Ginta Salmiņa

Q: What are the most fulfilling and most challenging aspects of your job?

The most fulfilling aspect is that you create and develop, do what you like and at the same time help others. It is the freedom to plan your work and have continuous development.

Q: Please describe some examples (things you have personally witnessed) that show how music can contribute to civic engagement among young people. For instance, how through music do young people become more involved in improving their community, or more socially engaged and politically active, or concerned about global challenges?

For example, we had the Erasmus+ project “Give music a chance”, which took place in Sweden, where young musicians from different countries met. The task during the week was to discuss and write songs, both lyrics and music, on topics related to today’s challenges. The songs were recorded in the studio and played on Swedish radio, and some of them became quite popular. Through music, young people managed to bring up important topics in society, such as ecology, human rights, freedom and others.

Q: Please describe examples from conversations among young people (things you have personally observed) that show some of the different ways they discuss music.

Yes, young people discuss music. Young people are divided into groups depending on what music they like – rap, techno, et cetera. Music is very important to them, they talk a lot about it, but not deeply analysing. Today, young people pay more attention to song lyrics than they used to do.

Q: Based on what you have seen, how do such conversations change as young people mature (for instance, ages 15-17; 18-20; 21-25)?

I think it’s not the age that makes the difference. It is interesting that today young people educate their parents about the music they like, about new directions and trends. For example, talking about music is also a way of forming a father-son relationship where the older generation is the recipient of the information, not the giver.

Q: Based on your experience, have discussions of music and society among young people generally changed across years due to different historical conditions? If so, how and why?

Yes, discussions have changed because popular music styles have changed both globally and locally. Music, and therefore musicians, has a huge power to influence people, like the anthem, national music, promotes patriotism, a sense of belonging to your nation, or young people can get upset and demolish the train after the rock concert.

Q: Do you sense that a shared knowledge of traditional (folk) songs and dances is changing among young people, and if so, how and why?

I don’t have such experience, but I think it’s very much related to family traditions. If the parents are connected with traditional, folk music, for example, song or dance, then the children are also likely to continue this tradition.

I believe that folk music is a value and is becoming more popular, because the value system of society is changing, everything national, traditional is becoming more popular.

Q: What is the most interesting story you can share about how music impacts young people?

Young people achieve more when they follow their idols.

Q: In what ways do you see social media impacting how young people use and communicate about music?

Young people tend to be influenced by each other and social media is a powerful channel for communicating information. As a result, there is a rapid flow of information and popular songs become even more popular. The range of songs available today is huge, young people have a wide choice, but they follow, listening to that music that is relevant to them. I am convinced that music helps young people to go through different stages of their development, for example, the resistance and denial phase. So gross, vulgar and incomprehensible melodies are popular. This is the way young people protest. As young people have grown out of this phase, such songs are no longer relevant to them.

Q: What kind of new methods in work with young people would be helpful in your work? What should be the purpose of these methods?

Music as a method is very valuable. There are a lot of people who say – I can’t sing, I don’t have a musical ear or a voice. I was in a project where a musical teacher proved the opposite. We followed her instructions, tips and tricks, and within two hours everyone sang. We recorded the song and to the surprise for many of us the song sounded great. It was very motivating, to understand what a hidden power we have.

Singing is a very valuable and powerful tool.

July 2021