| The Dangers of Ska |
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| When a band practices, there is always that miniscule chance that a member of the band will get hurt by instruments flying in their "general" direction. For example, at times, a drummer may get carried away with drumming and lose control of one of the sticks, causing it to either drop to the floor or to fly off somewhere. Again, there is the infinitely small chance that the drumstick will hit another member of the band. Typically, playing music is not supposed to be dangerous, but there is one case in which ska has been declared dangerous. In a December 29, 1999 issue of Weekly World News online magazine, Bob C. Cock writes about a student at the Catholic University of America who died "when the trombonist behind him jerked the slide of his trombone forward and struck the trumpeter in the back of the head" (Cock 1). One could find this incident funny, or this incident could even be an incident one would find to receive a Darwin award. However, it is actually quite a tragedy. According to the police, the ska band was rehearsing the spirited ska/jazz classic "A Message to you Rudy," when the trombonist, Phil Culpepper " 'got carried away'...gyrating and thrashing around as he played." At a point in the song, "he jerked forward and the round metal slide...hit trumpet player, Dolph Mohr...dropping him instantly to the floor." The slide had hit the vulnerable spot just behind and below Mohr's left ear causing bone fragments to pierce his brain and kill him instantly. This incident is very tragic, but the controversy it sprung up afterwards is absolutely absurd. Those who heard about the tragedy were discussing "whether or not ska should be played in American colleges." This discussion can obviously lead to the answer "no," because if ska was outlawed in America's colleges, jazz, latin, and other forms of upbeat music would have to outlawed as well. For example, in the jazz band at Starr's Mill High School, the saxophones sit in front of the trombones, creating a risk every practice and performance for one of the saxophonists to get hit. However, do people actually consider these risks? No, because it is idiocy! The band director at the Catholic University of America, Heinrich Sommer, had a good point as to why ska should be outlawed. He stated "our musicians can't control themselves when they play [ska]. They move and rock back and forth, creating chaos...I've never heard of anyone dying while playing a ska song'." However, one may ask "how else are the musicians supposed to have fun?" Just standing around playing their instruments can be boring. The crowd might not enjoy the concert, and ska could end up disappearing. That is what Sommer and non-ska enthusiasts want. A big chunk of reggae and other music's history would then be gone! That cannot happen, so for now, ska is not outlawed and third wavers will all keep on skanking! |