What a World We Live In

I know this may not be the deepest of thoughts and it will certainly make any teenage student of mine think that I'm ancient, but I really, really am starting to hate and worry about the 'music' that seems available to the average listener here in Spain, in particular. What I mean is, if you actually have any taste whatsoever there are actually plenty of musicians who are still making beautiful music if you know where to look. But mainstream? I had no idea that it was possible to get any worse than "I'm on a boat." I was wrong, dead wrong. Here in Spain most of the radio stations play a lot of music in English that either comes from the States or the UK. In the defense of the stations here in general, I have to report that there is one station that is similar to WRNR(MD) or things that you might find on All Songs Considered (sorry to everyone who hates npr) that plays a lot of indie, jazz and other alternative types of music. The majority play what I can only politely call crap. It's in English. It's in Spanish.. and it's all different variations of terrible.

What really bothers me is that these songs are readily available to any kid with a television, radio, computer, phone, etc. which is pretty much all of them. I'm not even a parent, but I don't appreciate that these songs are basically telling kids 'Hey, it's cool to talk/think this way...you should too to be cool." Not to mention the utter and complete lack of creativity and annihilation of the art itself. Case in point.



Sure, this song made me chuckle a little the first time I heard it...but after several times it was no longer funny, especially after hearing a 9 year old student repeat a portion of the lyrics in class. Call me old-fashioned but I just don't find it cute when a kid curses. Does this qualify as music now? What the fu** indeed. Okay as a youtube joke, blasphemous as a so-called song.

Moving on to the next disturbing piece of 'music' that I've heard recently over the airwaves in the middle of the afternoon. This one hails from the UK, I believe. Sorry Englishmen, but if this is the best you've got to send over, just keep it. Seriously, the lyrics consist of gems such as "i got a hangover wo-oh... so i can go until i blow up and i can drink until i throw up and i don't ever ever want to grow up"...OR "i been drinking too much fo-sho." Dear Taio Cruz and producers, You indeed were drinking too much when you thought this was a) a song b) acceptable, cool, etc. What is the message here exactly? I certainly can't find a one besides it's super cool to get so drunk that you make stupid music like this. Sheesh.

But what really bothers me the most though is not that this is what they are filling their ears and minds with... it's that there are so many better things that they could be listening to- should be. I guess it all does come down to personal choice and I know that stations are paid to play this 'insert whatever word you want here', but doesn't anyone care to educate the young minds by exposing them to beautiful things that were made with love and appreciation for the influence that it can have? After taking a looking at the state of the education system here(and in some way, the world over) I suppose I have my answer. For me, this hands-off, I'd rather not be bothered, let'sjust see what happens attitude is lax at best and destructive at its worst, IMHO. I know I don't really have a right to speak as a parent, but I as an educator I have some kind of investment in other people's children too and I do care about the outcome. Do I think that this particular aspect will have detrimental long term effects? Maybe. Will they die from it? Probably not. Perhaps listening to Mozart won't make you smarter, but this will surely make you dumber. I'm not saying all music needs to MEAN something, but for me this is unacceptable as an 'art' form. I think I'll go clean out my ears now with something... I dunno, musical.