waste in popular music education: rock's problematic...

TOPICS for Music Education Praxis

2019:02 http://topics.maydaygroup.org

ISSN: 2469-4681

© 2019, Daniel J. Shevock

Article URL: http://topics.maydaygroup.org/2019/Shevock_2019.pdf

WasteinPopularMusicEducation:Rock’sProblematicMetaphor

andInstrument-MakingforEco-Literacy

DanielJ.Shevock

PennStateAltoona&StateCollegeFriendsSchool

ABSTRACTPopularmusic education can ease orworsen thewaste problem.Waste refers tothingswith“novalue,”andtheGlobalNorthproducesalotofwaste.Notlimitedtomaterial, waste can be seen as a dominant metaphor in rock music. The guidingquestionforthisessayis,whatopportunitydoesrockmusicpresentforcultivatingeco-literacy through music? Before we can find solutions though, we need torecognizerock’sdistinctiveecologicalchallenges.Popularmusicisbothimplicatedin the challengeofwaste, andcanhelpmusiceducatorsexploreopportunities forresistance. In music education, qualitative research suggests instrument-makingincreasesknowledge,interest,creativity,andbuildsattachmenttoaninstrument,inaddition to reducing material waste. In our field’s move to incorporate popularmusics,instrument-makingcanbeapartofeco-literatemusicpedagogy.Keywords: popular music education, rock music, eco-literacy, waste, instrument-making

“Ijustaddedanewpickup,anditsradical!”Thedark-hairedteenagerwas

wearingaRattt-shirtandplaying“Paranoid”onhishomemadeguitar.The

late1980s,andthoughitwasalreadynearlytwo-decadesold,thisSabbath

classicprovidedanaccessibleriff,frequentlyplayedbyself-taughtrock

guitarists.Stillin8thgrade,Iwastheyoungestmemberofthis,myfirst,garage

band.IbeganplayingdrumsbecauseIwantedtoplaymusicthatIlistenedto.

TOPICS for Music Education Praxis 2019: 02 • Daniel J. Shevock

38

ThoughIdoubttheguitarist’saimwaswastereduction,hefeltadeep

connectiontothisparticularinstrumentbecausehebuiltit.Heupgradedand

replacedpartsovertheyears.Isuspectfewpurchased,factorymade,

instrumentsinspireasdeepaconnection.LikeTheseus’sfamedship,some

versionofthisinstrumentlivestoday.

Thepurposeofthisessayistoconsiderhowmusiceducatorscanreduce

materialandmetaphoricalwaste,suchasthroughinstrument-makinginpopular

musiceducation.Eco-literacytheoristDavidOrr(1992)discussesthefailureofthe

20thCentury’stwomainsocialsystems:“Communismhasallbutcollapsedbecause

itcouldnotproduceenough;capitalismisfailingbecauseitproducestoomuchand

sharestoolittle”(xi).Withcapitalismreigningasthedominantsystem,andwith

praxialconceptions,whichviewmusicteachingandlearningas“alivingprocess

thatwelcomesandguidesnewcomersintoamusical-ethicalnetworkofdynamic,

dialogical,andsocialrelationshipsandvalues”(ElliottandSilverman2015,49),the

valuesofcapitalist/commercialmusics,likerock,needtobeunderstood.Inthis

essayIarguethatmusicclassroomsproducewaste,1andinstrument-making,used

incoordinationwithpopularmusicpedagogy,canhelpworsenoralleviatewaste

throughlearneddynamicsocialrelationshipsandvalues,whetherexplicitlyintended

byteachersornot.

Theguidingquestionforthisessayis,whatopportunitydoesrockmusic

presentcultivatingeco-literacythroughmusic?Beforewecanfindsolutionsthough,

weneedtorecognizerock’sdistinctiveecologicalchallenges.Unlikea“research

question,”thisguidingquestionisnotfullyansweredinthisessay,butratherit

servedasaguidepost.Ascritique,inthisessayIfocuson“indirect”(Dewey1997,4)

aspectsofpopularmusicpedagogy;andasamoredirectpossibility,Ifocuson

instrument-making.Instrument-makingactivitiescanincludesimpleinstrument-

makingor,asintheexamplefromtheopeningreflection,canincludeelectronics.2I

begintheessaywithadescriptionofwaste,andconsidertheproblematiclink

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

1. And I suggest that waste is both material and metaphorical, which will be described later.

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

2. For instance, see Rathgeber’s website where he details explorations with instrument-making with technology such as “Makey Makey.” Link: http://composingk12.wixsite.com/rathgeber-impact2014


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betweenrockandwaste,whichincludesboththeproductionofmaterialwasteand

amoremetaphoricalwaste.Icontinuetodiscusspopularmusiceducation,andthen

proposeinstrument-makingasaformofresistancetowaste.Inthisinstrument-

makingsectionIdiscussfourpublishedstudiestohighlightvariousreasonsmusic

educatorsincorporateinstrument-making.Finally,Iproposesomeopportunitiesfor

reducing,reusing,andrecycling,whicharepartofchallengingmaterialand

metaphoricalwaste.

