Rosenthal And Flacks Playing For Change Summary

Rob Rosenthal and Richard Flacks in their book Playing for Change: Music and Musicians in the Service of Social Movements poses the question “under what conditions, and ways, does music contribute to social change?” (Rosenthal and Flacks 8). The authors intention of posing this question is to argue that, not only culture, but the musicians and the different genre of music they produce are important to social movements. Their aim was to go beyond documenting the links between social movements and music. Determining and analysing “how music actually serves the various functions that have been claimed for it and to begin to determine how the function and effects of music vary depending on social and historical contexts” (Rosenthal and Flacks 5).

However the economist Mancur Olson would differ by stating that “from the perspective of individual rationality, it makes sense to be a ‘free rider’ rather than an activist” (Rosenthal and Flacks 5). But the authors were interested in exploring the “interaction of social life and art” (Rosenthal and Flacks 7). As such Rosenthal and Flacks went on to speak on the importance of music as it relates to interpretation and thus a resource for recruiting individuals and sustaining commitment to the movements joined. Thus “the music breath it’s soul” (Rosenthal and Flacks 4) and, just as we learn language and the meanings connected to it, it “creates, sustain, and alter social reality as well as reflect it in a single act” (Rosenthal and Flacks

Although the song is challenging the dominant religion, it also gave way to the audience reevaluating their everyday life. This redefinition of society, as Rosenthal and Flacks states, can either be as a result of a needed push to change society or a change that is occurring in society. “Get up, Stand up” is just on example of numerous songs that can be applied to the authors main question which is “how music actually serves the various functions that have been claimed for it and to begin to determine how the function and effects of music vary depending on social and historical contexts” (Rosenthal and Flacks