I really like the parallels you mentioned here, Ashley! Slow relaxing tempo in a song puts us at ease.
So perhaps maintaining a smooth tempo in our busy lives and a level-head in business dealings can lead to better negotiations and foster peace.
Great discussion so far!
I am reminded of my recent trip to Cuba with the Kelley Direct program. 20 other MBA students and I visited the country to experience the culture and work with 4 different local businesses. One of the most impactful nights there was at a private art gallery with a live band and DJ. The event was sponsored to sale art, but it was so much more than that. It turned into a gathering of local entrepreneurs in an environment where privatization is relatively new. It also attracts foreign visitors who have money and may be willing to invest in the art and local businesses.
I am not fluent in Spanish, and while some on our team were, most of us were not. When I attended this event with the business I was working with we were able to build a stronger bond by enjoying the same music together. It brought us closer together and helped break down the language barrier.
A previous poster mentioned " āmuscular bondingā that refers to the sense of group solidarity listeners experience when they align with musical rhythms and melodies." Our enjoyment of the same music did bring us, and everyone in that room closer together.
Music has the ability to strengthen the peace building process when businesses come together. Especially in an environment where businesses from different cultures come together it can help ease cultural divides.
Thanks for this response. Yes, music is a powerful mnemonic device. Catchy tunes tend to āchunkā information in short phrases and/or simple refrains, so that the melody can carry people over any lapses in verbal memory. The alphabet song and counting songs are good examples. In addition to school teachers, political candidates and social movements use musical memory, the former to link name recognition with a popular song and the latter to situate current protests in a longer tradition of justice struggles.
Hi Sierra. I agree music is a nudge or inspirational factor in behavior. If it werenāt, why would advertising use it so heavily in their expensive commercials to get us to buy things! As for specific examples, hereās a funny one, not peace or violence, but definitely an action of mine clearly caused by musicā¦
As an elementary schooler I was particularly patriotic and moved by the National Anthem. I always felt something strong when I heard the song. One time I heard the song and I became so moved, I threw up. I vomited out of patriotism caused by the song. I wasnāt sick, I hadnāt eaten anything bad, nothing was wrong with meā¦an action, in this case vomiting, was directly caused by music!
I think peace building as a term can come across as very pie in the sky and idealistic. I donāt think itās an improvement. Despite the word building, it does not sound like a concrete, constructive term.
I sometimes think about the diversification of culture in this country. Think tv for example. Today we have an amazing variety of channels and shows including some really innovative ones that would never air decades ago. Sounds greatā¦but it also means weāve lost the ability to have easy discussions on shows and share cultural items. When there were 3 channels everyone watched and a few shows on those channels that just about everyone watched, tv could powerfully build culture (pro or con) and people could peacefully share the shows as cultural experiences.
Similar idea I think with music. The variety of music is immense now. Thereās something for everyone. Thatās greatā¦mostly. The downside is itās harder for music to reach a truly mass audience and have an impact, including one for peace. I think in music, and generally, we share less culturally as a country today. Some of that is very good, we all get the cultural experiences we want and the variety and quality is great. Thereās competition and that promotes improvement. However, something is lost too. Cultural homogeneity is boring and presents us from experiencing some really amazing thingsā¦but it also I think strengthens cultureās ability to move usā¦towards peace or violence.
Cool find, Ashley! I must admit, Iām guilty of knowing this song and having it in my iTunes library. Iām not surprised itās Trumpās favorite, as itās so critical of life in general. Trump never seems to be satisfied (hence why he became a massive real estate tycoon and eventually our Pres), which is exactly what Peggy Lee tries to convey. Nothing can satisfy her as life progresses, itās just a series of āis that all there is?ā
I do have to wonder if thereās some level of PR involvement with the answers though - think someone has already analyzed the meanings of the Peggy Lee song before Trump was allowed to respond?
Interesting indeed knowing all their favorite songs. I would think that the presidentās aides and staff would review anything going to the public that could be twisted or misunderstood. In this case, Iām not sure if it has been filtered through or not given how unfiltered his twitter account is whether or not if he wrote it or not.
As an aside, here is a recent article trying to decipher if it really is him tweeting or not: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/05/21/trump-tweets-include-grammatical-errors-and-some-them-are-purpose/JeL7AtKLPevJDIIOMG7TrN/story.html
There is one obstacle that prevents the industry from being as effective, and thatās money. Music is different than corporate America in this regard. I tend to think in the music world more controversial issues sell records, such as violence, or music that is used to motivate people in the sports world. Peace is definitely good for business in general when it comes to selling normal goods and services (tangible things).
Common ground is the key ingredient to peace building. Find a common ground that will bring the warring parties together, and you can start a dialogue. And the topic of conversation can be anything. Music is a great universal starting point for a common ground, because everyone can usually relate to the message of music.
