Class

    Why is it that we identify with some styles of music and not others? Why do I dislike country and rap music, but enjoy most other kinds of music? Is this due to my class distinction or other reasons?
Bourdieu argued that class is defined in part by the way one chooses to depict one self in relation to other groups. He said that taste, whether that be food, cultural, presentation, musical, is a significant indicator of class. I would argue that class is not the cause of various musical tastes belonging to various classes, but rather the result of economic, physical, and social variables. For instance, there are legitimate reasons why higher class musicians tend to be involved in and supportive of new music. There is comfort and freedom that is required for musicians to spend the time and resources to be able to create new forms of expression. These reasons are mostly to do with the economic security of belonging to an upper class, meaning an individual has more time to concern his or herself with things not directly related to survival and physical comfort. In this sense, taste is a result of this economic status in society.
One interesting aspect of taste is the way that people make genre judgments about what kind of music they do and do not like. For instance, my friend’s parents are very quick to say that they do not like rap music, but this is based more on their rejection of identifying with the culture of rap music than the music itself. They have hardly listened to rap music. Does this mean that musical genres do not accurately represent the music of the genre? When we discuss rap, hip-hop, country or any other genre are we referring to the music or the social implications of the music?
I think often times in popular culture the social aspects of the genres take over the meaning of the actual music. In this way we make the relationship between musical tastes and class distinctions more concrete.

In reference to my own life, I’m interested in my own transition from listening predominantly to pop culture music in middle school and early high school to classical music later in high school. My family has always been active classical music listeners and I attended classical music concerts with them from an early age. My mother is a vocal teacher in elementary school and has sung in choirs as long as I can remember. Despite this influence, and my own playing of piano and cello from an early age, whenever I listened to music I listened to popular songs on the radio and attended concerts with performers like Eiffel 65 (”I’m Blue”- perhaps the catchiest and most repetitive song ever written), N’Sync, and Alanis Morissette. I remember when I was in the 8th grade my mother told me that I should be listening to more classical music like many of my instrumentalist friends. However, I distinctly remember feeling very separated from the classical music audiences when I saw symphonies and solo performances. The sea of grey heads sitting in front of me felt like an entirely different group and class even. It was not until I began to take my own cello playing more seriously that I started feeling more included in the classical music audience. I think that this experience speaks to the influence of community and other influences that are included when we consider a specific musical genre. When I was younger, I felt more connected to (strangely enough) the popular culture songs than to the quiet, serious classical music scene. Now I feel like I can exist in both worlds because I am not so reliant on the identity definitions that each one may provide.

I was having a hard time thinking about what to write about for my first assignment, until I realized that I could write about one of the most important parts of my life. My mom, my dad, my 18-year-old brother and I, when lumped together as a family unit, represent an amalgam of many different musical preferences and experiences. We don’t always love each other’s choice of what to listen to in the car or while we’re doing homework, but as my brother and I have grown we have all learned from each other about the different kinds of music that we are all respectively into. As a result, our tastes have begun to overlap, and our minds are that much more enriched.

I would not deny for a second the fact that my family’s openness to many different kinds of music is likely a result of our upper-middle class status (which I classify us as due to my parents prestigious jobs as professors and scholars) and our location in one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the United States: Washington, DC. As we discussed in class last week, wealth and location are two factors that lead to the construction of class and affect how much exposure one can have to different kinds of music. For example, my parents were able to pay for private lessons on trumpet and violin for my brother and I, respectively, for years. We had great teachers who were attracted to the DC metropolitan area probably because of the opportunities to perform in prestigious orchestras, chamber groups, or even jazz bands. That’s just one example of how our wealth and location has led to musical experiences that certainly not everyone gets to have and we are very lucky to have had.

I don’t disagree with Petersen’s hypothesis that people with more money, especially in the United States, seem to be “omnivorizing” their music libraries. But I do take issue with his negative outlook on the future of certain institutions of the performing arts, such as the opera and the symphony orchestra. I believe that the United States is entering a time when everyone will be more exposed to everything as tolerance and acceptance of different lifestyle choices grows ever more widespread. That isn’t just in reference to protests against California’s Proposition 8, or the 44th president of the United States, though those are certainly indicators.