Ihavepreviouslyarguedthatmusiceducationshouldbeexpandedtoinclude

ecologicalliteracy(ShevockandPrestinpress,Shevock2017,ShevockandBatesin

press;seealsomyblogathttp://eco-literate.com).Ecologicalliteracyisan

interdisciplinarymovementthathelpsstudentscultivatecriticalconsciousness3

aroundenvironmentalissues.AsOrr(1992)writes,“theecologicallyliterateperson

hastheknowledgenecessarytocomprehendinterrelatedness,andanattitudeof

careorstewardship”(92).Recognizingthewastechallengerequires

comprehendinginterrelatedness—howwerelatetononhumanlifeandplaces—and

entailsapersistentcarefortheenvironment,evenwhenitiseasiertocreatewaste

withinourcapitalistsystem.Thisisnotavalue-freeorlibertarianeducation.AsOrr

pointsout,medicaleducationhasa“clearbiastowardhumanhealth,notdisease,”

andthoseofusteachingforecologicalliteracy“oughttohaveacleardirection

favoringharmonybetweenhumanandnaturalsystemswhilepreservingobjectivity

inhandlingoffacts,data,andlogic”(142).

Inthemonograph,Eco-LiterateMusicPedagogy,Isuggestthereareecological

aspectsinmusicthatteachersuseintheclassroom(Shevock2017).Forinstance,

naturalsoundscapeshavelonginspiredcompositions(seeSchafer1994),andmany

activistsusefolkmusicinenvironmentaljusticemovements(seePedelty2012).

Becauseofinterdisciplinaryinitiatives,teachingmusicforeco-literacycanhelp

musicteachersmeetthoseaims.Butmorethanmeetinginstrumentalpolicygoals,

teachingforecologicalliteracyhelpsteachers’andstudents’ecological

conscientization—towardharmful,taken-for-grantedsocietalvalues,for

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

3. Freire (1993) conceptualized conscientization as movement toward critical thinking, “thinking which discerns an indivisible solidarity between the world and the people and admits no dichotomy between them” (92). Though Freire never theorized an ecological pedagogy, I have pushed this idea of conscientization toward recognizing solidary between human and nonhuman animals and places using Warren’s (2000) ecofeminism (see Shevock 2017).


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recognizingtheintrinsicvalueofhumanandnonhumanbeings,andofunjust

dominationandoppression.UsingecofeministandFreireanscholarship,Icontend

thereareparallelsofinjusticebetweenthewaysweoppressotherhumanpeople

anddominatenonhumanlife(seealsoFreire1993,Warren2000).Teachingfor

ecologicalliteracy,asacriticalpraxis,canleadtoincreasedsolidarityacrosshuman

groups—intersectionality—andbetweenhumanandnonhumanbeings(seeFigure

1:AValuingStructure).

Figure1:AValuingStructure(fromShevock2017,82)

InthecurrentessayInarrowmyattentiontoconsiderationsofwasteand

instrument-makinginpopularmusicpedagogy.Thewasteweproduceisataken-

for-grantedvalue,oratleastaresultofsuchvaluing.Mostofusfailtoevenconsider

waste.Itmayevenchallengeusinwayswedislike—makingusconsiderour

failings.4Indirectwaysmusicteacherscontributetostudents’educationinclude

equipmentandenergyuse.“Whatmakesforgoodmusic,intheaestheticsense,has

alwaysbeenpartlydependentonwhatmakesmusicgood,ethically.Thatimplies

somerecognitionofmaterialeffect”(Pedelty2012,11).Rockmusicisimplicatedin

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

4. My only YouTube video to receive a thumbs-down is this study, which I shared before presenting this essay at the 2018 Modern Band Colloquium. Link: https://youtu.be/knU5qQfbJPE


41

thewastecrisis(seealsoHamelman2004).Butrockmayalsohelpmusiceducators

exploreopportunitiesforresistingwaste.

Waste

Musiceducationscholarsarebeginningtorecognizeourresponsibilitiesin

ourwastefulconsumersociety(Bates2013;Koza2006;LafontantDiNiscia2017;

Shevock2017).TheLandfillPhilharmonicemergesintheGlobalSouth,amirror

challengingtheGlobalNorth’swaste.5Manymusiciansandgroups,fromKen

Butler,6toUakti,7totheAnarchestra8aremakingmusicwithhomemade

instruments,includingrepurposedtrash.JuliaEklundKoza(2006)suggests,“rather

thanslavishlysupportingconsumptionanddepletion,musickingcanfoster

jouissanceandalso,inametaphoricalsense,replenishandvivify”(35).Andmusic

teachersarediscoveringmanybenefitsofemployinginstrument-makinginthe

classroom(Coleman1927:Matsunobu2013;Randles2015;Shevock2017;

ThibeaultandEvoy2011).Musicteachersareopeningspaceforcreative,

instrument-makingactivitiesformanyreasons.Someofthosereasonsareinclude

wastereduction;andsomeofthoseactivitiesoccurinpopularmusicensembles.

