https://mywalletfund.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/how-i-rank-social-class-with-pictures/
Social class plays a big role in American music. Social class can be defined as a status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of wealth. Social class may also refer to any particular level in such hierarchy. Examples of different classes are like upper class, middle class, and working class. Culture, behavior, power, and heritage can also play a role in what class you are in. So after hearing that definition you start to wonder, how does that play a role in American music? But it does play quite the role, especially with musical and instrument education. After readings of Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America and Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves To Death, as well as my teams interview with our community partner Meaghan Leferink, I was able to make the connection of the effect of social class on American society and the effect on American music.
After reading Ronald Takaki’s book A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America I saw his examples of how social class affected African Americans as they migrated from the South to the North. Basically how they tried to escape racism and segregation in the South but faced the same things in the North. How they lived in primarily black neighborhoods and weren’t permitted to live in white neighborhoods “Determined to repel this Negro ‘invasion’, several hundred white residents organized the Hyde Park Improvement Protective Club, which announced that real estate agents must not sell homes to black in white blocks. ‘The districts which are now white,’ a leader of the organization declared, ‘must remain white. There will be no compromise.” (Takaki, 319). He went on to discuss how they received unfair wages compared to white people and could only afford homes in the slums in places like Chicago and Harlem.
Taken by: Chris Brooks
On May 24th my team had a phone interview with Meaghan Leferink the Director of Community Engagement from Seattle Music Partners. My first question for Meaghan was “what role do you feel social class plays in your organization?” After giving her a quick definition of social class she responded with “economic definitely plays a role in our program because we are actively trying to combat economic barriers through music education. So we are trying to combat the idea that you need to have a certain economic status to learn to play an instrument. Usually that economic status is usually somebody that is wealthier who comes from a family tradition where they can afford to pay for lessons and that paying for lessons is a priority in their family.”
My next question for Meaghan was “what is your program doing to change this idea of social class in the student’s mind?” Meaghan went on to say “I think that access to opportunities is the first step, so providing equitable access to instrumental education, regardless if a student comes from a low income family or middle class family. Giving them the same access to an instrument and instruction.” She then went on to discuss those students from mixed demographics or different backgrounds. “As far as those things that are interpersonal or that come along with having a mixed demographic and background playing in the same room, that’s where things like team building and promoting the idea of empathy and trying to figure out that we are all on a team together, that the ensemble fails or succeeds together is really important.” She concluded my questions with “I think that is sort of an idealistic way to look at it, but I think that is what we are striving towards as a program, is using music as a way to break down those barriers of economic and social class, by building a strong ensemble that can play and work as a team together.”
Taken by: Chris Brooks
After reading Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves To Death, one particular quote stood out to me that I feel connects pretty well with what I’m trying to say in this post. Though American culture stands vigorously opposed to the idea of family, there nonetheless still exists a residual nag that something essential to our lives is lose when we give it up” (Postman, 134). While this doesn’t exactly describe social class I feel like it connects with one of the things that Seattle Music Partners is trying to do, not have kids be discouraged because their parents can’t afford to pay for music lessons or instruments. And SMP is trying to provide those kids from lower class families free lessons and instruments so that they can fulfill their desire to play music. From a personal standpoint from my life I always wish I could’ve learned to play an instrument, but I grew up with a low-to-middle class family and my parents couldn’t afford to pay for lessons or instruments, and after being told I immediately was discouraged from ever learning to play. Even still to this day I don’t want to learn because of that experience as a child. No kid should ever be dispirited if they have a desire like that.
http://www.permanentculturenow.com/social-class-a-useful-tool-of-the-ruling-elite/
In conclusion I feel like social class still effects American society greatly today. There are still primarily white neighborhoods and neighborhoods with mixed demographics that struggle to make a decent living. For example, the Central district of Seattle where Seattle Music Partners mainly works. And SMP’s main goal is to eliminate these economic barriers and help these kids learn to play music and not to be disheartened by their families and neighborhoods current economic status. Kids should never have to give up on their dreams no matter what their current social class is.
By: Chris Brooks
Phone Interview:
References:
Leferink, M. (2018, May.24.). Phone Interview
Postman, N. (2007). Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse In The Age Of Show Business. London: Methuen.
Takaki, R.T. (2008). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, and.
social class. BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018, from BusinessDictionary.com website: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-class.html
American Media 