When i see this question I think of the song āWe Are The Worldā. That is a GREAT example of peace building thru music. Itās probably the most peace related song I have ever heard. This song could easily be tied to any corporate entity as a ābattleā song to promote peace.
Many of the less peaceful, more violent movements and government seem to be fearful of music. For instance, North Korea bans most music, including foreign music, as a way to retain power. ISIL also banned music as it was overtaking a large swath of land in the Middle East and engaging in violent terrorism. These types of violent movements seem to be wary of music and its role in their power-grab.
I witnessed one example of leading to peacebuilding through music and business during a recent trip to Cuba. We met with two different musical groups (a female rap duo and a drum troupe) who were in the process of or recently returned from trips to the US to earn money to support themselves and promote their records and generate business. However, the trip had another purpose: to promote peaceful relations between the US and Cuba. The artists were able to gain a better understanding of the American culture on their trip and through witnessing their musician peers perform at the shows. Americans were able to see Cuban musical creativity and also hear the interpreter tell the stories of the lyrics, including some about the difficulties of life under the embargo.
I think a couple of you guys have mentioned this - 90% of the time Iād agree but with Trumps tendency to control his narrative and reading why he likes Peggy Leeās song for example, I almost wonder if that favorite came āfrom the heartā. Obama has released his Spotify playlists or favorites as well, at least in 2017 - interesting and Iām sure calculated. Would love to go back in time and see how their musical style has or has not influenced their presidential style, if at all.
Question - think if you were to poll the most influential CEOās and leaders, youād find any overlap in music tastes/favorite songs? Would be interesting to see if there are common themes and if that is noticeable in how their music preference translates to their leadership style - mellow, loud, in rhythm, eccentric, etc.
Nancy so interesting - when I think of Hillary Clintonās campaign I think of āthis is my fight songā. I always think of her being on the defensive, esp. near the end so interesting the tone set now looking back on it. Female empowerment, playing that angle and fighting for change, fighting for her causes, etc.
One other interesting thought after reading some of these political comments - I remember this coming out and it brings a new angle to the concept of music and peace - what happens when a song is used in a way to support a brand, company or in Trumpsā case, campaign and the band wants no affiliation. If the band wants no affiliation due to their belief, perhaps in a non peace focused narrative being shared and their song is used, itās likely to impact their brand as well. Same for a business. Say Iām Coke for example and Trump drinks one and calls out his love for Coke. If you feel strongly that you donāt share the same morals/ethics with a candidate as a business, you may not want that endorsement. Interesting to think of how music can be unintentionally used to to drive something that may be opposite of what the band intended with the song. Iām sure there are a number of songs that are used in ads, etc. that was never meant to support whatever is being endorsed. Just food for thought!
Hereās a link (again) to the Rolling Stones response that made me think of this: https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/politics/rolling-stones-donald-trump/index.html
Ashley your comment reminds me of the recent story where the owner of a restaurant refused to serve Sarah Huckabee Sanders due to disagreements with what her and the Trump administration represent. Although itās not about music per se, itās a similar situation which further illustrates your point.
When people create something (whether it is music or a restaurant/business) it is an extension of themselves and they want it to represent their interests. By associating their creation with something unrepresentative of their beliefs, it can negatively impact the creator despite him/her not agreeing with the associated parties.
Hereās a link to the article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/06/23/why-a-small-town-restaurant-owner-asked-sarah-huckabee-sanders-to-leave-and-would-do-it-again/?noredirect=on
Russell that is hilarious!! I feel bad for the young version of you, but I just laughed out loud. Great example of music being especially moving. 
Olivier - good point about how old habits die hard. I feel like sometimes, especially in our political climate today, people expect that people will just start acting differently because X child was killed or Y politician was thrown in jail. In reality, no one changes that easily - whether itās because of character or simple habits - so as a population, we have to educate each other.
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Ashley, this is an interesting reference Iām glad you brought up!
This also recently happened with Ed Sheeran - some pro-life group that was advocating against abortion was using his song āSmall Bumpā as their campaign song. Ed ended up posting an Instagram story in reference to the situation to say that he did not give permission for them to use that song, and that he doesnāt believe in their mission.
In some previous posts, we talked about using music in advertising and marketing to trigger memories and emotions. Thereās not often discontent around usage in marketing (often weāre singing along instead), but itās interesting to see the flip side when thereās serious disagreement.
Actual article on it:
Russell - so true! Very powerful advertising vehicle. Three songs that will immediately provide recognition to a company/advertising campaign for me are:
Phillip Phillips - Home (2008 Olympics)
The Killers - All These Things That Iāve Done (Nike Ad) "Iāve got soul, but Iām not a soldierā¦"
Sarah McLachlan - In the Arms of an Angel - ASPCA
All of these songs happen to really bring about a sense of community and peace with me.