There were no higher expectations, only the pure enjoyment of music. No obnoxious prizes disguised as diplomas were handed out at the end.

It is my hope the world will stop denying students the opportunity to make music for the sake of art - something teachers often forget to mention. Let's remember: the focus should never be merely academic. Let's bring back the label of ART to music.

Anaya, Javier
Let's Remember (The emperor's new clothes Notebook)
PDF + MP3
Cello and Piano