Success in Music Essay (Essay Sample)

Success in music
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Success in music
Those who love music would definitely want to shine. They do not just pop into the music industry and be failures. Naturally, human beings can learn themselves from the environmental influence or it is sometimes inborn. They can also be taught at their early ages so that they can perfect in a given art field like music. Both the environment, the individual himself or herself and the teachers and the curriculum itself can determine the success or failure in music. Therefore, for us to mentor and bring more success in music, we need to identify the challenges first from both the stakeholders then look for solutions. The challenges arising from students, the teachers and the curriculum in practicing music need be overcome to celebrate success in music (Alperson, 1986).
Review of literature
The human mind is designed to pick logic of the world of music. Kids learn can by themselves when young or even before birth on how go about their world and how to pick sense of it without being taught. Our understanding is basically integrating and sieving of personal, cultural as well as social experiences; which is human defining characteristic. This in turn embrace action, evaluation, reflection and exploration especially in learning environments which is a defining characteristic in humans. Each individual understands music on his or her own. Children in learning institutions need be provided with an educational setting so as they can be evaluated, subjected to hardships and be developed. This can be achieved through the children themselves or with the aid of a teacher. Additionally, a supportive framework for children will aid in successive and critical evaluation of the socio-cultural music conventions in learning institutions. Teachers have another role in shaping how children comprehend music, so they should have prior adequate knowledge of the content they want to deliver to children. A rational and practical framework of activities on in teaching music should be clearly outlined and understood by teachers globally (Alperson, 1986; Kivy, 2009).
Teachers, aspiring students and developed artists incur various problems when exploring this art and most are the times they give up easily. The practicing artists ought to lay emphasis on familiarizing themselves with the complexities in philosophy and psychology involved in performance of arts. These stakeholders in the music industry suffering from a variety of problems arising from within themselves or the society can get help and overcome the challenges. Some of these challenges may include but not limited to: gender inequality in performing arts, implications of anxiety and the artist-public relationship. Environment greatly contribute to music as its influence, besides emotions and the automatic vocalizations from human beings are subjected to extension and energized to become recognized as a song hence music (Durrant and Welch, 1995;Yaroslav, 2010). For a vocalist to be successful in performance they need much time as well as dedication just as it is to become a good instrumentalist. Challenges in learning how to rhythmically interpret melodies, phrase and articulate in vocalist cannot be equated to a musician who can only sing a melody. It needs good work ethic and discipline as in vocal music the lyric resides in the articulation which outlines tones except for scatting. For instance, there must be creation and usage of syllables when a vocalist is scatting which articulates what is being expressed musically. Depending on this qualities music can be said not to appeal to the listeners hence subject to criticism hence the performers will be discouraged. The question then is, who is responsible for the proper and successful music lessons and outcomes? (Alperson, 1986; Kivy, 2009).
Challenges in music performance
Anxiety leading to punishment and despair: Many artists prior to performance experience anxiety and fear of what they do not know, just as they are aware of the possibility of an applause from the audience if they succeed on stage. There are both positive and negative anxiety results. This can be drawn from the viewpoint of existing philosophy as well as an artistic allegory in musical performance to evaluate the inferences of creative class teaching by qualified teachers. Teachers have often not considered the leeway of applying anxiety as a positive force of creativity in teaching music to learners. Teachers ought to muddle through with despair and anxiety although it is common to repress anxiety since it is thought to have more affinity to negative experience in music performance. However, on the positive side its corollary which is the personal-knowledge achievable while a performer on stage despairs which leads to a connected and harmonious identity. This anxiety that comes in the form of peaceful creativity craving may present exceptional opportunities that enhance creative teaching and performance by teachers and music actors respectively. There exists ways in which teachers can achieve this in music classes hence breed music superstars (Kivy, 2009; Yaroslav, 2010).
A number of way do exist that help in managing performance anxiety starting from personal assessment which involves knowing oneself better as not only a person but also a musician who needs success. One needs to evaluate his or her performing motives, abilities and curbs as a performer, what they are afraid of and lastly separate between personal assessment and personal criticism. The performer should be able to identify his or her problematic thinking. This may be followed by continued exposure as well as preparation. It is advisable to search for moderate exposure opportunities, practice performances and rehearse well. Preparing thoroughly in rehearsals and considering how one uses his or her relaxation techniques helps in harmonizing the body. Meditating will help the mind and body be uplifted and balanced to enable one feel motivated and not overwhelmed which may lead to using drugs and alcohol for self-medication (Yaroslav, 2010).
During performance, most performers block out their audience rather than trying to see them as friends generally out to support them and help them succeed on stage. A good number of performers contend with anxiety which cones with the environment and anxiety feeling are natural. This feelings can be used positively and performers ought to maintain an ordinary routine on preparation for performance. It is good be calm when you feel nervousness as when you are constantly anxious will lead to remaining pre-occupied with anxiety. It is good to overlook negligible mistakes during performance as impressions to audience are more important than non-perfect performance. Performing should considered as a musical experience by getting out of one’s self and being in the position of the audience so as to avoid personal criticism. Performers should enjoy and value their accomplishments in avoiding anxiety. After performance the performer should evaluate themselves how they performed rather than ask people as this may deprive then an opportunity to gather valuable information how they performed that could help in future performances (Yaroslav, 2010).
Gender inequality in performing arts: The music industry has been dominated by the male since time immemorial. Male bands dating back to 1960s were seen as serious musicians whereas the talented women of equal measure who existed as vocal groups only got treated as novelties. Later on, women like Poly Styrene emerged to explore the mainstream rock scenes and could do better than some men artists though at a very slow rate. Despite of their continued efforts to shine in performing arts, they are still facing a stiff battle from their male counterparts. This has been opposed by strong female artist and we are witnessing more females in various bands but things have not yet improved. The gap between the two genders is becoming gradually wider and wider.
Gender is sometimes used in place of sex and in music there are instruments that have been classified as belonging to a particular gender while others are traditionally classified as neutral like the saxophone and the cello. In broad terms, gender and musical experience are inseparable and musical understanding occurs in two statuses. One, the existence musical resources as a raw representative of syntactical association which addressees answer back differently founded experiences they have had in the past. Two, is the demarcated meaning in which components like gender, age, social context and culture are configured in the listeners’ understanding of a given music in the society. The two aspects ought to exist autonomously of one another. According to the delineated meaning, the listener is always affected which means that the performer’s gender composer will always have a greater influence on the listener in spite of the raw music that the performer produces.
Among other listed obstacles female artists often face and have to withstand in the music industry is respect from male colleagues and the unfailing body image pressure. Women are therefore subjected to hard work than their male colleagues in achieving an equivalent or close commendation as men. A hypothesis is hence laid that historical pattern, outdated socialization, segregation, no role models and discrimination are among obstacles that are facing female musicians. This means that women artists need double efforts to become as good as men. Contrariwise, strictly speaking, no know hardship has been listed or any literature illuminating that men who are playing feminine instruments meet on professional grounds. This concludes that in selection of a music instrument, gender is the pivot at which the whole issue swing and the balance seems to favor men (Yaroslav, 2010)....