Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Kia ora! Ko Ainsley taku ingoa!

Exactly 12 weeks from today I leave for New Zealand. I realize that seems like a long time compared to my Fulbright-mtvU colleagues. When we met in New York City for our orientation back in August, it seemed like they all had plane tickets and visas and were ready to go. New Zealand semesters run differently though, so the academic year won’t start until February. Unfortunately for me, my anticipation has to build that much longer.

I will be traveling to New Zealand to study the importance of music in keeping Maori culture at the forefront of society. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Maori… you didn’t see The Amazing Race on Sunday?! I was thrilled to see that it took place in New Zealand this weekend, and one of the challenges involved walking among Maori warriors. It is always exciting to see New Zealand get a shout-out beyond Lord of the Rings.
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HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project

On November 8, 2008 I will be moving to Uganda to work on the HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project.

The purpose of the HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project is to use the positive elements of Hip Hop music and culture, which children around the world embrace and identify with, as a form of therapy and as a tool for building self-esteem among war-affected children in Northern Uganda.

For the past 22 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has led a brutal war in the Northern part of Uganda in an attempt to overthrow the Government of Uganda. The primary victims of this war have been the Acholi people who have seen over 25, 000 of their children abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.

A good friend of mine, Jolly Okot, was abducted nearly 20 years ago at the beginning of the war and was forced to serve as a child soldier for 2 years. When she escaped captivity and returned home, she found that one of the things that helped her get through her trauma was the ability to play, have fun, and just be a kid again.
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“Faites du Bruit!!!”

“Faites du Bruit!!!”
… is French for “Make some noise!!” and an expression that I’ve definitely gotten used to with all of the concerts and events here. On Saturday night I went to the Urban Peace 2 concert at Stade de France, which was sponsored by the radio station Skyrock and featured some of the top rap and R’n’B acts from France such as Kerry James, Rim’K, Psy 4 de la Rime, Sinik and Sheryfa Luna.
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Audio Flipbook: Old School Mariachis

At the music school where I study in Mexico City, many of my classmates dream of becoming professional mariachis. They’re part of a new generation of musicians who depend on institutions, sheet music, and instructors to learn traditional Mexican music and build up their repertoires.

To hear what their elders had to say about this, I talked with an established mariachi (the term mariachi applies to a single musician, the entire group, and the style of music that they play) in the colonial city of Puebla.

Who is Who?

I stumbled across information on the Who is Who? dance battle on another blog (thanks Raeana!) before I came to Paris, and knew that I definitely had to check it out when I arrived. For its third year, Who is Who? brought together top hip-hop choreographers to lead a week-long series of open dance workshops and training sessions in various hip-hop dance styles including Popping, Locking, House, and Krumping. After five days of open courses that went from 10:30am to 7pm each day, there was a selection round for those who wanted to compete on Saturday and the final battle was on Sunday, judged by a diverse and international panel of instructors: Tony Gogo (Japan), Brian Green (USA), Niako (France), Gucchon (Japan), and David Colas (France), four of whom led sessions during the previous week.
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