Friday Inspiration

A preview of my November online listening sessions

Hi friends,

I’ll be leading online listening sessions for the New Horizons International Music Association on the first four Fridays of November, beginning one week from today. I’m very excited to have these online conversations with people from all over. Each week will focus on a different musician, and topic for conversation. Here is the plan, in case you are interested in joining me. If you’d like to register, click here. If you’re new to this Substack, you can receive my posts in your email every week by hitting the subscribe button.

Friday Inspiration: Listening to Music in Our Modern World

Each week I will pose a different question about how and/or why we listen to music. We will begin by listening to a piece of music produced in the past 15 years. Throughout the hour long session, participants will have an opportunity to share their thoughts, and maybe even answer the question posed from their unique perspective. In addition to a couple of pieces by the featured artist of the week, I will share snippets of music that connect the featured artist to music of the past, not limiting style or genre. We’ll explore pop/rock, folk, jazz, classical, musical theatre, and more.

November 1: Why are we so strongly connected to the music of our teen years? Focusing on the music of St. Vincent

For most people, rock ‘n roll was the music of their youth. The artists and albums you gravitate to are most likely determined by when you were a teenager. Those who were 15 in 1965 listened to music that is quite different than the music of those who were 15 in 1975 or 1985. The common thread are stories of rebellion, identity, and emerging freedoms. Beginning with current rock artist St. Vincent, we’ll discuss why we are so strongly connected to the music of our youth. During the discussion we’ll discover connections between St. Vincent’s music and the music of Talking Heads, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Carole King, and even Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Quick read: Why We're Obsessed With Music From Our Youth

Quick listen - Five tracks:

November 8: Is it possible to connect deeply with new music later in life? Focusing on the music of Sufjan Stevens

The perfect storm of physical, emotional, social, and mental development that happens in our teen years is impossible to replicate at any other point in our lives. Therefore, the way we connect with music later in life will naturally be different than the way we made connections in our formative years. That said, there is great value in continuing to explore new music as we grow older, building new nostalgia for our future selves that connect us through time with more than our youth. This week we’ll begin with singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, and connect his music to jazz, folk, rock, minimalism, and more, listening to Joshua Redman, Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Beach Boys, to name a few.

Quick read: Thoughts on listening to new music, emotion and memory

Quick listen - Five tracks:

November 15: Why do people gravitate to certain genres over others? Focusing on the music of Caroline Shaw

Not everyone is into pop or rock music. Some love jazz, some love classical. Let’s ask ourselves why we prefer certain genres over others. We’ll do so in the context of the music of Pulitzer Prize winning composer Caroline Shaw, whose music straddles the worlds of classical, indie rock, and hip hop. We’ll listen to Johann Sebastian Bach, Radiohead, Kanye West, and more as we explore the intersectionality of seemingly independent styles of music.

Quick read: Caroline Shaw Is Not Here To Save Classical Music

Quick listen - Five tracks:

November 22: Why are our opinions about music so strong? Focusing on the music of Terence Blanchard

As we reflect on the power of musical connection, we’ll dive deep into some jazz, film music, and opera, starting with the music of Terence Blanchard, and looking back to the bebop era and the classical music of black composers over the past 150 years. In addition to Blanchard we’ll listen to Charlie Parker, William Grant Still, George Walker, Florence Price, and more.

Quick watch:

Quick read: Pulling No Punches: Terence Blanchard’s Eclectic Journey from Jazz to Opera

Quick listen - Five tracks:

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I hope you find some inspiration in the musical selections above. I’m ready to dive into them over the next several weeks and will feature supplementary information on my Friday posts. Have a great weekend making music and art.

~Russ