Wrap-Up

I found many things in this course interesting. I especially found the migration of instruments and musical ideas to other countries intriguing. I also realized that I had seen much more world music than I even wrote about in my musical autobiography blog. As we went through other cultures I remembered things that I previously had blocked from my memory. For example, I have been to an Asian cultural dinner. There was a lot of dancing and Asian music along with some interesting food. I also lived in Germany and just never considered there music to be as different as it is. My mom has been to the middle east several times for military things and I have learned a lot from her about their culture and even a little about their music. The class has opened my eyes to things I already knew of but I see them in a whole new way. I never thought too deeply into music of the cultures I was familiar with.

I often thought throughout class about what would we do if we had to put the United States in the music culture model. There is so much music in the U.S. I can't even imagine how to begin doing that. It would be interesting to see how other countries would describe our music. It makes me think we must be leaving a lot out of their music culture when we learn about them because I'm sure they would have to leave a lot of our music culture out too.

This class made me want to learn more about my own heritage. My great grandmother is Portuguese and so is most of my family. She lives in a small Portuguese town on the very tip of the cape of Massachusetts. I visit almost every summer for the Portuguese festival and blessing of the fishing boats. It is a good time and I'd love to learn a little more about the music of Portugal. I should really talk to my great grandmother because she would know these kinds of things. I'm sure my ancestors would be happy to know I'm learning about my own culture. I am a little ashamed I don't know a lot.

cool stuff Wednesday

It seemed like the class was pretty interested in the reburial tradition of Madagascar. The link below is a full explanation and a video as well. We couldn't answer all your questions in class so here is your chance to see what its all about for yourself.

http://cogitz.com/2009/09/08/famadihana-dancing-with-the-dead/

This video has a couple gongs and about 50 Tibetan singing bowls. The bowls are all different sizes and the music is pretty interesting and meditative.

This video is a short clip of a Chinese opera. The sound quality isn't that great and the

triangle part is a little annoying, BUT the costumes are a really cool. It is also a peak at the Chinese voice.

cool stuff friday 3

This link below is a video of Sandip Burman. I saw him perform live at my high school just like in this video. He is really amazing. The video is not long and worth watching for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bogJ9KDcFwU

This next video link is of Eranga Goonetilleke. She is from Sri Lanka and I believe this is THE Eranga who went to Converse. I thought Dr.Weeks' recording was amazing and was hoping I could find one of the two sisters on youtube. This is the younger one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQXb3A8

The last link is of an Iraqi instrumental group. Music happens everywhere. Sometimes with all the negative media it is easy to forget there aren't just bombs and terrorist in the middle east.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NogNNjz

Music and Gender

In band it always seems like boys play brass and girls play woodwinds. This is true except for the saxophone. It seems that it's okay for boys to dominate the saxophone for some reason. However, I did not see this in the bands that I have been in. Our top trombone players were two girls. The entire saxophone section in the wind ensemble were girls my senior year. We had many male flute and clarinet players. Girls led every section at one point while I was in high school including percussion and even tubas. We had a pretty good balance. However, clinics are a whole other story.

Going to an audition for a clinic of any sort I think everyone scopes out the competition. I remember listening to other saxophones and checking them off my list as already beat as I walked around the practice area. I remember seeing female saxophone players and thinking automatically that I would be better than them. It was not out of cockyness but,to me, they just didn't look like they could play. This is bizarre because I play saxophone. To be fair I don't even think I look like a threat either. So, there is discrimination between myself and my own gender. Logically, I know women are just as capable but I have only seen women saxophonist maybe two times of all the clinics I've been to. If anything I was always beat by a guy and so I didn't take other female saxophone players too seriously.

When it comes to guys. If there was ever a male flute or clarinet player everyone thought they must be good if they are playing an instrument typically for girls. I thought the same thing. This has always held true throughout middle and high school. If there was a male flute he was leading the section and same for a male clarinet. I don't remember any of our male woodwind players not making region or all state band.

In my own band it was never a big deal to lead the section being a female but at clinics I felt pretty powerful sitting at the front of the section, and for no reason because in reality males and females have equal shot of making the clinics. The guys I beat were always very bitter and had a million excuses as to how I could have possibly been sitting in front of them. I think male saxophonist don't expect too much out of the females either. I think it is interesting how people view gender and music. Even I catch myself dicriminating against my own gender who play my own instrument. It is kind of crazy really.

Cool Stuff Friday-week 2

We talked about the Inca in class so I found a video of some of their music. It is being

played in New York City on traditional instruments.

I thought the music sounded rather modern. I was

pleasantly surprised. It does not sound much like

the music we listened to with the Navajo. I think the guitar

changes the whole sounds. Its a fun video.

Cool Stuff Friday-week 2

This video is of Latin American Idol. It is not completely shocking that Latin America would have a show like this, but because American Idol auditions started this week i thought it was fitting. I can't understand everything they are saying because I'm not fluent in Spanish but the female judge acts like Paula. It's casted just like ours and looks just like ours.

The video below has music from the

Andes Mountains area. The music is great but the best part is

the pictures. The video has a lot of

pictures of the traditional outfits

and instruments. There are also

some really old pictures. The outfits are

really amazing. It is a really good find.

