"Lubbock Asian Worship" presentation
All:
Please read and respond (via "Comments") to at least 3 of the following observations/queries arising from this presentation. Both team members and other class members should comment, and should particularly focus on ways in which insights from this presentation reflect, nuance, or contradict insights from your own fieldwork. Make sure your comments address this latter point.
Website at http://www.freewebs.com/lubbockasianworship/
Please read and respond (via "Comments") to at least 3 of the following observations/queries arising from this presentation. Both team members and other class members should comment, and should particularly focus on ways in which insights from this presentation reflect, nuance, or contradict insights from your own fieldwork. Make sure your comments address this latter point.
Website at http://www.freewebs.com/lubbockasianworship/
- Good commentary about definitions: it is (a) both a good practical strategy at the beginning of a musicological work (so that misunderstood definitions are not used against you) and (b) an intriguing glimpse into the ways in which definitions shape and reflect cognitive models. All students (in "Comments"): in what ways do definitions shape or reveal how people think about music and music's role in communities. Cite examples from your own fieldwork.
- Very good observation about the ways music can be a means of "getting ready for" liminal experience; how does music "open the path" for religious experience? In this fieldwork project? In other ethnographic situations? Larger question: what are the shared cognitive functions of (a) music and (b) religious ritual? What human experiences are each art form intended to produce? How do they do it? Are there parallels between the two?
- Issue of communitizing role for music: that is, music as a tool to create the experience of community (within either a single specific event, or in a chain of ongoing shared events). All students: is/are certain musics used consistently across multiple events to invoke similar reactions each time it is used? Please comment and provide specific examples from your own fieldwork.
- This is a good example of a presentation which, while making superb usage of fieldwork, graphics, images, and website design, is nevertheless “prose-based”; that is, we could imagine this presentation making the transition to the printed page relatively easily. What other different models for presentations have we seen so far? Into what sort of "presentational model" does your own team's project fall? Describe in "Comments."
- Issues of bilinguality (that is, between American English and other spoken languages): notice this team's effective use of audio evidence to demonstrate this bilinguality. What sorts of other patterns and relationships does this conscious use of bilinguality reveal?
- (All class members): Can you draw comparisons between this project's outline, procedures, and insights and to some of our readings? Provide specific discussion (in "Comments") of ways this presentation provides insights into issues of borrowing, synthesis, and diaspora (please both cite and explain relevance of specific readings).
posted by CJS at 2:02 PM
4 Comments:
I was wondering about the observations of worhip. I know that it was acknowledged that there was a Chinese/English Bible but I was wondering did any members of the congregation help to explain the rituals, hymns, prayers, and or communion. And if so, what do they mean and how important is it to the them? Are the rituals, hymns, prayers, and communion similar to non-Chinese worhipers? Sorry if my question is unclear.
1. I think the usage of definitions is a good thing. In hindsight, VOL should have used definitions, as well as stolen some of the definitions from this team. I think the definitions reflect how people have thought about the music and the community and how they both tie together with eachother. The Asian Church team would have picked different defintions than the VOL team. Different wording of definitions will cater to the different meaning that the teams wants to draw out.
3. I think that certain music can be used across multiple events to invoke similar reactions. The songs that VOL uses can be sung at a church or at a praise and worship service to invoke the same reactions. A question from the survey gets at that precise predicament. Can the venue sung at change the meaning of the song and text? Some people had viewpoints leaning towards no, while others did think that it changed the meaning of the music. It is all up to the perspective of the singer.
6. I agree with Nicky that the Asian worship is like that of the Islamic Sound-space article. The VOL goes into this same article because both places have created a specific space in which to worship.
2. Music and a "higher experience" go together like bananas and peanut butter. Music is a very mystical experience in any situation, even secular. People don't usually think of the physics, they may not understand the way it's created in its formal makeup. But, for some reason it speaks to people in a way that cannot be completely explained.
4. I tried to focus on the technological innovations in recording situations and how to keep it out of the spotlight(make it invisible). I think I tried to make it the focus of my part of the presentation. I thought it was important to make observations on my intrusion. That was of the utmost importance to me.
1. I think definitions are needed to explain. In my recent studies in another subject I have found that words can have completely different definitions in that subject compared to my own. As soon as I understood the meaning of these words in this new subject, I was more capable of speaking in the subject. This can be more confusing when dealing with a community that speaks a different language.
1.I am impressed by the idea of stating definitions and never thought about how hard it would be until Jeremy expressed just how hard it was. I think forming definitions gives researchers and those reviewing the research a common ground to start from. It helps to erase previous thoughts and influences about certain terms. I learned what exactly Cinco de Mayo is about when I heard we were going to the ‘Mexican Independence Day Festival.’ Daniel also mentioned the ‘Hispanic Agenda’ a few times and Liz and I noted it and looked it up and form an idea from all of our influences. Naturally, we had to clarify a few Spanish words (for myself and the purpose of research).
2.An experience that we are all familiar with is that one the “Star Spangled Banner.” I believe we all know it best as the song/ritual that precedes a sporting event. Now I know this is not a religious ritual, but it sure did pop into my mind. I never though about the music in the beginning of a worship service being used to prepare us for worship. I always thought that they just wanted to get all the 6 songs of the service out of the way. Looking at my own worship experiences, they do have function to prepare us. This helps me to appreciate it more.
3.Again, the Star Spangled Banner comes to mind. Forms a sense of community in the idea that ‘we are all on the same team,’ or country pride. I have to agree with Liz that Jalisco is more entertaining than others. The girls seem to enjoy it more. It feels like a celebration dance and usually makes people move along more than a few other types.
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