Our Playlist

 

Hey guys!! We've learned about so many different countries this year and their music, but I've included some that we haven't discussed. Hope you enjoy!! :)

Brazil:

    My first country I wanted to highlight is Brazil. I chose this country because one of my teammates is from Brazil and as I was reading her first blog post and listening to the music, I was really intrigued and wanted to learn more about her country and her country's music. I really enjoyed listening to the Samba music and would love to experience the community and dancing in Brazil. The Samba Bossa Nova music I've included is a mix of Brazilian Samba music, which is fast-paced and rhythmic, while Bossa Nova is slower, more melodic, and jazz-influenced, but derived from Samba.

Latvia:

 

    My second piece is from Latvia in Northeastern Europe, near Russia. I chose this area as a culture to highlight because my old youth pastor and his family moved there to be missionaries. I was wondering what the music there sounded like because I haven't heard much music from Latvia, so I found this song. I enjoyed listening and watching the music video. It sounds very fairy-like, whimsical even. It seems that their culture is very centered around nature from what I've seen and heard. This song is called their "Song for Summer," and it evokes themes of nature and pride for their nation as scenes of dragonflies and images of her sitting in fields with flowers are shown in the music video. This is an example for Traditional Folk Music.

Germany:

    For my third piece, I chose to look at some of Germany's native music. I have some German ancestors and my last name is German, so I thought it would be cool to see what music is a part of where I am from! The piece I chose is Traditional Folk Music from Germany. The music reminds me of something that would be played at a gathering where lots of dancing and singing would be happening. The music is very jubilant and folk-like. Many of the notes played are on the higher end and faster paced. I really enjoyed listening to this piece! The violin's entered in first, starting the music, then the guitar, and then the flute, but they were all played very specifically to the German culture. 

Greenland:

    My final piece is modern music from Greenland. The video starts out with a more modern piece of Greenland's music, and then there is a small documentary that explains the different parts of Greenlandic music. The modern music sounds similar to some tunes that we would have here in the US, but there are also some differences - the language is really cool and different!! The man said that they now sing about love and global warming. The reason I chose Greenland was because of the fact that many don't know a lot about the place. I didn't know a lot and still don't. It's very interesting to hear their music and learn about their culture that they love. 

    It's been so much fun learning about different cultures and their traditions and music! I've learned so much from watching these videos and listening to different cultures' music. I want to visit all of these places now to experience how they live and to see what role this music plays in their daily life! This class has truly taught me so much about other cultures and I can't wait to continue to learn more about other cultures in the future!