Cool Stuff and Wrap Up

Beautiful Chinese Dance

I found this video when looking for some of the China Olympic videos. The blurb by the person who posted it didn't give a great explanation of where it's from, but I think it is beautiful. It encompasses ideas of a major religion in the area. It also has the highly choreographed hand movements.

Gamelan with Dance

Here you can watch a man dancing to the Gamelan. Notice his clothing. I think it's pretty, but looks effeminate. The drum player is jamming! I can't tell if the dancer is actually playing. His movements are detailed and meticulous.

Karate (Taylor Lautner)

Karate is a Japanese word. When my father was in the military, he broke his wrist playing football and didn't have to go to Vietnam. Instead he was sent to Japan where he earned a black belt in Karate. So here's the catch - I couldn't find a very good video of karate.. so we're going to watch famous werewolf Taylor Lautner who was world champion in martial arts as a boy. His stunts are amazing.

Aussie Party

We went over Aborigines music in Australia. I watched this clip on best week ever, and it features a teenage from Australia. It shows that teens have bad attitudes, break the rules, and just want to have fun in Australia as well!! I think that the last 28 seconds are the funniest. Enjoy.

1. What is something you learned about another culture this term that surprised or intrigued you?

The lament in Ecuador at the child’s wake particularly moved me. It was heart wrenching, but it was a beautiful expression of universal human emotion. The love for a child and grief for her loss was mingled with a celebration for the afterlife. I was intrigued that these emotions were expressed though dissonant music (vacacion). I felt that the order of the music was metaphorical for the way we cope after death. The wailing had the greatest affect on me. It's still very potent in my mind.

2. What is something that you realized about your own culture through our discussions.

I realized the despite that the distance between my home and the places we’ve studied, the musical cultures are not so far removed. My culture shares many of the same values. We have music for mourning, fighting, courting, dancing, and worship. I also observed how intermingled music becomes. Not only do we have similar reasons for making music, but our musical styles, especially in popular music today, have adopted music from all over the world.

3. What is something that this course has inspired you to learn more about.

The Tibetan monks have inspired me to learn more about the practice of sustained notes. I was fascinated by how low the voices were singing and how they achieved the obvious overtones. I also want to learn more about music enhances meditation and how music helps keep balance among the chakras.

Cool Stuff 3

Aladdin

In this video you get to hear the opening of the song "Arabian Nights" sung in Arabic!! I love Aladdin, which is set in the fictual setting "Agribah." Alladin is based off of the stories The Arabian Nights which as our book says, "which are set in Persia and Mesopotamia (present day Iran and Iraq.)" So please enjoy this and feel free to notice any of the qualities of Arabic music we discussed in class in this awesome disney movie!

Levitation

My first link explains how Yogi's appear to levitate. Wikipedia explains what Yogis are, "The word is also often used in the Buddhist context to describe Buddhist monks or a householders devoted to meditation."

This makes me think of Thursday's recording of Monks droning with their voices. Although levitation may not be quite as magical as I thought, there is something very mystic about the Monks singing.

Snake Charmer

Thursday's presentation got me thinking about snake charmers, and here's a video where we can watch it. My Question is this - if the snake charmers eventually let the snakes free so they won't die in captivity, won't they die in the wild since most snake charmers remove the venom sack? Back to music - The instrument the snake charmer is playing is called a pungi. It is made from a bottle gourd. Wikipedia elucidates HERE

Below is the famous photo of my dear friend Stella's sea lion bite. Watch out in the Galapagos!

Music and Gender

I have few recollections of gender inequality during my childhood. My peers and I shared a common goal: play and have fun! Academically, I saw no difference between boys and girls because for every very smart boy there was a very smart girl. Sports teams were coed and the boys and girls were athletic equals. In choir the boys and girls were generally sopranos.

During my preteen years boy and girls started seeming more different. The sports teams became more single gendered, and fewer boys remained as sopranos in church choir. However, I found the voice differences pleasing. I enjoyed hearing harmonies in music and singing descants over the lower voices. Everyone in choir took their part very seriously, and I never noticed a difference in the way that boys versus girls acted.

