Modest proposal, and recommendations

Music is an essential part of human nature, and even reaches beyond our human species. . . Music touches us on a primal level, singing vibrates the back of the throat, chanting massages the brain. Rhythm provides social synchronicity, melody provides a linear code on which we can hang our memories and aspirations.

. . . Music is a parallel to language - it does need to interpret, nor to be interpreted. Music can elicit an unspoken understanding among strangers in a dark room, it can express and evoke emotions for which poetry lacks words. Music means, and is something in and of itself. . . 

Music touches us on the metabolic level. It has healing powers beyond emotional,  beyond sexual healing. . . 

Music is like Religion, except it is not an exclusive . . .the Musical Experience is spiritual - it sparks the soul, and allows us a glimpse of an all-encompassing universe.   As such, the practitioners of Music should be afforded all the rights, privileges, and protections as practitioners of other faiths. All music-related items, organizations, property, services, etc should be free of any local, state or federal taxation.

I want to see Music represented at the highest level of government - I suggest a fourth branch of powers - let there be the executive, legislative, judicial, and musical branches of government. Free of any influences and pressures from the other three branches of power, an autonomous firewall to protect this essential human activity.

 I want to see a House of Music on every corner in urban neighborhoods and within walking, or bicycling, distance of all homes across America. This is a place to play, listen and learn music. A center of learning, with a full staff of instructors, as well as a performance center. All genres and media welcome. These Houses of Music will provide private and ensemble instruction, and performance opportunities free of charge to anyone. Concerts and dances will be regularly scheduled, with a proper budget for performers. Ad hoc events from any part of the community should also be encouraged.

Music is a special interest group. . . Music people should have incredible lobbying power, and should command, and demand, whatever resources are necessary.  We need to organize. We need to look beyond genre, style, particular musical cultures --- we need to work for the common good of all music people.

Music needs a Hippocratic oath.  Music must do no harm.  All uses of music for torture or any other use of force must be prohibited, This includes use of music as a means of deterrence and population control, such as municipalities or landlords who play intentionally vile music in public areas in order to keep people (ie, others) from gathering. We must STOP torture of any type -- this includes musical torture.

The world is being ravaged by consumer excess and depletion of resources. . . We must just stop using music to sell things. Advertising licenses are not a good thing. . . I propose a moratorium on all music in advertising. This needs to be seen as a sacrilege.

Music, at its very basic, involves the sharing of an experience in which there is the pushing of air over time. . . Music has a vested interest in the air. We need to lower our carbon footprint and protect the air we breathe, but more importantly, we need to protect the air Music breathes.

Music is about community, encoded in music is the memory of generations. Music connects us to our ancestors, to our history. However, equally important, music can also be a refuge from community. Music provides a sanctuary for the disaffected. Many of us would be lost, without a sense of purpose or belonging, were it not for music.

ACTION ITEMS: 

•  Universal music education and access to musical tools and instruments, from pre-school through senior citizenship.
• Houses of music must be established in all communities, giving access to rehearsal and performance spaces, as well as production studios and dance floors.
• Music must do no harm. The cessation of music being used for killing, torture or crowd control.
• All musical material and activities must be tax-free.
• Music in advertised needs to be seen as anathema to the common good. Products, musicians, companies which do this should be boycotted and ostracized.
• Musicians should be encouraged to create honest music. Honest music is the music which we make without concern for the market, peer-group pressure or any external mandate. Some people make music which is popular and reaches masses, others make music which reach dozens --- and this changes over time. This is all okay.
• Through music, we must resist the political and military bullies who are ruining our country and the world. We don't have to write protest songs per se, but our audiences should always know where we stand. Preaching is not necessary -- but basic statements of fact can be mentioned in banter between songs. Song titles are powerful.
• Spread your  beliefs, and use the media which you have available to you. Join advocacy groups, include them in your publicity, liner notes, web pages. In the old days, we could scratch messages in the vinyl masters - mp3 files have room for comments in the info page, use this.
• Do not steal. Do not steal anything. Do not steal music.
• But you can prevent stealing: Give it all away. Give your music away - this way, no one can steal it. Eliminate dongles and passwords, create open-source musical software. Spread the word.  But if it is not being given away, see 9 above - do not steal.
• And we need pilgrimages to our musical holy cities. New Orleans, Havana, New York ---- the list can grow and shrink. I propose free transportation and free hostels for musical pilgrims.
•  Musical groups can serve as a model for larger social behavior. If you are a bandleader, don't be a jerk.

Gordon concludes, "There is a paradox in all of this . . . (M)usic is a parallel to language, and as such, putting music in the service of anything external subverts the power of music. We need to know where we stand, what our goals are --- and then, we need to return to the non-linguistic state, a non-figurative, non-referential musical state, but try to find that intuitive place, where memory and premonition co-exist. And from that place,  we can change the world.  And I refer to the words of John Lennon, or perhaps His Holiness the Dalai Lama."

I think you know which words  he has in mind.