Around the World in 18 Days?

The Indonesian culture surprised me the most. It was definitely a pleasant surprise though.  
The gamelans were probably the coolest thing I've ever heard. I'm not normally a huge percussion person, but the sounds coming out of this ensemble are incredible!

I never realized that so many cultures bled into American music or vice versa. I wouldn't have ever realized that a Bollywood film would have so many similarities with a Hollywood film. I also have never really thought about how American music has such a strong link with the Western world. Obviously, I knew that we study lots of classical music but I never thought of how this music would affect the aesthetics that we as Americans enjoy. For some reason, this was the most eye opening lesson I learned.

Through this class, I have been inspired to look more into Eastern cultures, such as China, Japan, and India. The unique instruments made me really want to go on a spree of learning how to play lots of foreign instruments. It has also inspired me look more into the Celtic culture. Although none of them are directly from Ireland, my mom's side of the family still stays strong to their Irish roots and traditions and I would really enjoy taking a deeper look into what makes this culture tick.

As a whole, I really have enjoyed this class. I agree that it is very important that as musicians we should study other cultures of the world. As a music therapy student, this was also very helpful in expanding my repertoire of world music because honestly before this class it was not very large at all.

And I must say I enjoyed my journey around the world in 18 days.

Dancing Pandas?

I know we watched them in class today, but this video of the 12 Girls Band is pretty good. The landscapes are beautiful and who doesn't like camels. Most of us associate camels with the Middle East, so it interested me that there were camels in the video. Their neon pink outfits are pretty appealing as well.



The yellow of the costumes was the first thing that drew me to look at the video. The neatest thing is that these dancers are deaf. I actually put the description into Google Translate. You might notice the women in white dresses who are somewhat conducting the dancers. These dancers are simply stunning; their grace and beauty are so wonderful to watch. The music varies between traditional Chinese, choral, and orchestra music. I hope you enjoy the detail and beauty of this dance as much as I did.



This video is great in SO many ways! From dancing pandas to big bows to big pom-poms. How I got to this beauty? I typed in "Chinese Popular Music". I'm not laughing at the culture at all, but this video makes me smile. They look like they're having so much fun. The drummer is so funny how he tries to flirt with the keyboard player. And the guitar-playing pandas are just so adorable!

A Rocking Mom

This is an interview with my mom. She is a little over 50 years old (I won't say it for her sake;) ) She was  one of seven children. Her brothers were definitely rockstar "wannabes" with the shoulder long hair and everything which totally contributed to her choice of music growing up. I did an email interview with her and these are her responses. Some of them I was REALLY surprised by!

Q: What kinds of music did you listen to? Did you have any favorite artists?

A: "folk" rock: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Harry Chapin, James Taylor,The Eagles, Beach music; "Contemporary" Christian: B J Thomas

Q: When did you listen to music? What activities were you involved with as you listened to music?

A: Always in the car and in my room as a teenager as I "studied" or just hanging out with my friends or brothers

Q: Were any of your family members professional musicians? If so, who and what did they do? 

A: No even though they might say they were 

Q: What sort of concerts did you attend? 

A: The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Contemporary Christian artists

Q: What kind of music inspired you? 

A: Contemporary Christian without a doubt

Q: What do you think of contemporary popular music like you might find on the radio? 

A: A lot of it is just noise to me but some I like 

Q: How do you react to your children’s choice of music? 

A: Some of it I like

Q: Were their any songs that had special meaning to you? 

A: I remember listening to Desperado by The Eagles as a teenager when I was lonely

Q: What was your earliest childhood memory that involved music? 

A: My Daddy singing "Three Little Fishies" in the car "boop boop dittem dattem what-tem Chu". He would also sing to wake us up sometimes. 

Q: Do you remember any particular dances that you danced? 

A: Line dancing, electric slide, the "bump"

Q: What sort of music did you learn in school? In church?

A: Patriotic songs and since I was in parochial school, hymns; typical hymns and some folk 

Q: How has your musical taste changed or evolved throughout your life? 

A: Amazed by the words to some of the songs that I sang as a teen that I wouldn't allow my kids to sing!

Q: Have you been exposed to music outside your own culture? 

A: Not really..but in my early 20's contemporary Christian music was new and helped me to form many of the values I live by today. Most of the Christian music I had heard before was stiff, sacred music.

Q: How did that affect your own musical tastes? 

A: I began to listen to almost exclusively contemporary Christian and it helped lay the foundation for my beliefs.

Q: Who inspired you to listen to music? 

A: My father and then my brothers..then after I became a Christian, peers who listened to contemporary Christian

Q: What did your parents listen to? 

A: Andy Williams is the only artist I can remember, but they also loved to dance and enjoyed jazz.

Q: Did you ever play an instrument or sing? 

