Taking Music for Diverse Cultures changed my perspective on music entirely. I’m really glad I decided to take it now, as oppose to later in my academic career. Before this class, I thought of religious music as just that, I thought of it as sometimes boring (especially if it wasn’t a spiritual, gospel, or of the western-art canon); but during our study of Native American music I found it to be much deeper than that, I admired the fact that Native America saw it as a form of communication. I also admire their belief that the spirits also communicate to each other through music. I mean, sometimes you wonder what it’s like in heaven, and if they sing all the time it sounds great to me (not that I wouldn’t want to go if there isn’t music)...just saying.

As far as having this great epiphany about my own culture...just didn’t happen. But I can say I have embraced it more, and I’m thinking about doing some genealogy research. A lot of discussions we had about the African heritage I was already aware of, but it was other cultures that most intrigued me for the simple fact that I never researched any culture outside of the cultures that make-up my own. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side was an Irish immigrant who fell for a freed slave, so of course my interest gravitated towards those cultures, but now I want to venture out and learn about other cultures outside of my American bubble. There isn’t one specific idea or culture I want to explore; I enjoyed learning about all the cultures presented because they were new to me.

I posted the first two videos because they're not using any instruments, but it sounds like they are.

I posted the third because it contains an example of the AAB form of blues I talked about during my presentation!