Larger Questions

              Pop music is art. Yet, it is art that can be more readily consumed than traditional forms of art such as paintings and sculptures. It is recorded and mass produced to sell millions of copies of records. Today even the music of the 1960's is embed in mp3 form and downloaded in vast quantities from and over the internet. The most valuable art is that that cannot be easily reproduced. Pop music can be readily reproduced, as we see in its frequent exchange, but it is not sound that can be easily reproduced. The Grateful Dead, for instance, recorded American Beauty during wild acid trips. The lyrics were written under the influence of LSD. Their journey of production was not hidden; it was right out in the open, at the free concerts they played for fans. Today, this would not happen. The same drugs that inspired the sounds of American Beauty are illegal today, and artists charge their fans large sums to put on performances. The tracks of American Beauty synthesized the sounds of several instruments. The combination of musical instruments and vocals are aesthetically-rich; pop music is the result of the creative blending of multiple tools.
               We can treat pop music as art by searching for deeper meaning within it, such as in the context of a high school classroom. Literature courses traditionally require students to further examine the pages of a book, but the study of music requires students to open their ears instead of their eyes to discover the significance of the words. The music of the 1960's can be more easily studied in a college classroom than in a high school classroom. The content of the psychedelic movement is mature; now illegal drugs were a central focus, and people expressed themselves very freely sexually. High school students still live with their parents and feel as if administration is always watching and recording every move. High schools enforce stricter rules and policies regarding expression than do colleges. A higher education setting would lend looser discussions in which students would be comfortable to discuss the culture during the 1960's.
              American poetry loses its position in American life as a vital public voice, and is subsequently replaced by pop music. This music is a less formal means of expression, but it is representative of the times. The culture was becoming more casual. The Second Vatican Council of the 1960's lessened the formality of the Roman Catholic Church, causing it to be more accepting and open. Standards became not as strict. Pop music was the new vehicle of the generation; it was freer than the written poetry before. Words were sung aloud to instrumental melody instead of read stanza by stanza. Modern innovations such as new recording technology and drugs shifted the public voice to speak through pop music. The vehicle of our generation is the internet, particularly social media. The aesthetic-poetic vehicle of each generation changes. The late 1950's and early 1960's witnessed the Beat poets, today we witness the Internet, and in the late 1960's pop music was the star of the show.