When I consider critical literacy with music students, the words of John Cage (avant-garde 20th century composer) come to mind:
"The first question I ask myself when
something doesn't seem to be beautiful is: why do I think it's not
beautiful? And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."
In Cage's compositional career, he challenged how Western society assigned
the title "music" to sound by using silence, unusual noises, and
non-traditional instruments. By doing so, he advocated for relativity of musical value; no music is more beautiful or more valuable than another according to it's nature. People and cultures are what assign these judgments and values to what is simply organized sound. While some could deem this idea foolish or dangerous because of it's resemblance to moral relativity, musical relativity is not dangerous, but liberating. Out of this idea, I hope to teach my students this principle: No music is "good" or "bad" just because. That's not possible, because music is simply organized sound. There must be a cultural reason behind our personal musical tastes.
There are a variety of ways to approach this concept in the classroom, and fortunately so - this kind of broad and unfamiliar idea will take a variety of approaches to sink in. One example could be a writing assignment that requires students to pick a piece of music that they hate, and describe in detailed cultural and musical terms why. Another example: a class discussion in which we attempt to create a definition for music; hopefully this discussion will result in futility, helping my students realizing that anything can be music! Singing pieces from various cultures and time periods, and then comparing their values could be an interesting class discussion as well. This options are endless. I hope that after my students have taken a course from me, they will think more critically about how they listen to music, no matter what genre.
