Winding down and wishing up some changes for 2014

2013 is nearly over and now that Christmas is behind us, the days that are left are likely to rush right by at an even faster pace. However, before the last tick of the clock in the year is upon us, I would like to offer up my own twist on the ever popular “Best of” lists that have permeated the internet in the last few weeks.

Rather than telling you what I think are “the best songs” or “the best albums” or really, “the best” anything, this is more of a “Wish list” for the arts in 2014. (Including one bonus prediction!)

• More boy bands with manners

…and groups such as these being cultivated when they are closer to an age with self-actualized maturity, rather than a lack thereof. The increase in ways for more quick success has somewhat diluted rising artists’ abilities to retain more, as opposed to less, grounded over time.

• More audible “mistakes” in radio singles (e.g. fret slides, inhalations, natural room reverb)

I’m not talking about a sloppily put together mix down or mastering but, just things like expected ambient sounds. Even if the radio world is afraid of showing natural human “error” (because hearing a singer breathe is such an inappropriate travesty, suitable only for acoustic re-releases, of course…), and expected imperfection, these kinds of inevitable occurrences make for a more interesting sound that could reduce blandness on the ears, without having to ask an artist to do anything to change their genre, fashion style or lyrical focus. It’s an effortless win all around.

• More constructive colliding of musical power players from the “fine arts,” into pieces of pop culture. …Not necessarily always for us in the public, but instead, for the jarring of the people who make the art so that they might think about concepts and artists outside their own boxes.

…especially if it’s as unexpected as the kind of collaboration like the one between band, The Feeling and ballet dancer, Edward Watson.)

• More of the cool musicians we gush over, using “big words” and subtly encouraging people to pick up a book/class/lecture or two on music and the actual art AND craft of making it.

See also, The Sing-off’s “A capella 101” sketch clip, from their recent Season 4 finale. It is available for free streaming here on NBC’s website. (Oh, and the singing filling the rest of the finale is pretty darn fantastic too.)

• If we must have them…more listicle-style pieces that revolve around other facets of music outside of fashion/gossip/stereotypes and more around “Did you know” style, humorous but fact-infused tidbits that will expand our understand and awareness about lesser commonly known artists/conductors/dancers/actors(tresses).

I understand some of the benefits to list-style writing: compact, direct, visually easy to navigate on minimal time…but please, inform with something new or at least shake a reader to think of something new on their own.

And now for a prediction for next year:

A few side notes of contemplation to above thought:
3D printing is (or will be) to instrument crafting, what AutoTune has become to the practice and mastering of musicianship. Similar to what I mentioned in “Moderation around modernization” but with less focus on the affects to musicianship development/aural skills, and more focus on the “shortcutting and slow change of priorities” in the process of physical construction.

On the (positive) other hand, a growth in this direction with 3D printing for years to come could mean movement toward the end of instrument size rigidity problems and consequently, the beginning of many new possibilities for instrument modification. A quicker and more common way to customize could be a greatly helpful boost for those with non-average measurements, amputations, other physical or motor skill differences.

How might these possibilities be able to be applied to music therapy or physical rehabilitation for such persons?