Interactive Gamelan Website. Yes I said it. I told you it existed and here it is! I know you'll enjoy it. :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/makingtracks/discover.shtml
Its fun because you learn to play things and then do "karaoke" with the instrument you picked with the full gamelan orchestra behind you.
When we were talking about Bollywood and other Arab cultures and such mixing with our cultures, all I could think of was when Josh Groban did the song "Remember me". It was used in the soundtrack for the movie "Troy". So here is a link to the youtube video for that song because I love it so much. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPNY8NaVPBE
In one of my previous posts I talked about the Chinese group that came to Converse. This is a video of them performing at Troy University in Alabama which was their stop right before Converse. Its really cool to watch this video because I can say I had dance class with all of them! And once again, this is all females which fits into my theme of having a female cool thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzuT2uuVqb8
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Music and Family...well, a very close friend
I interviewed Tim Wilson. He is an ex-city cop here in Spartanburg and a very good friend of mine. He is just like family to me, always there when I need him and also awake the same hours I am, so here it is!
Me: What kind of music did you listen to as a child?
Tim: I listened to country music. Alabama, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams Sr.
Me: How did you listen to music, i.e. what technology did you use?
Tim: Completely honestly? 8-tracks, and some cassette tapes. But mostly 8-tracks.
Me: Was there any dancing involved? Why or why not?
Tim: No because I never really thought about dancing. I don't know why, just never did.
Me: What kind of music did you listen to as a child?
Tim: I listened to country music. Alabama, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams Sr.
Me: How did you listen to music, i.e. what technology did you use?
Tim: Completely honestly? 8-tracks, and some cassette tapes. But mostly 8-tracks.
Me: Was there any dancing involved? Why or why not?
Tim: No because I never really thought about dancing. I don't know why, just never did.
Me: What sort of environment did you listen to music in?
Tim: At home, and in a car. That's pretty much it other than church.
Me: How did your parents or teachers feel about your music of choice?
Tim: As a child, my choices of music were dictated by my parents. I listened to what they listened to. As I got older I discovered my own taste in music as a teenager. and while I still listened to the styles they did I ended up discovering my own musical styles.
Me: Did you play an instrument or sing yourself? How was that for you?
Tim: Yes, I enjoyed it. I played the piano. I only played for two years, but it gave me an appreciation for people that play instruments and for a wider variety of music than I previously listened to.
Me: Why did you listen to music? Were there any situations that caused you to turn to certain kinds of music?
Tim: To stop the voices in my head, just kidding. Because music is like journey. It can take you other places and teach you things. I pick music to reflect my mood. If I'm sad, I listen to sad songs. If I'm happy I listen to happy songs. Because for me, music speaks more to my heart than to my mind, so when I find music that reflects the situation I'm in or whatever I'm going through it is like having another person there sharing a different viewpoint on the same set of circumstances.
Me: Were you ever exposed to music outside of your own culture? How so, and what was it like?
Tim: Yes. I have been on mission trips to Indian Reservations and third world countries. During those travels, I was exposed to styles of music that were new to me and did not reflect the music that I had been listening to or previously been aware of really.
Cool Stuff #2
OK so I know I brought it up in class and barely anyone knew what I was talking about so here is a link. Go to www.allsp.com and click season 12, episode Pandemic. This is the South Park episode about the Peruvian Flute Bands. Its absolutely hilarious and I think y'all could appreciate the humor.
This is a video of a band playing in a train station that someone posted on YouTube. I thought it was cool because we had talked so much about the bands being everywhere in random places.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2LP6IF1xFU
OK so this is awesome because I really love musicals and this fits my want of having a female act in all of my cool stuff blogs. This is Carmen Miranda doing "Chica Chica Boom Chic" in the 40s. Super freaking awesome. She has amazing stage presence and this shows the link into our culture and movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYKzez97lA
This is a video of a band playing in a train station that someone posted on YouTube. I thought it was cool because we had talked so much about the bands being everywhere in random places.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2LP6IF1xFU
OK so this is awesome because I really love musicals and this fits my want of having a female act in all of my cool stuff blogs. This is Carmen Miranda doing "Chica Chica Boom Chic" in the 40s. Super freaking awesome. She has amazing stage presence and this shows the link into our culture and movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYKzez97lA
Music and Gender
Throughout life we see gender affect many different things, though the bridge is crossed everyday. Even when it comes to things like skinny jeans...
