Macaulay honors seminar for first semester freshman is a required course that is supposed to open up our mind to more than just academics and maintaining that 3.5 average. For me, it’s the first arts class I have been in that not only exposes me to all forms of art but also has allows me to question the accepted forms of art, and those that are oppressed in NYC. Jazz music is one of the forms that have been oppressed in NYC. On October 13th our seminar class went to the only Jazz museum in New York, which is in Harlem. Visiting this museum was different compared to the other museums that were scheduled because I never knew it existed and I did not know it was the only one in New York.
Getting to the museum was a hassle. I went to the Lincoln Center in lower Manhattan and was told that was not where we were supposed to have gone. So I got on a train with a couple friends and when I saw we were getting off on 125th I was a bit confused. I mean I wasn’t totally ignorant about jazz, jazz players, and a bit of its history, but after seeing the Lincoln Center I couldn’t understand why we were in Harlem. Every time I go to a museum I expect a large building with huge signs along with a modern architectural look. This was not what I saw when I realized I was standing in front of the museum. It looked like a family house that I see usually around areas such as Harlem and the south Bronx, just without the graffiti, or chipping paint. I was also unsure that I was at the right location when I stepped into the building and it seemed like a place you get your fingerprints taken, where you wait outside the room to be called in.
I had to call one of my classmates and ask them where exactly in the museum were they because it didn’t seem as though I could just walk into any room. I expected open space, and exhibits. When I finally found my way into the room we were supposed to be in I was pleasantly surprised. The area was roomy, and was filled with pictures of jazz artists, books, photo albums, records, and maintained an intimate feel. A very knowledgeable elderly man conversed with us while we waited for the rest of the class to come. He showed me photos of famous jazz musicians that he met, and has been good friends with. Within those 15 minutes of conversation I gained a new appreciation for jazz music. After listening to some jazz music we moved to the front of the room where were given a presentation from Loren Schoenberg, the executive director of the museum.
This presentation was about the future of the jazz museum. Schoenberg and the other members of the museum has a vision to make the museum bigger, and more of an attraction. I’m not one to think that American culture promotes racism, and oppression but after realizing the norms of music appreciation I see that it isn’t a coincidence. As Schoenberg said there is a specific way that people act when they listen to classical music making it seem like a class difference. However, Jazz music is something people smoke a cigarette to, and dance around. Without saying American culture is racist, I can say that it simply oppresses cultures other than the western style culture. The jazz museum doesn’t get supporters for expansion, and they are working as hard as any other culture. I feel a bit bad that I believe their plan may take even longer than they expect or actually not happen at all. If it does I also don’t see it making an impact because of the location. Maybe sometime in the future our norms in accepted art forms will change. Jazz is part of African American culture and just like African art it took a while to be considered worth being acknowledged. This museum in Harlem has a long way to go in order to get their plans to go through. I mean why don’t we have another jazz museum in NYC, and why is it only in a “bad” area of Harlem? I do, however believe that it makes sense being in Harlem, and that it keeps Jazz culture prevalent in that area. It deserves to be nurtured in that area since it originated there, but I also believe it should be more widely accepted, and appreciated. The museums appearance, the elderly man’s knowledge, and Schoenberg’s presentation all gave me an appreciation for jazz, and the knowledge that there are forms of art that are oppressed.
