Music and Diverse Cultures

1.)       Tell me about something you learned about another culture this term that really surprised you or intrigued you. I really enjoyed learning about the Native American culture. I was really intrigued because it is a culture that is right in our own back yard and I knew very little about their music and dances so I was always curious. I loved learning about the songs and what they actually mean, I thought it was interesting that they do not actually mean anything but the dance is more of a spiritual thing. I also was able to relate to some of their religious dances. Mexican Culture has similar dances that were used by the Aztec for spiritual and religious reasons. 2.)       Tell me about something that you realized about your own culture through our discussions. I realized that my culture was very similar to other cultures, I realized that we use music and dance for many of the same reasons but in different ...

            I was not super familiar with Southeastern or Far East Asia that much until my roommates from last year came to live with us. They were both from China and listened to so much music. I remember being in my room and always hearing their music either in their room or the shower. I would ask them about it too because sometimes I would get curious and the music would be so fun I just had to ask. One of the songs they would listen to was by a singer named GEM, it sounds like sort of like a pop song.             The second thing I found was a video of the Pipa and the Erhu but they are playing a cover to All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor. It actually sounds really cool and they obviously filmed their selves playing a different part of the song and them mashed all together to make the complete song and I thought that was cool. They are playing...

I decided to interview my mom Maricela Cedillo, she is 52 years old and is from Mexico.   What sort of music-culture did you grow up in? I grew up listening to 80’s and 70’s music. I really liked listening to disco music because it was fun to dance to and romantic music. Where did you grow up? Queretaro, Mexico What kind of music did you grow up with? What did it mean to you and the people around you? Did music have any particular function? When and where did you listen to it? I grew up listening to Mexican music particularly ballads because those were my dad’s favorite to listen to. I would listen to music mostly home. I would put it on to do my chores or I liked to sit on my porch outside in the summer time and listen to music. Was the kind of music you listened to growing up popular at the time, either in general or within your friend group? Yeah, disco was very popular during that time and everyone loved going to the clubs and that is the music w...