With music, I don't believe there is much of a difference anymore. It used to be that girls could only play the piano, the flute, the clarinet, or sing. Even at my high school it seemed that way somewhat, but like I said, the bridge is crossed everyday. We had a female drum major, we had females on the drum line, playing trumpet (though all the tuba players were male), but we also had males playing flute and clarinet. In chorus, we had a decent sized section of male singers, but definitely more females than anything. There were two choirs of just females, and then one mixed choir. It was considered kind of dorky for the guys to be in the orchestra or in the chorus unless they were really good. Which of course in itself is biased. Guys were constantly made fun of until they proved themselves. One of the cello players in our orchestra bought a pickup and distortion for it, and played his own heavy metal composition on the cello in the talent show. He placed third and was never made fun of again. One of the guys in chorus made it all the way to Hollywood for American Idol so of course he wasn't made fun of. In my town that made you a celebrity. With the exception of those couple of things, it just didn't matter what gender you were.
With professional musicians now, everything is diverse. Pop stars for example, whether it be rap, country, rock, etc. all sing about the same things. There are multiple all male groups, all female groups, and groups that are mixed. It just doesn't matter in this country anymore and I love that.
I don't know if it is the same in other countries or not, but from the videos we've watched and the things we've studied it seems as though the men are the musicians and the women have to stick to dancing and singing occasionally. I'm sure its not a "hey women are not capable of this" type situation like it used to be here with say voting, but more of a tradition thing. Most cultures of the world seem very rooted in doing things traditionally and sticking to the old ways not out of close mindedness, but rather respect. That is very cool and all, but I do prefer our culture where it doesn't matter if you are a female or male, you can do what you want; play music, run for president, anything. It is awesome that so much is socially accepted now.
With music, I don't believe there is much of a difference anymore. It used to be that girls could only play the piano, the flute, the clarinet, or sing. Even at my high school it seemed that way somewhat, but like I said, the bridge is crossed everyday. We had a female drum major, we had females on the drum line, playing trumpet (though all the tuba players were male), but we also had males playing flute and clarinet. In chorus, we had a decent sized section of male singers, but definitely more females than anything. There were two choirs of just females, and then one mixed choir. It was considered kind of dorky for the guys to be in the orchestra or in the chorus unless they were really good. Which of course in itself is biased. Guys were constantly made fun of until they proved themselves. One of the cello players in our orchestra bought a pickup and distortion for it, and played his own heavy metal composition on the cello in the talent show. He placed third and was never made fun of again. One of the guys in chorus made it all the way to Hollywood for American Idol so of course he wasn't made fun of. In my town that made you a celebrity. With the exception of those couple of things, it just didn't matter what gender you were.
With professional musicians now, everything is diverse. Pop stars for example, whether it be rap, country, rock, etc. all sing about the same things. There are multiple all male groups, all female groups, and groups that are mixed. It just doesn't matter in this country anymore and I love that.
I don't know if it is the same in other countries or not, but from the videos we've watched and the things we've studied it seems as though the men are the musicians and the women have to stick to dancing and singing occasionally. I'm sure its not a "hey women are not capable of this" type situation like it used to be here with say voting, but more of a tradition thing. Most cultures of the world seem very rooted in doing things traditionally and sticking to the old ways not out of close mindedness, but rather respect. That is very cool and all, but I do prefer our culture where it doesn't matter if you are a female or male, you can do what you want; play music, run for president, anything. It is awesome that so much is socially accepted now.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Cool Stuff #1
I thought everyone might find this really cool. Back home in GA we have an Indian Festival every year. For one of my high school courses we could go to the festival for extra credit. This picture is of two of my good friends that went with me to the festival. They have a dance showcase, singing, drum circles, craft booths, etc. It is just like the powwow video we watched but a smaller version. In the picture you can see one of the painted horses and you can see some of the craft booths. I've bought a lot of fun stuff from the Indian Festival over the years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKMYpwUANKY
This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. He has 5 hoops that he dances with. The music is the drum beat like we heard a lot in class, but with the hoops he represents a lot of different animals like the eagle and the buffalo. Seriously watch the whole thing...the ending is super awesome. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9iIXnP1UBY
Seeing as how we are at an all woman's school, I am going to try to have one of my cool things be a woman each week. This woman, Madosini Manqina, is a story-teller, musician, and composer. The instrument she's playing has a really cool sound to it. I enjoyed this video because of the unique instrument.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Music and Religion
Oh where to begin.
Religion used to be a super huge part of my life and almost all of it was music based. I attended church from age 4 to age 18. I was in the church choir from 5th grade through 12th grade. I performed countless solos, performed piano works, was the keyboard player and lead singer of the praise band, and led multipleBible studies and Worship music groups. I even became a hired pianist for 2 years with a church back home.
I was taught to perform classically for most of my solo singing, because that was what was considered proper and "most pleasing" to the ears of all. But with the praise band and in my worship services I sang pop style because that is what the people my age wanted to hear.
