Globalization and Its Effects on Musicians and Folk Culture

Abstract

Globalization, the meeting of ideas and goods from culture to culture around the world, has a direct effect on many aspects of life internationally. In this article, I look at both positive as well as negative effects of globalization on the lives of musicians, as well as in the use of folk arts. This includes: 1. the decline of some traditional South Asian folk arts and a change in their function due to the arrival of Western medicine; 2. the increase in students playing particular kinds of instruments; 3. changes in how students learn music with the arrival of Western-style schools; and 4. foreign technological advances changing how music students assess their own performances and goals.. This globalization sometimes leaves people who flourished as performers are now living in poverty, while it also creates opportunities for others who never previously had a chance to learn certain instruments. I also briefly touch upon the sometimes hidden sociological and psychological effects that globalization can bring, such as reducing some culturally accepted venues for ladies to share their pain and suffering with others. I conclude with some suggestions based on the above topics, and the plea for researchers and musicians to not pretend like globalization will not affect life within South Asia, but instead to work with it to find positive outcomes.