Alrighty, y'all... so this is the end of an amazing semester with an amazing class! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to spend my last Jan Term class with you all, it was lots of fun!! Thankfully, we had the opportunity to learn about many different cultures and places around the world that diversify not only my knowledge, but as well as what we all thought we knew about countries around us. I had the opportunity to explore a variety of cultures that I hope to experience one day, and after learning what we have learned throughout our time in Music Of Diverse Cultures, traveling seems like a beneficial experience for anyone. So, let us strap in and travel the world one last time and explore the different art expressions or musical history of the beautiful countries that surround what we all think to be the only place we have limitations to. Being in this class has taught me no limits, so lets take advantage of it!
To begin our first journey, we are flying over from the U.S. over to Greenland. I decided to come over here because of recent uproar of political stands between these two countries. A lot of people don't know much about Greenland's musical or general history, but opportunities like these should be a great chance to learn more about countries that we should all respect and uplift in times like these. Greenland is located in the North Eastern area of North America, bordering near Canada. It is mostly inhabited by Greenlandic Inuit, who are the indigenous peoples of Greenland. Most of their musical influences came from dancing, but based of of instruments given from European colonization, they began a folk tradition of music called Kalattuut, in which the largest ethnic group of Greenland called Kalaallit, keep alive. I think my favorite traiditon that fills my Instagram feed all the time has to be the traditional Katajjaq throat singing, in which traditionally, two women come face to face and with the combination of vocalization and non-vocable sounds that they produce by tightening and relaxing the vocal cords. One person is indicated as a leader and the other is indicated as the follower, in which they treat it as "call-and-response". I decided to attach a video of my two favorite Inuk influencers that I follow. Their goal is to maintain the traditions of Inuit culture and express the different cultures.
Here are two of my favorite influencers in the whole world. Her name is @Shina Nova if y'all want to give her a follow <3. She was born in Greenland I believe, and then moved to Canada at a very young age!
Now, NEXT COUNTRY!! Now, honestly, I am traveling based on the different people that live in these countries, and elaborating from there. Now, you all know about the song Royals by Lorde, which I won't attach (but look it up if you want a brief nostalgic trip to Middle School), but little do you know that Lorde the artist is from New Zealand! Here, the Māori people are the indigenous people of this land, in which they have inhabited for over 700 years. One of the most commonly known and traditional forms of music from the Maori people is called Waiata, which is translated to "song". These can be in the form of lullabies, or Oriori, Waiata Tautoko, support songs, or the most traditonal form of song called Haka. If you have NOT seen Haka, it has to be one of the most moving acts of honor and respect that the Maori people perform to show a form of celebration, emotional expression, welcoming others, or challenging another group. This was mostly done in War in battle to show power and strength, using extreme facial expressions, vigourous hand-shaking, and feet stomping. They create a rhythm by maintaining a steady stomp, accompanied by sometimes strong taps on their chest. This is mainly performed by both men and women! I have attached a video of a popular Rugby match, in which before a New Zealand match competing against Australia in 2021, this was their form of beginning the challenge. As of today, more and more New Zealand teams have expressed this form of song, exposing the world to the culture a lot more. I am unaware of which song they are singing in this one, but most of the Haka songs express honor to their motherland and stating that they would die and live for another step forward!! (Also, they are in the continent of Oceania, which once again, I just learn so much more as I take a deeper look at the world map, haha). I just think that this form of music and chant is so powerful, and to know that so many young individuals still learn this traditional act shows how proud they are of maintaining their culture.
