Hola! My name is Andrea Gonzalez and I’m a second year Political Science and Sociology double major. Although I love listening to music and different styles of music around the world I myself am not a musician, don’t perform, I’ve never played an instrument, nor do I have the most amazing voice. I’m a quiet one in class and I guess the only times that I do actively engage in music is when I sing at home…or in the shower—one of the rules of life! As I have learned so far in these past lectures and also because it is common sense, an individuals background has pretty much determines the type of music they listen to. I come from an entirely Mexican background so I was excited to hear in Lecture 2 that we would listen to conjunto music because and to learn a little bit of its background.
That type of conjunto music is a little out of date for my liking though. I listen to mostly Latin pop, Spanish Rock, and Banda/Conjunto music. Sometimes I do listen to English genres of music because it’s nice to hear other instruments in the making of such unique styles of music. I really like the sound that drums make and I have always wanted to play the drums since middle school. I never learned though. Folklorico music and Zapateada as well as Mariachi music is a huge part of my culture. Dancing Zapateada when we have family reunions is the best experience ever, although I don’t consider myself a professional dancer sometimes I feel like I’m dancing to an African song just because Zapateada music has so much rhythm in it and I imagine that African beats sound similar because of the incorporation of the drum.See now I’m just guessing what other cultures use in making their music. This is why I chose to take Ethnomusicology as my arts GE. I would really like to be cultured in the music of other cultures since I know I wouldn’t like the music from my background to be confused or just taken for granted—I know that behind the lyrics there is a historic background in some of the songs about the Mexican Revolution and certain Caudillos and Revolutionary heroes like Pancho Villa. Since I took a history of Latin America class, I listen to the lyrics of songs from Cuba for example and they do have a distinct rhythm yet they give to us a message about the Cuban Revolution. This is another reason im taking this class. I want to know if songs and music from around the world has meaning to it or what kinds of songs they use for rituals such as marriages or birthdays or sad moments or celebrations and festivals. All types of music should be appreciated and it’s a shame, as in my case, that we stick only to the music that we are raised with.
That type of conjunto music is a little out of date for my liking though. I listen to mostly Latin pop, Spanish Rock, and Banda/Conjunto music. Sometimes I do listen to English genres of music because it’s nice to hear other instruments in the making of such unique styles of music. I really like the sound that drums make and I have always wanted to play the drums since middle school. I never learned though. Folklorico music and Zapateada as well as Mariachi music is a huge part of my culture. Dancing Zapateada when we have family reunions is the best experience ever, although I don’t consider myself a professional dancer sometimes I feel like I’m dancing to an African song just because Zapateada music has so much rhythm in it and I imagine that African beats sound similar because of the incorporation of the drum.See now I’m just guessing what other cultures use in making their music. This is why I chose to take Ethnomusicology as my arts GE. I would really like to be cultured in the music of other cultures since I know I wouldn’t like the music from my background to be confused or just taken for granted—I know that behind the lyrics there is a historic background in some of the songs about the Mexican Revolution and certain Caudillos and Revolutionary heroes like Pancho Villa. Since I took a history of Latin America class, I listen to the lyrics of songs from Cuba for example and they do have a distinct rhythm yet they give to us a message about the Cuban Revolution. This is another reason im taking this class. I want to know if songs and music from around the world has meaning to it or what kinds of songs they use for rituals such as marriages or birthdays or sad moments or celebrations and festivals. All types of music should be appreciated and it’s a shame, as in my case, that we stick only to the music that we are raised with.
1 comment:
Excellent entry--well thought out and detailed. Would you like to present a more up-to-date conjunto song and talk about the music's importance in your family/community life?
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