In an era where our nation is going through such rapid transformation it is with great pride that last night an opportunity was afforded to us to experience our culture though the medium of the internet. Anyone who saw the Panorama show last night would have been extremely proud of the coverage ( first rate), from the hosts, to the profiles to the product itself. There must be more to who we are as a nation that revel in partying and jump and wave. Could there be a vital role that our talented musicians play in reshaping the ills of our society?
I was struck by the comments of several comments from those who were interviewed and by observing a phenomena that may have merits as we move in our social reconstruction.
Comments from those interviewed commented on the participation of the youths and the care that is needed to ensure their safety and participation with adults; the cross over in gender of having not only female participants but also female band leaders; the influence of our culture on foreign intellects ( degrees in pan now more widely attainable abroad) Cordettes from Grande with a Danish arranger!!!. heard one female participant talked about motivational speaker presenting to them before their performance another mentioned the fact that their players made a choice to practice as oppose to going partying!!!
One may argue that the stakes were high and hence the motivation and drive to succeed is inherent but the mere fact that the pan yards are attracting and youths are committing to something so positive has led me to look more deeply into what possible ways could our government put $$$ into a social program to reach out to disenfranchised youths?
Studies have shown the immense benefits of students studying music and the impact it has on them in other areas of their academic life. venezuela has an initiative going on now on a national scale in terms of using music for social change:
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/diana.hollinger/research.htmlClick on: "The Venezuelan Music Education Model: an Instrument for Social Change in California?" California Music Educator's Association State Magazine, Fall, 2007.
I would like to pay a special tribute to the organization that provided us with the opportunity for the world to see and share with our culture. This was one very well produced show and in HD. Why can't these shows be made available like this one was tonight?
Instead of all this ppv COME ON let our culture be free and open for all to see. Kudos to this organization for a first class act. I trust that this was not a marketing ploy to attract viewers and turn around and profit by charging next year.
I would think that this type of a medium could continue to be not only a show case of our culture but how we are using our musical talents to change our society.
IMHO
