Jessica's Musical Life

Hi! This is last blog post of this class. I’ve had a lot of writing my own blog as well as reading everyone’s blog! I had to really think about what cultures to choose. There are so many to pick from. I learned a lot from the cultures I chose and hopefully you will too!  The first culture I am going to talk about is about the Māori people. They are indigenous Polynesian people. The Māori people came to New Zealand between 1320 and 1350 through canoe voyages. I chose the band Alien Weaponry to show how they bring their culture into more modern music. Their songs are a mixture of English and Te reo Māori. I wanted to show you their song “Kai Tengata”. The song is about Hongi Hika, a Māori war leader. He played a big part of the musket wars in New Zealand. In the video you can see Tā moko. Tā moko is the tattoos you see on their bodies. It is an important part of their culture. Each tattoo design is unique to the person. It is a part of their identity.  The second culture I wante...

Hi! I am going to interview my mom. My mom was born in 1962. She grew up around music for as long as she can remember. Her brother was in a band since she was nine. Her mother enjoyed singing and dancing and her grandfather played the ukelele and sang.  She gave piano lessons a try but only took for about 2 years. She prefers listing to music rather than playing the music.  Let’s get into the interview.  Jessica: What was your first memory that involved music? Mom: I remember going into my brother’s bedroom when I was around 5 and listening to rock music with him. It was an opportunity to spend time with him and be a part of his life being that he was 6 years older than me. Jessica: Do you remember what you would listen to with him? Mom: Yes. Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Pink Floyd to name a few.  Here is one her bothers songs.  Jessica: How did that shape your music taste? Mom: Having grown up around that type of music is what I enjoyed and continue to. It w...

There aren’t many music traditions I have been a part of.  I have been to a total of one wedding and one funeral in my entire life. I was five when I went to a wedding, so I don’t remember much. The funeral I attended was my uncle’s. He was a musician. However, no music was played at his service. I find that sad, but I had no part in the planning. We do have a few traditions that my family and I have kept up with over the years.  My mom, nephew, and I started to go see The Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2015. We didn’t plan on it becoming a tradition but after a few years of going you could it became one. I get a tour shirt each year we go.  It was my nephews first concert. He quickly fell in love with going to see them every Christmas. My niece was born in 2017. She loves music. I hope to include her in this tradition now that she is old enough.   Every year I would go see The Nutcracker with my mom and grandma. I started taking dance when I was 3 years ...

 Hi! My name is Jessica. I am majoring in piano and guitar performance.  I started playing piano when I was 9 years old and guitar when I was 13. Besides piano and classical guitar I also play electric guitar. I also enjoy going to metal concerts. I have seen over 100 different bands. This is my first year at converse. I started college at SCC to do my Gen ed classes and then I transferred to Converse. I have really enjoyed my time at Converse. Cats are my favorite animal. I have 3 cats, named Zamora, Phoenix, and Emeri.  1. What I've been listening to recently: I've been listening to Interloper's newest album "A Forgotten Loss". I found this band through my guitar teacher as he is friends with them. They are a 2 member band. They both play guitar and do vocals. The songs they write are very technical. I got to see them live a few years ago at Ground Zero. I recently bought their tab book for this album. They play on 7 string guitars and I recently bought one for ...