I grew up in a military family. I was born in Michigan and then we moved to Germany for three years. However, my father was then stationed in south Georgia, and yes, I mean the state, not the country. So growing up in Georgia you wouldn't think there would be a lot of cultural diversity in the music. The interesting thing about Columbus, GA is that many military families retire there, and almost everyone I went to school with had lived in another country at some point in their life.
One of my first boyfriends had recently moved from Germany and turned me onto German heavy metal and techno. Two of my best friends had recently moved from Korea and played me many of their favorite tunes. I also had a friend from Nigeria who taught me a lot about African music. My fathers' favorite music has always been jazz, so I heard jazz music on every car ride we took: When it takes 10 hours in a car just to visit your grandparents, thats a lot of jazz music.
My favorite type of music that I learned of growing up was when I had to write my final music paper for my IB diploma. I researched Chinese Opera and singing styles and compared it to Italian Opera. I learned quite a bit about the subject: the costuming, the characters, the differences in technique. One of the biggest things I learned from this project was tolerance of different styles. Chinese singing is very piercing, and does tend to give me a headache.
But most importantly, I took a music history course as a high school senior where we listened to music from all over the globe. We studied South American, Asian, Russian, African, and Australian music. I believe that because of my background in many musical cultures I will enjoy this class as memory refreshment and to learn new things.
Interesting stuff, Ashleigh. It's always so interesting to hear what you folks learn about from your friends. And it will be interesting to get your take on Chinese Opera when we get to China later in the term.
ReplyDeleteYou have had some really cool world music experiences! I had some experience with German techno when I visited Germany in highschool. The German discotechas were so much fun and a center for socializing among the teenagers there.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty cool that you listen to German heavy metal, because that's a majority of what I listen to (along with a bit of Swedish). And Chinese opera has always been something that I've wanted to learn a bit more about... So maybe we can talk!
ReplyDeleteWe tend to find diversity where we least expect. I think it is grand that in south Georgia you could be fostered in an enviroment that taught your so many different cultures and their music. I agree, car rides mean lots of music exposure, you certainly learn tolerance.
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