World Music: A Collection of Thoughts on Sound

Katz, Mark. “Th e Case for Hip-Hop Diplomacy.”  American Music Review . XLVI, no. 2 (Spring 2017): 1-5. Summary: Mark Katz, the author, is the director of a government funded organization called Next Level. The program sets up workshops in other countries that are headed by US hip hop artists to teach hip hop to children in poorer areas. The State Department funds the program to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, by emphasizing shared social and cultural values." It's difficult to measure exactly how effective Next Level is in accomplishing that goal, so there's a constant worry that the program will no longer be funded. However, Mark Katz argues that the program has a wealth of potential to help connect with other countries and that such a budget cut would be a bad move. Discussion Question: Is it worth the money and effort to implement cultural diplomacy programs like Next Level? Why or why not?

Przybylski, Liz. “ Throat Singer Tanya Tagaq Loudly Combats Indigenous Stereotypes.”  KCET . September 8, 2016.  https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/tanya-tagaq-nanook-of-the-north-throat-singer Summary: Tanya Tagaq, a modern day Inuit throat singer and performer created a performance piece called "Nanook of the North," which is mostly improvised and is described as a soundscape. The film it's named after is, in general, a stereotypical representation of Inuit life, but Tanya claims that it "conveys a sense of living with the landscape that she builds upon." The article then goes on to talk about how Tanya essentially taught herself how to throat sing through copying recordings and formed her own style of throat singing where she sang alone instead of with a partner, as is traditional in throat singing. Finally, the article concludes by talking about Tanya's involvement with feminism and social justice (specifically in relation to the high crime rates aga

Westerkamp, Hildegard. “Soundwalking.”  Autumn Leaves: Sound and the Environment in Artistic Practice , edited by Angus Carlyle. Paris: Double Entendre: 2007.  https://www.sfu.ca/~westerka/writings%20page/articles%20pages/soundwalking.html Summary: Westerkamp starts her article by explaining the concept of a soundwalk, which is an activity where one walks with the sole purpose of "listening to the environment." She argues that these walks are important because we don't tend to value hearing in our lives and as a result don't attempt to improve our "acoustic environments." She then provides a list of potential things to think about while on a soundwalk before describing what a soundwalk in Queen Elizabeth Park might sound like. Westerkamp closes off by describing in more detail how one might improve their acoustic environment (turning off the radio occasionally or using quieter machines for example) once we come to appreciate sound more. Discussion Quest

Small, Christopher. “Prelude: Music and Musicking.” In  Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening . Pp. 1-18. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1998. Summary The main point of this reading was to redefine music as an activity (musicking) instead of a concept. Smalls defined musicking as taking part, "in any capacity, in a musical performance" (Smalls 9). This definition assumes that all activities that contribute to such a performance are equally a part of musicking, whether it be performing, listening, adjusting sound in the booth, or cleaning up after a show, to use an example from his book. Discussion Question: The reading specifically defined musicking as the activities that go into a "musical performance." What defines a musical performance? Is it possible to engage in musicking in some way outside of what is typically considered a performance?