December 2023

December 4-8

This is our last week before Christmas concert.  Many classes are practising together with their buddy classes now!  Thursday is early dismissal and all day Friday is conferences-with stage being set up in the gym at this time! 

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-Belize

Mayan music is a blend of Mayan, Creole, Mestizo, Garifuna and European cultures. 

Ancient Mayan Orphan Song-Leonardo Acal(4:38) (edited from film found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7ZHt2WGRDQ) 

Garifuna Nuguya-Hopkins Village (4:13) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsK4_7VtQrI) The Garifuna culture are descendents of Africans and Indiginous people in the Caribbean.  There is a large Garifuna population in Belize. 

Bumm & Chime-Run Mr. Peters Run (4:47) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoPEdcuAfSY) Brukdown music is the Creole (Kriol) music that is central to music in Belize.  It was difficult finding this music with video accompaniment (lots of audio only online) but I found this piece by Wilfred Peters (Mista Peetaz)-a very important figure in Brukdown and Belize. 

Mestizo Music and Dance (1:44) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-IHFI6_aWU) Mestizo are the people who are of mixed Indigenous and European descent. 

December 11-15

This Week's Music Around the World-Traditional and Contemporary Music-Bangladesh

Ved Shukla-Bengali Bhajan (6:59) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SywENkRhZdc) Classical raga music in Bangladesh is closely related to the music of Northern India.

Folk Music (3:52) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVB52tRdV4o) Folk music is the most popular form of music in Bangladesh.  Here is a fun video of some instrumental folk featuring a lot of the traditional folk instruments.  I can't name them all but I think I see sitar, tabla drums (on ground), esraj or tanpura (looks like a bass version of sitar), dayan or dholak drums (held), cymbals, sarinda (3 string bowed instrument), bansuri (bamboo flute) and ektara (one string drone lute-looks like it has basket at bottom).  

Folk Dance (2:04) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G98QK6UadUk)

Xefer x Muza-Jhumka (3:17) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LolUVl3nSu4) I found articles talking about the rise of western pop music and rock in Bangladesh.  This piece has a lot of elements of western pop both in song and video-with a Bangladeshi flair.  Xefer is the female pop singer from Bangladesh. Muza is a Bangladeshi American singer and producer.  I believe the video is in a mix of Bengali-the language of Bangladesh and English. 

December 18-22

This week we are playing boomwhacker Christmas tunes together at various levels of difficulty.

Christmas Around the World

Each year I go searching for 4 Christmas songs from other places in the world I haven't really heard.  Here are this years bunch!

Aussie Jingle Bells - Bucko and Champs (3:11) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnJ8jsw4BSo)  Remember that December 25 is the middle of summer in Australia.  Here is a song that is popular in Australia-Jingle Bells done with an Australian irreverence!

La Fiesta De Pelito-El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico feat. Norberto Vélez (6:04) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCgWdiYatQU) As a website a looked at said: Every holiday playlist could use more salsa music. “La Fiesta de Pilito” or “Pilito’s Party” by the Puerto Rican band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico focuses on the most important part of the season: the party food. 

Lasst Uns Froh Und Munter Sein (1:47) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUaPO4hcIvA) From Germany-a song traditionally sung on Nicholas Eve-December 5.  "Let us Be Happy and Cheerful"

Starship Planet-Snow Candy (3:49) (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy8Sjv-vLr8) A total K-pop hit popular around Christmas.  More of a sweetheart 'Merry Christmas baby' sort of song than a more traditional Christmas song.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy8Sjv-vLr8 to watch with subtitles.