MUSC Written Reflection

Choose one of the questions from the list below. 

1)      Reflect on the question by writing a 2-3 paragraph response.

2)      Include the reference (APA Formate) to an educational website other than Wikipedia that helped you to form your response, with a 2-3 sentence description of how this website enhanced your learning for the week.

3)      Select and add an image to your post that reflects your learning, including the specific reasons you chose the image.

Questions are:

• How might tropicalia, mariachi and salsa be collectively understood in relation to the theoretical concept of modernist-cosmopolitan musical traditions?
• There are dozens of recordings of “Oye Como Va” available.  Do an Internet search to find different recorded versions.  Listen to as many as you can.  Create an annotated list describing the styles and other notable features of the different versions you hear.  What does this exercise teach you about tradition and transformation in Latino/American music or in music, generally?  You may also want to include videos available on YouTube or elsewhere online.

• Using the term “Latin music,” do a YouTube keyword search. Take note of what you discover and document a representative sample of the different musical styles, artists, countries, and cultures represented. Write a brief report chronicling your experiences. What did you learn about the diversity of Latin American music? About musical tradition and transformation? What kinds of images and impressions does viewing Latin American culture through the lens of this experience generate for you?

• Latin American music is integral to the basic fabric of musicultural life throughout the Americas. Outside of what you have studied this week, what kinds of Latin music have you encountered in your daily life? How is this music used to reflect and express ethnic and cultural identity, and how has it shaped your own impressions or experiences of Latino culture?

• View a film featuring Latin American music such as El Cantate, The Mambo Kings, Buena Vista Social Club, Calle 54 or episodes from the documentary series Latin Music USA.  Write a review, integrating your observations of the film with what you learned this week.