Monday, April 23, 2012

Music in My Culture

We have spent a lot of time with the music of specific cultures: historical Western Europe and the United States, Africa and India. You have read about the lives of composers and musicians from these cultures and saw their affect on society, in general.

Here are some definitions of culture:
  • The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group - Wikipedia.com
  • The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group - Dictionary.com
  • The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group - Merriam-Webster.com
and my favorite:
  • The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations - Merriam-Webster.com
In light of the definitions, how would you describe your culture? What are some of your shared values among your friends and family? What type of traditions do you have? Is there any special music that accompanies these traditions?

Use this last blog to share your culture and the music from it. Provide links to examples.

(Note: Everyone has a culture. "I don't have culture" or "I can't describe my culture" or anything like that is not acceptable.)
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1 comment:

  1. Ashley AllenApril 27, 2012 at 6:17 AM

    My culture is a very reserved and modest one. My background has been and is God and family. I am big on family time. Our home is a very close family with much time spent together, even if doing separate activities. I love music. I was raised on Southern Gospel, Country/Western, and Elvis. I know that is a mixture, but that’s my roots. Now however, I am a very eclectic music lover. My favorite is gospel (soul gospel), followed by jazz/swing band, praise and worship, Christmas music (in general) and a few specific artists like Norah Jones, Etta James, and Harry Connick, Jr.
    Christmas traditions are highly regarded in our home. The Christmas music comes out around the end of October (after two family birthdays) and stops Christmas night. We put up the tree around the first of November. Tree and home decorating is a family effort that comes with snacks, music, and a video recorder. We then break out all of our Christmas movies and start a weekend marathon. The weekend before Christmas and Christmas Eve and Day are very chaotic. We have five or six places to go to over those few days.
    Memorial weekend is another great tradition. We get together with family, pile up in a two bedroom home (with a couple of campers and a cabin out back) have weenie and marshmallow roasts, fishing, and karaoke. We break out the guitar sometimes as well. We dance and sing, youngest to oldest, from Christian music to pop to country.
    A great memory is that of last year. We told our children about our upcoming vacation to Disney, our first ever, by having the oldest open an envelope and reading the words (sounding them out because she was in kindergarten). I remember watching that video over and over. We had Disney music going in the background to enhance the mood. It was an amazing day.
    Music is an intricate part of our lives. My oldest daughter is learning the piano and has a beautiful voice. There is rarely a moment when we do not have the radio or a cd on.

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