NOCTILUCA Feb. 2016

AREYOUAWARE? Appleton, Wisconsin February 2016 Vol. XXI

Issue I

Page 9

By Jack Russell Pop goes the world: Music returns to its roots

Smith and Adele’s new hit singles of the past year hear- ken back to a simpler time when we sang about what re- ally mattered, and didn’t need all of the fluff of shiny, chrome studio magic. Hozier reminds us of our beloved gospel sing- ers from the 60’s south, albeit with an Irish and very much in- the-present-day twinge. We’ve entered a time where, it is my great pleasure to announce, we’ve started to use real instru- ments to write and record real music again. We’ve exhausted our instru- ments, and it’s time to start fresh. When it comes to pop mu- sic, genres change not only because of society, culture, and significant current events; our music world exhausts certain instruments and styles. We go from jazz, to rock and roll, to proggy stuff, grunge, and now indie pop/indie rock. The way it works, is that once we’ve realized that anyone can play jazz or grunge, it’s time to move on. It’s only a matter of time that the underground folks at school realize that just about anyone can become the Foals, or Wavves, or even Walk The pleton North senior, volun- teered for two years assisting Devine within several large group therapy sessions, primar- ily working with children. “We just had the kids practice com- municating with each other by singing, talking, and playing instruments.” Regarding the general impact musical therapy had on the children she worked with, Jones says, “[These ses- sions] have all sorts of positive impacts…[they] help individu- als become better versions of themselves.” As Devine mentioned, “... each case is diverse and unique to each person. Every session is different, as well, depending on circumstantial occurrences.” To treat depression, for in- stance, Ms. Devine utilizes lyric composition and analysis techniques to find the complex relationship of emotions and words; for kids with certain special abilities, she provides them with memory recall exer- cises in addition to information for playing two-handed instru- ments in order to improve mo- tor skills. Once an individual begins to improve, Ms. Devine schedules sessions on a less fre- edgeable person is required to help with treatments. Jacie Jones, a current Ap-

Moon - and pretty soon that genre will be exhausted. The reason we are going back to our roots with more traditional pop instruments, is because we’re rebooting a little bit from exhaustion. We build up a sound, and build up an- other, and keep increasing the arrangements of electronics and different layers until we’ve created something unlisten- able: dubstep and trap. This is a theory I like to call “Rev The- ory.” We rev up new sounds and styles over the years, like a manual gear on a car, until that genre gets exhausted (or gear). We then shift gears, and we start anew, evolving more sounds along the way after we’ve re- turned to our roots for a bit. We are currently in the fraction of time between the peak of a “gear” and the next rev state, where we need to bring back traditional pop, piano, guitar, and the human voice. Pop music isn’t just affected by the world around us, it also has to do with us becoming too musically comfortable with ourselves. And we’re not quite sure if we like that. So it may be time to switch our gears and start fresh.

In the 20th and 21st centu- ries alone, pop music has un- dergone massively significant stylistic shifts, mainly due to the compelling societal and cultural changes our nation has experienced. The classic country of Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash paved the way for Fleetwood Mac and The Jackson Five. Guns N’ Roses led the scene to leave room for Oasis and Sunny Day Real Es- tate. Even Britney Spears left the limelight; the likes of Katy Perry (and yes, Fetty Wap) took focus. However, something quite peculiar is happening in today’s music world. We’re repeating ourselves. The cycling genres of yesterday are now coming full circle. Hozier. Adele. Sam Smith. Notice the homages paid to Billy Joel. Sinatra. Tom Waits. Popular music has al- ways been an evolutionary art and we as a culture evolve with it, but strangely enough, we’re reverting back to a better time, a simpler time. We’ve been taking a closer look back at our past. And here’s why. The world is still changing, Why do we like music? For most people, the first answers that comes to mind may in- clude “it motivates me,” “it’s a great distraction when I’m bored,” or a straightforward, “I just do.” However, some might say that the simple plucking, crooning, banging out of notes helps them get through the day, makes them happy, and pro- vides them with an inexplica- ble sense of relaxation. Across the board, research in music stimulation has dem- onstrated that the human brain responds resoundingly well to any activity relating to or in- volving music; it is proven to

Pop artist Sam Smith, pictured above, is an example of the recycled genres of today. Photo Courtesy of Purple PR.

but we’re seeing some patterns. “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In almost every case, this phrase has irrefutable weight to it. Y2K spawned a techno- logical revolution with the ex- pansion of the Internet, much like the industrial revolution of 1900 onward. The recession of 2008 reminded us of the Great Depression. Even the supreme court decision of June 25th, 2015, to legalize homosexual marriage had roots in the de- segregation of the south in the 1960s: freeing a social minority from abuse and torment. be an effective and positive supplement for accomplishing a variety of tasks, whether it be improving cognitive ability, regulating emotions, or coping with specific gene irregulari- ties. Because of the many com- pelling connections humans have with music, musical ther- apy has provided an alterna- tive, positive method of healing for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. But how can music therapy, something seemingly so com- plex, be confined to a single definition? According to the American Music Therapy Association website, music therapy is the use of music to

Many events in our current generation have roots, similari- ties, or even carbon copies of events that happened in the past century. With that, we’re seeing resurgences in cultural breaks. Political activism is at a record high. Therefore, music, art, and general media is starting to browse through the past; mu- sic is starting to strip down its sound, abandoning the electric instruments of two decades ago, the synths and breakbeats of yesterday, and choosing to strike up the piano, acoustic guitar, and soulful voice. Sam improve personal wellness, re- lieve stress and pain, regulate emotions, improve memory, enhance communication skills and increase physical mobility, among other things. Expressive Therapies, LLC of Appleton, owned and oper- ated by Sara Devine MT-BC, LCSW with the assistance of Maly Massot MT-BC, has provided such therapy for in- dividuals of all ages and back- grounds. Devine has treated a multitude of issues, including but not limited to depression and anxiety, cancer, neurologi- cal disorders and NICU (neo- natal intensive care unit) infant complications. To optimize the effective- ness of treatments, Devine con- ducts an evaluation process for each individual. She helps her clientele form attainable goals and typically asks their reasons for enjoying music. “Usually my analysis extends for six to seven pages...but the most im- portant thing is getting to know the individual well.” Once the evaluation has been completed, sessions are scheduled one to two times a week, depending on an individual’s availability and situation. Since people and their lives vary from day to day, a very adaptive and knowl-

Musical therapy improves personal wellness By Maeve Salm and Maddy Schilling

quent basis. “We discuss [treat- ment termination] much; the termination process is impor- tant to talk over several times. At the final session, we have a big hoorah to celebrate such a significant accomplishment.” Ultimately, healing through musical therapy encourages self-improvement but does so in an easily-connectable, largely personalized manner. It perpetuates that music, more than being a mere source of entertainment, has the capacity to effect the human brain in in- credibly positive ways. Appleton North senior Jacie Jones volunteered with Expressive Thera- pies. Photo by Maddy Schil- ling.

Music therapist Maly Massot (pictured above) works at Expressive Therapies in Appleton. Photo Courtesy of Expressive Therapies, LLC.