Just

Vibrations
By William Cheng
MUS2151: Philosophy and Music Education

Presented by: Ariana and Jenny

 Background
William Cheng (B.A., PHD)

- Currently a professor of music at Dartmouth College in USA

- Pianist and Gamer
- Intersect between media studies, disability studies, care
ethics, race, and queerness
- Two other books: Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical
Imagination Loving Music Till It Hurts

Jenny

- He himself struggled with chronic illness (chapter 1 of his book)

 Guiding Questions

1. What is the relationship between ethics and

music?

2. How does music present on our social lives and

affect our emotions?

3. What is the purpose of sounding good?

Jenny
 New Terms/Concepts

- Suzanne Cusick (paranoia approach) vs Sedgwick (reparative approach)

- Various values that are important in everyday life, research work and human
relationships, including love, care, empathy and respect

Ariana

- Reparative approach should seek moments of joy, sustain pleasure for

survival and healing
- Paranoid approach means exposure and to demystified social issues and
injustice
 Soundbites: Memorable
quotes?
“An easy target for a societal dearth of care is neoliberalism, which insists on self-reliance over dependency, on
cutthroat competition over mutual welfare” (p. 9)

“Sounding good grabs attention. It gets people to care.” (p. 8)

“Paranoid motives, whether born out of play or panic, boil down to power. Inhabiting a world believed to be
overbearing and antipathetic, paranoiacs work to claim knowledge over fates and surroundings.” (p. 42)
“In the end, if reparative affects are elusive in queer theory and in criticism more generally, maybe it’s because
they hide in plain sight. Much of queer theory is queer pride insofar as it contributes to compassionate
understandings of diversity, tolerance, and justice, albeit via gloomy and tortuous avenues of inquiry. Pride
pops up between the lines.” (p. 59)

Jenny

But repair also attaches to crass synonyms of fix and cure, notions easily co-opted by
a capitalist ethos of purportedly healthy competition and its reinvestments in
inequality, resilience, and normativity (p. 8) - in a competitive environments doing
good means to reach out for care and repair

First quote: cutthroat, current state is too competitive, struggle for resources and
success, neoliberalism puts emphasis on the individualist, and does not support
social cohesion and mutual warfare
 Other course materials

- David (1995): concept of “normalcy”

- Gould (2004): critique of discourses on gender, intersection on

feminism and music education

Jenny

- David (1995) Concept of normal and historical context, what is normal should
be not fixed or universal but rather a constructure within a context
- Normal has to do with progress and industrialization

- Gould - “Feminist theorists would suggest that critiques of power are never off
the agenda. Every agenda, every philosophy, every discourse, every practice
must be examined in terms of domination and oppression that may be
embedded in it.” (p. 69)
 Activity
Listen to the song and then discuss the effects of the piece on emotions,
behavior, and moral values.

https://youtu.be/MMFj8uDubsE?si=KtayinFNQmZw_KoA

Ariana
 Personal/Professional Lives

As a young gay man dealing with severe chronic pain, Will Cheng also draws on his personal
experiences in his research and writing. He tries to examine concepts such as care,
empathy, respect and hope in the field of music and music culture and has addressed
questions about human communication and human values in research and academic
environments.

Since Will Cheng has addressed issues such as gender, gender identity, trauma, anxiety and
other sensitive issues with his research and writings, it can be said that his personal and
professional experiences have played an important role in influencing the content of his
books and research.

Ariana
 Furthermore…
- He offered many valid points; provided a philosophical viewpoint on
how we can dissect the world through ‘care’ given his experiences and
anecdotes

- He could have given more insight on other theory in works in the field
of music

- Empathy -> care

Jenny/Ariana
 References
Bob Dylan. (2019, Jan 29). Bob Dylan - Blowin' in the Wind (Official Audio) [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMFj8uDubsE

Cheng, W. (2016). Just Vibrations : The Purpose of Sounding Good. University of Michigan Press.

https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.9293551

Davis, L. J. (1995). Enforcing normalcy : disability, deafness, and the body. Verso.

Gould, E. (2004). Feminist theory in music education research: Grrl‐illa games as nomadic practice (or how music

education fell from grace). Music Education Research, 6(1), 67–79.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1461380032000182849