Monday, September 09, 2019
Defensible space exercise
I've been rambling about defensible mental spaces.
From a 1948 episode of Truth or Consequences, a brilliant example of exercising and strengthening a mental space. A semi-pro singer takes up the challenge of singing a song all the way through. Not too hard .... except that the orchestra is led by Spike Jones, who turns the accompaniment into raw chaos after a few seconds. The singer is momentarily caught off-guard, then continues singing.
Purpose and beauty conquer chaos and ugliness. It's impressive and inspiring. [Starts around 8:00 in the clip.]
= = = = =
Semi-related: Most of the audience-participation shows in that era involved singing by audience members. Sometimes a general singalong, sometimes a solo. Their overall tunefulness was VASTLY better than modern people. I'm not sure what accounts for the difference. Music practice in elementary school was universal in the '20s, and still universal in the '50s when I was in school. We spent a couple hours per week singing. The material was awful, but it did train us in harmony and accuracy.
I can't find a numerical estimate of music class prevalence in current schools. Google has lots of articles saying that music classes have been cut in the last two decades, but no percents or numbers.
Later, found some estimates. 1.3 million elementary students are without music classes, out of about 28 million total. In other words, 95% of students do get some kind of music instruction. So the classes aren't necessarily the problem. 
Labels: defensible cases, defensible spaces
¶ 12:24 PM