Thelinksbetweenmaterialandmetaphoricalwasteareexploredinpopular

culture,includingmusicandfilm.Toexemplifyinfilm,inToyStory3,asthetoys’

ownerleavesforcollege,theyareunintentionallydeliveredtoaday-care,rather

thanbeingstoredintheattic.There,frenziedtoddlersdamagethetoys,and

ultimatelytheprotagonist,SheriffWoody,convincestheothertoysthatAndydidn’t

discardthem.Thetoysdecidetoreturnhome.However,theantagonist,atoybear

gang-leadernamedLotso,wantstostopthetoys’escape.

Lotsoexplains,“Tellmethis,Sheriff.Ifyourkidlovesyousomuch,whyishe

leaving?Youthinkyou’respecial,cowboy?You’reapieceofplastic.Youweremade

tobethrownaway”(Anderson&Unkrich2010).

Astheanthropomorphizedtoysbattleforsurvival,arobustportrayalof

waste,materialandmetaphorical,unfolds.Init,wasteseemsinevitable,andthetoys

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

5. Link: https://youtu.be/UJrSUHK9Luw

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

6. Link: https://youtu.be/wKzflCztXd4

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

7. Link: https://youtu.be/c0yPo3nKCTw

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

8. Link: https://youtu.be/c__xzSfQA5g


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havetoconfrontwhatitmeanstobeunderstoodaswaste.Aschildrengrow,waste

isacceptedasnormal.Andyisexpectedtothrowawayhistoysasheleavesfor

university.However,themessageofToyStoryseemstobeinreducingwaste.We

aremadetoempathizewithourmaterialtoys—tofeelbadwhenwewastethem.

Figure2:PlasticBeach,Versova,Mumbai9

Butwedon’thavetofeelbadforanthropomorphizedtoystofeelbadabout

theresultsofourwaste.Muchofourmaterialwaste,producedintheGlobalNorth,

negativelyaffectstheGlobalSouth(seeLafontantDiNiscia2017,andFigure2:

PlasticBeach,Versova,Mumbai).Andschoolscanbewastefulplaces.Butmany

schooldistrictshavemadestridesinreducewasteinrecentyears.Musicclassrooms

canmakeexplicittheirroleintheseeffortsthroughinstrument-making,including

reducing,reusing,andrecyclingmaterial,keepingthoseobjectsawayfromthe

garbage.

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

9. Plastic Beach, photographed by Ravi Khemka. “Dredging at the mouth of Versova Creek and dumping of the plastic-filled sediment on the beach is evidence of careless neglect of an area that is home to large tracts of mangroves and beautiful birds such as the Great Egret. The plastic unearthed is probably from the garbage dumped upstream along Malad Creek.” Creative commons, “attribution 2.0 Generic (CC By 2.0). Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ravikhemka/4393897533/


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Thoughallmusiceducationpracticescanpotentiallyexacerbateourwaste

problem,thispaperfocusesonpopularmusiceducationbecause,asourfield

incorporatespopularmusicgenreswemakedecisionsaboutwhatpracticesare

“best.”Inthe21stCenturyecologicalconcernsshouldnotbeignored.Forinstance,

becausepopularmusiceducationuseselectronicinstruments,e-wastebecomesa

mattermusiceducatorsmustunderstand.UnitedNationsEnvironmentsuggestse-

wasteisafast-growingecologicalconcern“indevelopedaswellasindeveloping

countries.”

Duetothefactthatthelifespanofcomputershasdroppedindevelopedcountriesfromsixyearsin1997tojusttwoyearsin2005,andmobilephoneshavealifespanofevenlessthantwoyears,theamountofgeneratede-wasteperyeargrowsrapidly.10

WemusicteachersincreasinglyuseiPadsinourclassrooms.Andmanyoftheother

toolsofrock(andhip-hop,country,andotherpopularmusicgenres),suchas

electricguitars,synthesizers,andcomputersbecome,aftertheiruse,e-waste.

Wastehasbothamaterialandmetaphoricalexpression.Wecallsomething

wastewhenitcannolongerbeused(Falasca-Zamponi2011).Theideaofwaste

mustbeunderstoodwithincontextofourecologicalchallenges.TheU.S.andother

nationsoftheGlobalNorthcreatealotofwaste,includingthroughmusiceducation.

AccordingtosociologistFalasca-Zamponi,wasteisn’tlimitedtophysicalobjects.

Accordingtoher,metaphorically,wetalkaboutpeople“wastingtheirtime,”or,in

theextreme,wetalkaboutpeopleaswaste!Assomethingthatnolongerhasvalue,

wastecanrefertothosethingspeopledo,suchasemployment.Andwasteisa

commonmetaphorinpopularmusic,especiallyrock(Hamelman2004).