I’ll take it back to my family. I won’t post any pictures of them except for the ones that are already on the Internet. Cue Dad. (He’s a legal historian and blogger who wrote a blog post about legal history downloads from iTunes (”for listening to at the gym or wherever”). He posted a picture of Brad Pitt looking all muscular, and his co-blogger replaced Brad Pitt’s head with my dad’s. Oh, the wonders of technology.)

My dad has the least musical experience out of anyone in my family. He wanted to play the saxophone for a week once, and I think that might have been it. Aside from legal history downloads, he likes to listen to talk and sports radio, but when he feels like music, he tends to listen to classical and jazz the most. However, every once in a while I’ll hear the Ben Folds that I got him into, or whatever the latest electronica my brother has got for him, coming out of his office. But he still loves to to the orchestra and saw almost all, if not all, of my county and state orchestra concerts.

I often tell my mom that she listens to cooler music than I do. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have had Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, or Lauren Hill. She is the reason I have funk in my life.

(If you’ve never watched this video, please watch at least 30 seconds, it’s ridiculous.)

But she is the daughter of a pastor and was raised with the music of the church. She loves singing in church choir and also went to almost all of my concerts.

My brother is a DJ who listens to music that I have never heard of. One of his “mash-ups” was played on DC101, a DC metropolitan area rock station. This wasn’t the one, but it’s definitely my favorite: http://idiotless.brickfilms.com/Music/mrless-jackanddianeslastepisode.mp3 However, one of his new favorite things to do with his other 18-year-old friends is drive around town blasting pieces from the Nutcracker. I am not making this up!

And then there’s me, who goes to Oberlin College with 10 years of violin lessons and 2 more when I got to college and a whole lot of school and outside-school orchestra AND classical chamber music experience. And at Oberlin I have seen operas, rock bands, jazz bands, funk bands, steel drum bands, really weird bands…

folk bands, sitar players….I could probably keep going…

And yet I’m still one of the leaders of one of the newer musical groups on campus, which is – yup – an orchestra.

So don’t worry, Mr. Petersen. There’s a lot more to listen to now then there used to be, but I’d argue that the music that came first isn’t going away any time soon. And isn’t that pretty great?

I was thinking about the video clip from Tuesday’s class and the Turino article in terms of musical ritual appropriation as a means of status elevation. In the Peruvian case, the term ‘mestizo’ seems to arise more from a set of class habits than a concrete set of racial qualifications or from one’s lineage. When native Peruvians pick up mestizo habits of dress, consumption and musical taste, they can identify as mestizo.
The only musical tradition associated with class with which I am familiar is the Western classical music tradition. Classical music is almost always connected with an elite class, at least in America. Instruments and music lessons in this country cost a lot of money, and often it is only those from a wealthy and educated background that have the means to enter the classical music world. Because concerts are also expensive, exposure to classical music is also limited to those with money and interest, which comes from education and prior exposure. It is interesting to me that regardless of whether or not it is desirable to be associated with a elite class, playing classical music is automatically seen as an indicator of money, education, and often, pretension.
As in the case of Peruvian communities, the classical music community has certain characteristics that help to perpetuate this image. Apart from the expensive instruments that were already mentioned, classical music is most often presented in closed spaces that require membership. Figuratively, one must be “part of the club” to know about a classical music concert and to be comfortable getting to the venue. Literally, opera houses and orchestras often sell half of their tickets to season ‘members.’ Those who don’t purchase an entire season must still buy their entrance. Once in the building, the very image presented at a classical music concert is elitist and associated with money. The predominant and highly antiquated concert uniform of tuxedos (and formal black for women) represents a literal investment on the part of the performer. Opera sets are often highly decorated and costumes are lush and embellished.
All of the above is visual and practical, but these external factos highly affect the perception of classical music as elitist. It seems to me that if someone of very limited economic means and social weight became a professional violinist, they would be seen as upper-class. I am relating the possibility of this class mutation to the Peruvian example. However, in America, unlike in Peru, it is not necessarily favorable to be part of this elite class; it is possible that by entering the classical world, my violinist will be ostracized by her former friends and peers. Though she may not make much money (as salaries in local orchestras are meager), she still may be associated with an elite class.
Though my character is hypothetical, the implications of classical music as upper-class are not. Whether or not it is desirable to be part of this elite class, it is nearly impossible to be a classical musician and not be associated with this social construction.

