Bloomington Contra-dancing!

     Our class went to an old-time contra-dance in the gym at the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday evening. When we got there, we started with a short lesson on contra-dancing, followed by the actual dance. We did three different types of dances: one where we start in a circle, a few where we stand in a line, and even a square dance. While we danced, the caller shouted different moves, such as "balance" and "spin" our partner. Also, a band was there playing old-time music, and the instruments they were playing were a fiddle, an acoustic guitar, and a banjo.

     While I have had experience with square dancing from elementary school music class, I have never done anything quite like contra-dancing. I had a great time spinning around from person to person on the gym floor, and I felt a real connection to the people around me. From this new experience of contra-dancing, I have a new found appreciation for the different participatory styles of music and dance. All of the regulars who were at the dance were very kind and patient with us beginners. I also have a better understanding of what Thomas Turino meant in Music As Social Life when he said that it feels awkward to see people sitting outside of the group during participatory events. Whenever I would see someone that was not part of a particular dance, I wondered why he or she was not involved. This is the opposite of the more mainstream dance forums to which I am accustomed, such as high school proms and homecoming dances, where if someone sits out a few songs no one thinks anything of it. Also, at those types of events, everyone has individual groups, and there is less of a sense of togetherness like there is in contra-dancing.

     If given the opportunity, I believe that I would go to a contra-dance again. I enjoyed the participatory aspects and the sense of community that seems to pervade the entire gym. Everyone was very friendly, and it was nice to see a wide range of ages. Later I realized that I had actually entered a flow state during the dances because I felt totally in the moment as the different dances were happening. It would be especially enjoyable to go back at some point during the school year and take a group of friends.

     Participatory events such as contra-dancing are beneficial to all involved for several reasons. One of these reasons is that these events give people the chance to participate in a leisure activity that lets them connect with and talk to other people. Also, people who do this are given the chance to be free of the competitive nature of capitalist culture for a few hours because everyone must dance in-sync for a contra-dance to go well, leaving little room for competition. Another thing that is evident is that the regulars who go to the contra-dance every Wednesday night have formed a cultural cohort because they have made it a habit to go each week.

     I very much enjoyed the evening of contra-dancing, and I would certainly be inclined to go back at some point. The carefree and inviting atmosphere is very much a draw, along with the participatory nature of the dance, which is something that can be difficult to find in the cosmopolitan, capitalist society of high fidelity music.

The Punks Are Alright

     On Saturday afternoon our class watched a documentary called The Punks Are Alright, which details the lives of different punks from around the world. It starts with Mickey, a member of a Canadian band that started in the 1970s called the Forgotten Rebels. Next, the movie shifts focus to Henrike, frontman of the Sao Paulo, Brazil, based band The Blind Pigs. He was inspired to play punk music by a Forgotten Rebels record. From him, the setting switches back and forth between two different Indonesian punks, Dolly, who is a very poor factory worker whose band is only able to rehearse a couple times a year, and Jerinx, the drummer of a well-known band called Superman Is Dead. Even though they are from different backgrounds these men have found something that they all relate to in the punk ethos.

     Before watching this movie, I had an idea that the children and young adults in Brazil and Indonesia were not well off. What I did not know, however, was the extent of the poverty in which they live their lives every day. In the case of Henrike's town in Brazil, teenagers turn to the drug trade just to make a little money to support themselves or their family members. Even more unfortunate, they usually find themselves in the middle of a drug war and end up dead. As a response to this, some people turn to punk music just so they can get off the streets and do something that they feel is productive. Perhaps even better than this, people like Henrike who want to give the kids a chance to find a better path in life that is not necessarily music have started DIY (Do It Yourself) schools. In these schools, which are outside of the Brazil public school system, the children learn useful things like basic English and computer skills. In Indonesia, the main escape for youth portrayed in the documentary was punk music. Dolly characterized punk best as "a remedy for my sickness." In his case, he was trying to escape the daily horror of the factory where he works. Watching this documentary has shaped my perception of the struggles the youth in these communities go through to be even more sympathetic.

    Personally, I can relate to the lifeways of the artists in this documentary in a few ways. I understand why Henrike wants to belong to a community and to feel like he is a part of something. Much of the environment surrounding punk is welcoming to people of all backgrounds. I know what it is like to want to belong to a community of people. Also, the way that Dolly has become connected to The Blind Pigs is something to which I can relate. I have made friends from all across the country from going to shows, like Warped Tour, that have punk roots. As they said in the documentary, music can unite people from around the world.