Theartsthemselvesareoftenviewedasmetaphoricalwaste.Manymusic

teachershaveheardsomevariationonthetheme,“playingmusicisawasteoftime,”

orhavebeentoldtheirworkissupplementaltotheimportantworkofschools.With

“coresubjects”beingnarrowlydefinedbymany,musiceducationmightneverbeat

thecoreofeducation.Morethanatanytimeinhistory,wasteisasocialconcern.

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

10. Link: http://web.unep.org/gpwm/what-we-do/e-waste-management


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Materialwasteemergesfromunreflectiveconsumption.And,inconsumer

societies,wasteissomethingweneglect:“Whenwedeemsomethinguseless,we

takeourdistancefromit.Therefore,onceweproducewaste,wewanttoforget

aboutit”(Falasca-Zamponi2011,19).Thisiswhereproblemsbegin.Onaplanet

withmorethan7billionhumaninhabitants,landfills(andmethane),incinerators

(anddioxin),andradioactivewastebecomeinescapablerealitiesformany.“Musics

resultwhenpersonsengageincriticallyreflectiveactionsandactivereflections

withinmusicalpraxes,atspecifichistoricaltimes,andinthecontextsofspecific

cultures”(ElliottandSilverman2015,1).Atthistimeinhistory,thegoalofreducing

wasterequirescriticallyreflectiveaction.

Perhapsthehardesthittingcritiqueofourwastefulnationcomesfrompoet

andliteraryscholarWendellBerry(2010),whoimplicatesusallinourwaste.He

writes:

Butourwasteproblemisnotthefaultonlyofproducers.Itisthefaultofaneconomythatiswastefulfromtoptobottom—asymbiosisofanunlimitedgreedatthetopandalazy,passive,andself-indulgentconsumptivenessatthebottom—andallofusareinvolvedinit.(127)

Berry’sbodyofworkconnectingmaterialwastetopassivity(atypeofmetaphorical

waste)ispersuasive.Hepointsoutthatwasteistheresultofoureconomic

system—“thecentralizationofoureconomy,thegatheringoftheproductive

propertyandpowerintofewerandfewerhands,andtheconsequentdestruction,

everywhere,ofthelocaleconomiesofhousehold,neighborhood,andcommunity”

(128).MusiceducationisconnectedtothesameeconomyBerrycriticized.Our

economyhascentralizedtheproductionofmusicnotation,instrument-making,and

theauralrepresentationofsongs,whicharewritten,performed,andproducedby

distantothersandsharedineverycorneroftheglobe.It’snosurprisethatmusic

studentsarriveinourclassroomspassive—everystepofmusickingisalready

produced,andtheonlychoiceavailabletothemistoconsume.Thestructuresets

thestagefortheworstsortofbankingeducation(Freire1993),becausetomakeall

aspectsofthepedagogicalworldisfarmorechallengingthanpassiveconsumption.I


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alsosuspectpopularmusicprovidesdistinctiveopportunitiesformusicclassrooms

tochallengewaste,materialandmetaphorical.Inparticular,popularmusic

educationmightbegintoresistwastebyresistingpassivityanddecreasingtheuse

ofmaterialwaste—bothaccomplishedinthepraxialactsofsongwriting,co-

constructingcurricula,andinstrument-making.NextIwilldiscussthechallengeof

rockandwaste,materialandmetaphorical.

RockandWaste

Musicindustrycanrefertothepeopleandlawsgoverningmusicbusiness

interests,oritcanrefertomaterial.Musicindustrycan“describeacomplex

networkofmaterialsextractionandmaterialsprocessing,acontinualflowof

exhaustibleresourcesandexhaustedcommodities,ofpatternsofaccumulationand

dispossessionwhichhavediscernibleanddescribablelogics—aswellasmeasurable

materialconsequences”(Devine2015,384).Asthematerialconsequencesofan

industry,rockandwasteisasocialjusticeconcern.

Itseemsinescapablethatpopularmusicproducesmaterialwaste.Noting

this,ecomusicologistMarkPedelty(2012)asks,“Istheenvironmentalcrisis

ultimatelyagenrecrisisforrock,hip-hop,andotherenergy-intensivemusical

styles”(4)?Forperformers,wasteincludeselectronicequipment,whichisoften

builtforobsolescence(builttobreakdown);andforlistenersmaterialwaste

includesvinylrecords,cassettes,CDs,andnowiPhones.Fanswhocollectthese

popularmusicartifactsaresometimescalledjunkies,atermthatreferstodrug

abuseendemicinrock,perhapsalsoreferringtothewastetheyaccumulate.Also,

performancesare“energy-intensive”(3).Set-upsincludepowerforPAsystems,

instruments,amps,andmonitors.Whilefamousgroupstravelfromcitytocityon

jets,evenlocalperformersdoinganacousticsetrequirealargevan—asmall

electriccarwon’tcarrymuchequipment.

