Hi all! So wonderful to see the discussion. I’m finally logged in and look forward to seeing how things have developed so far.
I’m Alain Barker - Director of Entrepreneurship and Career Development at the IU Jacobs School of Music…
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Music can also deepen emotional experiences – it could be pivotal in one’s emotional journey.
Hello everyone! I’m happy to be logged in as well.
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I’m John Paul Kanwit, Campus Writing Program Director at IU Bloomington (and a student in Tim’s course).
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With regard to shared emotions, the ambivalence of music becomes an important issue. Aggressive sounds can foster aggressive emotions, regardless of the verbal messages. So, what music becomes a crucial question? Because musical experiences are stored in the body on a cellular level, when we listen to music we are rehearsing emotional responses.
I think that is an important point. Certain kinds of music can facilitate reflection, allowing people to linger in their thoughts after some important point has been made or juncture has been reached. We often think of music as motivating activity (which it certainly can do), but it can also sustain emotions of a thoughtful sort or prompt further thinking.
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So – building relationships and fostering participation are key things that music can do (and something with the depth of emotion, which is tough to define.) How does business sustain these things?
Good point – I was referring to the associative power of music earlier and your statement about musical experiences being stored on a cellular level is pretty fascinating.
Regarding business, in cases where musical activities are not sustainable in the local economy, business expertise could help make them so.
Are you thinking of contexts in which businesses sponsor musical events or make use of music in advertising – things of this sort?
In my reply to Olivier’s article in the upcoming journal, I shared an exercise I use with my ethics classes. I do a bit of a riff on Kolhberg’s theory of moral development, but first I place it within sports. How can we enjoy a game. One can be a fan where the game is us vs them, it could be a time when one appreciates sportsmanship, and it could be a time where one simply enjoys the atmosphere of the day. (There are six stages; I’m just collapsing them a bit for now). Then I switch to music and ask students to find a piece of music that fits each of these stages. it’s a pretty interesting experience because it can cover a lot of different emotions, attitudes and even spiritualities.
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Do you have further information about this?
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Business has a particularly important role in supporting the arts now with cuts to government funding and a general lack of respect for the arts in some education circles.
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To Kathleen, no, not at all, I was thinking about other aspects of business… will elaborate later if there is space…
Following on, I’m not so concerned that music is ambivalent or that business is. Just about everything is. What interests me more is that we recognize a time and place when it can foster peace. We know that there can be violent and aggressive uses, but I think it is important to call out the times and places where it can fit as a peace builder as well.
I’m so glad that you’ve said that in reality, everything is ambivalent (to paraphrase), because that concern can stop us from moving forward – so it is about choice.
And in addition, it is really about what we do with the music. Even if the sounds and rhythms are aggressive, that kind of music can promote peacebuilding, it’s all about how we use it.
Great to see such a lively discussion! Let’s turn to the second question:
And how we use it, may relate to business sustaining the momentum of peacebuilding. Do you think?
Sadly, often the times that music is utilized in ways that are not so aggressive is in memorial contexts. I think it would be good if music that facilitates reflection were utilized in other contexts, too – perhaps to extend people’s savoring of something that they enjoy together, which should help to fortify their relationships with each other.