In Middle School I began playing in concert band. I was a flutist, and the flute section was all female. The trombones sat behind us, and they were mostly male. The trombone section was rambunctious. They like to show off just how loud their instruments could be. I thought they were too loud when they were playing our regular pieces, so I made a point to close to first chair, which let me sit further away.

There was one male flutist in our school. He was very good, so he played in symphonic band. I was only in concert band, so I did not know him very well. I do know that he was made fun of for his instrument.

In Middle School, the music teacher Dr. Rhoden, would feed the hungry male athletes, and some of them joined chorus. The class wasn’t taken seriously partly because some people thought of it as snack time. Also, the boys and girls were distracted by each other. This caused Dr. Rhoden to rant a lot. He’d make up funny songs on the piano about how we prefer to talk than to sing.

I moved to mountains the year I entered high school, and the choir was set up differently. There were three choirs. Treble choir for freshman girls, general chorus for freshman boys or girls, and show choir for most students who were sophomores or older. Treble choir was a big step up from general chorus. We were taken seriously. I think this says something about how freshman boys were perceived at my high school. I think that most were more interested in sports or already in band. Anyway I got the feeling freshman boys from the small town were not serious enough or good enough to sing in a choir.

The next year I made it to show choir. We shouldn’t have been called show choir because there was almost no dancing, but we usually earned superiors singing traditional choral pieces. Choir in high school was interesting. I think that the girls acted a little bit crazier because of the boys, and there was way too much talking

At Converse there is also a lot of talking. I have found that talking is a stereotype of women that is often true. This is obvious in chorale: a class of women. As for pursuing music in an all women’s college – I find this very normal. Since I am used to singing individually, it is easy for me to make music without men. However, sometimes I wish there were men here so we could sing duets.

Cool Stuff 2

The History of The Tango

I chose this page and photo because I think the tango is a gorgeous fascinating dance. Its history is also very interesting. It's most commonly associated with Argentina (Latin America), although it was seems to have Spanish and African influences. The story I have heard about the tango is something like this: The popularity of this dance stemmed from the Argentine brothels. There was a shortage of women in Argentina, so the brothels became very popular with live music. There men would dance while together while waiting for... what they came for. If you read the article you will get a clearer and better idea of the tango.

Watch the Tango

This dance looks so technical, and of course the dance would be much less interesting without the music. My knowledge about the original instruments used for tango music is only what I read on Wikipedia. I read that originally portable instruments were most common, and I know that I have usually always heard violins. Look at instrument that seems like an accordion - it is called a Bandoneon.

Gauntanamer

My stepmom likes to call this song "One Ton Tomato." I think it's fun and catchy song that has potential to be stuck in your head. Wikipedia says this is possibly Cuba's most famous song. I heard it performed in Mexico. I have fond memories and definitely think of it as cool stuff! I heard it played on the acoustic guitar like this. The lyrics are very nice:

I am an honest man
From where the palm tree grows
And before dying I want
To share the verses of my soul.

My verse is a clear green
And it is flaming crimson
My verse is a wounded deer
Who seeks refuge in the woods.

I cultivate a white rose
In July as in January
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his honest hand.

And for the cruel one
who would tear out this heart with which I live
I do not cultivate nettles nor thistles
I cultivate a white rose

With the poor people of the earth
I want to share my fate
The brook of the mountains
Gives me more pleasure than the sea

Music and Religion

In my experience music has been used in the Christian faith as a way to share theology or to heighten spirituality, predominately during a church service or Mass. As a way to share theology, singing can replace speaking. Hymns serve as a way to highlight Christian beliefs in a way that is sung rather than spoken. Sometimes hymns stress doctrines such as the trinity, like in Reginald Heber's hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy." A doxology hymn, "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow," emphasizes the trinity, and praises God like Jesus taught his disciples when he spoke The Lords Prayer, which is also sometimes sung. Sometimes hymns glorify Holy Communion, like in the song "One Bread, One Body;" this song also emphasizes unity with God, and Catholics believe this happens when receiving Communion.