Okay, ready to fly somewhere else? Okay, so we will be circling back towards North America, and landing back in Africa for a round two! I wanted to revisit Africa because I truly believe the continent and culture of Africa is the heartbeat of lots of music that we find throughout the world. From the drums maintaining a steady dance rhythm, cultural influences beyond the arts, Africa has been a center of social and cultural expansion throughout different areas of the world. I considered going back to Spain, because of the traditional dance of Flamenco, which I also think is a bonus one I will include for funzies, but I wanted to visit African influences again. So during class, we visited Western and Southern Africa, but we will take some time to look into the more Eastern part of Africa, in which I will go into Egypt. Now, I don't know much about Egypt, hence why we are here to learn, but I definitely know that Egypt is not just about pyramids and mummies, as most critics would like to argue. A lot of traditional Egyptian music include the usage of wooden wind instruments, strings, and of course the HARP, but I wanted to explore more of the modern day music you would expect visiting Egypt. So for a little bit of cultural context, the majority of the population here speak traditional Arabic language, whilst the population is made up of mostly Northern African people. However, there is an "Egyptian" language, The language is a combination of Afroasiatic languages, which include combinations of Arabic, Hebrew, and so many more. As far as modern Egyptian music, you will find a lot of recorded mixing and combination of traditional Egyptian instruments and Western influences. This song I attached called Habeb Hayaty by Moustafa Amar, which translates to Love of My Life. During the song, its the artist singing about how his love now has left him alone and has made him realize his life's purpose is to be with the woman he is in love with. In the background, you can hear not only traditional symbols being used, but you can hear clapping and a slight sound of finger cymbals, which is traditionally used in belly dancing by female dancers. The main beat is kept by drumming, which there might be a high chance that it could be a Doumbek drum, which was another traditional instrument used in Egypt!! I decided to land here because I just figured that Egyptian music is something I always wanted to explore, and of course, stereotypical views lead you to believe everything is one way, which it isn't!
And of course, for my final location, we will land over in North America in the Caribbean Islands, which is where I was born! Bomba, or bomba plena, is a traditional African dance, created by the enslaved people of Africa. Bomba was a way to express anger and resistance, and typically danced to rebel against those who brought pain. The idea of bomba plena was to tell stories of current social, political, and personal movements, in which many used as a form of protest against the government for their treatment against African people. Bomba was brought by the Sudanese and Bantu cultures, located in the Western region of Africa. Since its birth in the 17th century in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and has since spread throughout Ponce (my hometown), Santurce, and Loíza. It has now become a artistic movement in many social groups today, like the Black Lives Matter social group, expressing union and power. I found this video that explains the history of Puerto Rico and how bomba was born so perfectly, but growing up in Puerto Rico, we come from people who are proud of our ancestry, which I have said a lot of times makes me happy. However, I am super salty my mom never got me a bomba dress, because I always wanted to learn to dance it. Typically, the drummer keeps the rhythm, but the dancers controls the drummers rhythm, melody, and tempo, based off the different dances done!! This type of music explains mainly why Latino culture is really passionate of their historical and ancestral roots, and why this passion pours over to other parts of the world. The call and response, the most important way of keeping community, and it seems like we have learned lots about this throughout the world.
And now, back to South Carolina we land. I hope you all enjoyed a chance to explore different regions of the world and learn a little bit more about different parts of the world. This experience has allowed me to learn that traveling and experiencing different cultures will open your eyes to so many different things, but has also made a way of unifying the world in a tighter sense. So, as we depart, lets keep learning, lets keep asking questions, and lets keep informing others of the wonderful world that surround us. Doesn't matter if you are white, African, Latina, Asian, or whatever else, we are all humans just trying to share a beautiful world around us and show that we all have hearts to express some beautiful cultures. <3 Thank you, Dr. Vaneman for opening our eyes to an opportunity to learn!
So when it comes to asking my family about music, there is always going to be a debate about what music is good and isn't. I remember growing up with different musical worlds around me, whether it be through the music my siblings listened to or the music that Grandma played when she started cleaning at the -- early morning of dawn :). Regardless, music was always around. So when choosing to do this interview with, I decided to choose one of the two individuals who really made me fall in love with music; my parents, and in this case, I called my mom. Now, I could of chosen my dad, but my mother and I don't really talk on a deeper level than usual, so I also used this opportunity to get to know her more and be able to connect with her in ways I never would have thought. Of course, this whole conversation that we had was in Spanish, so most of the transcript that I will be writing out will be translated *to the best of my ability, haha*. So, without further ado, here is Music and Family, featuring. Mami! Also, to be fair, literally the first 15 minutes of this conversation was mostly about food, adulting, and asking her about credit cards, so I skipped all that and shrunk it down to my favorite moments.