     My life intersects with Henrike, Dolly, and Jenrinx in certain ways. For instance, like them, I am an appreciator of punk music. This would be a cultural aspect. In terms of economics, I have likely bought electronics assembled by people in similar poverty situations to Dolly. Akin to Henrike and Jenrinx, I understand the desire to have my political and social opinions heard, even if they might do it in a more confrontational manner through their punk music. While I do not necessarily think that all aspects of capitalism are bad, I do agree with Jenrinx and other punks to the point where I believe that there are many characteristics of the market system that could be changed or fixed or would be better off in the hands of a capable government.

     From a religious standpoint, Jenrinx believes that punk and religion cannot coexist, even going so far as to say, "Religion is about limitation, where punk is about self-liberation." His reasoning is derived from the religious fundamentalism and extremism that he has seen in Indonesia, but he backs up on that statement a little, though, saying that religion is a personal choice and a person can be both religious and a punk. This is something that Henrike would probably agree with, considering that he is very much a punk but still tries to practice the Catholic faith instilled in him by his parents when he was young. Henrike recounts a story in the documentary of these old women who did the Sign of the Cross after seeing him leave the church. He calls them hypocrites, not understanding what gave those women the right to judge him. I also believe that religion is a personal choice, no matter if a person is a punk or not, and if someone chooses to believe in something, that should not have any bearing on their punk nature.

     Punk is known for its DIY characteristics and some anti-capitalistic stances. In countries like Brazil and Indonesia, where the people are directly affected by the much darker side of capitalism, it is easy to understand why the youth and young adults in those countries might turn to punk as an outlet for their anger and frustrations. The punk movement started with the factory workers in the United Kingdom, Canada, and United States, and while the ideals and music of punk have not left those countries, they have spread to the many other parts of the world where people are struggling to get by and are looking to belong to something that gives voice to their discontent and gives them a strong sense of community.

A Morning at the Farmers' Market

     On Saturday morning we went as a class to the Bloomington Farmers' Market. Our goal was to see how the Market and its various outlets (food, crafts, music, etc.) gave Bloomington a sense of community. Once we got to the Market, we split off into our individual groups to wander the market, observing and mapping as we went. 

    Some of the observations that were immediately apparent to me were the diverse groups of people that had flocked to the market. They were of all ages and races. Also, the farmers themselves were a varied group as well. There were small family farmers and even some Amish people that were there selling vegetables and homemade cheese. As for the musicians, children seemed to be their primary audience. The little girls and boys seemed to love to stand and watch or dance to the music of the guitarist, ukulele player, and the band. They also seemed drawn to a man with a parrot and a big fountain just outside the main entrance to City Hall. As far as music, one band in particular, a local Bloomington band called Busman's Holiday, drew an especially large crowd.

     A conclusion that can be drawn from the diverse groups of people is that the Farmers' Markets has a way of drawing people of different backgrounds together. The different vendors show that anyone can have the desire to sell food that they have grown personally or can want to connect with the people in their town through this type of event. It also seems likely that the children were drawn to the musicians because they were much more open to the new experience of watching and listening to these artists than their parents and other adults were. Perhaps Busman's Holiday had the larger crowd because they have more notoriety around Bloomington than the smaller, more independent ukulele player and the guitarist, and they also seemed better at presentational performance because they kept more people's interest for longer periods of time.

     The participatory aspects of the Bloomington Farmers' Market are similar to the participatory aspects of music in a few ways. One of these ways is how it gives the vendors a sense of community among themselves. One man that my group talked with, a craft vendor who makes decorative light switch covers, told us about the strong relationship that he and his wife have built with other art vendors and customers. A reason that the Farmers' Market is likely so popular is that it gives both the vendors and buyers a chance to participate in the exchange of food or crafts, which resembles the participatory nature of music in the way that everyone is able to do something. Another way that the Market is similar to participatory music is that everyone who attends is expected to participate in some way, whether it is through buying, selling, or just browsing and talking to people.

     Pictured below is my group's map, in which we depicted the children, adults, food, politics, crafts, and music with various symbols. As is shown and was mentioned previously, the children were primarily in the food rows or near the music, while mostly adults were browsing the craft section.

     After roaming the Market for a couple hours, we were treated to a question and answer session with Marsha Veldman, who affirmed that the Bloomington Farmers' Market has been good at bringing Bloomington residents closer together as a community, similar to what participatory music can do for other communities. Ms. Veldman also mentioned that the music helps vendors with sales and that the social aspect of the Market is important for families. Also, it can be noted that the Farmers' Market is much more personal than a grocery store because the buyers actually have direct contact with the people that grew the food that they are buying.

