Hannah Hecht's Blog

This week’s articles explored the issue of politics in music. Some people think that music is a useful and effective way to convey political ideals while others believe that art and politics are two completely separate things and ought to remain separated.

One composer and critic of politics in music made the comment, “Art is pure and politics is about winning, a concept meaningless to art.” Honestly, I think that this statement poses a much greater problem than that of politics in music. I mean, should politics seriously be solely about winning? It’s really scary to think that current politicians’ main goal is to win, not to effectively run our country. And yet, the opinion that politics is only about winning is a really common one among the American people.

Okay, so hypothetically, let’s just say that politics is about winning. Political parties have no other real function than just to get their people into office. Then, where do the people turn to express their opinion? How are they heard by the chronically competitive politicians? Through art! Music can give a voice to the unheard and let the politically suppressed have a voice. Music touches the human soul and allows people to express the inexpressible. When done correctly, government should give the people a voice, but if the government is corrupt or no longer functions correctly, people can still find a voice through art, music, and popular culture.

Separating politics and music would not only deprive citizens of free speech, it would also deny them the means to express their feelings and ideals (whether political or not). Who says that songs should only be about love, breakups, and partying? Such ideas are ridiculous and limit the power of art greatly. Art is supposed to be about expression, and isn’t that the entire goal of politics? To give a voice to every man and woman under the government of an area? Together, art and politics can accomplish so much more than they ever could when divided. The idea of separating them is completely ridiculous.