Here’s a clip of Kremer playing Brahms violin Concerto with (I think) the New York Phil. Notice the aesthetic of the space and dress. This clip also suggests a certain gender dynamic, but I’ll leave that for another day.

          This week’s discussion and readings have encouraged us to redefine what we (think we) know as class and its connection to music, as well as recognize our own position in these hierarchies.  To discuss these, I will reference my neighborhood music combo called ‘The Duckweed ensemble,’ which was started over 10 years ago and continues to grow and change when new people move to the neighborhood.  The group is made up of about 6 or so individuals who live in the same 4 block radius in Westchester, NY (a wealthy suburb north of NYC).  After 10 years, the group is very close and has ‘rehearsals’ once a month where all the families get together with any kids still living at home and have an informal potluck party and listen to music.  The instruments involved in this combo include flutes, piano, upright bass, clarinet, and saxophone, and all of the musicians are accomplished in their own right and have been playing for the majority of their lives.  The group only plays classical pieces.
In the class discussion on Tuesday when we were prompted to name our class, I was surprised by the outcome of the discussion and my own opinions on my class.  I called my family after to ask their opinion, and spoke with other members in the class who were similarly affected by the discussion.  I recognized the aversion to naming ourselves as upper class in this society, when it can be assumed that a good amount of Oberlin College students could be considered upper class.  Bourdieu focuses on the importance of aesthetic taste to class distinction, and that ones social upbringing and influence from the previous generations can have a grander effect on ones social position than their own cultural experiences in their lives.  I would argue that these are inevitably connected, and that ones social experience and choices are based on their upbringing.  A choice of a child to reject or accept their parents taste guides the individual’s own growth.   The Peterson article may have been trying to get at this by showing how upper/middle-class younger generations who were exposed to their parents’ more sophisticated taste have morphed that culture to be more mainstream and more hip.  [I included a few links of pop songs that work off of a classical base.] Although Peterson’s article has a lot of holes and does not recognize the musical experiences of lower-class individuals, I believe he does make a good point about mainstreaming ‘high art’.
My neighborhoods own Duckweed Ensemble is somewhat an example of what Bourdeiu is talking about.  The women and men in the group have mostly grown up in middle class culture in families where music was emphasized and they were given the ability to play a variety of musical instruments as a child (for example, one person switches between the piano, clarinet, and saxophone; all of which they have the resources to own).  The music they choose to play is classical (I don’t remember the specific pieces), but they only perform in the privacy of their homes, play in relaxed street clothes, and laugh all the way through.  They make jokes throughout every rehearsal session about how much they are massacring the pieces, and after the hour or so of rehearsal they join their families and friends to have dinner, drink, and make sassy jokes.  The name of the group itself is a joke, named after the gross ‘duckweed’ that we find in our local pond every summer. I think Bourdieu would see this as a way that the current generation has carried on the musical taste of previous generations, but changed it to make it more relatable to the experiences of their own generation.