    Overall, the Farmers' Market was a good experience for seeing the way that communities can interact together in a situation that is not solely music based.

The Four Music Fields

The four music fields discussed in our book are participatory, presentational, high fidelity, and studio audio art music. In this post I discuss and give examples of these fields of music.

Participatory Music

     The video I chose for participatory music is a video of people doing a traditional Agbadza dance of the Ewe people. I thought that this one would be appropriate since we are learning about Ghanaian drumming on Thursday. A characteristic that shows that this is a participatory music event is the fact that everyone shown is participating in some way. All of the people are either playing instruments, clapping, or dancing. Some potentials of participatory music is that it gives everyone a chance to join in and does not exclude anyone. People are separated into their roles by skill levels, so no one does anything that is above or below their capabilities. However, this can also result in a sound that has a dense texture, but may be off key due to some of the people having out-of-tune instruments or something else. The cultural impact of participatory music like this has the effect of bringing people together as a close-knit community.

Presentational Music

     This next video is an example of presentational music. It is U2 playing their song "One Tree Hill" at Soldier Field in Chicago in July 2011. This one has a special meaning to me because I was at this particular concert. It is characteristic of presentational music because it was performed live, had a scripted set list, sustained interest, and there was a distinction between U2, the artist, and the audience. A few potentials of this type of music are the popularity that it can give to the artist as a performer and the sense of togetherness it gives the audience. One of its limitations is the fact that the artist is responsible for retaining the interest of the audience, and another is that the performance must be much better rehearsed than a participatory one. The cultural impact of concerts and presentational performances is huge, drawing hordes of people to them each year.

High Fidelity Music


     The next style, high fidelity music, is music that is recorded in a studio and then mixed or otherwise distributed to people. The song I chose, "Avenue" by Emily's Army, is a good example of this because it showcases the sound of the song and resembles what the song would sound like if it were performed live in a presentational performance. The potentials of this method or field include the ability of the artists to distribute their music to the masses without the people being required to see them in concert and also gives them the chance to connect to a broader audience. Conversely, the artists that use high fidelity music must be sure to maintain the live sound in the recordings, or else listeners might find the music to be too engineered with little authenticity. Also, the musician must be sure that the music is interesting enough to hold the interest of people that listen to or buy their recordings. From a cultural standpoint, almost every artist must release some kind of recording to their followers if they want their name to be known. Digital download versions, CDs, vinyls, etc. are very popular methods of distributing these recordings.

Studio Audio Art Music

     To demonstrate studio audio art music, I chose a compilation of different background songs from the various Pokémon video games. These songs, as is characteristic of most studio audio art, were made without the intention of ever being performed live. They also were made using some kind of computer technology, another indication that they are studio audio art. A potential advantage of studio audio art music is that it is not bound by authenticity, but at the same time this could be a limitation for this form of music because people might take it less seriously. Also, another limitation is that it is likely to provide very little interaction with other people. On the other hand, some more potentials of this music are the control that the composer has on the finished product and that even people with little musical "skill" can pick up the various methods of making it. Video game music may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of studio audio art, but its prevalence in today's society likely makes it a cultural phenomenon.

     These fields of music are the major ones that are the most prevalent in today's musical world. Each of them has its own distinct set of traits, and each is important for different reasons.

Soothing Song

     On the morning of my graduation from high school, which took place in June, tensions were running rather high in my house. I was very nervous about giving my valedictorian speech, my mom was anxious about my party that was to take place that afternoon following the commencement, and everyone else (my dad, oldest sister, and brother-in-law) were trying to find ways to make themselves useful. It seemed that I got to the point where my apprehension and uneasiness were almost too much to bear. I knew that I had to find a way to calm my nerves. 

     After much consideration, I decided to turn to my music. Scrolling through my song list, I came to a song that I knew always had a positive impact on my mood: Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia.”  I put on my headphones, and let the iconic sounds of Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice and Tré Cool’s drumming, underwritten with Mike Dirnt's bass line, wash away the stress that had been building all day. Somehow this nine minute song had the effect of helping my mood make a complete turnaround.

     In my case, the song “Jesus of Suburbia” was the sign, as it stands for something more to me than just another entertaining song. The object that it stands for is a state of calm, a relaxant even. Of course, the interpretant is how I became much happier and calmer after listening to this song. Beyond the immediate icon of “Jesus of Suburbia” being a Green Day song and resembling other songs of theirs, another icon is the resemblance that it has to other rock opera songs, such as The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away.” As far as indices, not only do I believe that this song brings calm, but it also calls to mind other images: when I saw Green Day for the first time in Chicago, one of my very close friends who passionately loves this song, and the scene for this song in the American Idiot musical. For me, these things go hand-in-hand with “Jesus of Suburbia.”

