Media, as we’ve discussed in this class take on many shapes and forms. They can be as straightforward as a news articles, or as subtle as song. When we try and distinguish media that are the most influential to ourselves, each one of us is unique. The power of media to communicate with a listener, reader, or viewer about the “reality” of our world is most apparent through the Internet, as we can watch videos, listen to music or talks, or read articles and blogs. Personally, music has been the most consistent form of media that has been in my life, and continues to convey meaning and significance with each song I listen to. For each member of my family, music has individualized who they are, whether it’s my mother’s love for show tunes, or my sisters dedication to the underground electronic scene.
Growing up listening to a wide array of music has instilled an appreciation for musicianship and
for the creativity that each songs holds. As a child I can remember the times my father spent listening to his old records that he had collected over the years, and the stories he would tell in connection with the artist playing over the speakers. CD’s had already been introduced, but my father’s love for the raw feeling of vinyl’s, and the sheer magnitude of his collection, made it difficult to listen to any other style. Each song transmits a message and tells a story, as our Power Tool Set #4 explains, and it’s through our limbic brain that connects this music with our emotions to keep us captivated.
"Save Haven"- photo by Liz True
Watching live music was something I truly enjoyed later on in my high school years, but growing up I would often watch band practice take place in our own house. My father’s rock band is a collection of old friends who used to play music together, who reconnected in New Hampshire to put together “The Harley Llamas”. This band of old farts, as I like to call them, play a wide range of music, depending mostly on the crowd. For the “Llamas”, you may hear some Grateful Dead, The Band, The Stones, or Clapton, anything to get the old and young to let everything go and dance, to extend the emotional connection from the brain through all the limbs. Their dedication to their music is evident in the amount of gigs these guys have played, while they all simultaneously keep up their daily lives and jobs.
When high school came around, I joined a band. Save Haven was our name, and we had the genre we collectively coined “skunkrock”, a little ska, a little funk, and a little rock. What we lacked in skill, we made up with energy, stage presence, and showmanship. We let the audience know that we were having fun, and that our “music” was a direct representation of us; us being 5 smelly, shaggy haired sophomores. We were a form of media for our group of friends. We wrote songs about relationships being connected by telephone wires, or packing up and moving to California, real cheesy stuff, but for our high school companions this medium was empowering. The Save Haven days came and went, but the good times we all had will forever be a part of what I remember high school was all about, enjoying your time there, and surrounding yourself with good people, and music was our medium.
As I recall the different sources of music that I have used over the years; records, cassette tapes, cd’s, mini-disks, I-pods, and most recently internet radio, I remember the attachment I had with each one. As a medium source, music has a diverse array of outlets. Today, most of these outlets are irrelevant. I-pods and internet radio dominate our music culture, as you see most people walking around campus with little white ear buds connected to an I-pod, or Grooveshark or Pandora sitting on screens scattered in the library. Our access to music has gone global and digital. If I wanted to listen to music from a small time producer from the Czech Republic, chances are I can find it with a few clicks of the mouse. But music can act as a medium without actually playing, organizations such as Live Aid that broadcasted two live concerts to a global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 countries to aid Ethiopian famine. The power of music can range from a personal connection of listening to your I-pod and tapping your toes, to the organization of playing a concert to a massive, global, audience.
Video: Youtube.com
