Just as the NAEP provides a national assessment of 8th graders’ music and arts education, I think the commentary surrounding Ellen DeGeneres’s role as the newest judge on American Idol is also worth looking at in terms of assessing the state of music education in the US. In articles across the Internet such as this one from Craig Berman for MSNBC, the notion of an “EveryFan Sensibility” is lauded in terms of average people not having the knowledge or desire to assess performers on the show with a critical ear or informed mind. Bracketing for a moment the notion that the show exists for the sake of entertainment (and one’s fandom of Ellen DeGeneres) why not frame this conversation in terms of music education? Take this excerpt from the article regarding DeGeneres’s role as the newest judge:
This move takes the show in a different direction, as the traditional role of the judges is to offer practical advice as well as the judicious use of snark. Each of the other three judges bring musical expertise to the table, Kara DioGuardi’s brutal “No Boundaries” notwithstanding. Even Paula, with her persona as one of the nicest people on the planet, tried to have something relevant to say every now and then.
Ellen changes that dynamic, because she can’t do that. True, she’s a brilliant entertainer. She is a hilarious stand-up comic, an entertaining talk-show host, and an … enthusiastic dancer. But her musical “chops,” as her new friend Kara would say, are non-existent.
What she is, is a big fan of the show. And judging from the initial comments from both her and the show, that’s why she was hired.
She’s like EveryFan, but funnier, and much more powerful. Her role looks like it is going to be to say what the people in the audience are yelling at the stage or at their TV sets. As she told the audience of her daytime show, she’s someone who buys records, not someone who knows a lot of technical details about the qualities that get those record deals done in the first place.
Besides contemplating to what extent the assessment regularly provided on the show reflects or is contextualized in musical expertise, we might also wonder about the extent to which the show has (or has not) musically educated fans and the general public. Would not a successful and long running show with judging as a core component provide those watching and listening with a deeper understanding of music and the ability to make informed assessments themselves? If not, what does that say about the judging and assessment on the show?
Furthermore, if it is true that the EveryFan or average person viewing, interacting, and discussing the show does not have the ability (again bracketing the idea that people may not have the desire) to draw on their knowledge of music and aural skills to articulate their assessments of the performers, what does that say about the state of music education in the US?
Given the notion of a homogenized EveryFan discounts the multifaceted ways people engage with American Idol, it might be interesting to find out what our students think and if/how they interact with the show.
I have earlier posts addressing American Idol in the music classroom. I wonder to what extent the EveryFan Sensibility mentioned in the MSNBC article and others online match with an EveryFan music education or knowledge base? What types of musical expertise do people possess and how do they choose to use it when engaging with shows like American Idol?
Where do our students and their parents/guardians fit into this conversation?
Thinking back to the current state of music education, what does it mean if the average person is unable to articulate the qualities of music to which they enjoy or do not enjoy listening?
Even if they choose not to do so, what does it mean if our students cannot do the same?
If the EveryFan, AnyFan, or one of our student fans had the opportunity to act as a judge on American Idol, what expertise would she or he bring to the table and how would s/he fare?
Perhaps, we can find out by providing opportunities for our students to engage with shows such as American Idol.
As Berman points out “Sometimes, fans of a show don’t want someone who’s just like them, they want someone who can tell them something they didn’t know or point out what they may have missed”
It might be our students who serve this role for the fans out there looking for informed judgments and musical perspectives.
Though we may be a couple of NAEP reports away from a point when all fans have the musical expertise that some commentators insinuate they currently lack, it may be a positive goal to set for our current students and future EveryFans.
Hi etobias!
I’m currently a music performance student (oboe) at USC in California, and I have been enjoying your blog for a couple weeks now. I enjoy your take on the progressions of music education in America–it is certainly changing. Although I am studying the oboe at USC, I am quite interested in the advancement and advocacy of music education in the US. Music inspires students and encourages them to be self-motivated and enthusiastic human beings! I’m sure you know that–you’re a music teacher!
I was excited to see your latest post about Ellen on American Idol. I haven’t watched the show for a few seasons, but I never, even as a young music student, felt the show enhanced or detracted from my musical knowledge. Besides the fact that Randy would tend refer to EVERY vocalist as “pitchy,” I always felt that the merit in American Idol was in the charisma and bravery of the contestants, who are “everyday people” that perform to millions each week. It’s pure entertainment. EveryFan can judge whether or not they thought a performance was entertaining, right? What they probably can’t do is explain exactly what elements made it entertaining–the melismatic differences between the contestant and the original, the use of different instrumentation or different tempos. But our culture does not require EveryFan to do that. In which case, why not have Ellen DeGeneres on the show? She also judged on So You Think You Can Dance this summer, with absolutely no technical dance expertise, and she was funny, kind and great guest.
At the same time, it’s “pure entertainment” that features music. Any outlet that brings music to our country is worth some merit, right? I was able to look over your “American Idol in the Classroom” blogs, and am impressed by the way you talk about giving “constructive criticism” through American Idol examples. In music education, especially with young students, a student who forms an opinion about the music they are playing, based on their musical knowledge, is a student excited about music, indeed! Although I still feel the musical credibility of American Idol is minimal, I am still an advocate for bringing a bit of pop culture into the music classroom–being a music geek isn’t so bad!
I see the influence of music in the US, and the world, is certainly changing–USC Thornton School of Music began offering a Bachelors of Music degree in Pop Music this year. As a classical musician, I hope the influx of technology and pop culture into the music world does not completely keep Americans away from the beauty and organic nature of orchestral and choral music. Hopefully, we can look forward to the collaboration between classical music and music education with the “real world.”
Thanks so much for your blog! Best wishes to you.
We do a great job nurturing gifted artists and getting them the proper instruction if they are deemed “gifted.” The problem is that the arts must be seen as not an alternative career for those gifted students, but rather as a necessity for developing creative problem solvers in a rapidly changing world – skills applicable in any profession or endeavor.
I’m very impressed to Craig Cortello
I’m a middle school general music/chorus teacher. My number 1 goal in my teaching is to show kids how to appreciate music and what exactly it is that they enjoy about it. Most people don’t study music like we did… they “just” listen to the radio in the car, in the shower, while they’re cleaning/studying/relaxing, etc. They don’t think, “wow this chord progression is really interesting!” or “the tone color of that soprano is light and alive!” They just like something, or not. I feel like my job as a music teacher is to point out the things that generally stick out to me when I listen to music so that my students can identify their own likes and dislikes. I know that when I watch Americal Idol, I tear the contestants apart… and my friends who have watched it with me get annoyed with my music talk.
I say there’s nothing wrong with EveryFan being educated in the basics of music and what they hear. The more understanding you have of a subject, the more you’re likely to get something out of it. If the average person has knowledge about what they’re hearing, the greater their enjoyment will be when they hear something that appeals to them.
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