InanarticlepublishedinTheGrowler,JackieRenzetti(2017)recommends

waystominimizeyourmusiclisteningenvironmentalfootprint—including


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streaming,ratherthanusingLPs,cassettes,orCDs.Shesuggestspurchasingdigital

musiccanreducecarbondioxideemissions.Similarly,inGeneralMusicToday,Robin

Giebelhausen(2015)suggestsreplacingpapermusicwithdigitalcopies.Incontrast,

KyleDevine(2015)challengestheideathatdigitalmusicsarewaste-free,oreven

betteroptions:

Themovetoadata-basedmusicalmaterialitycouldrepresentastepinthewrongdirection:fromtheuseofrawmaterialsthatarerelativelyrenewable(shellac)andcommoditieswhicharereadilyrecycledinsecondaryeconomies(LPs)todeliveryinfrastructuresthatweighheavilyontheenvironment(serverfarms)andmusicalcommoditieswithshortlifeexpectancies(accessoryelectronics)andambiguousafterlives(MP3s).(384)

Butthepicturethatemergesisnotyetclear,withDevine’sscholarshipoverriding

Renzetti’sandGiebelhausen’s.Greenpeace,in2012,confrontedApple,Amazon,

Facebook,Google,Yahoo,Microsoft,andothercompaniesovertheiruseofcloud

power—providingpercentagesoftheCloudthatusesCleanEnergy,Coal,and

Nuclear,aswellasratingtransparency—andrecommendedwaysto“cleanour

cloud”(Cook2012).Inresponse,Apple(whichhadreceiveda“D”fortransparency

fromGreenpeace)madechanges,resultinginapressrelease,in2018,notingthey

are100%poweredbyrenewableenergy.11However,previousreportinghad

suggestedthatthepartofApplethatis100%renewablerepresentsonly2%of

Apple’stotalactivity.12Perhapsthecloudcanbemadegreener,andoldLPs,

cassettes,andCDscanberecycled.Whicheversideisrightinthisdispute—CDsand

paper,ordigitalmusics—musiceducationcanbeawastefulendeavor.Andby

understandingthecomplexityofthediscoursehelpsusbetterbecomeeco-

literate—includingunderstandingthediscoursecorporateandactivistgroups,

visibleandhiddenwaste.

Wasteisalsoametaphor.InButIsItGarbage?,mediatheoristStevenL.

Hamelman(2004)discusseswasteasaprevailingmetaphorinrockmusic.In

descriptionsofrock,criticsusemanyvariationsofthetrashtrope;rocklyricsand

bandnamesincorporatetrash,waste,andgarbage;andtheearlydeathsofrock

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

11. Link: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/04/apple-now-globally-powered-by-100-percent-renewable-energy/

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

12. Link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/21/apple_goes_green_in_america/


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starsisitself“atragicdimensionofthetrashtrope;theultimateformofwaste—

menandwomendyingwellbeforereachingmiddleage”(p.14).Consequentially,as

weincreasinglyincorporatepopularmusicsintoourteachingpractices,whatcan

wedotoresistmaterialandmetaphoricalwastealreadyembeddedinrock?WhenI

presentedthispaperataconference,GarethDylanSmithmademeawareofa

movementtowardusingbamboodrumsticks,whicharemoresustainable.This

seemslikeaninterestingstart.Resistanceseemstobeginwithourmaterialchoices.

NextIwillexplicatesomestrengthsofpopularmusiceducation,generally,andlink

thesestrengthstothealleviationofwaste.

PopularMusicEducation

Ithasbeenarguedthatmusiceducationcanincreaseitsimpactby

incorporatingpopularmusics,whicharepartofmanystudents’out-of-schoollives

(e.g.,Colquhoun2018).Popularmusiceducationisconnectedtoideasofinformal

learning,enculturationandimmersion,performing,creating,andlistening(Green

2008).LucyGreensuggestseachoftheseinvolvesateachergivinguppower,

providingstudents“moreautonomytodecideoncurriculumcontentandtodirect

theirownlearningstrategies”(185).However,teacherswhoopentheirclassroom

tostudentcontrolmayopenthemselvestouncertaintyandpossiblefailure.While

closed,teacher-centric,approachestomusicteachingarenotinherentlyunethical,

RandallEverettAllsup(2016)arguesforateachingapproachthatappreciatesart’s

idealsas“ambiguousandopen”(139).Thisapproachtopopularmusiceducation

mayprovokeamoreethicalpedagogyforteachersandstudents,evenwhen,or

maybeespeciallywhen,weallowourauthority,asteachers,tobedestabilized.

Approachedinanintegratedway,popularmusichasanopportunityto

increaseecologicalliteracy(seeShevock2017).CertainlysongslikeNeilYoung’s

“BetheRain,”ZiggyMarley’s“Dragonfly,”JoeWalsh’s“SongforaDyingPlanet,”

Rush’s“TheTrees,”ThePretender’s“MyCityWasGone,”andTheBeatles’“Mother

Nature’sSon”containclearenvironmentalideas.Andthesecanbeincorporatedinto


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curricula.Butanintegratedapproachtoecologicalliteracydoesn’tonlymean

directingstudentstolearnsuchsongs.Teachingasecologicalliteracy“holistically

reintegratesthemoralwiththeecological,thescientificwiththeaestheticand

ethical—weavingtogetherthearrayofperspectivesthatmodernsneedtoattendto

theirquestiontolive‘thegoodlife’intimesmorallydifficultandecologically

destructive”(Prakash1995,para.5).