Instrumental music is played in church to help create a meditative atmosphere, which is conducive to spirituality and prayer. The performance styles that I come to expect within the churches I predominately attend are solemn and formal. They are solemn in the Catholic Church, with parishioners rarely applauding a soloist during Mass, and they are solemn in the Methodist church for generally using traditional, simple hymns. The formality of Catholic music is based on each Mass. The music is limited to specific times in the Mass and has to be in accordance with the theme of the Mass. The Methodist music I've experienced is formal because the hymns are often played by an organ, sung with little movement, and emphasizes classical diction among the choir.

The prevailing religions of my surroundings definitely influence what is found aesthetically pleasing in music. Where I live, the most common religion is Christianity, and there are many churches. My Youth Pastor jokingly said, "You can't throw a rock without hitting a church." Southern Baptist churches are most prevalent, where the music is different than in the churches where I am most at home. Using less of the formality, the congregations applaud after a soloist performs, they may move and clap more, use less diction, and the music seems to be very influenced by country music and bluegrass. Bluegrass is part of the area's heritage, and since beautiful harmonies are part of bluegrass, they are incorporated into bluegrass spirituals. Southern Baptists are very concerned with finding salvation, also known as being saved. The lyrics of bluegrass spirituals are sometimes about this, like in the baptizing song "Down to the River." Country music is often full of lament, which was something that historically the mountain people could understand, living in the harsh elements. I know that these styles are most aesthetically pleasing because it is what is performed most in churches, which are played on our local television channel, and I am only asked to sing operatically at more formal Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, and Anglican churches.

Cool Stuff

Here are youtube links to watch!

Navajo Jewelry

Whenever I think of Native Americans, I think of finely crafted jewelry made of from elements and materials like silver, leather, turquoise, and colorful pearls or stones. I thought it would be fun to see a large display of jewelry at once, so I chose a video. I chose this video because it provides background information about the jewelry, and the viewer learns that it is still worn and sought after today. It is relevant to our class because it gives us insight to how the Navajo's are maintaining their culture and history now through jewelry making.

Native American Mythology

I thought it would be fun to hear a story told by a Native American, in this case a Cherokee Indian, since they had such a long oral tradition. I liked the wooden flute music playing in the background, which tied back to the recordings we listened to in class. I found it interesting that the rabbit and fox are both personified, much like how Native American music tries to relate to animals and nature.

Pygmy Dance and Song

Because we focused on sub-Saharan music, I thought I would be interesting to watch a Pygmy tribe making music and dancing. I've always thought African dance was beautiful, and I am glad that I found this video. The children in the video are very sweet! I think that the dance is very energetic and exciting, and much of this has to do with the fast rhythm of the shakers and lively singing.

Music and Family

I grew up with two families. Having divorced parents broadened my musical tastes and experiences with music. My father and my mother a have more than a 15 year age difference, come from different states, and attend churches of different denominations. My mother is the younger of the two, and both she and I are from Athens, Georgia.

When I was a child, she would play a very successful band that formed in our hometown named R.E.M. When I was with her, music was played mostly in the car and when we were cleaning. In the car she taught me how to clap the beat, and when I was cleaning I moved the vacuum in time with the music. She would usually play rock or pop from the 70s to the present day.

She is a Methodist, and when she still lived in Athens we attended Athens First Methodist Church. At our church the major instruments are the pipe organ, piano, and hand bells. The hymns are read from a hymnbook. Most of the prayers are spoken, but some of them are sung. The congregation doesn't move when singing, besides standing. Sometimes we would walk across the street after Sunday school to the Morton Theatre, which had a service popular among college students. The Morton theatre service was called "Sundays at the Morton." The new, popular praise music was played by a live band, and many of the songs the involved clapping. The music was learned by ear, and the lyrics were projected on large screen.

