Thank you for sharing your thoughtful process of curating the music list for the Golden Record. I really enjoyed reading about your experience, Olivia. It’s fascinating to hear about the discussions and considerations that went into your decision-making, especially with the diverse perspectives of your family. I didn’t think to bring in other family or friends to weigh-in, but now I wish I did.
Your acknowledgment of the challenge in choosing criteria for curation resonates with the complexity of representing humanity’s musical identity. This was a difficult decision to start. The blend of purposeful selection based on potential communication, personal enjoyment, and recognition of iconic pieces adds a layer of depth to the curation process. It’s interesting to see how your initial hesitation, considering your lack of formal musical expertise, led you to a blend of random selection and intentional choices. This blew my mind. Choosing at random seems so arbitrary. I’d like to know if there is something that you do consider yourself a quasi-expert in and that which you would feel comfortable making a definitive list.
Your conscious effort to avoid over-representing certain genres or regions, such as cutting down on classical and American music, shows a sensitivity to global diversity. I don’t think this was an uncommon approach as I did the same. The inclusion of “Johnny B. Goode” as a modern American representation is a compelling choice, bridging historical and contemporary musical expressions.
The random selection of eight songs adds an intriguing element, introducing an element of chance that mirrors the complexity of human musical preferences. Perhaps as I take a step back, this is the most human thing we could do with this task. Your final list, which spans various cultures and musical styles, seems to capture a rich tapestry of human expression.
In the end, your curated list reflects a unique perspective on how to encapsulate the essence of human music for potential extraterrestrial audiences. Well noted that a lot would have to go right for the aliens to not only find the record, but be able to listen and understand what is being played. The thoughtfulness and consideration you put into this task are evident, and it’s a testament to the complexity and beauty of the musical landscape that defines our shared human experience.
Thanks again for sharing. Oh, one question. Are you pleased with the final ten chosen? Do you wish something else found its way on the list?
Wow Simon! Thank you so much for your thoughtful and kind response to my work. Another reason I chose to use randomness for this assignment is because I associate randomness with fairness. Now I know this isn’t always the case but after doing the initial cut of songs, I felt that all the songs left are of equal weight/value so it didn’t matter which ones got selected because they are all valuable in one way or another. Also, I Googled each song to learn a bit more about them. I learned that the “Kinds of Flower” song was written by a king about all of his wives and concubines. My gut reaction to reading about this was negative but my second thought was “hey, this is not my culture or history but it is a part of our collective culture and history. Who am I to cut this song because I don’t like how it makes me feel or what it represents?”. So randomness was a way to keep some of my cultural bias out of the selection. Lastly, I am a “over analysis leads to paralysis” kind of person so I need to use tools that stop me from over thinking decisions. 😉
I was mostly happy with the final curation. I wish the Peru Wedding Song made the final list though. But really all of the songs are beautiful in their own way and I really don’t think that one specific song would make or break our relationship with alien life, if they were able to listen to the record that is.
Thanks again for your response. Really appreciate you taking the time to review my work. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful process of curating the music list for the Golden Record. I really enjoyed reading about your experience, Olivia. It’s fascinating to hear about the discussions and considerations that went into your decision-making, especially with the diverse perspectives of your family. I didn’t think to bring in other family or friends to weigh-in, but now I wish I did.
Your acknowledgment of the challenge in choosing criteria for curation resonates with the complexity of representing humanity’s musical identity. This was a difficult decision to start. The blend of purposeful selection based on potential communication, personal enjoyment, and recognition of iconic pieces adds a layer of depth to the curation process. It’s interesting to see how your initial hesitation, considering your lack of formal musical expertise, led you to a blend of random selection and intentional choices. This blew my mind. Choosing at random seems so arbitrary. I’d like to know if there is something that you do consider yourself a quasi-expert in and that which you would feel comfortable making a definitive list.
Your conscious effort to avoid over-representing certain genres or regions, such as cutting down on classical and American music, shows a sensitivity to global diversity. I don’t think this was an uncommon approach as I did the same. The inclusion of “Johnny B. Goode” as a modern American representation is a compelling choice, bridging historical and contemporary musical expressions.
The random selection of eight songs adds an intriguing element, introducing an element of chance that mirrors the complexity of human musical preferences. Perhaps as I take a step back, this is the most human thing we could do with this task. Your final list, which spans various cultures and musical styles, seems to capture a rich tapestry of human expression.
In the end, your curated list reflects a unique perspective on how to encapsulate the essence of human music for potential extraterrestrial audiences. Well noted that a lot would have to go right for the aliens to not only find the record, but be able to listen and understand what is being played. The thoughtfulness and consideration you put into this task are evident, and it’s a testament to the complexity and beauty of the musical landscape that defines our shared human experience.
Thanks again for sharing. Oh, one question. Are you pleased with the final ten chosen? Do you wish something else found its way on the list?
Wow Simon! Thank you so much for your thoughtful and kind response to my work. Another reason I chose to use randomness for this assignment is because I associate randomness with fairness. Now I know this isn’t always the case but after doing the initial cut of songs, I felt that all the songs left are of equal weight/value so it didn’t matter which ones got selected because they are all valuable in one way or another. Also, I Googled each song to learn a bit more about them. I learned that the “Kinds of Flower” song was written by a king about all of his wives and concubines. My gut reaction to reading about this was negative but my second thought was “hey, this is not my culture or history but it is a part of our collective culture and history. Who am I to cut this song because I don’t like how it makes me feel or what it represents?”. So randomness was a way to keep some of my cultural bias out of the selection. Lastly, I am a “over analysis leads to paralysis” kind of person so I need to use tools that stop me from over thinking decisions. 😉
I was mostly happy with the final curation. I wish the Peru Wedding Song made the final list though. But really all of the songs are beautiful in their own way and I really don’t think that one specific song would make or break our relationship with alien life, if they were able to listen to the record that is.
Thanks again for your response. Really appreciate you taking the time to review my work. 🙂