Video
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
Music And Lyrics By…
Before school vacation started in the middle of June, the children in Kelompok Besar (The Big Group, grades four and five) had begun writing their own music. I introduced a process to them that was adapted from an NGO I interned at in Dakar, Senegal that also worked with children in creating music. Their process was as follows: take a song the children already know; have the children change the lyrics; then change the melody and the rhythm to which the children will sing the new lyrics. Voilà, a new song written by children.
The first half of my research with SDKE Mangunan in Yogyakarta was based around discussions of children’s musical culture in Indonesia and having the children practice songs they already knew. After a few weeks of workshops, I felt we were prepared to take the next step and change these songs into new creations. I first tried the process with my favorite regional children’s song, “Suwe Ora Jamu” (a Vimeo recording of this was posted in a previous blog). I posted the lyrics on the board, and explained that the children would write new lyrics to the same song, but maintain the melody. Unfortunately, when I went home to type and translate the new lyrics, I realized that I had chosen a Javanese song. I am still learning Bahasa Indonesia, so unfortunately most of these songs I could not understand or translate.
The following week, I made sure to post a song in Indonesian from which the children would change the lyrics. I chose the song “Bintang Kecil,” or “Little Star.” This song follows a different melody from “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and is not an exact translation. However, during our initial meetings when the children wrote this as a common children’s song, they also proved to me that they knew the English version (at least partially, they mumbled through most of the lyrics but maintained the proper melody). So with the lyrics from “Bintang Kecil” as a guide, each child wrote a single verse using new lyrics. What proved difficult was that many children did not change the lyrics entirely, only a few words (“Bright Star” for example). However, two groups persisted and wrote two completely new songs.
› Continue reading
Poetic Justice… It’s in the Lyrics!
I don’t know if you have ever experienced the following, but it happens to me quite often: you hear a song on a radio with a beat that captivates you. It has a great hook and chorus that are easy enough to remember. You buy a copy for your mp3 player and are listening to the song constantly. After a few more days, you actually take the time to listen to the lyrics and are aghast that the song is suggesting you do things that would definitely end any future bids for public office… OR in a better scenario, you find the song is encouraging you to think about an issue or social justice topic such as climate change, in a different light, or become an active participant against the societal ills that may surround you. It happens to me more often than I would care to admit; the music outweighs the lyrics and I immediately miss the intended (and unintended messages). I found this is one of the reasons poetry slams have become a popular venue for some hip-hop artist here in NSW, as well as throughout Australia. These artist use the poetry slams as a way to make sure their voices (and in some cases) lyrics, are heard above the music.
› Continue reading
Musik Anak-Anak Mangunan
My time spent with the students of SDKE Mangunan has been quite informative and insightful. Having started in February, every Tuesday I meet with Kelompok Besar (the big group, grades four, five, and six), Friday with Kelompok Kecil (the small group, grades one, two, and three), and Saturday I observe Pak Ndaru’s three music classes. The grades switch off each Saturday, so grades one, two, and three will have music class the first week, while grades four, five, and six have drama class; the following week classes alternate. With this schedule, the students are only able to have music class once every other week; I am so glad that the school, Pak Ponijan, and Pak Ndaru have been so supportive of my program, allowing me and the children to use the school’s space and instruments to give those participating an opportunity to play music after school every week.
Those participating are mostly children who live within the school’s neighborhood, so as not to obligate parents to sacrifice time in their work schedule taking their children back and forth from school. There are between twenty-four and thirty-five children that attend (mostly boys), depending on the week. At the beginning of the program I assured the children that I was not their teacher (rather, that they are mine!), that there would be no homework, and that if they could not or did not want to come every week that was their prerogative. This sifted out a few students, and with Java’s jam karet (rubber time), two or three students will always stroll in late.
› Continue reading
The RISE Project
I was able to volunteer with the RISE Project through the Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE). The RISE Project was a free hip-hop music, dance and parkour course for young people aged (12-25) in the Holroyd area of Western Sydney. Trey (MC Trey) Thomas led the RISE project, which produced two music videos; “RISE” and “HOME.” RISE was able to service participants in two separate locations in western Sydney; Wentworthville and Merryland, as each group produced a professional song which received radio air play and related music video. Trey and the other trainers; (Vuli Mkwananzi, Junior Tavola, and
Mirrah Fay served as musical trainers. Some students preferred to work behind the scene and were provided with professional video training by Zig Parker. While many of the students had experience with b-boying/girling or break dancing, many had never tried parkour (and like myself were unfamiliar with the official term for the practice). You’ve seen it in action movies and television shows where people are able to run up walls and perform seemingly impossible feats. Parkour in its most simplest terms is described as the art of moving. But it really is much more than that. It is the art of overcoming obstacles as swiftly and efficiently as possible using only your body. Please see http://parkourvisions.org/what-is-parkour/ for more details. The parkour trainers,
Ali Khadim,
Kai Vuong,
David Vo), provided the students with structured guidance and exercises you will see demonstrated in the video the RISE group created.
› Continue reading
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.