A: Clarinet and then sang in choir 

Q: What technology did you have to listen to or make music? 

A: Transistor radios, record player, cassettes and 8 track

Q: How longs did popular trends last when you were younger? 

A: Not sure, didn't recognize them as "trends" when they were happening--I guess a couple of year

Intwining Eras

When picking my cool stuff, this time I looked for videos that combine old traditional music with new "hip" music. There's a lot of really neat stuff out there that does this.




This video is ridiculous! The best thing about this video is that the guy making the didgeridoo noise is from China. When I first found this, I didn't realize it was "Australia's Got Talent". I know this might be stretching it a little, but this guy sounds exactly like a didgeridoo to me.



Now I know as women we like to multi-task, but this guy is good. I don't think I could do anything like this.  My favorite part about this video is that the guitarist isn't just strumming. He is actually playing a complicated finger picking part. He looks pretty calm while he's doing this, unlike most women when we hardcore multi-task like this.




I had to throw a funny one in there, but this video really does portray the new verses old theme. It still has the Arabic beat to it and the outfits are obviously trying to stick to that, too. This is similar to American pop music in the fact that there are some harmonies and also some English lyrics. You might ask how I found this wonderful music video? I literally typed in "Arabic Pop Music".

I hope this inspires you to start your own YouTube exploration of old traditions intwined with new ones!

Little Old Church Ladies to Red Cheeked Tuba Players

Now playing the flute, I face a lot of stereotypes when it comes to instrumentation. Every time I say I play the flute, I get a "oh, I would've guessed that". On the college level, not many people judge men for playing the flute. I remember in middle school there would always be one boy who wanted to play flute while most of the other boys wanted to play brass instruments. Our middle school band was about half boys and girls. Most girls played flute or clarinet. Most of the boys played trumpet, trombone, and tuba. When it came to the saxophone section though, there were both boys and girls.

High school was the exact same way. I was in marching band my freshman and sophomore year. One major gender role topic was who was drum major. The director always said that gender didn't matter, but we all knew that a guy would be chosen over a girl. My freshman year I was under a male drum major and my sophomore year I was under a female drum major. I could definitely tell a difference in the attitude of the band between the two years. In my opinion, this was due to everyone's respect level toward the guy verses the girl.

Another environment in which gender is a major factor is in the church. There is some controversy when it comes to a woman taking a worship leadership position. In today's more contemporary church, women are often a part of a praise band and even sing lead at times. In a traditional church though, a woman is very unlikely to be seen conducting at the front of the church. At my church, we have a male music minister, but when he is sick or away, there was another man who would step in for him. Every once in a while though, there was a women who would help out and direct as well. No one would be angry or judgmental, but I have been to a church where there would be a lot of fuss over a woman doing this.

At Converse, there are some places where music is experience due to the lack of men. I know the first place this would make a major difference would be Chorale. With no men, there are obviously no basses. There are a few women that can hit some tenor notes which gives the group somewhat of a foundation. This is not the same as having true tenors and basses though. In the Wind Ensemble, we are slightly affected by the stereotype of men playing brass instruments. We have flutes, oboes, and clarinets covered pretty well. All of the trumpets, trombones, and tubas are community members. This was quite shocking to me when I first came to Converse, but after a while I got used to it. It has been an adjustment for sure, but I truly believe that being at an all-women's college will add to my confidence as a musician.

Sing for the World to Hear!

Somehow I found the video by simply looking up Native American flute music. Being a flute player, I geeked out a little because I have always wanted to play two flutes at once so when I saw this I freaked out! In class, it seems like we've been talking about cultures coming together in their music. This video combines a Christian hymn with the timbre and style of Native American flute music.



Who knew that an a capella group of Liberian men would make it on the Sing Off??? All of these men are from Liberia and came to the United States to escape the Civil Crisis in West Africa. Although they sing African American gospel in this video, they also love sticking to their roots. They are wearing their traditional attire as well.



This video showcases all kinds of different cultures in Africa with some adorable children singing with  other groups of people. It's really neat that the guy who put this video together went to all the places to see the cultures. Each clip of the African groups is different as well. The instruments and costumes are unique as well. There's even a surprise of culture featured near the end ;)

"We are in a Position, as Musicians, to Touch the Souls of Those who Listen."

When most people hear "Southern Baptist", they think little tiny country church with a pastor who preaches hell fire and brimstone. I'd have to stay that's a pretty bad stereotype. At my church, there are many smiling faces that love to show compassion to anyone and everyone. Music has always been an important of the church, even back in Biblical times. There's even an entire book of the Bible that is  dedicated to songs of praise (It's called Psalms in case you weren't aware of this). The Southern Baptist denomination is very large in the southeastern coast of the US, so for the most part it is not influenced by other religions. I will say most are very set in their ways though. In the traditional church I attend there were no rules. Although most people simply stand, bodily worship is never frowned upon. In more contemporary churches, the atmosphere is not as structured.

