By Saria Raine
Recently, Rhythm and Revolution scholars at Indiana University Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI) had the opportunity to learn about music and mental health through the words of Dr. John Parrish-Sprowl. With each guest speaker joining to spread their insight and thoughts on music (whether it’s through queer identity or celebrating black artists in central Indiana), to meet someone who is turning 71 this year and has years of experience in music immediately grabbed my interest. In his presentation, Parrish-Sprowl explored the topics of social change within music, his personal relationship with music itself, mental health in music and more. With his years of experience, this was certainly a class session many had the privilege to tune into.
“Of all things I could talk about, what might you find interesting?” This was the starter question that he asked the class when it came to his expertise in music. The question alone had me wondering just how much experience he had/has with music. Surprisingly, it didn’t sprout into his life until later. From his own words his family wasn’t big into music; they didn’t own a stereo or anything similar, and possibly only interacted with music in church. Admittedly, he spoke about not being well versed in contemporary music and has a tendency to resort to everything he knows, and generally not newer material as well. His first exposure to music, specifically popular music, was at the dawn of the 1960s at the age of six. The first record he bought was the 45 “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles. His older brother (2 years and three days older, which was a funny note itself) had no interest in music but repaired radios, televisions, and similar tech. With this in mind someone gave him an old stereo and he fixed it up. Now that he had one in his house, he bought records for this stereo (The Animals being his first LP). Marching band was also an element of music in his life, from 4th to 9th grade. He quit at one point because he didn’t necessarily care for it. Parrish-Sprowl sang in musicals as well, and was able to read music confidently by sixth grade. Around this time is when he experienced his first concert too. Over time, he developed a strong education in classical music; throughout the world he went to symphonies, operas, and ballet a great deal. That’s where his exploration for music in other countries expanded, as he listened to that as well. Unfortunately he began to lose his hearing in his 40s, which he joked about not being from the music he listened to, but with a smile conceded it might have played a small role. Diane Schuur, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones are a few of the many performers he viewed live. His music palette had grown so colorful that it was hard for him to identify any as his “favorite” shows, but expressed a tremendous appreciation for them all.
While his background stood out for a minute to me, his take on mental health in music became another rooted focus point. At one point, a student had asked about him growing up and watching The Carpenters deteriorating. Mental health was a taboo topic in this time, and Parrish-Sprowl explained that we didn’t have the awareness in mental health as we do today. When Karen Carpenter died there was a lot of discussion on mental health. At this time, Parrish-Sprowl considered it a perspective of “all of us are normal” versus “a mentally person is not normal.” With this mindset, it was viewed as an “unsophisticated” view on what counted and what didn’t count as mental health back then, along with other toxic mindsets on mental health and wellness at this time. As a collective agreement, if it happened today we’d have a very different discussion, he argued. In the frame of exploring music and social change, it comes down to the whole of music itself and what it embodies.
Up until the 1950s, according to Dr. Parrish-Sprowl, electronic music was practically non-existent. When rock bands or even electric instruments appeared people didn’t know what to make of that. That’s when the 1960s came about, and Parrish-Sprowl labeled this as a period of great inspiration, investigation, and even experimentation. Computers were being developed at this time, and music was still in its development stages. By bringing previously unexplored sound qualities and experimental techniques, Parrish-Sprowl cited Jimi Hendrix as transforming the electric guitar. Similar to this, early Pink Floyd adopted a wholly experimental style, he argued, especially during their pre-vocal phase, when their music was dominated by abstract patterns and soundscapes. But the larger music community started to stray from this attitude of experimentation by the middle of the 1970s. The experimental edge diminished in favor of more structured creativity and commercial appeal, even while artists retained their expertise and technical proficiency. Despite the emergence of new sounds and genres in the 1980s, a large portion of music stopped pushing instrumental boundaries. The focus of innovation switched from instrumentation to vocal expression as a result of the introduction of strong, socially motivated storylines by musicians such as Public Enemy and N.W.A. This change signaled a surge of creative lyrical expression that reinterpreted what it meant to be a musical trailblazer, according to Parrish-Sprowl.
The live experience also has a special, communal power that goes beyond the music itself, he shared, with significant impact on mental health. Live performances encourage a sense of community and shared energy, in contrast to the frequently solitary activity of listening to recorded music. Even lesser-known acts playing at inexpensive or local venues add a lot to this vibe. By fostering inclusive, grassroots music-centered communities, these easily accessible live events not only provide intense emotional experiences but also promote social change. From other points including the Vietnam War and the connection to music and social change to sharing music from artists he felt had a direct impact on music, Parrish-Sprowl had outdone himself in sharing his experiences with music throughout his life and added a whole new perspective to not only me, but other students who came in that day to listen. We were blessed with the passion and knowledge of Dr. John Parrish-Sprowl.