Music and Religion

When I am home with the family I attend church regularly. Obviously, there is music involved at church. I am Catholic so typically its pretty traditional. Certain songs are sung at the same time at every single mass. I find that mass can often be hypnotic with all the standing and sitting and kneeling at exactly the same times I did the week before. Sometimes I'm just a robot following everyone around me. I might not hear a word anyone has said for the entire thing. It is a little sad, but very true. The same goes for the music. When I was living in Mississippi I played my saxophone at church so I knew the songs and participated fully in the mass. The church I went to in Mississippi had a very large and pretty well known choir as well as a small band of guitars, trumpets,flutes,a piano, and myself on saxophone. They were planning on singing for the pope when I left and going to Carnegie hall. I don't know what ever happened with all that. However, Sumter does not have nearly the amount of catholics that Mississippi did. The church is actually a house that is turned into a church. The choir is actually just one guy and a twelve year old piano player. Usually I am day dreaming and don't hear much of the duo in action. The music at my church just doesn't move me in anyway religiously, but I know I have been to other catholic churches and conventions where the music was beautiful and powerful.

I think traditional music that has been passed down all these years is unique. I know my great grandmother sings the same songs when she is at church. I'm sure her mother and her mother's mother did too. I have been to youth conventions where newer songs where played and christian rock bands performed. I loved their music as well. I was much more moved by the thousands of teens singing these songs of worship together than the actual songs themselves. I think people singing together in worship is really a beautiful thing.

aside from a youth convention there is not clapping in church or catching any kind of holy spirit. I always wondered why Baptist caught the holy spirit but never Catholics. One of these days it is going to happen I know. There is no dancing of any sort and no entertainment. It may not be very fun or elaborate music but it is a vital part of the catholic mass.

cool stuff friday 3

This is a video is of a Miss Navajo pageant. They wear traditional Navajo costumes. They do not look like your average pageant girls at all.I thought the video was interesting.

cool stuff friday 2

This video has several kinds of drumming and dances. I thought it was interesting these dancers and drummers are based in England. It also includes footage of people learning the african dances and drumming.

cool stuff friday

This is an interesting video of a traditional song translated into the Navajo language. When it gets to the part where it says "Christ he was born" It sounds like "Christ he bit his chin." I thought it was kinda funny. Take a look at the crazy long words and accents in the Navajo language as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJXq-5CkiL4 This video show a lot of different types of drumming groups and different dances. I thought it was interesting that this is a performing arts group based in england as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evwAhagpDg0

Music and Family

In my family I am the middle child with a brother on either side of me. One is a year older and one is three years younger. Then of course I have my mom and it has always been just my mom and brothers. I would say there is a lot of music going on in my house. My mom is a very artistic woman, but she is the worst singer ever. She still insist on singing loudly and out of tune on every car ride I can remember since birth.(mostly country music unless its around Christmas) To make things even more interesting we have traveled hundreds or hours by car. You would not believe the amount of hours I have sat in a car at once or how many days of my life have been lost to long car rides,but mom sings the entire way. For most of our car rides my family tends to unite in our awful singing. Sadly, I believe singing must be a genetic thing. It is used as a source of entertainment for sure. As for my mom, her awful singing is the extent of her musical understanding. She comes to every concert,audition, and show I ever have but I know it is mostly just out of love. My younger brother has been copying my every move since middle school. He is a band nerd just like myself. He is always playing some kind of made up something in the backyard, or the kitchen, or in front of the television when my favorite show is on. He annoys me with his bad timing but I love that he is happy playing his instrument and annoying me with it is better than not playing at all I guess. My older brother thinks he is a rock star. He "plays" bass guitar. He has been in some rock bands around our town. I'm pretty sure he has no idea how to read music but he likes to pretend he does. He also hates when people just consider me and my younger brother the musicians. Obviously music is a big source of entertainment in my house and a source of competition as well, but it is a lot of fun. Aside from that, we use music for celebrations,religious worship and the very rare cleaning of the house. A good family session of rock band or twenty hour car ride of singing always bring the family together. Oviously, I enjoy music but my family also has a great respect for music and musicians. Music has gotten me into college and will likely do the same for my younger brother. My mom is even supportive of my older brother's rock band adventures. Art and music are never bad things in my family and I am very fortunate for all the support I have always had.

Musical Autobiography

When I first got this topic I really thought I would not have much to say about my experiences with non-western music, but as today went on all these lost memories flooded my head. Although some of my experiences are not really involved experiences with music from other cultures they have still influenced me in some way and exposed me to other ideas.

Being a child of a military family I have moved around a lot. I started in Nebraska, then to Germany, and then to New Mexico, where I have my first clear memories of music from other cultures. I lived in a place called Alamogordo. There wasn't really much to do but ride up to the little mountain towns. It was there that I first experienced native American music. I got to see a lot of the drums and dances. Any festival going on around where I lived always had lots of native American music about and there where yearly visits to schools on base which involved performances with all kinds of instruments. I then moved to Pennsylvania and then to Mississippi. In Mississippi there was, surprisingly, a large population of Vietnamese people. I had several Vietnamese friends and heard music from the culture every once in a while just in passing. I also dated a Filipino boy in middle school who happened to have a little family band kind of thing. Once they sang and played at church. Where I lived in Mississippi was about forty five minutes from New Orleans. I do not know for sure if the jazz music in New Orleans is considered music of a different culture but I heard a lot of it every year at mardi gras. After some years in Mississippi I ended up here in South Carolina. By the time I got here I was playing my instrument and experiencing music of other cultures first hand. I've played African music in marching band shows, I met Sandip Burman ( an Indian drummer) and saw him perform ten feet in front of my face, I've ran 5k races where Irish bag pipes rang the whole way, I sang a song at church in Spanish, I've listened to my high school gospel choir, I've also heard my high school choir sing songs from around the world, I've played many Spanish inspired songs on my saxophone, I played in a jazz band, and so many other things. I did not realize how much world music I had actually already experienced till today. It's everywhere.

Musical Autobiography