Throughout my lifetime, I feel like I have rarely engaged with big milestone traditions, like weddings and thank you Jesus for not allowing me to see any soon: funerals (however, my heart is there to those who have). Sometimes, I am so focused on the moment that don't pay attention what music is going on around me, either. However, we all can recognize probably a song or two that we remember from a special moment. So, I will recall from the very few I have been able to be a part of to the best of my ability. However, As far as traditions I've seen often in my life, holidays and school traditions are very prominent in my memory-- from music to celebrate accomplishments or music that we listened around or during the holidays, there are a few pieces that I remember that have really stood out to me throughout my lifetime. One piece I can definitely recall goes back to my high school graduation. It was the last time our Cantus Choir was ask to perform with each other, and it was us in front of the graduating class of 2021. It is a tradition that my high school holds dearly every year, but as a vocalist, it definitely tugs at your heart string a little bit to walk away from something so special. We decided to perform one of our favorite pieces we loved performing together-- I Have Had Singing composed by Ron Jeffers. Every time we would rehearse or even perform this piece, it would just fill the room with such volume- and to know this was the final song we sung together before we parted ways into our own paths really still shakes me today! Being part of this school was my first time being in such a "high-class" space, as I use to call it, but I learned so much from the folks around me to Dr. David Rhyne, our conductor and instructor. I still maintain contact with him and I did get to perform in one of his choirs again. He is just so so talented at what he does, and it was always fun to get him to crack a smile because of his serious attitude all the time. If you were to scroll to minute 39:19, you will probably catch a glimpse of a girl in really white shoes, and that may perhaps be me. This particular graduation was very different; we were all still recovering from the effects Covid had on our year and of course, with any global pandemic graduation, you aren't allowed to hug everyone, which I wanted to do SO BAD. This is what stood out to me as a prominent piece from a special tradition we all hope to see at the end of our 4 years here at Converse (wink wink)!
This is the piece performed by a smaller choir if you want a quick peek <3.
Now, this one might come out of COMPLETE left field. I thought about adding another choir song because I did enjoy a lot of those performances, and I find those to be fitting to the theme. However, there has been a song that has recently impacted me and in which I will always remember because of this "tradition".
This past summer, I served my second year as the Student Orientation Coordinator for the Converse Orientation Team. The first summer I served was so rewarding and so memorable, so serving a second year was something that I was completely looking forward to completing with so many other wonderful folks! During this time, Macey Atkins from Admissions suggested that we should create a school-wide Tiktok featuring all of our wonderful OLs (orientation leaders) for this year's Welcome Weekend. The hottest song of the summer at the moment was HOT TO GO by Chappell Roan, and I think this song serves as not only a memorable song, but has left an impression on the Orientation Program at Converse. With the help of Director Lexi Stoneburner and Advisor Taylor Onkst, we all came together to create the annual Orientation TikTok, which ended up being a BLAST! This program has served as an impactful part of who I am as a student, and to create a lasting memory that each student leader can take with them every year just brings me so much excitement. I attached the link of the video (because budget doesn't allow us to edit for YouTube, I think) and you will see LOTS of familiar faces who also got the pleasure of making this a memorable experience for them and the rest of the years to come for the program <3.
If you are unaware of this song, here is the music video, it is a very fun song, and every time I hear it, I just get transported right back to those hot summer days of hard work, touring our new freshman, and so much more.
I am not too sure, if this previous song matches a tradition, but this definitely serves as an opportunity to be one.
I think this is all I have for you for this Blog, but I hope that you did enjoy reading this <3 REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE GREAAATTTT!!!
(warning, I did say I love to write) Hey hey! My name is Anier Colon-Flores and I am currently in my senior year here at Converse (WOOO, what a ride)! I am from a small urban town in Marion County, South Carolina called Nichols, but I was originally born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. I love to say I know a good thing or two about what great music sounds like because one thing about being Latina is that we love us a good rhythm! I am a Psychology and Child & Family Studies double major and I was pursuing a music minor, but later realized that there are some classes needed for what I *hope to do in the future, which is community engagement work!
