Ryleigh's Musical Oasis

The topic for this week is American Roots in music! I picked Grunge rock, because it isn’t a well known genre in my generation. I enjoy the music itself but it also has a lot of different meanings for different people. Grunge music is a subgroup of American Rock that started in the mid-1980's. It originated in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Starting from punk rock and heavy metal grunge, it transformed. While the genre kept several of the traditional rock themes,  it also  formed into an apathy, depression, and heartache based genre. Grunge is for you if you like to express yourself through music. I know that is a cliche thing to say, but it's true. Music is a way to connect with yourself, others, and the world around you. Grunge may not be for everyone and that’s valid.  It’s vital to be respectful of all music and all artists. Generally I understand that many people my age do not listen to Grunge; however I feel that it should be respected and experienced ...

Music of Indigenous Americans  Spiritual Healers      In class, we  discussed many reasons/types of music within Indigenous culture. However, the performers were almost always men. I wanted to see if I could find out more about the female role in their musical traditions. It turns out that the women play a huge role, but in a more private setting. The women are the spiritual healers, ceremony holders, and the life givers. These events are normally kept within a family, so in return, the women's importance in their musical culture is often overlooked. Here is an example of an Indigenous healing song. Notice the calamity of it compared to some of the other Indigenous songs we've heard (like the powwow music).  Source: https://folkways.si.edu/in-our-own-voice-songs-american-indian-women/music/article/smithsonian Flutes      In class, we learned that the two main instruments used by Indigenous Americans are drums and shakers because the...