Diverse Cultures Wrap Up/Reflection

Question 1: What is something you learned about another culture this term that surprised or intrigued you?
Well, many things intrigued me. One particular thing was the fact that some things we would consider music in our culture is not considered music in their culture. I want to learn how many places this is actually true. It amazes me how truly different our ideas of music are. 

Question 2: What is something you realized about your own culture through our discussions?
I really was fascinated by the fact that so much of our music is just borrowed from other cultures. It is amazing to listen to something from another culture and think of the many things in my own culture that I listen to that sound identical! It makes you wonder how much in Western culture is truly ours!

Question 3: What is something this course has inspired you to learn more about?
I really want to look up more instruments from other cultures. They all have unique sounds and are made with truly unique materials.

Cool Stuff: Asia

This is a video of the 2014 Miss America contestant and winner, Nina Davuluri. For the talent portion of the pageant, she did a Bollywood fusion dance! I thought it was particularly awesome that she was an American performing a Bollywood dance. She has classical Bharatnatyam training. Bharatnatyam is a form of classical Indian dance that developed in the late 19th/early 20th century.

I really loved listening to the piece by Lou Harrison in class. I wanted to find something that incorporated string instruments. This also was interesting to me because of the fact that it was an American gamelon. This piece is absolutely beautiful and fun!

I absolutely love this video! The pipa is a Chinese instrument. I particularly love that she explains what each individual thing on the Pipa represents! It's absolutely beautiful!

Music and Family

For my blog, I decided to interview my grandma, my mom's mom to be exact. I recorded the interview as well as a small conversation in email. The words in italics are mine! Enjoy!

Q: What kind of music did you listen to as a child?

A: Today it would be considered "easy listening". 

Q:  How did you listen to music, i.e. what technology did you use?

A: Radio-the kind that plugged into the wall. On Saturday Mom would watch "American Bandstand" with Dick Clark on TV.  We would watch "The Tom Jones Show"  and Englebert Humperdink.  She really liked them so we got to watch them.  We watched "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Sunday evening.  My parents did not watch it the night the Beatles were on. Mom absolutely loved the Donny and Marie Show and Sonny and Cher. 

Q:  Was there any dancing involved? Why or why not?

A: No dancing.  The only dance I learned was "The Twist" by Chubby Checker.  I was very self conscious.

Q:  What sort of environment did you listen to music in?

A:  Mostly at home with my parents. In high school I was exposed to modern music because of chorus class.  I was a band groupie so I got to hear modern music on the bus trips to and from competitions. I learned about the Beatles in Chorus class.

Q:  How did your parents or teachers feel about your music of choice? 

A: I was only permitted to listen to what they approved of. I know for sure they did not like the Beatles( Wow! Her parents really didn't like The Beatles!). We were only allowed to listen to one radio station-KDKA.  It originated in Pittsbugh, PA.  I guess what ever was on the radio station was okay music.

Q:  What happened once you became the parent or teacher? 

A: I was really strict with my children as to their music choice.  At one point, I discarded all our recordings and only listened to Christian music or classical music. That changed.  The girls Dad listened to artists popular at the time, Billy Joel, Madonna, Bruce Springstein.  The girls had their favorites-Michael Jackson and David Cassidy and Bon Jovi to name a few.  

Q:  Did you play an instrument or sing yourself? How was that for you?

A: I tried the piano for a very short while(I never knew this!).  I enjoyed it.  I was in chorus from 6th grade on.  I remember in sixth grade I was in the running for District Chorus. Only two were picked and I was third. I was really disappointed.  

Q:  What was your musical environment like?

 A: I remember my Mom loved to sing hymms. Her favorite was "In the Garden".   And of course Negro Spiritual.  I got my love of hymns and especially Negro Spiritual from her.  We were so so poor growing up and I often wondered how she could always seem so happy.  As I grew up and would think of her I realized that she not only took delight in the hymns but what they meant.  Because she knew the Lord, she knew the promises in the hymns were real.  She always had a peace about her.

Q:  Why did you listen to music? Were there any situations that caused you to turn to certain kinds of music?

