Anabella Discovering the World of Music

 Arabic and Indian music have been so interesting to learn about this week. Both have such unique and beautiful styles! The first video that I wanted to share is some dance clips from Bollywood movies. I've always been interested to learn more about Bollywood because a few years ago I saw a dance video or something along those lines and I was so fascinated with the dance technique, the music, and the outfits. The clip that I'm going to share is kind of long, but it's really cool! The dancing is so amazing to watch, and the songs are really catchy and make you want to get up and dance. The outfits and jewelry they wear are also just so beautiful. One thing I noticed is that the timbre of a lot of Bollywood singers seems pretty consistent from song to song. The female singers especially have consistently light timbres to their voices.  When looking for music from the Middle East I found this beautiful traditional lullaby from Egypt, by this ensemble group. I thought this vide...

 One of the things we learned about that really interested me, was music from Zimbabwe. I really enjoyed learning about mbira because it's such a beautiful instrument. I have a small one that I can't play very well, so it's amazing to see how people are able to play this instrument! I got on YouTube and started looking up videos to learn more about this instrument. In this particular video, this professor from the University of Missouri talks about how it's used in some ceremonies in Africa. He also talks about how not a lot of people are interested in learning the mbira at the university. It's sad that not a lot of people are interested in learning about the instrument, or in playing the instrument because it sounds simple. But just because an instrument has a soothing, relaxing sound, doesn't mean that it doesn't have complexities and techniques of its own to be learned.  I also found this video with some beautiful mbira music that I really enjoyed listeni...

  One of the things that I really enjoyed learning about when discussing Native American culture, was Sharon Burch and her song Mother Earth. I love the style of that song and recently I've been listening to more folk/older country music, which is what that song reminds me of. So, I wanted to explore more Native American artists and their music. While exploring I found an artist named Joanne Shenandoah, and I found this song that she wrote as a collaboration with another Native American artist for the Native American Music Awards. I really love how they incorporate a traditional aerophone, and they also use acoustic guitars, which have the style/roots of classic country/folk music. They also mention in the video, how when they were writing this song, they were inspired by blues and jazz elements. The lyrics of the song also have foundations of Native American culture, being about nature and dancing. Overall, this is a very soothing song, and I'm so glad that I stumbled across i...

  Hi everyone! My name is Anabella Walker, and I'm a freshman Music Therapy major. My primary instrument is the piano, and I've been playing since I was about nine. I also love playing guitar and a tiny bit of ukulele. I'm excited to be at Converse studying music and Music Therapy. The song that I chose that has had specific meaning to me for a while is the song When We Were Young by Adele. The meaning that this song has for me is growing up and looking back on the past/childhood. I started listening to this song a lot last year, during my senior year of high school and this year I had started to learn to play it on piano for fun since it's such a pretty song. It is kind of a sad song, but I find myself returning to it a lot.  When We Were Young - Adele An artist that I've found myself turning to during this pandemic, really since the beginning when it first started, is Billie Eilish. I've really enjoyed listening to Billie Eilish this past year and I love her m...