Sierra's World Music Playlist

  Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to my blog. Today we are going to be traveling to the Mena Region as well as India and the surrounding countries! These two cultures are vibrant and colorful with diverse music and dances.  Indian Dances In India, there are eight classical dances that are recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.  Bharatanatyam (Baa-ruh-taa-naa-tee-uhm): Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dances, if not the oldest as it pre-dates India.. It comes from Southern India and was original a solo dance performed by women in Hindu temples. The name roughly translates to a dance where Bhrava (emotions and feelings), Raga, and Tala are expressed. Kathakali (Cah-tha-cah-lee): Kathakali is a story telling art that comes from South India. The dance communicates to the audience through dramatic makeup, precise footwork, hand movements, and facial expressions. Rather than developing in Hindu temples, Kathakali was performed in courts and theaters in Hindu ...

  Hello everyone and Happy Halloween! I was really excited to do this blog and interview my dad because he has influenced my music taste a lot. We love rocking out in the car to hair metal and he tries to test my memory by asking me who sings the song on the radio. Without further adieu, my dad!  I did cut some of it out because the original conversation was 20 minutes long!  Me: So.....Uh, what is your favorite type of music now ? Dad: Now? Me: Yeah. Dad: Huh, Probably the hair bands still. Me: You still like the hair bands? Dad: Yeah Me: Um, Is that the same kind of music you grew up listening to? Dad: As far as what age? Me: Uhh? It depends on when you get really into music.  Dad: I've always been into music. Dad: You know, growing up we didn't really have a lot of TV channels. Me: Fair enough.....um, let's see.... Me: Uh, I already know you've seen concerts and seen, like, bands live. How many do you think you've been to? Dad: you mean concerts? Me: Yeah. Dad: G...

  Hello everyone! I'm so glad you came by because now I have a chance to share my guilty pleasure music. I love oldies but goodies and doo wop music is just that. With that said, let's go! How did Doo Wop get started? Doo wop music was created in the 1930's and 1940's but it didn't become mainstream until after World War II when they appeared on records in the 1950's and the 1960's. It started along the east coast in black communities in big cities like Philadelphia and New York, but then soon spread to Chicago and Detroit, then to the west coast. It is a sub-genre of jazz which originated from the blues. Doo wop also takes musical elements from gospel music such as the harmonized group singing and rock and roll like the energetic vocal deliverance, making it a very syncretic type of music! For some people at the time, this is rock & roll. It was very easy for young enthusiasts of the music to make their own songs or sing existing ones since doo-wop is ...

 Welcome back everyone! I hope all of you are enjoying the cooler weather and watching the leaves change colors. Today we are going to be talking about sub-Saharan Music and Culture. Despite what we see on the news, Africa is a place of color, music, dancing, singing. From mbiras to African Dance, come with me to explore the world of music below the Sahara.    Mbira I really wanted to do a section on mbiras (or kalimbas if that is what you call them) because I love listening to sound of them. In the Google Doodle video, the sound is described as somewhere between water and air. I describe it as the twinkling of the stars. A mbira is an instrument with 22-28 metal keys on a soundboard called a gwavira. While playing the mbira, you will here a metalic buzz. This buzz adds depth to the sound and is also said to clear the mind of thoughts and worries so that the music can fill your soul. In Zimbabwe, the mbira is said to have healing properties and the Shona people say that i...

  Hello everyone! Fall is finally upon us. The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting crisp and chilled. Out of curiosity, does anyone else have their taste in music change along with the season? I feel like mine does. You know what else changes? Gender roles! Gender roles in music has definitely changed over the years from jobs to clothing choices to music. Since this is for a music class, we are going to talk about how gender has changed in music and how being a biological female has affected me when it comes to music. I have never been into playing an instrument. It has never been my forte if I am being honest, but I used to be in marching band as a color guard member and one thing I remember so vividly was one of my friends was the only girl on the drumline. People always joked that she was the little sister of the group or she was just one of the guys, but she is an amazing drummer! She really enjoyed it and it made her unique. My last year of marching band, I overhear...

  Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Today we are going to look at music in South America, more specifically Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in South America and home of the Amazon rain forest. From Samba to soccer, Brazil is a culture rich country with a fascinating sense of music and rhythm. I hope you enjoy learning about Brazil as much as I did. With that said, vamos! Samba dance The mesmerizing samba dance is a dance that hails from Brazil during the time of the African slave trade. The slaves would hold on to their culture with fast paced music and dance despite the attempts from the Portuguese to stop them. Once slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, the newly freed slaves moved to the favelas. From there, they would practice their dances for the celebration of Carnival. At first, the dances were frowned upon by the upper crust. Eventually, the samba dance and music traveled through classes and boarders and is now considered one of the ballroom dances. There ar...