by Lady Lee 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
When I was a kid and wanted music lessons or to take music in high school, I used to tell my parents that I could put the skill to good use by playing music in the orchestra at the conventions.
When the WTS stopped having live orchestras at the conventions, my parents said it was a good thing that I never got involved with music lessons because obviously being in an orchestra was displeasing to god.
Wow!..Back in the day..Every congregation I visited had a piano and a piano player..I was in the Assembly Orchestra..It was fun as a kid.....Now I hear it`s all canned music..The WBT$ has squeezed the creativity out of almost every aspect,of JW participation in anything..
...OUTLAW
Wow!..Back in the day..Every congregation I visited had a piano and a piano player..I was in the Assembly Orchestra..It was fun as a kid.....Now I hear it`s all canned music..The WBT$ has squeezed the creativity out of almost every aspect,of JW participation in anything..
Yeah, now the watchtower music sounds like cheap midi files burnt to CDs.
http://www.angelfire.com/md/TheoMelo/
W
God forbid a JW could get involved in extra-cirricular activities. Heavy demonism there!
thanks Blondie - always on the ball with a quote or two
OK when they changed am I correct in remembering records? Or did they just go to tapes? My lurker friend (who can't wait to be able to post himself asks:
And since the donation arrangement was not in effect did the congregations have to pay for their canned music? If so that would mean a lot of records or tapes being bought = a lot of money and when the tapes break they have to be replaced of course = more money.
I know my husband bought all the tapes. For some odd reason I even had a few of them up until a couple of years ago. Perhaps he thought I would actually listen to them.
I feel so bad for those of you who had to give up something you enjoyed and were so willing to share.
Scully - your mom sounds like mine
I came in when the orchestras had just stopped. I was actually kinda bummed because I had played in the orchestra from elementary school until college and although I did play what some considered a "nerd" instrument, I wished I could still play
I remember the orchestras at the assemblies. I liked the 'live' music.
At the KH that I attended - I remember there being about... what was it... 13 or 14 - 33RPM albums - that they used for the music after they 'fired' the piano player.
I know. Cuz I had to cue up the records. (There was more than one occassion where I cued up the wrong song, too - by accident.)
I don't have any inside knowledge though. Other than the usual 'it takes away from doing other thngs'.
If you stop and think about it though... those folks that knew how to play instruments - had to learn them somehow - probably in school. That required 'extra-curricular' learning... often long hours if they were any good at it.
Regards,
Jim TX
I played the piano at the KH for about 35 years. Several times I also played at the assemblies taking turns with another JW. I was also told the same story--that it took up too much of our time. I don't know how. We were all experienced musicians. We got together one time prior to the assembly to practice on a Sunday evening. What else would we have been doing that evening? Most witnesses would have been watching TV and here we were enjoying "wholesome" association practicing for the assembly.
However, the brother who coordinated the orchestra allowed a couple of young teenagers who played the violin, but not very well. But he didn't want to refuse them because their father was an influential elder. So it wasn't long before the arrangement was nixed.
going back to the money thing..if thats ok? Are any of the older ex jw elders here familiar with how things went down around that time with regards the transition from Orchestra to records and tapes? Did the congregations have to pay the Society for the tapes etc right from the congregations accounts? Or perhaps, like literature they "gave" the tapes (or records?) to the congregation and hoped they got some funds back? Was there a "price tag" associated with these things? I dont know how many worldwide congregations there would ahve been at that time, but im guessing that if the congregations had to pay for them, that would be a substantial amount of income when you add it all up.
oh how I fantasized as a young teenager how cool it would be to get a hold of a Kingdom Melodies tape and put a little AC/DC right in the middle of a song(just a couple lines!) so it would play while we were all singing our asses off! Oh to have that time back!
W-e-e-l-l, since I have a particular interest in this topic ("let the reader use discernment"!) I found this at the time particularly galling.
Downunder there were elements in the Branch Office who were jealous of the 'prominence' being gained by the man (a real pro) who gathered a national orchestra to play at large conventions. There was also the role later played by the branch coordinator at the time who himself gathered an orchestra for regular rehearsals at Bethel.
Why stop it? The official line was that it used up precious time that could (should?) be spent in field service. Yeah, right!
My own take on it is that basically, Dubs are anti-culture. It's not the first time in history when a religious organisation has outlawed music, or any culture for that matter. The Witnesses are no different. They (the hierarchy) just don't like (or should that be "understand"?) such things as music or the arts.
Imagine though what it's like for a dub who has musical gifts, how must they feel inside the confines of such an organsation? There are of course some Witnesses who pursue a musical career and quite successfully, but rather than their gifts being welcomed, the WT Society simply ignores them! How strange that the same god whom they claim to serve, has given such gifts and are ignored!
Contrast this with the fantastic bands and orchestras that lead church services. How is it that they get the musicians? Perhaps as a result of the anti-education doctrines that the WTS has long espoused. They reap as they have sown.