A: In my younger years my exposure was through my parents and church.  After I married and left home, I had a greater exposure to music.  My husband was in the service and music is a very big part of down time. That is when I learned to dance-the bump, the hustle, slow dancing.  Lol!  Grandma had some moves. Also, when we took the girls bowling or anywhere, we were surrounded by music-just as it is now.  Music is everywhere we go and I really enjoy that. 

10. Were you ever exposed to music outside of your own culture? How so, and what was it like?

We spent two years in Sicily(I didn't know this before the interview!).  We were exposed to Sicilian music, but also popular music of the 70's. The Sicilians had their popular artists but also listened to American artists and the classics.  I was surprised to see they liked our music just as we like theirs.  I also took German for 4 years and we learned German songs-ballads, beer hall songs, Christmas carols.  I really liked learning the songs.  Music helps to understand a culture.  Much like the songs that were written during a war portrays the feelings and struggles of a culture during the war.  Tony Orlando wrote "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" during Vietnam War.  Today we see yellow ribbons tied around trees when a loved one has gone to serve his country. Music connects us to the past, present and future.   If you mean music other than popular artists yes-most recently I have been exposed to opera by my most gifted and beautiful granddaughter Rebekah. I relish listening to her sing.  Most of the time I do not know what the words mean, but I can get the feelings portrayed in the piece. Just knowing how much she loves music gives me incredible joy! (I almost cried when she said this to me. It meant so much.) I am so pleased that my grandchildren have a musical talent whether it be an instrument or singing. I love hymns and Negro Spirituals. I also really really enjoy Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, and Manheim Steamroller. I will tap along with the beat of a tune on the radio and I do embarass myself and sing at home to a song on TV.  I cannot imagine a movie without a musical score or a tv show without the music in the background that gives hints as to what is going to happen. I really enjoy music.

Cool Stuff: African-American(especially the Blues), Latin American, and Australian Music

I found this video while looking for Latin American music. It's particularly interesting because it deals with how African music has influenced Latin American music. I also really love classical guitarists! His explanation is so detailed and I love that he plays after each thing he explains. He also mentions some things about other cultures, including American pop culture.

This video is from a documentary about Bessie Smith. I also loved that there is an off Broadway show completely dedicated to the life of Bessie Smith and that is has been going on for 11 years strong! I really loved that Miche Braden says she never tires of playing Bessie Smith. I also really enjoyed hearing what everyone feels about Bessie Smith's music.

I was really intrigued in class when we talked about how didgeridoos are used with some sort of electronic music at times. This guy's commentary between each song is interesting and also made me smile. You can also buy this entire album of didgeridoo songs, which I though was exciting!

Music and Gender

Throughout my experience as a musician, I have definitely noticed a change in what is culturally acceptable for men and women to do musically. Even in elementary school, boys and girls would sit separately, partially to not be plagued with "cooties," and partially because the boys didn't feel they could sing with the girls. The boys had to show off and "use their manly voices," even though we were all little sopranos at that point.

In middle school, I could see even more of this. The boys would be more okay with talking to girls. The biggest problem with boys in middle school was that their voices were changing. While singing, this would embarass the guys in the choir. They would actually act shy towards us or make jokes about girls to seem less nervous in front of us. In middle school, I definitely felt that the boys listened to completely different music than the girls. We would be concerned with what the latest song our favorite boy band came out with. The boys would be concerned with the latest rapper or rock band. (They had to be the coolest, right?)

Throughout high school, I couldn't really tell a big difference in what everyone listened to. We all listened to America's Top 40 and went about our day. I will say that in choir, the dynamic was a little different. The sections definitely acted differently, but I can't exactly pinpoint why. I do believe that guys and girls got along better in these high school years and it helped create some special bonds that I only think I could've made, due to being in a choir like the one I was in during high school.

I do think that I experience music differently here at Converse, mainly due to the fact that there are no men. I feel like I hear way more music that is specifically written for women. I also believe we probably perform more music by female composers than other schools may. I actually absolutely love that fact, though. Some of the female composers are among my favorite. It's also important to know how these composers came about and some of their stories are so interesting, especially those that wrote when women weren't "supposed" to write. I also believe I have a better ear when it comes to hearing certain music. This is largely due to the fact that I constantly hear higher tones on a regular basis. Sopranos, flutes, clarinets, etc. We have such a variety here!

