Cultural Engagement Ideas

This semester I chose to attend to a Martha Redbone concert and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. Not only was her performance great but it also opened me up to a whole new realm of music that I had never heard before. Being a guitarist, I listen to more rock than anything so you can only imagine my reaction when Martha Redbone, a practitioner of Native American rhythmical music began to play. Although, it wasn’t what I typically listened to, it completely blew me away. Not only was I intrigued by her captivating vocal performance but also the band backing her up was nothing less than phenomenal. Every member sang harmonies and appeared to be effortlessly playing through some of the most complicated rhythms I have ever heard. What I also particularly enjoyed was her ability to connect with the audience. During her performance she began to talk about environmental issues that were arising near where she used to live. This I thought was important to the show because it allowed the audience to have insight to who she really and how her morals are portrayed through the music she writes.
Another event that I chose to attend was an informational meeting for the UI Fusion Music Club, a club in which I am currently part of. Despite the misleading name, the UI Fusion music club is a not a club focused around the fusion genre of music. Instead it acts as a place where musicians from all over campus can come and jam with other musicians. Created by a student who had an idea to assemble musicians together for the sole purpose of creating a band, The UI fusion music club has over 60 members who gather every Saturday at a house and take turns jamming to every genre from blues to polka. The past couple times I attended the meetings I had a great time. The variety of musicianship is awesome and allows me as a guitar player to take a little bit from each individual’s style and incorporate into my own. I really enjoy participating in the endeavors of the club each week.
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