Music in Religion and Culture
By Frances Forde Plude
Have you ever stopped to reflect on the important role music plays in our lives? Music is our topic here because it is a communication medium, it is an integral part of popular culture, and it is deeply imbedded into our personal search for meaning.
During the summer I attended an international conference on media, religion, and culture. It was held in Scotland and drew 200 scholars and practitioners. We are all studying the interaction of media, religious institutions and popular culture.
Jeremy Begbie of Cambridge University provided an electrifying presentation. He is the author of Music in God’s Purpose and Theology, Music and Time. Begbie urged religious leadership to re-think the role of music as part of the dynamic of hope – stressing engagement, rather than passivity. He noted that music interacts with other media (TV, film, computer networks), but it also transforms on its own, with enormous emotional power. I returned from Scotland determined to try to understand two major sources of music in our popular culture. This called for a deeper understanding of Baby Boomers and Generation X.
Rock-and-Roll and MTV Generations
I have read two books to help me understand the music culture of Baby Boomers (76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964) and the GenX cohort, consisting of Americans, born in the 1960s and 1970s.
Wade Clark Roof writes of the spiritual journey of baby boomers in his book A Generation of Seekers. Rock-and-Roll was “the pulse, the heartbeat” of this new age. In one poll almost 2/3 had attended a rock concert, demonstrating the emotional power of music. Roof notes: “Elvis Presley’s message was to free your body; the Beatles said to free your mind.” Recently I viewed an entire PBS series on Rock-and-Roll so I could understand this phenomenon. Remember, even if you do not like the music, it is important to understand its impact in our culture and on our youth.
Tom Beaudoin, himself a GenXer, has helped us understand GenX Catholics and he reflects on their music in his book Virtual Faith. This is the MTV generation. Beaudoin sketches “the beginnings of a theology by, for, and about Generation X.” He claims there are four central themes in Gen X religiosity: institutions are suspect; experience is key; suffering has a religious dimension; and ambiguity is central to faith.
GenX Music Reflects Their Fragmentation
The quick cuts and the dizzying montage on MTV reflect the fact that Gen Xers experience time as fragmented and multilinear – as they surf the internet. They do not experience a continuous stretch (of time, of traditions), but a collection of individual moments (p 130). Beaudoin explores many facets of the MTV culture and he examines the religious ambiguities of six MTV classics, including Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” In our churches we need to re-think our relationship to music and especially the music of these two generational groups.
By Suzanne Nelson
Music is an art and it reflects culture to us. Good music leaves us with new insight into our reality, so we are better able to cope with life’s complexities. I am not a musician, but I love to listen to music, sometimes, to sing along. For me, music’s progression – of sounds, rhythms, harmony and dissonance – resolves discord at a deep level just as a dream does. Often music brings me to a more positive emotional state or, like a friend, it echoes my own joy and peace, or my desire to change.
What Youth Hear
Researchers are finding that people who have grown up with MTV and computer imaging do not perceive music’s progression and resolution like older generations. For some, the “whole picture” is not a result of linear progression of thought or images but rather a “collage” effect coming together from many different directions all at once. However, as art, it does eventually come together and gets us to a point we can identify as wholesome or not. This is where we come in as parish workers.
Pastoral ministers need to ask questions of the music we use in our worship and our ministries. Where is this music going? When it does come together where will we be standing? Or sitting? Or going? Our parish music director, George Kobosko, made it clear to me how liturgical music is unique. Its purpose is to take us forward on our spiritual journey. It is not meant to be nostalgic or geared to one specific type of spirituality.
New music must build on the repertoire of the group so there is continuity. The main purpose of our Catholic liturgical music is to lead the whole Assembly forward in its relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The Formation of Music Directors
Continuing formation is a must for music directors and should be required in their contracts or job descriptions. This in-service should be theological, such as understanding paschal mystery and Christian identity.
Goals could include:
Attend a national conference annually (National Pastoral Musicians)
Read professional journals, like Liturgical Ministry
Attend liturgies at other churches well known for excellent music
Join or begin a support group of colleagues, to share ideas, critique articles, listen to new music together and discuss where it leaves you
Pray for your parish. Ask for wisdom to lead the spirituality musically.