Ideas for unit 11
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How it is educational, use examples such as santan dave ‘black’
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Experience created, such as gigs, festivals and concerts. The impact that this has on people. Brings people together.
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How it is used as an emotional outlet, personal experience.
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Helps form identities, allows people to be themself
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Inspires.
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Creates public figures we can look up to. Give examples and why.
Research and Bibliography
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-53220010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXLS2IzZSdg
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/08/health/music-brain-behavior-intl/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkvmFO9LUy4&feature=youtu.be
https://womxninctrl.com/seatatthetable/
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The impact music has on the younger generation within the uk
In this essay I will be stating the impacts music has on the younger generation within the uk. I will be doing so by using examples, research, studying interviews and artists, as well as giving my own personal opinion from a teenager in the uk’s point of view. From a young age humans are introduced to music, it's as simple as learning the alphabet through song, or even nursery rhymes. In recent studies it is said that ‘even how we perceive the world around us can be influenced by music.’ this definitely creates questions such as would be the person we are today without music?
We live in a world where education is one of the most important things in life. Any form of education/knowledge is powerful. For my first point in this essay i am going to explore how the artist SantanDave has made an educational impact on the younger generation all over the UK. Santan Dave released one of his albums 'psychodrama’ in 2019, the most famous song from this album is ‘black’. Within this song Santan Dave raps about black culture and the issues black people still experience in today's society. ‘Black is strugglin' to find your history or trace the shit, You don't know the truth about your race 'cause they erasin' it’ this is quoted from ‘black’ and as a white person i don't face these struggles that some black people go through, it allowed me to gain more knowledge and an understanding that there are still currently so many struggles that people of colour go through and there needs to be more awareness on this topic. Santan Dave performed his song ‘black’ at the Brits in 2020, during this performance he swapped out lyrics aiming them and the UK government ‘The truth is our prime minister is a real racist. This went viral, allowing more people to see it and share their stories and how they can relate to the song.This means more people like myself were exposed to the song and became educated on such a huge issue in today's society. This is such a positive that teens of today's generation are raised being educated on such important topics that people of the older generation are less likely to speak on within the uk.
Music has the power to strengthen social bonds, create memories and bring people together. This is able to happen due to events such as, gigs, festivals and concerts. Research shows that ‘Community festivals provide members of a community with opportunities to engage in socialisation, entertainment and the establishment of social networks, which can contribute to the enhancement of community cohesion and the building of social capital within a community.’ This brings thousands of people together who all share a love for music and artists. I have personally made many friends by going to these types of events and I know that many others have too. Not only are friendships formed but also so are amazing memories that you will never forget. One of my greatest memories of all time is watching NSG live at the Concord, everytime i think about it it brings me back to being surrounded by some of my greatest friends with bright flashing lights, everyone dancing and just taking in the amazing music and energy created by the songs everyone loves. It is a memory that I will always cherish. To prove my point “people who actively engaged with music through dancing and attending events like concerts and musicals reported a higher level of subjective wellbeing.” Going to music based events gives people the opportunity to also be inspired, seeing your favorite artists on stage in front of thousands of people who are singing their songs back to them motivates people to work hard and be successful just like those people they look up to. For someone like me who is studying within the creative industry, going to festivals and concerts is important as future goals of mine would be putting on events or helping artists get to perform at them. More than ever people are holding onto memories from festivals and concerts due to COVID19, people took these things for granted and are now desperate to have fun and enjoy themselves at parties, concerts and festivals listening to all of their favorite artists.
Throughout the past 10 years the genres Grime, trap and drill have really blown up within the uk and became massively popular in the younger generation. These styles of music are typically written and produced by younger people who have grown up in poverty. Many people can relate to these artists, therefore creating a huge demographic that listens to these songs. In many cases these types of songs have influenced certain people for the wrong reasons, unfortunately there have been teens that have got themself into trouble due to thinking certain parts of these artists struggle are ‘cool’ when in reality they were doing things to make money and support their families. However positively contradicting this the majority of time these artists are actually very influential and have turned their lives around for the better, due to being able to write and make music, then motivating teens who may have been in a similar situation. This type of music never reaches outside of the uk. The famous Grime artist BigNasty explained this exceptionally well, suggesting people have always looked down at grime artists for being violent and ‘gangsters’. BigNasty backed himself saying ‘I put on two tours independently, not one problem. Fully Grime, no issues.’ The purpose of BigNasty saying this was to prove a point that Grime is not influencing teens and young adults to be involved in gangs and violence. Another example of a genre that's impacted younger people in the uk is Drum and bass, typically this type of music is associated with raves or festivals. There are parts of Rave and Festival culture that are about getting drunk or doing certain types of drugs to make the experience ‘better’. This can be very dangerous and after doing research there have been many deaths due to drugs at festivals all over the uk. ‘Corey Kendall, 19, died in hospital two days after taking MDMA at Reading Festival in August last year.’
Studies have shown that an important part of growing up is to have people to look up to and musicians are usually the go to. ‘Results indicated that the majority of adolescents identified famous figures as role models, most of whom were male and singers of popular musical styles.’ This does cause questions of equality in the industry. Why is it prominently male musicians? Is it due to their confidence? power? Leadership? I just wonder why women in the industry aren't viewed as much in the same light. After doing research on equality in the music industry studies have shown that ‘over 11 industry trade bodies only 27% are female and 0% are black females.’ 9% of chairpersons in the industry are female and yet again 0% are black females.There is so much more evidence proving the blatant inequality and lack of diversity in the music industry. Despite this, having role models creates aspirations and goals from a young age. I do agree that at times some people can get too obsessed with how celebrities or influencers live their lives, however for the most part having somebody that inspires you is a great motivation. This has impacted the younger generation in recent years the most as social media now is insanely popular and most teens have grown up on it. Social media allows people to get an insight on parts of musicians' lives that were not typically shown before. It enables people to feel closer to their favorite artists. For me personally I look up to Jorja Smith, she is a UK grime,pop and r&b artist who has an incredible work ethic, who has been achieving from a young age. She inspires me to push myself and to work hard at all times, jorja is a successful 23 year old who has already collabed with other huge artists such as fellow uk artist stormzy and huge american rapper Drake. Jorja also became very popular when she released her song ‘Blue Lights’ in which was describing police within the UK, she is also smart and aware that she has a platform that she can use to influence people.
In conclusion by doing research on this topic I have become even more aware that there are countless reasons why and how the younger generation in the uk is impacted by music. Experiences, memories, emotions, education and role models. However I have also been educated on the more negative sides of the music industry, especially the things that go on behind the scenes. The inequality, lack of diversity and unfair judgement towards certain types of music or artists.