American Idol season 7: Was allowing contestants to play instruments a good decision?

Yes

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by Mark Waybill

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I believe it was a good decision to allow American Idol contestants to use instruments in season 7, and I also believe that any of the franchises contestants should be allowed to do the same, whether it be on Australian Idol, Pop Idol, etc. The reason for this opinion is that the term 'idol' refers not to a singer, and certainly not to a certain type of singer which has become so predominant in the contests, but to any individual worshipped and celebrated by the community of viewers at home.

Whilst shows like Idol are essentially a singing contest, I would much prefer it if they were more open, like America's Got Talent and related productions, as it seems just about every teenage person aspires to be a singer now, but hardly any aspire to play an instrument as much as be lead singer in a band or a solo artist, especially where girls are concerned.

What with Hannah Montana and so forth encouraging teenagers to follow their dreams, there is a steady supply of willing individuals to compete in these reality show contests, but surely it does not have to be limited to singing. I have not seen any reality television shows where contestants compete by playing instruments without singing. And yet you see countless shows that are singing contests. Why? What is this attraction away from music to singing?

Well just go to any record store and you will find that ninety percent of what is on sale is mostly words with a few guitar riffs thrown in here and there. It seems that music itself has become inferior in the public mind to singing, and this is not a trend I much care for. Shows like American Idol also seem to feature a certain type of singer prominently above all others, with the females we have the diva type singers and with the males we have the refined type beating the less refined.

As such you have quite a limited choice of contestants to examine, and voters surely must feel like voters in a political election, unless they are swayed more by the appearance and personality of the singers than their actual singing, which is usually very similar to one another but with a different emotion used.

So in my opinion it is definitely a good idea, and I would encourage the idea of having, rather than a singing contest, a musical contest in general, so that those who master an instrument are looked on as highly as those who master their vocal chords. After all both are disciplines and both, surely, deserve equal recognition for those who master them.

And one final note on reality television shows such as these. The main purpose of such shows is of course to raise money for the networks and companies that run the shows. This being said, it is not terribly difficult to understand the cause behind the observed phenomenon of singing being put above playing an instrument, as pretty much anyone can sing, although some better than others, whereas playing an instrument is more difficult, and thus the shows can get more contestants, and more viewers, by picking singing.

But I would certainly encourage the use of instruments in these shows.

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