The Sound of Change: the uses of music in social change processes
Location: Todd 276
11:30 - 1:00pm on Saturday, April 5th
As the recent deluge of anti-war songs makes unavoidably palpable, music is one major venue for voicing contentious sentiments. Challenges to social structures are also apparent in recent music. I would like to lead a session focusing on music and the roles it plays in social change processes. Music, like any form of media, plays a role on both sides of social change processes, being used by conservative forces and activists alike. The session will look at several aspects of this topic, including the construction of meaning in lyrics, collective identity formation, and music's utility as an instrument of social change. For this purpose, I will utilize audio and video, as well as a lecture/discussion format. If any activist musicians would like to perform, they are more than welcome. I will compile the music and videos, but it would be useful to have some kind of projector or some way to play video from my laptop on a larger screen, speakers would also be helpful. The goal of this session is to reveal the potential that music holds for broadening social movements, and to create a dialogue regarding this use, allowing participants to share ideas and expose others to music that has made a difference in their lives.