Alicia Keys – Piano & I

Zox – Canon

I’m really interested in the way aesthetics and habits are associated with class, and in the way individuals can escape class distinctions by asserting their bodies in different ways through performance, or in general. I realize the implications of class in our society are much, much  greater than my interactions with it, but for the purpose of the assignment, I will stick to my experiences and reflect on the way class has affected me personally.  My family’s income has had a large impact on the way I choose to represent myself. My parents grew up in small towns in southern India, their families struggling to get them through the rigorous education system and struggling to get by. By the time they were just 22, my parents had finished medical school, had gotten married, and immigrated to a new country (the US) with just $7 (seriously). Still, somehow, they have fulfilled their life-long goal of being established medical professionals in the US, living a very comfortable American dream. It’s amazing how much they have had to adapt over the years, and that they have been able to do it.I am struggling to understand if it is in spite of or because of their struggles that I feel guilty about my family’s income bracket. Shouldn’t I be proud of my parents’ accomplishments? Should I feel guilty about the resources I have access to because of their struggle? How has this guilt manifested itself in my choice of aesthetics and habits? This feeling of guilt has revealed itself in many of my choices, I think, from my choice is clothing, to choosing to go to a ‘less prestigious’ and less costly university before I transferred here to Oberlin, to my interest in music communities that are generally, though certainly not completely, less capitalistic than others. I was definitely not raised to appreciate the “second-hand” aesthetic or singer-songwriter circles… why do I now find myself most comfortable in these settings? What am I pursuing? Am I attempting to leave behind my upbringing or legitimize it with these new aesthetic appreciations? Is this a form of cultural appropriation? I will probably riddle with these questions for the greater portion of my life. One thing is certain, though: performance allows us a chance to create, embellish, or override identities based on class, race, gender or other categorizations imparted on us based on somatic indices. It is this fact that gives performance so much importance in the power struggles of both individuals and groups. 

Two musical “worlds” that I have been involved in, both here in Oberlin and outside of Oberlin, are the classical music world and the folk music world. Growing up with musician parents involved with both classical and folk music, I was exposed to the cultures surrounding these genres. Until this class I never really thought about the reason as to why the people playing these musics were playing these genres. I of course noticed the difference in audience and people performing, but took it more for granted rather than analyzing it from a class perspective.

In class we’ve talked a lot about classical music being seen as “high brow,” mainly because the culture surrounding the music is one of extravagance. Classical music venues tend to be elaborately decorated with paintings and sculptures, tickets for these performances tend to be more expensive, people attending the concerts usually dress up, and there is a sense of elitism in spending a night at the opera or seeing a professional orchestra. In terms of the music, it is seen to be more difficult to play, with the norm of classical musicians beginning their instruments at an early age in order to have the time to reach a higher level of mastery.

American folk music, on the other hand, is generally seen as a “low brow” genre. Perhaps it is because it is a more inclusive genre, tending to be less complicated musically, which allows for more people to participate. That being said, I have seen plenty of virtuosic folk musicians with just as much technique and musical skill as any professional classical musician. There is also a more relaxed vernacular that goes along with the music. While directions in classical music are often in Italian, French, and German, comparable terms in folk music tend to be in more colloquial English, even slang. Instruments found in both classical music and folk music will go by different names: “violin” versus “fiddle”, “double bass” or “contrabass” versus “upright bass” or even “bass fiddle”. The style is also less focused on perfect technique and is often not as “clean” as classical music. This isn’t meant to be a criticism on either genre; the folk style just tends to have more grit. Additionally, while there is less of a sense of elitism in folk music, there is still some amongst more advanced players and the people who know more about its history and style. Perhaps it is inevitable that musical genres become somewhat hierarchical based on skill level and knowledge.

As far as the culture of people involved, folk musicians and the ones listening to them tend to be an eclectic bunch, generally politically liberal, community-oriented, and often subscribing to lifestyles that differ from more traditional society. This nonconformity is probably one of the reasons this culture is not regarded as “upper class”. It is interesting to note that this distinction seems to be almost entirely based on cultural and social capital, rather than economic, or in certain instances, even educational capital. Some of the most popular folk musicians have had just as much success as their classical counterparts, but are still seen as being members of a lower class because of how they choose to portray themselves publicly.

This video features John Hartford, Tony Rice, and Vassar Clements–three highly successful folk and bluegrass musicians. It is interesting to notice the relatively informal context of their performance and appearance, espeically compared to the following video, featuring the Cleveland Orchestra.