Soundtrack of Ulaanbaatar
All of this history is important to keep in mind when exploring Ulaanbaatar’s music scene, which is as diverse as it’s 1 million citizens. Traditional Mongolian music is a national treasure and easy to find. Every music shop sells plenty of horse-head fiddles (two-stringed instrument played like a cello with a horse head carved into the top). Another genre seems to be popular among the older population and recent transplants to Ulaanbaatar. I’m not sure what its name is yet, but I liken it to “oldies”. They’re songs that everyone seems to know well, but were written in the past century.
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Halloween in Derry City!
Hello everyone! It’s been a busy few months of research, interviews, and music hunting, but here is a gem from the past to tide you over and peak your interests about culture in Northern Ireland. As my project begins to blossom there will be much more to come so please stay tuned! Much love from the Emerald Isle,
– Kyle
Саин байна уу?
Hello from Ulaanbaatar! I arrived in the capital city of Mongolia at the end of October and have spent the last few weeks getting settled, starting to learn the language, and familiarizing myself with the music scene here.
For my first post, I’d like to give you a general overview of Ulaanbaatar and my initial impressions of the popular music scene.
Pentas “Ekspresi Musik Anak-Anak di Indonesia”
After months of language training, observational research, questionnaires, discussion groups, performance practice, writing workshops, and recording sessions, twenty-one children from SDKE Mangunan presented their own informal, fourteen-track album! The final push to the presentation I referred to as a “tornado,” running around Yogyakarta, sweeping up supplies, making album booklets, writing programs, and generally hoping everything would turn out perfectly. The children throughout this process have seemed very relaxed and happy (they are Javanese, after all), and it was quite entertaining to see them suddenly taking their music so seriously.
Happy, Healthy Children
For our final song-writing unit, the children at SDKE Mangunan and I discussed the life of children in Indonesia. I began with a workshop in which children answered the questions: “What do children need to live happy and healthy lives?” and “What problems are faced by children in Indonesia today?” To make this a more fun activity than a discussion, I made posters with the questions, and each child made three paper hand cut-outs. They wrote two answers for the first question with their hands, and another answer with their third paper hand. Some decided to write their answers quickly and spend the rest of the workshop playing drums, while others thought carefully and colored in their hands.
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Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.