Work in World Music
Since beginning to teach, I developed an increasing interest in world music and multicultural education. At the University of Cincinnati, I had the pleasure of taking multiple performance labs and a course with Dr. Robert Templeman. I was exposed to the music of Africa, specifically the African kalimba and the pipes of the M'Buti. I also participated in a Peruvian music performance lab which involved pipe and drum playing.
During this time of musical discovery, I became very fond of the music of Mexico and wanted to make it accessible to teachers. Therefore, I created an educational resource on the music and culture of Mexico as my Master's Project. It contains 40 folk songs from Mexico with English translations. It includes a section with general information on Mexican culture and arts, as well as stories that can be integrated with music.
After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I continued my work with world music. Wilmington City Schools hosted a multicultural arts fair and asked the teachers to create workshops and performances. In a collaborative effort with the middle school art teacher, we offered an African music and art workshop in which students were able to participate in African drumming and tie-dying. Additionally, I was able to arrange the music of a local contemporary Native American musician for my seventh grade choir.
At the University of Kentucky, I was able to continue my formal study of world music. Studying with Dr. Donna Kwon, I was introduced to the music of Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, South India, and Tuva. In an ethnographic study, I explored the musical theater genre of Kathakali and the role of rasa in the performance practice. Dr. Kwon's Korean drumming ensemble was also available to me and one of the most enjoyable world music performance I have experienced.
Dr. Kuo-Huang Han, a leading expert in Gamelan music, also offered an ethnomusicology class during my doctoral study. In that course, I was able to develop an area of extreme interest - world music aesthetics and how they can be incorporate in public school music. Our class was also given the opportunity to visit Dr. Han's wonderful home to see his instruments and participate in a Gamelan ensemble.
One of my most rewarding classes at the University of Kentucky was with Dr. Robert Pen and focused on the music of Appalachia. Though I grew up in the Appalachian mountains, I had little knowledge of the music traditions and history. In that class, I not only gained knowledge, but self-awareness of my own culture. My final project for the course was the creation of an educational website on the music of Appalachia - http://www.siliconcircle.com/appalachianmusic/.
My work in world music has only begun. One of my first empirical research studies was a preference study with African musical genres. I hope to continue researching world music and creating resources and materials to make it more accessible to students and teachers.
During this time of musical discovery, I became very fond of the music of Mexico and wanted to make it accessible to teachers. Therefore, I created an educational resource on the music and culture of Mexico as my Master's Project. It contains 40 folk songs from Mexico with English translations. It includes a section with general information on Mexican culture and arts, as well as stories that can be integrated with music.
After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I continued my work with world music. Wilmington City Schools hosted a multicultural arts fair and asked the teachers to create workshops and performances. In a collaborative effort with the middle school art teacher, we offered an African music and art workshop in which students were able to participate in African drumming and tie-dying. Additionally, I was able to arrange the music of a local contemporary Native American musician for my seventh grade choir.
At the University of Kentucky, I was able to continue my formal study of world music. Studying with Dr. Donna Kwon, I was introduced to the music of Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, South India, and Tuva. In an ethnographic study, I explored the musical theater genre of Kathakali and the role of rasa in the performance practice. Dr. Kwon's Korean drumming ensemble was also available to me and one of the most enjoyable world music performance I have experienced.
Dr. Kuo-Huang Han, a leading expert in Gamelan music, also offered an ethnomusicology class during my doctoral study. In that course, I was able to develop an area of extreme interest - world music aesthetics and how they can be incorporate in public school music. Our class was also given the opportunity to visit Dr. Han's wonderful home to see his instruments and participate in a Gamelan ensemble.
One of my most rewarding classes at the University of Kentucky was with Dr. Robert Pen and focused on the music of Appalachia. Though I grew up in the Appalachian mountains, I had little knowledge of the music traditions and history. In that class, I not only gained knowledge, but self-awareness of my own culture. My final project for the course was the creation of an educational website on the music of Appalachia - http://www.siliconcircle.com/appalachianmusic/.
My work in world music has only begun. One of my first empirical research studies was a preference study with African musical genres. I hope to continue researching world music and creating resources and materials to make it more accessible to students and teachers.