Livingthegoodlifecaninvolvemakingmusiconeloves,ratherthanbeing

uprootedfromout-of-schoolmusicalcultures,anditalsocaninvolvemakingmusic

insustainableways(seeBates2013;Shevock2017).Further,studentscanwrite

songsaboutthesocialconcernsthatmostaffecttheirlives—wastebeingaglobal

challengeeachstudentisalreadyawareof.Whencreatingmusics,studentscan

returntotheircommunities,tolearnfromandteachtheirfamiliesandfriends,

creatinganecologicallyreciprocalrelationshipthatpreservesactuallocalplaces.

Welivethegoodlifethroughdecencyandkindness,andpersonalandcultural

preservationcanparallelecologicalconservation.Andultimately,manydiverse

localmusicalculturesmayprovidetheideasneededtosolvethegreatestsocial

challengesweface.Withthisinmind,therearethreestrengthsofpopularmusicfor

reducingwaste:

1. Byconnectingin-schoolteachingtostudents’out-of-schoollives,

studentslearnthatalloftheirknowledgematters,notjustwhatwe

provideintheclassroom

2. Byteachingmusicperforming,creating,andlisteningtogether,

studentslearnmusicalknowledgeexistsinanintegratedway.They

doallofthese,andtheyareinterconnected

3. Bysongwriting,studentslearnthattheyareabletomakemusics,

andnotjustconsumethem.


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Instrument-making

Iuseinstrument-makinginaclassIteach,RudimentsofMusic.Makingtheir

owninstrumentsprovidesstudentswithanopportunitytoexplorevariousmusic

elements,suchasmelody,rhythm,texture,timbre,andform.Ihavecometobelieve

thatinstrument-makingcanbeapartofresistingwastemorebroadly.Researchinto

thebenefitsofinstrument-makinghasbeenqualitative,beginningwithSatis

Coleman’scasestudiesintheearly20thCentury,andinvolvingethnographyand

autoethnographymorerecently.

SatisColeman(1927;1931)wroteextensivelyabouthercreativeapproach

tomusiceducation.Herpedagogybeganwithsimpleinstrument-making.Her

approachwasconsideredanexpressionofDewey’sideas,anditisinterestingthat

theideasofconstructivismandconstructionarelinkedthroughthepracticeof

instrument-making.Colemanhadstudentstakefieldtripstomuseumsandinto

nature,usedfoundsoundsandguidedyoungstudentstocomposetheirown

symphony.Shesuggestedmakinginstrumentsinschoolexpandedstudents’

knowledgeandappreciation,self-cultivation,improvedstudentinterest,fostered

initiative,andinterdisciplinarythinking.Thereseemstobeaconnectionbetween

herspirituallyexpressedconceptof“silenceinnature”andteachingfor“ecological

consciousness”(Shevock2015,59).Thoughreductionofmaterialwastewasnot

partofColeman’sexpressedaims,itiseasytoseethatknowledge,interest,and

initiativeeachhelpcultivateanon-waste-metaphorviewoftheself.

Inmorerecentscholarship,MatthewThibeaultandJulianneEvoy(2011)

describedinstrument-makingascollaborative,andnotedthatbuildingukuleles

increasedpersonalattachmenttotheinstrument.“Havingputseveralhoursintothe

constructionofmyukulele,Inowcringeatthethoughtofrockstarsbashingtheir

guitarsintoampsattheendofconcerts.Someoneputalotoftimeandeffortinto

makingthoseinstruments”(46)!Thisquoteeducesandthenrejectsmaterialwaste

thatischaracteristicofmuchrockmusic.Itshowshowtheexperienceof

instrument-making,byincreasingknowledgeandloveforaninstrument,can


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becomeanethicalact—studentswhomakeinstrumentsrespecttheworkthatgoes

intomakinginstruments.

InanethnographicstudyoftheShakuhachitraditionofJapan,whichbegins

withgoingoutdoorstochoosebambooforinstrument-making,KojiMatsunobu

(2013)describedincreasedattachmenttotheinstrument.Instrument-making

fosteredabetterunderstandingofacoustics,allowedstudentstoexplorethe

relationshipbetweeninstrumentsandmusic,andincreased“culturalawareness”

(196).Further,henotedparticipantsexperiencedincreasedconnectiontoplaces

andcommunities,increasedcreativity,andintegrationoftheideasofmindand

body.Thistypeofspiritual,place-consciouseducationisattheheartofeco-literate

musicpedagogy(seeShevock2017,esp.Chapter5:SpiritualPraxis).