In a more traditional church, there is typically a piano and/or organ accompanying a single male voice leader. In the Baptist church that I attend, we have a hymnal of songs that we sometimes sing out of. The church today is starting to drift away from its traditional roots. In the modern church (so to say) sometimes uses a full band, meaning electric guitars, basses, drums, and electronic pianos. There are some churches that do balance these two musical experiences pretty well. At my home church occasionally had a band but a majority of the time just used a organ and piano. I have been a few little country churches that have a guitar with an organ and piano.

Now with that little bit of background of the baptist church, it's easy to understand why the current generation enjoys the more contemporary style worship. The use is still the same as before, but the aesthetics have taken turn. People enjoy that full band sound which include the distortion of an electric guitar, calming finger picking of an acoustic, drones and cool electronic sounds from a keyboard, and the different drums on a set. The most important thing of the aesthetics is that everything is musically sound. What I mean is that there are little to no wrong notes (which does mean that most praise bands do have a separate time they practice) and it sounds like some popular music but the content of the lyrics is spiritually based. Even though contemporary churches can produce this huge sound, nothing ever replaces the simplicity of a piano and a voice.

In my own personal experience, I have been both in a leadership position and in the congregation during a worship service. When I have been in a praise band, it's always neat to see the visual worship of others. I know most people in the traditional church don't use body language as a part of their worship, but I can almost always see true worship in their faces. Within the congregation, I have had all kinds of experiences from a large group of students from across the country to an intimate group of people of all ages. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always truly worship during every service. We all have our flaws but when I do, I know that the Lord is present. It's something that no one can ever put into words.  It's a connection that only you in yourself can understand and others who have experienced something similar. This video is an example.

This is a video of a church that uses a larger band of many talented people to praise the Lord. This is video shows exactly what we as Christians try to do in our worship, to come into the presence of the Savior, kneel at his feet and simply be in awe of Him. Some may say that her movements are "too much" but when you can see true adoration in someone's eyes and body movement you know they are being honest and true in their worship. I pray that any Christian reading this that is would all reflect on their worship and remember the reason why we do it at all.

Here is the link to the video (still trying to figure out how to embed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVVlMQved8k

"Music Can Change the World Because It Can Change People"

You wouldn't think that in little Clemson, South Carolina there would be a lot of diversity, but you'd be surprised! Because we live close to the university, there are a lot of different people that are drawn to the area because of it and the diversity that CU brings to the town and surrounding area.

My elementary school was pretty cool because we had so many countries represented within the student population. There were students from India to Korea to Russia. Every year, we had an international festival where all kinds of booths were set up with food and trinkets. In chorus, we learned and performed songs from different cultures. I distinctly remember wearing a blue flowery wrap that is worn as a dress my parents had gotten from Hawaii. While wearing this crazy outfit, I had to dance the Mexican hat dance. I'd say more than just two worlds collided that day!

One summer when I was little, my family took a vacation up to Cherokee, North Carolina. My parents took my sisters and me to see "Unto These Hills" which is a reenactment of the persecution the Cherokees experienced. The play took place in an amphitheater in the backwoods. Around the main stage area were totem poles and one huge teepee.The actors portray typical Native American rituals and ceremonies. Because it was outside, it felt very authentic and portrayed the culture well. During one scene, I remember fringe and feathers flinging around as the dancers jumped around in their sky blue costumes. The beating of the drums echoed through the trees and resounded in my chest. It was so loud!

I even have a little bit of diversity in my own family. My brother-in-law was born in Ecuador; his parents were missionaries there for 22 years. Because he is also a big music person, he brought me back a CD of Quechua music and a handmade panpipe. When he gave it to me, I could barely play it, but after some practice, I finally got it. My brother-in-law on the other hand somehow got it right off the bat.

I have been extremely exposed to pop music. I have seen a variety of groups in concert from the heavy metal and scream-o of Skillet and Red to jazzy soul music of Jimmy Needham. It also helps that neither my boyfriend nor my friends listen to the same music as me.

In high school, our band conductor was fond of foreign cultures' music. For our Veteran's Day program, we played a Korean piece. It actually had a flute solo that I got to play. We also played pieces from Japan and Russia. It was really cool to hear an entire arrangement from a different country!

I am a very curious person, and think I am going to love learning and exploring other cultures.  I am looking forward to looking at the musical world as a musician and music therapist. Yesterday, we listened to the postage office in Ghana, I really enjoyed it and appreciated the creativity of the song. I never thought someone could use an everyday routine in such a musical way! With even that little taste of the class, I KNOW I will enjoy this class!