Away From the Screen

Away From the Screen was commissioned by the South Australian Public Primary Schools Music Festival 2023. It is song one from the new song cycle ‘World of Tomorrow’, a bold new work addressing the impact of technology on a rapidly changing world.

In the last decade there has been a massive change in how people interact with each other. People are consumed by their devices; mostly the mobile phone. It is as permanent a fixture to many of us as our shoes and socks.

The ‘pros’ of this device driven world include public safety, staying in touch anytime and mostly anywhere, sharing ideas and information, apps like ‘Uber’, access to news, getting involved in charities and being in touch with worthwhile causes, navigation, and management of everything from fitness to finances.

The ‘cons’ are displayed around us everywhere: less active behaviour, physically, mentally, artistically and spiritually; changes in communication skills with negative impacts on relationships, learning, concentration, compassion, enthusiasm, resilience and brain development.

Devices learn to choose our music, predict what we are going to say, fix our spelling mistakes, change our appearance, coat our egos, tell us how to behave, how to find the way – anything we need to know. We can be a fake version of ourselves to the whole world. 

In this piece, the singers portray the character of someone who rarely uses a mobile phone in the presence of others. This person is awakened to the reality around them, and quickly realises that they can be away from the screen, that they can see the world with open eyes, and see themselves, not through the lens of a screen, but for who they really are in the world – engaged, enchanted, and ‘connected’. There is a whole world waiting out there, away from the screen.

Recording courtesy of the South Australian Public Primary Schools Music Festival

We recommend performing the entire song cycle. The other three pieces are

Keep the Truth Alive https://www.pauljarman.com/composition/keep-the-truth-alive/

Follow My Own Dream https://www.pauljarman.com/composition/follow-my-own-dream/

This is Our World https://www.pauljarman.com/composition/this-is-our-world/

Themes

Sing a concert opener Sing a global story Sing a message Sing the latest Releases
Duration 3:31
Key G Major
Range B for altos up to D for Sopranos
More info Also available with pop orchestra line up
Price $3.00

Lyrics

AWAY FROM THE SCREEN
By Paul Jarman

Look around, everyone, head down like a clone
Look around, I’m the only one not on a phone
Look around
Unaware, disengaged, uninspired, so tired
Uninvolved, disenchanted, you guessed it, disconnected 
Look around at the world today
For they see the world through the screen in their hand 
And they see themselves through the lens of the screen 
And they see the screen in the world they see
And the screen is their world, and the world is their screen Look around!

Look around, everyone not a sign of emotion
Look around, I’m the only one living in the moment 
Look around
I am here, I am alive, I’m inspired, not tired
I’m involved, I’m enchanted, you guessed it, connected 
Look around at the world today
For I see the world with open eyes
And I see myself how the world sees me
And the world I see is the world that is free
That is free of screens and a world in me
Look around, I am free

There’s a whole world out there waiting for me 
Waiting for someone like me
There’s a whole world out there away from the screen
Look around, what have we become today?
Look around, we are losing the skills of interaction and play
Look around, do we really need to be entertained all day? 
Look around, look around
Look around, everywhere, everyone, every sight, every sound 
Every moment slipping by while we’re lost in the screen
Look around
There’s a whole world out there waiting for me 
Waiting for someone like me
There’s a whole world out there away from the screen 
And I am free, away from the screen

C. Paul Jarman 2022