Inanautoethnographyconsideringpedagogicalimplicationsformaking

guitars,ClintRandles(2015)discussedlearninghowmaterialvariablescontributed

tothetonalcharacteristicsoftheguitar.Hesawthisasapartofadaptiveand

innovativechange:“allofthecomponentsofaguitar(wood,pickups,electronics,

etc.)contributetotheoverallsound,alloftheenablingskillsandenablingconditions

worktogethertocontributetothecreativeprocess”(192).Importanttomusic

educators,instrument-makingaugmentedRandles’sloveformusicmaking.This

seemstoconnecttoColeman’sinsightintoinstrument-makingincreasingstudent

interest(their“seekingattitude”).Bothapproachesputcreativity,asboth

improvisationandinstrument-making,atthecoreofmusiceducation.Assuch,

instrument-makinginpopularmusiceducationcan:

1. Embedanidealofconstructivisminthemusicclassroom

2. Bespirituallyuplifting

3. Connectstudentstolivedplacesbeyondtheschoolwalls

4. Helpstudentsrealizeandrespecttheworkthatgoesintomakingan

instrument,andthusbereticenttodiscardthem

5. Increaseculturalawareness,especiallythroughtheconstructionofnon-

Westerninstruments


51

6. Increasestudentsknowledgeofmaterialandcreativeelementsofmusicking.

InthenextsectionIwillclarifyhowthreepostmodern“r’s”canprovidean

overarchingethicalpraxisforeco-literatemusicpedagogy.

Reduce,Reuse,andRecycle

Thoughthephrase“thethreer’s”hasfallenoutoffashionineducation,

attemptstoreducecurriculumtoanarrowcoredonotseemtohavefallenoutof

fashionatall.Incontrasttocurricularreduction,musiceducationcan,withsome

change,exemplifythepostmodernr’s—“reduce,reuse,andrecycle”(Prakash1995,

para.38).Instrument-makingcanhelpusbemodelsforreducedconsumptioninour

schools,andaswereuseandrecycleequipment,wecandoourparttoresistwaste.

EducationalphilosopherMadhuSuriPrakash(1995)describestheglobal

economyaswasteful,andrecommendsteacherslooktorootedcultures,wherelocal

inventivenessandsustainablelivingareembodied(para.27&para.32).This

reducingethicformoraleducationcaninvolvelettingeachclassroomdecideon

purchases,ratherthanmakingpurchasesatthedistrictorstatelevels.Ateacher

mightalsoconsiderhowfarcomponentshavetravelled,inaprocesssimilartothe

better-knownconcept,“foodmiles.”13

Therearemanyopportunitiesforpopularmusiceducatorstoreuse

equipment.Wecanbeginbyrefusingtopurchaseequipmentwithbuilt-in

obsolescence.Thismaybeginwithsomethingassimpleasaskingyourvendorshow

longapieceofequipmentcanbeexpectedtoworkand,forsoftware,remainup-to-

date.Vendorsneedtoknowlong-lastingequipmentisimportanttocustomers.You

canalsochallengeyourself,andanyoneelseinvolvedinmakingpurchases,by

asking:“DoIreallyneedthese?”Wecanuseourequipment,andreuseit,andwhen

itdoubt,fixitanduseitagain.Anewpieceofjunkisn’talwaysbetterthananold

one.Further,aswemovetowardmorepopularmusicsintheschool,encourage

localstoresto,iftheydonotalready,begininstrumentrentalprogramssimilarto

thoseinbandandorchestra.

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

13. When considering food miles, locavores attempt to produce as little CO2 waste in their food purchases


52

Finally,itisimportanttorecycleelectronics.With20to50millionmetric

tonsdisposedworldwideeveryyear,e-waste,whichrepresentsonly2%oftrashin

U.S.landfills,contributes70%ofoveralltoxicwaste.14Manycitiesandtowns

sponsorelectronicspick-updays,andyoucanchecktheCall2Recyclewebsiteto

learnhowtorecycleequipmentproperly.15Youcanalsolearntodisassembleand

recyclecomponentsusingonlineresourcessuchasinstructables.16Thismaybe

mostconsistentwitharockethicembracingDIY(doityourself).Emerginginpunk

musicalculture,aDIYethichasbeenusedtoincreasesustainabilityinsuchfieldsas

variousfashiondesign(KejingandQi2011),andenvironmentaljustice(Shepherd

2014).WecanreturnDIYtoananti-wastefulapproachtopopularmusiceducation.

Don’tallowyourselforyourstudentstobecomeobsolescent.

Conclusion

FilmgoersknowthetoysinToyStory3arefatedtobecomegarbage.Thisis

whyitissuchapowerfulfilm.Asitiscurrentlyconfigured,ourconsumersocietyis

morewastefulthanitneedstobe.Whetherthetoysspendacoupleofdecadesinthe

atticoraretornapartbytoddlers,all“plastic”seems“madetobethrownaway”

(Anderson&Unkrich2010).Thegreatpacificgarbagepatchisevidenceenoughof

that.