Cool Stuff: Native America and Sub-Saharan Africa

I really fell in love with the lullaby we got to listen to in class. I simply typed in Native American lullabies and Pura Fe' was the first person to pop up. Pura Fe' is a Native American performer that goes on tour nationally and internationally. This lullaby is a song that Pura Fe' sang at a performance in Durham, NC that was written in honor of her great grandmother, Easter. It is so beautiful in its simplicity and you can tell how in touch Pura Fe' is with her Native American heritage. Her voice is also absolutely wonderful to listen to. Here is her website, in case anyone wanted to listen to more or figure out when she goes on tour. (http://www.purafe.com/)

When we started taking about Native America and listening to the music, all I could think of was Enya. Don't ask me why. I just did. I realize that Enya is not primarily a singer of Native American music, but I did find this gem in my searches and while listening to Enya in my studies. It's so wonderful and I love how Enya decides to sing with Native Americans to make it more authentic. Enya is always so much fun to listen to as well!

This video just made me smile from ear to ear. This group is called the Khula Happy Singers. Needless to say, they are singing with so much joy that there is no way possible to not smile while listening to this song. The song has the typical call and response format and the leader of this group puts his heart and soul into every little thing that he is singing. He also puts heart and soul into being connected to the other singers! It is so exciting to see how engaged everyone is with the music! Also, the little boy is so adorable and is completely engaged with the others, which I find absolutely amazing!

Music and Religion

(David Crowder has a really awesome beard and equally amazing hair! He's also one of my favorite people to watch perform. He's so in love with what he's doing!)

Throughout my childhood, I was raised in a baptist church that used praise and worship music on a regular basis. While the church did sing hymns, most of them had some variations to make the songs more contemporary. In typical service, the church would use music as a call to worship. Music would also be used right before a sermon as a way to prepare one's heart for worship. Typically, these songs would be slower, less upbeat songs. During songs, people would pray over the scripture that was about to be preached on. After the sermon, a song or two would be sung as a way for people to pray silently and to allow people to confess their sins. It was also used as alter call for those who felt led to ask Christ to be their savior. Music was always used to symbolize different parts of the service. It was used to lift people up, prepare them for worship, and put them in awe of their Savior. It was always such a powerful thing to see how music can change someone emotionally and spiritually throughout an entire church service.

(Here's the lovely doxology that I had the privilege of singing every Sunday at the end of service.)

As I entered my junior year of high school, I began singing at my choir director's home church, where he was the music director. He happens to be Presbyterian. I quickly learned this was very different from the church I had grown up in. However, this was not a bad thing. I looked at the bulletin and realized that every song we were singing would be out of a hymnal. Coming from a baptist church, this was not always the case. I realized that the call to worship would be spoken instead of sung. I also recognized that the music to enter into worship was not going to be sung, but rather played by the organist or pianist that Sunday. Throughout the service, the anthem was always sung by the choir or by soloists. It was always music that corresponded with the message for that day as well. I enjoyed that, essentially, after every aspect of the service, there was music.

(Here's the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Isn't it beautiful?)

When I started at Converse, I was asked by our lovely organist to sing at the Episcopal Church of the Advent. Honestly, I had no idea what an episcopal was or what there traditions were. I absolutely love the time I spend singing there though, now that I have gotten the hang of things. Being at Advent is similar to being at my choir director's church in terms of structure, but there is even more sung! I feel that music is used to encourage worship whenever possible and I love that aspect!

I am extremely attached to music in the church and how beautiful it can be when used in a church setting. I do believe that religion and the music played within the church do, in fact, have a direct correlation with what I enjoy listening to. I have also found that true with my mom. She loves listening to Contemporary Christian music and I think that is a result of what she was also raised with. I, on the other hand, like to hear hymns and the more traditional side of worship. I love listening to hymns in any shape or form. I also believe that the values of the religions can be a very big aspect of how music is experienced. For example, my mom doesn't enjoy secular pop music as much as she does religious pop music. The biggest reason being that secular pop music does not involve topics that interest her. Therefore, she prefers to stick to the Contemporary Christian.