http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DNwdbvDaj8

I took this picture while riding a camel in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India. There were two young boys who followed us around playing these string instruments. They played some tunes familiar to us like "Mary had a Little Lamb" and some that were unfamiliar. They were walking for a while with some shepherds in the area. We also came upon a shepherd boy holding a baby lamb that we were told was only an hour old. The shepherds were mostly young boys with one older male leader. Neither the shepherds nor the boys playing music spoke much english so our camel guides did a lot of translating. Music comes in the most interesting places sometimes!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUt12-4I1hE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQzzQSMhSMo&feature=related

This link talks about the storytelling aspect of kathak dance (the style shown in the video in class today). I don't remember if I mentioned that it is called kathak, but this is the same style. I think it's neat that the rhythm plays such a big part in the specifics of the movements. In western dance, it is ideal to move on the beats, but specific rhythms aren't as involved in determining what movements are done. I like this way of storytelling!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibDy3aLqu6Y
http://www.orientaltakht.com/

An all-female takht! Need I say more? They seem to be very well established and have traveled quite a bit in the middle east and around the world. Their website doesn't say much about the all-female aspect, but I'm sure that makes their traveling interesting, especially in certain countries.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPYIcTJ5KOI&feature=related

Dr. Vaneman! You are right! MICHAEL JACKSON IS EVERYWHERE!!!!

Boys in chorus and other thoughts!

Diverse cultures and their Music Blog #4: Music and Gender

It is common knowledge among most singers that it is easier for tenors than sopranos to find a job in the music world. There are few exceptions to this rule. As a member of my middle school chorus, I auditioned for Georgia All-State Chorus program. All of the girls in our class who were auditioning for All-State knew that they would be held to a much higher standard than the boys. We would get together and practice extra hard for the sight-singing and tonal memory portions of the audition. The boys in the class spent some time practicing with us, but they were held to a much lower standard because there would always be less of them auditioning. The teachers tried their best to hold everyone to equal standards, but they were limited because the boys were less motivated to push themselves. The All-State organizers tried to even out this problem by having an extra SSA (all-female) choir. Ha! They were foiled! The estrogen-filled music-makers still overpowered the tenors and basses. The choirs always sounded great, but this fact loomed.
In most school-related situations, the boys didn’t mind the uneven ratios. I remember boys in chorus responding to teasing with phrases like, “Of course I’m in chorus! That’s where all the girls are!” This uneven ratio is a trend in many aspects of the arts. The ratio tends to be even smaller in dance areas. I think there’s a lot that feeds into it. In the past, performers in all areas tended to be male. Now, it has been switched. I think it’s evening out a bit now but it’s an interesting thing to follow.
Most church choirs struggle with this ratio problem as well. It has always been funny at my church back home because we have the opposite problem. One of our conductors a few years back also happened to conduct the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus. A lot of the members of that group didn’t feel comfortable in most churches. Our church welcomes everyone and so a lot of the men from that group joined our church. Now we have a huge tenor and bass section and we struggle for enough sopranos and altos on a given Sunday. Funny how these things work!

Cool Stuff #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQMFN-whbEU&feature=related

So, these griots are dancing with quite a bit of movement while holding rather large instruments and singing. This is something we have yet to see in our studies. It is not only impressive to watch, but shows that these men are quite dedicated to all three of these forms of expression. Neat!

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

A man plays a tiny talking drum while dancing. I'm not sure how authentic some of these dance moves are to the historical performance of the talking drums, but it sure is neat to watch. I assume this is a meld of some traditional aspects of this drumming tradition and some modern aspects including garb!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViJp1tRE00c&feature=related

This is a traditional Peruvian dance for the planting of corn. Many of these movements appear to be imitating the planting action. The dance is done for the most part in a circle. The women use their skirts a lot when they move. It uses voices, drums, and flutes. It has sections of slower a capella singing that breaks right back into the upbeat sections. Cool beans!

Inside or Outside of the Box?

If I hadn’t started singing in church I probably wouldn’t be singing or enjoying music today. Like many people, my musical heritage is directly linked to my religious heritage. Through this lens, I have learned much about myself and the world around me.
After studying both music and religion formally, I have realized that there are some things I really enjoy about structure in these subject areas. I’ve learned about structure in music from basic piano lessons with my mother in first grade to All-State Chorus in school to this very class. Structure in my religious experience comes from Sunday School classes at a young age to a very tight-knit church youth group to my regular church experience today. Many people dedicate their lives to learning about music made by people of the past and creating their own music that fits into this structure. These religious texts we read and rituals we perform today are deeply rooted in a tradition passed on over a period of many years. For music, there are history, theory, performance, and repertoire classes which teach us all of the corners and possibilities for studying and experiencing this vast art form. We are given musical examples, standards, expectations, and the tools to reach them through these institutions. There are religious leaders and resources that provide examples, text clarifications, and practices that help us achieve certain personal and social goals.
All of this structure can bring so much good to each of these worlds. However, it can also limit the possibilities that are within one’s view. Have you ever noticed that the majority of people don’t stray too far from the belief system of their parents? Many people’s beliefs ebb and flow through different periods of their lives, but the drastic changes are less common. For instance, you don’t often see a young Presbyterian Christian deciding to fully commit to Islam. Also, you don’t as often see a person raised with classical Sitar music joining a gospel choir. We have a structure. From that center, we can explore, but only rarely do we completely disconnect from that original focal point.
With that said, I think that media and globalization influences have greatly contributed to people becoming increasingly more comfortable exploring outside of these structural boxes. I think that exploring the bounds of my world through my musical experience at Converse and asking my own questions about the religious rituals with which I was raised have helped me to grow and learn some of the most beautiful things about the world and myself.

