Module 4 Blog MUH6515

World Music Listening Blog Post #4

Topic: Reflect on the models of authenticity discussed in Koops (2010) and use your selected music example to share these reflections 

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Title: "The Wall"

Artists: Che Apalache

Culture: Argentinian Bluegrass 

Orchestration: Voice, fiddle, mandolin and guitar

          First of all, though this song is a political commentary, it does not necessarily reflect my personal political views. However, it was one of the first examples that came to mind while we were reading the different texts during this module. Many people question whether or not two different musics, such as the music of Argentina and the music of the Appalachian mountains, can be authentically mixed in the first place because there are cultural discrepancies that may take away from either the meaning of the song or the meaning it is intended to carry to its audience. Whether someone agrees or disagrees the with the political statement being made in this song, it is an incredibly clever way to present a protest, in this case, the perceived notion that the government is trying to build a wall that will prevent cultural pluralism. In the Koops (2010) reading there are several models of authenticity. The leader of this music group taught bluegrass to the members from the other cultures in the group in return for learning Argentinian musics. According to Koops' (2010) idea of creating meaningful practice in music, this example displays aspects that both diminish and expand meaningful practice in this performance. Because the three performers, aside from the vocalist, speak limited English, their understanding of the nuances in American culture and its incorporation into this cultural American music may be lost or diminished. This Appalachian art-form is traditionally representative of cultural conservatism in America and the juxtaposition of having a native Mexican and Argentinian native play the song with an openly gay vocalist may not truly be authentically appreciated without a deeper understanding of the cultural context and the traditional venue where this was performed. Now, that being said, because this was written as a protest song, Koops (2010) idea that in order for music to be culturally immersive, the students of that music must understand this historical and social context of the piece that they are experiencing/performing. These performers certainly do and that is why they consider it their perfect protest song and this expands the meaningful practice in this song to potentially groundbreaking levels.

Reference

Koops, L. H. (2010). 'Can't we just change the words?': The role of authenticity in culturally
        informed music education. Music Educators Journal, 97(1), 23-28.