While my heart is a little torn about the decision, I am still beyond involved in music and have always been! I attended school back home until I made the decision of mine to follow the mini-dream of attending the Governor's School for the Arts as a vocalist. After graduating, I decided to stay in the Upstate to continue building my life. My love and knowledge for music grew so much at Govie and here in the Upstate, but so did my love for serving my local community and advocating for others. Even when I am not singing, I love to make and feel beats around me in my everyday life.
When I am not actively doing music, I am probably doing some homework, working on the next CAB event, writing in my bullet journal, hanging out with friends, traveling with my beautiful girlfriend Ryleigh Henderson '24 (she is the one that told me to take this class, haha), volunteering somewhere, or arts and crafts. One thing people do not know much about me is that I love to cook, and I can honestly say that is the main thing I miss from my family was playing some Salsa in the kitchen while eating a good meal, so cooking keeps me connected to my family roots when I get all gooey and soft in the heart. We also have a orange tabby named Budgie, so of course I am doing this for my baby and my little furr son. He is a little unique so don't mind him <3
1. Music I Enjoy
I believe that music that I enjoy on a regular basis sits on a wide, long, and narrow path. Because of this, I would love to note, I am the "aux" in my friend group. My top favorite go-to genres have to definitely be R&B / Soul, like Snoh Aalegra, Marvin Gaye, SZA, and my all-time favorite, Michael Jackson. I literally have listened to MJ growing up all my life and was glued to our family laptop watching all of his music videos. I own his 1982 Thriller, his 2001 album that's grey that I can't remember right now, and his 1991 Dangerous album on 12", but I am too broke for the others at the moment. If I am having a bad day, or feeling the need to move a little while I brush my teeth, best BELIEVE Dancing Machine by The Jackson 5 will most likely be playing. I just also love their tonality with all of their songs, and their music was made to have someone get up out of their shoes. For the longest, I also had the song Blame it On the Boogie (not the Duong Disco Mix version from 2021) as my alarm for a whole year. Overall, I really do think that Michael Jackson or his original group with his brothers is the way to go, solely because of his unique vocalization style, his amazing producer Quincy Jones (rest easy), and his amazing skill to make any of his music visions come to life. (To argue, however, his version of "Come Together" is the best version there is, "hands down", no pun intended).
2. Meaningful Music
Growing up in the States for 17 years, all I think is what are the ways that I can connect back with my culture? The idea of visiting Puerto Rico already feels like a fever dream that needs to come true soon. My family has always been vibrant and buzzing whenever we had music playing around us. I can always remember riding with my dad in the car, watching him beat the steering wheel to the sound of the drums on El Gran Combo tracks. I think this is where my love for music all came from; the fun and joy music is meant to make you feel and express.
It just brings me joy to know that this is the life God has blessed me with, and to know that I am able to experience such an amazing culture, food and people just makes me so much prouder of who I am. Salsa from Puerto Rico almost always has a story to tell, but to know that talented musicians come together to interpret the words through song just makes it 10x better. This music always reminds me of home, but I think my favorite part of all Salsa is all the syncopation with the drums, and the stories being told. Can I sing it, yes. Can I dance it, it still needs some work! :) I could talk so much more about this because I don't get this opportunity to show others, but oh my LORD it just brings me so much joy. This song went viral on TikTok for a little bit, but this is what I grew up listening to. Brujeria by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which translates to witchcraft, is about a man singing about falling so in love with a woman that he gets goosebumps, sweats, and chills around her, saying that she casted a spell on him.
3. Not my Favorite
Now, when it comes to my not-so-favorite music... Now-- this I can definitely say that compared to some of the main genres one might not typically like, such as country, there is probably some worse ones out there. However, I would still say it is country. Now, I love a good story to an amazing song, but most country songs I have run into have been interesting, to say the least. No doubt that Carrie Underwood is an amazing artist (you probably know where this is going), but I can definitely say her 2004 Single "Jesus, Take The Wheel" is a hard one to like. Does it contain a beautiful message behind it? Yes, #PraiseTheLord, however, I remember hearing this song every two seconds with friends and it just seemed very repetitive and overplayed. It is a beautiful performance, but it might just be the the combination of a steel guitar and drums that has never sat right with me.
