Listen Up!

 Music & Family      For this blog, I have decided to do something a little different from what the prompt stated. Instead of interviewing one family member I interviewed two: my mom and my dad. The reason I have come to this decision is because I couldn't choose between them. They both are the reason I have a love for music so they both have to be included. However, I didn't record our conversation because my parents are like me when it comes to nerves so I knew that I would get better responses without recording them. I also enjoyed comparing their answers, it was very interesting.  The fact that I get to interview two non music people is what makes this specific project unique. So, let's jump into it! My parents:      Before I jump into the questions, I think it would be cool to explain and show you all who my parents are. My parents met their sophomore year at Chapman High school but were quite polar opposites at the time. My mom was on th...

 Big Blog no. 1: American Roots           For my first big blog, I chose to write about western swing music. I chose to write about western swing because it has always been a secret liking of mine. Western swing music resonates well with me because from when I was about the age of two until I was the age fifteen and too busy with school I watched A LOT of John Wayne films with my great-grandfather. He always said that I was his favorite because I was the only kid in my family who would watch it with him and actually enjoy it. Western swing was often played in the background or whenever in these types of films. Whenever I hear this kind of western music I always think about my grandfather and all the fun times we had together. It is kind of bitter-sweet, but that just demonstrates the power and effect music can have on people.  Let us dive into the history of western swing!     Now I probably know what you all are thinking: what is wester...

 Women in Music Education      I would say that this is the hardest blog I have had to write so far. There are so many possible topics for music and gender and I want to do it justice and write about something that matters to me. For this blog, I would like to discuss women in music education and how they affect the world around us. As a future music educator myself, this topic is very important to me personally. So, with that being said, lets all dive into the world of women in music education.      All throughout history women have always had significant influence in the growing field of music education. They taught music in their homes and communities,  but unfortunately, women's experiences with their music careers are missing from the historical narrative. That is why historians today are trying to make "invisible" women who went unnoticed are now being noticed by us today. People sometimes have the common misco...

  As a growing musician, I have not played for many rituals such as weddings, funerals, or graduations. However, I have participated in Lessons and Carols, which is a huge tradition at Converse University. After researching many different musical rituals, I finally found one that I found different and interesting: the coronation music for the monarchy of England.  The piece that was played for numerous upcoming kings and queens of England is "Zadok the Priest". This piece is a British Anthem that was composed by George Frederic Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727. It became so popular that ever since then it has been used at every United Kingdom coronation up to and including that of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and our current King of England.  Handel wrote four coronation anthems in total, but Zadok was the most popular of the four. This music is written for a chamber orchestra, often used in music of the Baroque era, as well as a large choir. The introduc...

 Hey! My name is Abbey and I am currently a sophomore and a music education major. I have had a love for music my whole whole life and couldn't imagine myself doing anything other than what I am doing right now. I started my music career in the fifth grade by picking up the clarinet; it was a very squawky start. My parents always knew that I would have a profession regarding music even though I didn't, it's like they know me or something :) I grew up in Inman, South Carolina and moved to Pauline my sophomore year in High School. I am fortunate to not have to live on campus since I live in the area. I really love being able to commute back and forth to school because it allows me to be apart of my little twin brother's lives as much as I can. I love supporting them by traveling and watching their marching band competitions, indoor drum line competitions, and normal band concerts. Bryson plays the trombone and Brandon is in percussion. I have a beagle named Copper and he ...