Butallhopeisn’tlost.Instrument-makingcanbeonewayformusicteachers

andstudentstoresistwaste.ReturningtoElliotandSilverman’s(2015)ideaof

socialrelationshipsandvalues,inthisessayIsuggestnotonlydoesinstrument-

makingreducematerialwaste,italsoincreasesstudentknowledgeandinterest,

helpsthemseemusicasinterdisciplinaryandcreative,buildsattachmenttoan

instrument,andincreasespersonalandcommunalagency.Eachofthesefactorscan

worktogetherinapotentway.Theycancultivateflourishing,wellbeing,andcare.

Onafinalnote,musiceducatorVincentBates(2013)challengesthe

glamorizationof“mass-producedconsumables.”Hedescribesthistypeofwasteas

magnified—“wastecompoundedmanytimesoverbyreinforcinginthemindsof

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

14. https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-e-waste

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

15. Link: https://www.call2recycle.org

Shevock, Daniel J.

Footnote

16. Link: http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycle-old-PCB-components


53

childrentheunquestionedgoodnessandnecessityoftechnologicalinnovation!”(p.81;

emphasisinoriginal).Whatahorriblethingitisformusiceducatorstoteach

childrenthattheyneedtoproducemorewaste!Inthispaper,Iarguedthat

instrument-makingcanresistthetypeofmagnificationBatesnotedbyplacinginthe

handsofstudents,quiteliterally,thepowertoconstructtheirworldsratherthan

makingthemintopassiveconsumersinafaceless,placeless,wastefulglobal

economy.Studentswhohavebeentaughtthattheyarenotwaste,theyarenot

passive,haveachancetochallengeourwastefulsocietyateverypoint.Through

embodyingthepostmodernr’swecanchallengeourtaughtdesiresforalevelof

consumptionout-of-reachfor,anddestructiveto,manypeoplearoundtheglobe

(seeLafontantDiNiscia,2017).Inourfield’smovetoincorporatepopularmusics,

instrument-makingcanhelpreducewaste,materialandmetaphorical,andcanbea

partofatrulyecologicalmusiceducationpraxis.

AbouttheAuthor

MusiceducationphilosopherDanielJ.ShevockistheauthorofEco-LiterateMusicPedagogy,peer-reviewedarticles,andtheEco-LiteratePedagogyblogateco-literate.com.HeteachesatPennStateAltoonaandStateCollegeFriendsSchool.PreviouslyhetaughtatIndianaUniversityofPennsylvaniaandthePittsburghPublicSchools.HeearnedaPh.D.inMusicEducationatPennState(2015),amaster’satTowsonUniversity(2000),andabachelor’sdegreeatClarionUniversityofPennsylvania(1997).Dan’sscholarshipblendscreativity,ecology,andcritique.


54

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Endnotes

1AndIsuggestthatwasteisbothmaterialandmetaphorical,whichwillbedescribedlater.2Forinstance,seeRathgeber’swebsitewherehedetailsexplorationswithinstrument-makingwithtechnologysuchas“MakeyMakey.”Link:http://composingk12.wixsite.com/rathgeber-impact20143Freire(1993)conceptualizedconscientizationasmovementtowardcriticalthinking,“thinkingwhichdiscernsanindivisiblesolidaritybetweentheworldandthepeopleandadmitsnodichotomybetweenthem”(92).ThoughFreirenevertheorizedanecologicalpedagogy,IhavepushedthisideaofconscientizationtowardrecognizingsolidarybetweenhumanandnonhumananimalsandplacesusingWarren’s(2000)ecofeminism(seeShevock2017).4MyonlyYouTubevideotoreceiveathumbs-downisthisstudy,whichIsharedbeforepresentingthisessayatthe2018ModernBandColloquium.Link:https://youtu.be/knU5qQfbJPE5Link:https://youtu.be/UJrSUHK9Luw.6Link:https://youtu.be/wKzflCztXd47Link:https://youtu.be/c0yPo3nKCTw8Link:https://youtu.be/c__xzSfQA5g9PlasticBeach,photographedbyRaviKhemka.“DredgingatthemouthofVersovaCreekanddumpingoftheplastic-filledsedimentonthebeachisevidenceofcarelessneglectofanareathatishometolargetractsofmangrovesandbeautifulbirdssuchastheGreatEgret.TheplasticunearthedisprobablyfromthegarbagedumpedupstreamalongMaladCreek.”Creativecommons,“attribution2.0Generic(CCBy2.0).Link:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ravikhemka/4393897533/10Link:http://web.unep.org/gpwm/what-we-do/e-waste-management11Link:https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/04/apple-now-globally-powered-by-100-percent-renewable-energy/12Link:https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/21/apple_goes_green_in_america/13Whenconsideringfoodmiles,locavoresattempttoproduceaslittleCO2wasteintheirfoodpurchases14Link:https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-e-waste15Link:https://www.call2recycle.org16Link:http://www.instructables.com/id/Recycle-old-PCB-components

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