Music sparks creativity. Whether it be a favorite album playing while finishing up some homework, or actually learning an instrument, the effect music has on creating new ideas and thoughts is outstanding. This value and importance that music has as a hearth of creativity is valued greatly by a McKinney High School teacher, Izak Santana.
Izak Santana has been an English teacher at MHS for 3 years, and so far it has been a “great job that [he] loves.” In terms of music taste, Santana enjoys hard and post-rock, including bands such as Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You and Rage Against the Machine. Additionally, Santana believes that Neoclassical and “great ambient music” deserve more credit. Some of his favorite musicians in this genre are Ólafur Arnalds, Helios Goldmund Mintjeulop and Slow Meadow. Santana’s students have also influenced his music taste, showing him lots of alternative and pop rock, some of his favorite artists being the 1975 and Saint Motel. Whether it be the chaotic and iconic riffs of Rage Against the Machine, or the calm ambient ballads by Ólafur Arnalds, Santana believes that “listening to the right type of music can tap into creativity and better work.”
Modern music is extremely different and more expressive when compared to the past, and Izak Santana believes that the today’s “access to making and sharing music, leads to very creative moments.” However this easy access to music is a sharp double edged sword. In the past it took a ton of effort to create music, but today “less effort is put into the project of music”, resulting in a ton of songs and albums that have no love or emotion put into it which is audible in its production. Santana highlights the fact that “post-awareness makes artists chase the fame and fortune and not love music.” The affection towards music is still present today, however easy access to making any song you want, no matter the quality, can contaminate and plague the music scene. Santana continued by shedding light on the fact that there are “different kinds of selling out now, selling out for politics, money and different types of fame.” This chase for greed and power in the music industry desensitizes and sterilizes the music process, making it feel as if it is made in a factory, with no love or passion love put into it, coming very close to wiping out the importance of a creative process.
Today’s music industry only uses big musicians, albums, and songs as a product, however the creative process is still there. A rise in new indie artists, such as Santana’s favorites like the 1975, help lay out the groundwork for a better music scene in the future. A scene that tries it’s hardest to be unique and different, thriving and prospering off of how creative it can be. However creativity in music doesn’t have to be a colossal deal. For Santana, listening to music while grading or other tedious tasks can inspire oneself to push through and often create new ideas or ways to go about looking at something. The impact that music has should never be underestimated, from mundane tasks to monumental achievements, music has led to innovation and a world bursting at the seams with creative ideas.
The Dallas Sound Machine 