Bigger Than Expected: Music From Around the World

In high school, one of my closest friends at the time was an exchange student from Vietnam. She was always super positive and involved in everything, and we clicked so well. She taught me a little bit about her life back in Vietnam, but one thing she never taught me about was the music. So I decided to take it upon myself to dig deeper and learn about the music of Vietnam. History Since the early 11th century, music has been a prevalent feature in daily life. Women were used in the royal court for entertainment, and special courts were established for these performers. These women were from Champa, an independent group of territories in Southern Vietnam; these performers also brought the   trống cơm drum and incorporated it into the royal band. This type of court music is known as  Nhã nhạc.  Later in the 13th century, songs began to be set to Chinese tunes.  The classical music performed in these courts was dedicated to gods and scholars in temples or shrines. Ther...

 Anyone who knows me knows that my mom is the closest family member I have in my life. And with my mom being 58 years old, she has experienced a lot in her life. When I found out about this project, I knew she and I could go on and on about music, because she is Italian and will talk for forever.  Without further ado, a normal conversation between me and my mom: the music edition. *Beginning of conversation* Me: Hey mom! You wanna help me for a blog for my class? I need you to give me as much information as you can about how music affected your life and how it affects you now. Mom: Oh let me sit down and I'll help. *groans as she walks to the couch* Oh wait, are you not specifically asking questions? Me: Nope, I'll only ask questions if I need more information. Mom: Okie dokie. My earliest recollection of music is elementary school when we had to take normal music classes. I think we had to play recorder in either 3rd or 4th grade. I had a friend who had an electric organ, so...

 As you're reading this post, you might be thinking to yourself, "Isn't all rock and roll music the same thing?" Well, not really. There are many different variations of rock music that have some similarities. However, progressive also known as "prog rock" is probably one of the most recognizable genres of rock music, even if we don't know the proper term for this subgroup of rock music. So what exactly is prog rock? Prog rock was developed in both the US and England around the 1960s and 1970s, with a goal to make rock music sound more artistic. Themes included in this style would have been more abstract and almost story-like, as if telling a fairy tale. This genre blends styles from different influences to create a unique sound. You won't always hear an average song progression of verse --> pre-chorus--> chorus and so on. There may be extra interludes or strictly verses; the possibilities of structures are endless! You'll see bands feature...

 As many of you all know, I am a HUGE fan of k-pop. And yes, I do occasionally make it my entire personality. But behind the scenes of the well-shot music videos and catchy melodies, most k-pop groups have strict rules to follow, especially based on gender. There are times when these issues are brought up in some of the songs produced. Topic #1: Over-Sexualization of Women Very common in the k-pop industry does one see female performers with short skirts and tight outfits dancing provocatively. The main reason for this is generating revenue. People will give more money and attention to hot women and hot men. Women especially are being used as objects and aren't getting the respect that they deserve for who they are beyond their looks. Going along with this, many idols are being sexualized from a young age.  For example: "Cookie" by NewJeans Recently debuted, the oldest member is 18 and the youngest is 14. Shocking, isn't it? And the meaning of "Cookie" isn...

 One ritual that is typically celebrated no matter where you are in the world is a wedding. Sometimes these last a night, or entire weeks. I was raised by Catholic parents, and most of us have had Christian weddings drilled into our brains from a very young age. So I wondered, "Hmm...what would a traditional Slavic or Russian wedding entail?"  After digging around, Russian weddings haven't really changed much since the 12th-15th centuries. Weddings can last between 2 days and a week depending on the family. The groom must pay what is known as a ransom for his bride, and this usually ends up being quite comical to the bride's family. The exchange of rings is not done at the ceremony itself, but right before during what is known to be the Betrothal. Because Russia is primarily Eastern Orthodox, marriage is considered a "Sacred Mystery," meaning that the priest places crowns on the couple's heads, signifying their marriage during the traditional ceremony. T...

 As a musician, something I appreciate is the variety of genres and styles found in music throughout the world. I grew up listening to music from the 80s, especially 80s rock recommended by my dad. As I grew older, I started to listen to popular music that everyone else listened to. I eventually branched out into more genres and styles that were not as recent and modern, and I feel that this has helped me expand my appreciation for music as a whole. To start, one of the genres I absolutely cannot live without is K-Pop. I didn't start delving into this genre until my last couple of years in high school, and something about the vibes and the colors and the sounds just made sense to me. K-Pop contains a variety of styles within the genre, including R&B, rock, and even traditional sounds. One of the groups I have been listening to for a while is BTS, a seven-member boy group that has developed a variety of sounds in their songs since 2013. The song I wish to share is "Black Sw...