Blog #3

I was very much impressed with this presentation. It was well delivered, the topic was intriguing and the use of visual aid was stimulating.

Kip Pegley's presentation on Music and Ideology at the Canadian War Museum involved many unperceived notions about music. The "use" of music as secondary to the visual materials in the museum was in no way a matter of just background music. A strategic "use" of the music was used to encode the visual material with meanings that would perhaps not be decoded the same way if the music were different.

The strategic use of music is not new within the context of media. As pointed out, the U.S utilizes music to promote its ideologies, especially within the context of war. To have music composed before a war has been brought to the attention of the public, in order to shape how one should feel towards the onset of war is one form of hegemony. The people are subjugated to the ideals of the government in accepting that war is appropriate because the music deems it so. It is unfortunate to see how power and money will sway someone to compose music in favor of war! Or perhaps they were in favor of the war to begin with.

Either way, such strategic use to control the understanding of an event/situation is even prevalent in Canada, but maybe not so noticeable. Commercials are the most common example. Jingles are composed in order to stimulate the viewer/listener to buy the product in question. Its function and meaning is not hidden but at the same time its effectiveness is subliminal.

In the War Museum and the "use" of music in that context, what rights are impended by having your thoughts controlled or influenced? To have your understanding of history re-shaped because of the sounds associated with a picture of First Nations people or artillery is baffling to think of. How would my understanding of history be changed if I were to walk through the museum with my ipod on? Would the meaning differ from what the government would have me believe or perhaps I can create a better relationship with these pictures because the meaning is no longer being dictated to me?

What was interesting is the total absence of music associated with the display of the enemies. Is the lack of music supposed to represent a lack of affection towards the enemy? Am I to remain emotionless around them? Are they not also human? I very much wonder what a War museum would look like from the enemies perspective and what types of sounds/music would be associated with Canada, or if there would similarly be a lack of music.

What I have taken away from this presentation is the understanding of everyday music and its use. Music is more than just a pretty sound in the background; it can have a powerful influence over how the listener interprets a product, a meaning or even an ideal. We are not in control of the meaning infused into the music we listen to, but we can at least choose what we listen to (or even don't listen to!). And if we are conscious enough, we can even decode the meaning embedded within the music we chose to listen to.

In regards to my research, there are several questions I can ask the artists around music and meaning:

• What meanings/ideals are you trying to get across through your music?
  
• Do you think Baha'is will easily understand?
  
• Do you think the general public will have a harder time to understand the meaning infused into your music?
  
• Is music just another tool of influence to propagate the ideals of your religion or is it a sincere form of expression for you?