     People who love this song, including myself, view it as a sort of symbol that there is someone who understands the emotions that we have toward our world and ourselves, even though these emotions likely differ from person to person. In that way, the name of the song is a symbol of comfort to those who enjoy the song when they read or hear the name. Just the lyric “there’s nothing wrong with me/this is how I’m supposed to be” has such power to sooth anxiety and relax frazzled nerves. The frame with which I normally interpret this song is usually a much more relaxed frame in which I am already calm, so the song does not have as much of an impact on my emotions. However, this particular day, my frame was the state of mind I was in right before my big speech, and so it had a much greater effect on calming my emotions. 

     As for my speech, I can say that it went quite well. Even though I still felt very nervous while giving it to an audience of around two thousand people, this apparently did not come across to the people assembled in the gymnasium that day. I would like to think that I have Green Day's “Jesus of Suburbia” to thank for not only calming me, but also for my successful speech.

Songprint Introduction

     Music has been a huge part of my life for several years, and no matter what my mood is or where I am, I love to listen to songs that I enjoy. Much of who I am and what I hold dear is reflected in my music library.

     "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World has several lyrics that I relate to on a personal level and that describe who I am. In high school I would often find myself outside of the social groups, but I stayed happy and optimistic despite this. I had heard "The Middle" when I was younger, but I did not really pay attention to the lyrics until I listened to it again as a senior in high school. I felt a much deeper connection to the lyrics and realized that a lot of who I perceive myself to be and my social situation is depicted within the song. I also found much strength in the lyrics "don't write yourself off yet" and "just be yourself/it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else," which were words that I had often told myself. It was nice to have these words reaffirmed by someone else in the form of a song. I see my own optimism for the future, which I believe is a big part of my personality, reflected in the line "everything will be just fine." I hope to improve my social skills in college, and I have already started to do this here at IFS.

     When describing where I am from, I might compare my town to feelings I get while listening to U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name." The little place from which I hail, Rushville, Indiana, is a town where the people seem to know everyone's business. It is very difficult to stay anonymous in Rushville, where no matter where someone goes: Kroger (our single major grocery store), Wal-Mart (and it is not even a Super Wal-Mart, just a plain old Wal-Mart), or the parks; he or she is going to see someone familiar. It can be somewhat daunting, especially when one is not in the mood to socialize. The first lyric of this song "I want to run, I want to hide," depicts my feelings on this matter quite well. Often, to have some privacy, I have found myself building metaphorical walls to keep some of my business to myself. While this is good for blending into the background, it is not the best way to make friends in my town, so the second lyric "I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside" also applies. While the streets in Rushville do have names, I have heard people give directions such as "turn left at the first stop sign after the park and go for three blocks," which makes the street names seem kind of pointless in a way. "Where the Streets Have No Name" also has a very nostalgic vibe, something else that I associate with Rushville because almost everyone seems to have nostalgia for by-gone days.

     My day-to-day life in Rushville is not terribly exciting, although I do enjoy it and the time I have there. However, since sometime in 2011 when I started learning about San Francisco (which I would visit the next year), a great deal of my time has been spent thinking about California and how I would like to end up there someday.  The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'" describes the kind of life I lead quite well. Most of the time I am either thinking about California, trying to talk like someone from the East Bay by attempting to correctly use the word "hella," or listening to Californian bands (Green Day, Emily's Army, Fever Charm, Best Coast, etc.). I also have several friends that live in the Los Angeles area or near the San Francisco Bay Area that I talk to quite often, and the primary bond I share with these friends is music. "California Dreamin'" is certainly an accurate description of the life I have had the past three years.

    One of the things that I value above all others is mutual acceptance between people despite differences such as race, religion, nationality, gender, and sexuality. I think coming to an understanding that we are all people with similar base wants and needs is crucial to tolerance. Green Day emphasizes this point in the song "Road to Acceptance" off of their first album. It talks about the fact that "blind hatred" leads nowhere and that there is more that binds us together than sets us apart, highlighted in the lyric "if you'd stop awhile and maybe if you'd smile, you would realize that we're all the same." The song even brings up that people will go to great lengths to try to belong, even though they should not have to do this since we are all human. Respecting others for who they are is deeply important to me, and it distresses me to see hatred in any form. 

     These songs are varied across different genres and decades, but they all have one thing in common: they describe who I am and a part of my life.