The following monologue is based on a conversation which took place at Broadoak School, Weston-Super-Mare, England, between John Brock, Specialist Music Teacher and Danny Farrant of the Upper Sixth form and leader of the ‘Burning Hearts’ Rock Group. Danny Farrant went on to enter a music conservatoire as a percussionist.
‘I remember singing in Primary school most. My parents started me with piano lessons and promised to buy me a drum set for Christmas if I worked at it. When I had my drums I would play them in Assembly at school. I did learn to play the recorder for a while but my friends thought it a bit cissy. I used to be noticed by other children because I sang in tune.
The first three years of my secondary schooling (11–14) were of no use. I used to think “What am I learning? This isn’t really useful”. It was too geared towards classical music and was quite boring.
I appreciated the work far more when I started studying for the 16 +examination at the age of 15. Now I am working for my Advanced Level Examination (18+) I find that what I do outside school (playing in various groups) is amplified by work in school. It gives me a general overview. Working “academically” makes you think more and think out problems when you are playing. I appreciate the music that I play much more.
I think that the approach to harmony should be much more creative than the approach through stylistic writing. I don’t equate the work I do in school harmony with the harmony of my own songs. It’s totally irrelevant to the songs I’m writing. I don’t feel that my harmonies or melodies are comparable to those of Schumann or Schubert. I’d rather write from my head than from the rules. When we write Schubert stuff we have to write from the rules. I don’t like doing that. I wish I could feel what is right. It’s not very musical. When I write my own songs I’ll mess around on the piano and pick up on a chord sequence I like or maybe in the day I’ll be singing some riff or melody and then I’ll sit down at the piano and find what chords fit to it or I’ll have a chord sequence worked out in my head already.
I sit down at the piano and just do it. I use a greater amount of chords in my pop music than I’ve ever used in my Bach Chorales. I’m really scared of using a III or a VI, but I know I use them in my pop music all the time— and I know that they sound good. I’m scared of using them for examination work.
I use a lot of seconds in my chords as well—take a chord of C and I’ll have C, D, E, G—which goes with whatever I’m playing or I’ll have an added sixth which you don’t ever use in chorales. You never add a second except as a suspension. If I feel parallel fifths fit I’ll use them, although I must admit I don’t like the sound of fifths too much.
I know I have to work for my examinations and they are helping me get into higher education so they have been important to me. Studying a piece of music gives you a different kind of appreciation—chords and rhythms and that sort of thing. I enjoy finding out about the composers and why the pieces were written.
There are very few people I know who compose music now—especially classical music—or “serious” music. No. I don’t like to call it “serious” music because my pop music is pretty serious.
The music that most kids are doing today is not being taught in schools. My musical experience has been largely outside school although perhaps my introduction to music was first from inside school. If pop music in school was only used for listening to, the kids would take no notice. It has to be practical. But most teachers have gone through the old system. They don’t listen to pop music or understand it. Schools haven’t got the right equipment or the right sort of rooms to work in.
Rock musicians should be brought into schools to run workshops. They could help people learn about the different styles like Rock and Roll and Swing. I want to learn about all kinds of music in school, The options should be open to allow all young people to have as wide an appreciation of music as possible. I hope that more young people will get involved in music —not necessarily writing it but appreciating it. I’d like to see more people appreciating classical music. They don’t know what they are missing. They think it’s all Mozart and nothing else. If they only sat down and listened to Shostakovich I reckon they’d love it. I’m not saying that pop music is worse and that people should only listen to classical music. They should listen to what they enjoy. More people should have the chance to listen widely. Pop music is simple. I like to listen to a pop LP and think of it as something like a symphony. There are some Rock musicians—Gabriel for example—where the whole LP merges into a single statement. It sums up the mood of thought of the moment. It’s well thought out.
The present classical composers I know of are Peter Maxwell Davies, Giles Swayne, Nigel Osborne, Luciano Berio, Anthony Payne and Penderecki. Music of our time should be given more importance in school rather than listening to Haydn and Mozart all the time. Minimal music
seems out now—Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Although some people say so, they are not really using Rock material in their music. For instance we saw Jonathan Harvey’s piece on television. The sounds there were nothing like Rock sounds. They were still intellectually worked out—I’m not meaning to sound snobby—but they were sort of meant to last. Pop music isn’t like that. If it does last that’s great. It will always react to fashion.
To include pop music in the curriculum for 11–18 would be much more relevant to the average student. If it was a basis from which to start a broadening study it would benefit more people. It is important that we should have knowledge of as many kinds of music as possible including the music of other ethnic groups. Rock musicians study it and it affects their music. I used to think that Asian music was rubbish until I went to the Steve Reich workshop day and heard about the techniques of tabla playing. Those of us who are already “on the music bandwagon” so to speak, will always go off on our own and pursue our own interests anyway, so it is more important to pay attention to what everyone receives in their music education. Everyone should have as broad an education as possible and choose which way they want to go at the end of it.’