Week Four Post

After watching the criticism of Western scholars of Chinese orchestra I was a bit annoyed to see how harshly these western scholars judged the Chinese orchestra. The scholars made comments on the instruments the Chinese orchestra used and how they were factory made and their sound therefore had a western influence. Professor Helen Reese seemed to be a large critic of the Chinese orchestra defining authenticity as being an immaculate simulation. She deemed the "ancient Naxi Music" as not authentic because it was performed for a foreign audience and was no longer being performed for the same rituals as it was originally. But it seems quite unbelievable that these scholars are being such harsh critics of the Chinese orchestra. One should appreciate the fact that the Chinese Orchestra is sharing a piece of their culture with the rest of the world. One would assume this would be done because China is proud of their heritage. If they were to keep everything authentic then these Western Scholars like Professor Helen Reese never would have had an opportunity to criticise the ancient Nazi music because it would be more than likely that western scholars would have either none of very little access to it. Another point to keep in mind is the fact that music throughout the world and in the US especially has evolved throughout time so it seems a bit bold of western scholars to declare china's orchestra and music un-authentic because they have changed some of their methods.

week three

I have to say I was quite surprised to see that even when the sound of music remains the same, a musical performance and all it encases can really take on a completely different meaning when when the context in which the performance takes place changes. The two Balinese gamelon groups that performed performed using the same sets of instuments and had the same harmonies and used the same notes and chords. The most obvious difference between the two groups performances was each of their settings and this change made a world of difference. The formality and performance presentation of "Ratna Ayu" was vey captivating and kept my attention very well. The clothing and movements were extremely entertaining and added to the overall "entertainment" feel. This is most likely due to the fact that the dancing added to the fullness of the performance and kind of overpowered the music distracting my attention from the musical performance a bit. The "gamelan Bali Nyepi" on the other hand was a bit more calm since there was nothing to really distact me. It seems to be a more of a personal event since the musicians seemed to play more for their own pleasure on the beach. Their clothing was simple and they remained seated so there was not much to watch although it was lovely to listen to. Although I enjoyed both performances I must admit the "Ratna Ayu" was a bit more exciting to watch than the "gamelan Bali Nyepi" which only supports its right of being a performance piece.

Question 1- From the inside looking out.

Interestingly enough, being of a multi-cultural descent there have been plenty of times I have been on the inside of something but felt completely like an outsider. I believe a large part of this feeling is my Hispanic heritage mixed with the fact that the only language I am fluent in is Spanish. There have been many many times where I was either in a Spanish ceremony, or a Spanish dance, singing a Spanish song, or dancing to Spanish music and although I knew the main idea of all the the words, I felt a bit alien to the true emotion of the piece. I grew up singing in different choruses and choirs and was very much into Spanish music in elementary and middle school. When asked to sing a few pieces in the talent show, I studied several songs to the last note and had my pronunciation perfect. Nonetheless, my sketchy understanding of the language in it's entirety, in the end, made me feel a bit like the player of an instrument and less like the instrument myself.
I know in my life I try to accentuate my identity and its different aspects in as many ways as possible to try and seperate me from some and group me in with others. In terms of music, I like to listen to and play a great variety of types of music. Growing up, all that my peers listened to was rap, hip-hop, and r&b. Even band members only considered the pieces they played for band "school pieces" and nothing they would listen to outside of rehearsals and practices. I found myself intrigued by all different types of music at a young age though as i mentioned before, I loved Spanish music both lyrical and non. I also developed an appreciation for punjabi and Indian music when I was in the school multi-cultural. Again I knew nothing of the language but the song swept me away every time.
My mother was the first to interest me in stepping away from the standard vantage point. In her playing what we called low-rider oldies and alternative and rock music, I became more interested and open to different sounds. She also taught me to dance to many of the lowrider oldies and faster tempo old songs she loved from the late 80's and early 90's. The rhythms intrigued me and the variation in instruments gave me chills.
With family and school being my primary methods of hearing music and helping to develop my identity through music, I became what I would like to consider, a very open minded and all appreciating if not loving musician.

ONE

Hello! Welcome to my blogspot. Because I know no one knows me I figured I would go ahead and follow the directions on the class blogspot and answer those questions. First off a few things about me: My name is Alicia Cruz and I'm a second year declared psych major but will be switching over to Soc. I am an avid music lover, listener, player, and singer. However, I am not a member of any bands nor do I play any instruments although I did dabble in drums for a year in a high school music class. In high school I was in the chorus but since then I haven't done anything of the sort. I do love music though and as many people do I feel that connection to music of all kinds. I love to dance and was a ballet dancer for 9 years although i no longer do that either. I enjoyed performing in many multi-cultural performances learning Indian dances, Filipino dances, and Mexican dances and performing those in a variety of locations and settings. I was also in dance in high school and focused mostly on modern along with Brazilian and tribal dances. The sound of drums give me chills and the sound of an acoustic guitar can soothe my soul.
So I AM an avid consumer of music and although currently I am not actively performing i would like to be. I am interested in this class because of what the expanse it covers. I love live performances and lively music and I think this class can introduce me to music I have not heard before. I have yet to travel outside of the US and my family although we possess a pretty diverse heritage have lost a lot of tradition. So I think for myself at least, I like to learn about the music and dances of many cultures to become more cultured. (I'm not sure if I used the term cultured correctly, but hopefully you understand what I mean.) Well I will be looking forward to next class and all that comes with it! See you then!

Alicia Cruz