Andrej Ivanoski

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

I am music producer/DJ. The most fullfilling aspect of my job would be the whole process of making a song, starting from an idea and creating it into something that millions of people would be listening to. The most challenging at the moment is the whole Covid situation with all the restrictions for the music industry.

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?

I think that civic engagement is found most in music festivals that last a couple of days or more where young people from all around the world can listen to good music, talk about ideas, exchange experiences and be involved in activities organized by the festivals.

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

Well all people experience music in their own way, so there are always different opinions when people discuss music. I've witnessed situations where people say that they don't really listen to music, or in the other extreme where they are obsessed and listen to it 24/7. In N. Macedonia there are always two sides when discussing music: the one that listens to 'turbo folk' and the one that doesn't, and it's always fun listening to both their arguments.

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)?

From my experience kids from 15-17 are really passionate when discussing different genres, especially if they are listening to a specific music genre or they are involved as a musicians.

The young adults I think are interested and passionate about music also but they are widening their views and are more accepting about different genres. Adults from 21-25, I think they are not discussing music as much and are more accepting towards every music genre that sounds pleasant to them.

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

Well yes, discussing music is affected by everything. For example, the current Covid situation had a big impact on how people perceive music and talk about it. People are exposed to a lot of negative and scary information daliy so they don't really listen to or discuss music at the moment.

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?

Young generations are losing the peace of tradition and folklore because of globalisation. I think that parents and the educational system should be more invested in teaching chldren about our musical heritage which is so rich and beautiful.

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

Music makes young people lose themselves and then find themselves, and I think that's the most magical and beautiful thing that music can do.

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

Social media helps young people share music with each other so much faster than before, and I think its helping a lot to discover new music and artists. It's helpful for young people, opening themselves to new music and also helping new artists get more exposure which is also good for the musicians.

Q: What kinds of discussions have you witnessed stimulated through instrumental music? Can you imagine some new ways this could be achieved?

I've witnesed all kinds of discussion stimulated by instrumental music.

Mostly they discuss how they like a type of music and most of the time they don’t need lyrics to actually connect to the musical piece. Sometimes they prefer it that way because they can feel more emotions than music tracks with lyrics.

Many young people use this genre of music when studying, which helps them concentrate more.

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?

I think that music and art subjects at school should be mandatory and given a lot more respect. Teaching kids about music, traditional songs and dances would pay off in the long run.

If we implement new methods connected with or based on music, I think we can discover the talent in young children much easier and at an earlier age. Nowadays, we see a lot of young people wasting their talent or getting lost on their creative journey.

July 2021