Our church services were riddled with music: prelude, opening hymn, prayer hymn, doxology, offertory, a couple more hymns thrown in there, and then a postlude for people to walk out during. It wasn't a proper service if those pieces were not involved. Music started, put together, and ended every service. It acted as a spine for the creature that is the Christian church.
At least a couple of times a month, I would watch people become so affected by the music that they would burst into tears and fall to their knees. I loved watching people get saved by music, and watching it touch everyone so greatly. Once I got older I figured out that the majority of those people were putting on an act to fit in, so that was nice..
I eventually learned all of the hymns in the hymnal. The church I played for had "hymns by request" for the first 30 minutes of every service. Typically the congregation would request the same songs every week, but sometimes would throw some random ones in there. Hymns are so simple to play. The bass line is usually stepwise, and they are almost all in the same keys. Same thing with the contemporary Christian pieces.
Overall, I would say that music is a huge part of the Christian religion. It affects more people than a sermon does. Music is a part of the soul, and acts as a gateway to let other things into your soul. Not to go off on a tangent, but music really does affect people and reflect how we feel. For example, if you go through a breakup, you listen to depressing breakup music, when you listen to fast music while driving, you end up speeding. It is the same concept with religion. Without music, religion would not be what it is.
Religion used to be a super huge part of my life and almost all of it was music based. I attended church from age 4 to age 18. I was in the church choir from 5th grade through 12th grade. I performed countless solos, performed piano works, was the keyboard player and lead singer of the praise band, and led multiple
I was taught to perform classically for most of my solo singing, because that was what was considered proper and "most pleasing" to the ears of all. But with the praise band and in my worship services I sang pop style because that is what the people my age wanted to hear.
Our church services were riddled with music: prelude, opening hymn, prayer hymn, doxology, offertory, a couple more hymns thrown in there, and then a postlude for people to walk out during. It wasn't a proper service if those pieces were not involved. Music started, put together, and ended every service. It acted as a spine for the creature that is the Christian church.
At least a couple of times a month, I would watch people become so affected by the music that they would burst into tears and fall to their knees. I loved watching people get saved by music, and watching it touch everyone so greatly. Once I got older I figured out that the majority of those people were putting on an act to fit in, so that was nice..
I eventually learned all of the hymns in the hymnal. The church I played for had "hymns by request" for the first 30 minutes of every service. Typically the congregation would request the same songs every week, but sometimes would throw some random ones in there. Hymns are so simple to play. The bass line is usually stepwise, and they are almost all in the same keys. Same thing with the contemporary Christian pieces.
Overall, I would say that music is a huge part of the Christian religion. It affects more people than a sermon does. Music is a part of the soul, and acts as a gateway to let other things into your soul. Not to go off on a tangent, but music really does affect people and reflect how we feel. For example, if you go through a breakup, you listen to depressing breakup music, when you listen to fast music while driving, you end up speeding. It is the same concept with religion. Without music, religion would not be what it is.
My Musical Autobiography
I grew up in a military family. I was born in Michigan and then we moved to Germany for three years. However, my father was then stationed in south Georgia, and yes, I mean the state, not the country. So growing up in Georgia you wouldn't think there would be a lot of cultural diversity in the music. The interesting thing about Columbus, GA is that many military families retire there, and almost everyone I went to school with had lived in another country at some point in their life.
One of my first boyfriends had recently moved from Germany and turned me onto German heavy metal and techno. Two of my best friends had recently moved from Korea and played me many of their favorite tunes. I also had a friend from Nigeria who taught me a lot about African music. My fathers' favorite music has always been jazz, so I heard jazz music on every car ride we took: When it takes 10 hours in a car just to visit your grandparents, that's a lot of jazz music.
I have also grown up as a dancer my entire life. Starting at a young age all of the music we danced to was typical: Celine Dion for lyrical, classical for ballet, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Britney Spears for Jazz, and a lot of disco and swing for tap. Once I got to college, my dance career expanded immensely. I learned African dancing to beats, we did a lot of modern to strange string music and weird beats. Some dancing was in silence, which taught us the beauty of silence. I even got to perform a ballet to Chinese music.
Speaking of the Chinese, a couple of years ago a Chinese dance troupe came to Converse to perform for us. It was 2 hours of Chinese dance, singing, and musical instruments. Very interesting stuff, and they even came and took a dance class with us! They didn't want to join in at first when we were working out until we starting shaking our butts.
My favorite type of music that I learned of growing up was when I had to write my final music paper for my IB diploma . I researched Chinese Opera and singing styles and compared it to Italian Opera. I learned quite a bit about the subject: the costuming, the characters, the differences in technique. One of the biggest things I learned from this project was tolerance of different styles. Chinese singing is very piercing, and does tend to give me a headache.
But most importantly, I took a music history course as a high school senior where we listened to music from all over the globe. We studied South American, Asian, Russian, African, and Australian music.
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