Music

Characteristics of Community-Based Music

First, such music is seldom taught and learned through formal educational institutions—it is taught and learned primarily through listening and imitation. Teaching and learning are flexible and do not follow a formal curriculum. Consider the case of an Apache “culture camp” high in the mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona. A respected musician and instrument maker places Apache violins and flutes on a large picnic table at which are seated young Apache children. After a brief blessing, he simply begins to play songs on his flute. When a student reaches for an instrument, the teacher moves nearer to the child and plays encouragingly as the child makes his first tentative attempts to play. Over time, all students select and begin to play an instrument, with many successfully matching the melodies performed by the master teacher. Teaching in this case is through modeling and imitation. Few, if any, verbal instructions are given.

On the contrary, music is taught and learned through active participation, with the participation in the activity and interaction with other community members considered as important as the quality of the musical performance. An Apache musician once said, “There is no audience in my music. Everyone is singing and dancing with his spirit.” Echoing that sentiment, a central Texas musician said of his five-year-old child's attempts to join in with the group on stage, “He don't sing good, but he sure has spirit. That's my boy.”

Second, the music is frequently “owned” by the community at large or by designated individuals within the community. Those who perform this music respect the cultural ownership and make a commitment to preserve and continue the community's musical heritage. Consider the case of Aboriginal communities in Australia, who consider themselves to be the custodians of specific sacred lands and of the songs, dances, and ceremonies that maintain the land and ensure its continued existence. These lands were sung into existence. For these lands to remain, songs and ceremonies must be remembered and performed—when the songs are no longer sung, the world will cease to exist.

Third, in community music activity, the roles of teacher and learner are frequently interchangeable. An older musician may choose to learn an unfamiliar song or instrumental piece from a younger one. For example, a central Texas fiddler may seek out an older, respected fiddler from whom he wishes to learn a specific tune. In return, the younger player will repay the older musician by teaching him a new tune. Both fiddlers may, in turn, become students of a third performer in order to learn yet another tune.

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