Cool Stuff!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8aPhRG5Jc
These children share their music with a mission worker in Africa. They don't use any instruments but they all clap along with each other. This seems like it could be comperable to our nursery rhymes in that it is something all the children know and can sing often.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cATZe_jlc9g&feature=related

This yodeling is unlike any I have heard before. These women are making music in one big group with their children. They all have incorporated parts of nature into their clothing for this occasion. This is neat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO2g9tgWjbU

This video shows Hopi and Pueblo Native Americans doing an eagle dance. Their movements, formation, costumes, and posture all reflect that of an eagle. Their arms stay up almost the entire time, like an eagle flying and looking for a landing perch.

Singing Our Prayers

I am happy to say that I come by this musical lifestyle honestly. My mother was finishing up her Masters in Vocal Pedagogy while I was learning to walk. My dad has been playing silly songs on guitar for as long as I can remember.

One of my favorite aspects of music in my house is the singing of our prayers. Both of my parents grew up in the United Methodist Church where they are still involved in music-making activities. Charles Wesley, founder of the UMC, greatly emphasized the importance of singing prayers. At our family dinners, music is very much linked with our spirituality. Before eating, we speak the specific joys and concerns of our hearts and then join in a round of, "Thank you, God, for all things. Many, many blessings. Amen." It is something I will always look forward to every time I come home.

Another wonderful part of my musical experience has been listening to lessons in voice and piano given by my mother in our living room. I like to think that I absorbed a lot of knowledge (musical and otherwise) from listening to these lessons. Because of these lesson listenings, I am very familiar with a few of the 24 Italian Hits and many of Rogers and Hammerstein's best songs, though I have never actually sung them. I occasionally also had the treat of a chance to sit in on my mother's voice lessons with beautiful singer, Jeanne Brown. Now, I sing some of the songs my mom has taught before with this very piano as I practice for my studies.

When the piano is not putting out those catchy tunes from the Faber Piano Series or the Musical Theatre Anthology, our ears are pleasured with my dad's ivory-tickling. My grandparents tease saying that even from a young age, he never played a hymn the same way twice. He was always trying to schmalz up these commonly known tunes with his own creativity. Well, he never gave that up and we're glad. He often plays his own arrangements of hymns and folk tunes at our church for the pre-service music.

I have dabbled with piano and guitar, but my first love is definitely passing air through the vocal chords. From variety shows at church at the age of 6 to community and school musical theatre productions through middle and high school, I have thoroughly enjoyed my exposure to music and look forward to many more experiences with all of these forms.

"Alunde! Alunde! Alunde Alleluia!" sang the group of eager and bouncy first-graders in the gathering room on the campus of Emory University. At the time, we young singers in Harmony International Children's Chorus didn't understand the significance of our American small voices singing this African tune. Neither did we understand the potential musical and other understanding that could come from our singing this tunr amongst the touring Seoul Lady Singers from Seoul, South Korea. In preparation for our joint concert with this group, each member of our chorus had the opportunity to host two members of the Seoul Lady Singers. Neither of our guests spoke a whole lot of English and my seven-year-old self sure didn't speak Korean, but we communicated. We opened our home for a few nights and they gave us the gift of their music and their wonderful, giving culture. I showed them my toys and we sang songs together around our piano. After the concert, my mom says that I told her I didn't think I would ever be able to sing like that. I still have their CD and think of them often.

Studying abroad in India this past January, we had the opportunity to meet a very special group of young students from a school in Jaipur. We walked into the room with very little noise, taking in the scene. The once chatting students got quiet as our group of Converse women walked in. At first, the quiet was intimidating and nervous. We eventually decided to share each of our major interests at Converse and they, in turn, shared their favorite subject in school. One student said that her favorite class was music. She had heard me say that I was a music major and asked me to sing. I sang a piece from the musical Kismet. The students laughed at the sound because it is so foreign to them. I asked her to respond with her favorite song and she did. This musical exchange began with a brave young girl's request and ended with a very diverse group of students doing the hokey pokey together. It was one of the most magical moments of my life and I hope to have many more!