Trying to Stay Focused

Today in class we had quite a long discussion about art, and how it has changed over the years, specifically in how people view it. Points were made about how movies are now more for entertainment, people watch them while doing other things instead of just focusing on them, and the same things about music and other art forms. I would just like to put in my two cents about this.

I specifically wanted to address a point that Doc OC made in class today, when he mentioned how musician Andrew Bird only listens to music when he is fully engrossed in it. He doesn't use it as background music at all, and we were debating on whether music should only be listened to in situations like this. I personally don't think that it's wrong to listen to music as background music, no matter how brilliant or complex it is. Being a musician myself, I know how when I truly sit down and listen through and album, I get a lot more out of it than when I listen to it as background music, however the music is serving a different purpose in each of the situations. It is still the same piece of art, however, when used as background noise, I use it more to focus (it sounds counter-intuitive but it helps me focus) and, honestly, to just have something there. Whereas when I really listen, I'm listening to specific chord structures, notes, the sort of things that require a lot more concentration.

Thus, I think that Andrew Bird is taking his music almost too seriously. While there is certainly a time (and a need, depending on the album) to sit down and fully examine the music, I would definitely go so far as to say that one cannot listen to music in any other setting. This leads to a similar point that was brought up many times in class today. The two types of listening serve different purposes, and neither one is right or wrong.