Arts Exclusivty in America
May 29, 2023
One of the very first uniforms I ever wore was a Scottish Regimental Uniform. The luxurious sport of Pipe Bands, all over the world, are a respected musical art form. One reason why I no longer don my tartan, is how sharply the divide between performing art forms has increased over the years, especially in Brooklyn, NY in the historical music making neighborhoods of 👑 Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Bands once would stand forever, with legions of supporters. As fewer and fewer have access to music lessons, music classes, and attendance at cultural events, the bands are shrinking. Kids are taking beginning band class in high school; some never leave the beginning band books. A legacy of American ingenuity and competitiveness is slipping away. Interesting, that the higher the median household income, the more likely a family is to engage in lifelong art making.
Once art was used to express a multitude of feelings, emotions of a time period, innovation, attainment, talent, and a community's safety net to prevent dereliction. Now, art is reserved in its full format at least, exclusively for the wealthy and the rich.
In the minority communities, African American, Latin, and Mixed – classical music is becoming foreign. Thus, current music is boom tap tap, with 16 bar phrases, utilizing electronic instruments. Once more, even studios are not as accessible to the working classes as they once were.
It's all about competition, the arts are ranked. If you want to know how your program, instructor or support system stacks up, compete. If you want a great teacher, because you don't have one, get a judge or active competitor, they're sure to build great programs.
If you aren't a musician, then you know little of the global mechanics, inner workings, and current events of performing music as a musician, and that's a fact. If you're not an artist, how can you insert yourself in the artwork? Sometimes it's best to let the artist do their work. Humanities’ finest forms of expression are the arts. It's up to you to accept the future of humanity, and the world as harmonic in nature, rather than poor and dissonant.
