My name is Michaela Faye and I'm a music therapy major! I'm looking forward to learning about the diverse cultures of music and seeing how I can apply my new knowledge in my life as a musician and future music therapist.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Beyond The Classroom: Music of Indigenous Americans
As I mentioned in my first blog post, I grew up in a house that was filled with music. Even though everyone in my family wasn't musicians, they were avid music listeners. My mom and dad pride themselves on their eclectic tastes in music. Despite the vast amount of music I was exposed to as a child, I've never heard anything quite like the music present in Native American culture.
In a video I watched in Dr. Vaneman's Diverse Cultures of music class, one of the tribe members mentioned that Native American music isn't prominent in mainstream music. I wish the statement above wasn't true, but it is. It occurred to me that I couldn't name a single Native American artist that I listen to on a regular basis. In an effort to widen my musical horizons, I went on a hunt for Native American artists to add to my playlists. Below I have included a few of my new favorite Native American artists so that you may widen your musical horizons too! I hope you enjoy!
Frank Waln
When I first started my hunt for Native American artists, I had no idea where to begin. I decided that I would start with something familiar to me and see where it took me. I began exploring Supaman, another Native American artist that I had already heard and enjoyed in class. While I listened to Supaman's music, I perused his Spotify for you page and came across another Native American Artist by the name of Frank Waln.
Waln is a talented rapper and producer and is a three-time Native American Music Award winner. In his music, he often talks about his childhood on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation where he was raised by his single mother. At the young age of 26, Waln has earned a Bachelor's in Arts and Acoustics, been interviewed by organizations such as NPR and BuzzFeed, and is now making a living as a gigging musician/producer. According to the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, "Walan is an award-winning Musician and passionate advocate for Indigenous resilience, decolonization, and youth empowerment." Below I have attached two of Waln's songs "What Makes the Red Man Red" and "My Stone". Hope you enjoy!
Joanne Shenandoah
The next artist I would like to introduce you to is Joanne Shenandoah. Joanne Shenandoah was a member of the Wolf Clan of the Oneida Nation. According to the New York Times, Shenandoah "was considered the matriarch of indigenous music for revolutionizing it's sound." I stumbled upon a video of Joanne Shenandoah while I was looking through the Native American Music Awards YouTube Channel and she caught my attention instantly. When I started listening to Joanne Shenendoah, there was something enchanting about her singing voice. Her voice commanded the stage and she encapsulated me with her story telling. Shenandoah recorded a total of 15 studio albums in which she fused Native American music and contemporary music together into her own unique style. As a winner of 14 Native American Music Awards and 1 Grammy, Joanne was deeply loved by the Native American community. Joanne Shenandoah lived from June 23, 1957 - November 22, 2021. even though Joanne Shenendoah is no longer with us, her music and legacy will continue to touch the hearts of music lovers across the globe.
Robert Mirabal
Robert Mirabal is a multi-talented musician from Toas Pueblo, New Mexico. Like many of us music majors at Converse University, Robert Mirabal began his musical journey in middle school at the Pueblo Indian School. While he has studied several instruments including piano, percussion, digeridoo, and is famous for playing and making flutes. Robert Mirabal has had a very successful music career and was signed by Warner Western which is a Native American label associated with Warner Bros in 1996. While Robert Mirabal is a talented musician, it wasn't his music that caught my attention at first. The thing that makes Robert Mirabal so special is his authentic creativity and energetic performances. Robert Mirabal's performances are theatrical and packed with pieces of Native American culture. When you're watching Mirabal's performances you are being exposed to Native American music, dance, and storytelling. Below I have attached a clip from Robert Mirabal's PBS special with Rare Tribal Mob: "Skinwalkers Moon" as well as an interview he had with the Platinum Music Awards. Robert Mirabal is a phenomenal musician and human being. I hope you learn as much about music and humanity from him as I did.
In listening to Native American's and their music, we are helping support the preservation of their culture. I don't know about you guys, but I feel very fortunate to be taking a class that exposes me to the different music and cultures of the world. I personally believe that learning about other cultures is a great way to get to know the world while also getting to know ourselves. Since music is a universal language, starting with a people's music is the perfect place to start! I hope you enjoyed these Native American artists and use this as a launching point to begin diversifying your playlists. Thank you so much for joining me!
Love and light always
-Michaela
Sources
About Frank Waln. Frank Waln. (n.d.). Retrieved January 9, 2022, from http://frankwaln.com/about/
Cummings, T. (2019, August 27). To this American Indian rap artist, word to your mother has a more serious meaning. Dallas News. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/2016/09/23/to-this-american-indian-rap-artist-word-to-your-mother-has-a-more-serious-meaning/
Encyclopedia.com. (2022, January 9). ." contemporary musicians. . encyclopedia.com. 28 Dec. 2021 . Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mirabal-robert
Frank Waln. Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. (2019, February 12). Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/frank-waln
Romero, A. (2017, November 22). Artist profiles: Robert Mirabal: World Music Central. World Music Central | Your Connection to traditional and contemporary World Music, including folk, roots, global music, ethno and crosscultural fusions. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://worldmusiccentral.org/2017/11/22/artist-profiles-robert-mirabal/
Seelye, K. Q. (2021, November 30). Joanne Shenandoah, leading Native American musician, dies at 64. The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/arts/music/joanne-shenandoah-dead.html
Shenandoa, J. (n.d.). Grammy award winning artist, lecturer, educator, ambassador of peace, earth advocate. BIOGRAPHY | Grammy Award Winning Artist, Lecturer, Educator, Ambassador of Peace, Earth Advocate | Joanne Shenandoa. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from http://www.joanneshenandoah.com/biography/index.html
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 25). Robert Mirabal. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mirabal
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, January 9). Joanne Shenandoah. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 9, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanne_Shenandoah
I'm so happy that you dug a little deeper into Robert Mirabal's career! He really caught my attention in the video we watched but I went in a different direction with my 3 topics. He is so insanely talented.
I love that you focused on modern artists, and I really like the variety. I especially liked the story telling in Robert Mirabel's piece, how into it he was and how much of his culture he incorporated; from the music to the story to the garb. It was interesting how all three artists you chose, despite the difference in their music, still had similar storytelling aspects.
I'm so happy that you dug a little deeper into Robert Mirabal's career! He really caught my attention in the video we watched but I went in a different direction with my 3 topics. He is so insanely talented.
ReplyDeleteI love that you focused on modern artists, and I really like the variety. I especially liked the story telling in Robert Mirabel's piece, how into it he was and how much of his culture he incorporated; from the music to the story to the garb. It was interesting how all three artists you chose, despite the difference in their music, still had similar storytelling aspects.
ReplyDelete