The music with Dad was different. Although dad was born in the late 1940s, Dad listens mostly to rock from 1960s to the early 1970s. He would play this kind of music on the car rides to his home when visitation weekends rolled around. I associate my dad with psychedelic Pink Floyd, and my stepmom with funkier Stevie Wonder. At home when cooking or just relaxing they'd play folk music like James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, and Simon and Garfunkel, as well as blues artists like Keb' Mo', Eric Clapton, and the Allman Brothers. I was also exposed to world music that usually had a new age vibe.

When music making and family is mentioned, I think of shakers, dancing, and singing. As a little girl my dad and stepmom bought me little plastic maracas and a tambourine. Other noise makers we had were hand painted maracas, as well as bean pods that dad found when he was visiting his first home, Miami, Florida. For fun, I would dress up in scarves, and we would dance around the house shaking our noisemakers.

When I'm with Dad, I attend the Catholic Church. Our Catholic church is very small, and two women compose the cantor music and play guitars. Their interest in country music affects the style of the music. The choir, unlike in the Methodist church, sings without formal diction in a very low key. The music leaders compose their own responsorial melodies, and they sing it to the congregation who learn by ear. We stand while singing, and many of our prayers are sung.

Musical Autobiography

I'll begin in response to Dr. Vaneman's blog regarding Helen, Georgia. I live very close to Helen, Georgia! One merely has to travel over the Helen Mountain to find himself or herself Hiawassee, Georgia. This is the location of Bodysense, my step-mom's lovely store. If the individual drives past Hiawassee he or she will end up in Hayesville, North Carolina. This is where I live. Hayesville, North Carolina is in the Appalachian Mountains. This area is rich with history, and Cherokee Indians originally inhabited it. Many of the Hayesville natives have a great deal of Cherokee blood.

When I was a senior at Hayesville High School our school established a connected with a Danish high school. The Honors English students were ambassadors to Denmark. While there, we stayed with students and their families. In return, they came to stay with us. To help them better understand the area we took a field trip to Cherokee, North Carolina where we visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Here the tour guide played the wooden flute. He sang traditional songs, including war cries from different tribes. He also sang a song and played a drum while we did a traditional dance consisting of everyone holding hands and winding in and out to imitate a snake.

My step-mom is from the North Georgia Mountains. She grew up singing bluegrass with her family. One Christmas she, her sister, her cousin Renee, and her mom, and her aunt performed impromptu "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life" for our family. They are wonderful at harmonizing. My step-mom also takes me along to her annual "pickin' party." This is a gathering of old friends, where those who sing or play an instrument that can be picked perform. Instruments that are used are the fiddle, upright bass, the guitar, the banjo, and the mandolin.

In Hayesville, North Carolina on the square, bluegrass music is performed. This is often accompanied by clogging. There is festival on the square in July where one can expect to hear good bluegrass while shopping from merchants. There are many craftsmen and artists in our area. The festival on the square is like a mini version of the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee. The Georgia Mountain Fair attracts wonderful bluegrass bands. Each summer I listen to traditional mountain music at the fair grounds. Some people who aren't from Appalachia act repulsed by the twangy sound of the music, but I think it is beautiful and full of emotion. The lyrics are not always sad either. As I mentioned, my step-mom sang keep on the sunny side, which is very optimistic.

One of the coolest musical things near Hayesville is the contra dance. Here fast paced bluegrass is played while groups of people square dance together.

My parents also introduced me to other genres. They used to play celtic music like the The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack every Sunday after church. They would also play new age celtic music like Enya and Loreena McKennitt. My dad is from Miami, so whenever we visit we dine at Cuban restaurants and enjoy Cuban music in the background. When I was very little my stepmom would play cassette tapes of Swahili women and children. Later I sang a Swahili song in Show Choir called O Sifuni Mungo.I've listed some links that go with my blog.

Example of Snake Dance

Georgia Mountain Fair Grounds Pickin' (not on stage)
One of our Contra Dances - You can't hear the lady calling out the steps

Body Sense

Cuban Music

O Sifuni Mungo