Introduction
The Dallas music-culture I have observed, analyzed, and participated in was the Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team. If the music culture is referred to as “the worship team” it is because the musicians decided that “it would be easier to call it that until a new name can be decided upon” (Anonymous). This blog will focusing on Ideas About Music, Activities Involving Music, Repertoires of Music, Material Culture of Music, and the Preservation of Music of this particular music culture. Although these aspects of music-cultures will reveal shared characteristics to other Christian music cultures, the aspects will also illustrate unique characteristics which set it apart from other music cultures in the Dallas area.
Methodology
The methods I used to collect my data and information about this music culture was by attending one of their monthly performances and interviewing some members of the culture. Most of the information I received from two college members, but I also noted and in my field work at the event. One interviewee was Rebecca Yu, a college student and Collin County Community College and the other one asked to stay anonymous. Contrary to the two college students I interviewed, most of the musicians are in high school, but my sources were sufficient enough to obtain the information needed grasp a strong understand of the culture.
The event I attended for my field work took place on a Sunday morning at 11:00 in a large sanctuary room in the Frisco Community Bible Church. The room had great acoustics and with rows upon rows of large red cushioned chairs. The stage had a large carpeted platform with a podium in the middle and grand piano on the left. Sharon, a high school girl, lead the “worship” section the Sunday service I attended. Each performer, dressed in suites and dresses, sharing microphones. In the congregation and I was able to participate in singing along with the performers because the words were displayed through a projector. In the back there were AV guys in charge of the over head projector, setting up the microphones, and making sure the performance runs smoothly.
Aspects of This Music-Culture
Ideas About Music
The beliefs in this music culture are based on an Evangelical denomination of Christianity. This church is a sister-church off the Dallas Chinese Bible Church (DCBC) in Richardson, Texas, a church I use to attend years ago. Apparently, the “church underwent a name change from Frisco Chinese Bible Church to Frisco Community Bible Church to give off a more accurate name based on the church’s doctrine” (Anonymous), thus leading to the Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team. Although, FCBC sprung from DCBC, a traditional style against Christian rock, rap, and use of drums, in both cultures music “plays an important role in our cultures. Music at our church is through any format that comes from the heart and its only intention is to glorify God” (Yu). This music culture shows a more liberal progressive form of music in contrast to other music cultures in the Dallas area.
Activities Involving Music
The music that is performed can be found on iTunes, Youtube, stores, and occasionally performed live at concerts, but most “music sources are mostly found on the web and played by the worship team” (Yu). Although these students do this out of free will, “they enjoy the events as a hobby, but with a professional attitude” (Yu).
I had the opportunity to join a few of their practice sessions and witness “music in the making” so to speak. Although some of the members compose music competitively or as a hobby, they don’t compose any music for the Sunday services, due to time constraints.
Repertoires of Music
God of this City: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk
Above All: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7Sn5rV
Nothing But the Blood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvURm3k36IA
Enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pl-FWskj5U
You Never Let Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuVQWhCAu4A
Radio Stations: 90.9 FM, 91.3 FM, 94.9 FM
Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team: http://crazy2idiot.xanga.com/audio/
These are the types of music that the worship team performs. All the song choices are composed by Christian musicians, who are mostly still composing and releasing new songs on the CD’s and radio. “The song choice usually is based on the leadership’s tastes combine with the audience’s preferences, since this can’t usually be done in one song, five or six songs are chosen to appeal to the different age groups” (Yu). On top of the importance of choosing songs, the lyrics have significant meaning in this culture. The last song in the event I attended, the interviewee who wants to keep anonymous, gave a brief speech to connect the song to the sermon. Although, most of this aspect is similar to other Christian music cultures, what makes this one different is that the students are given 100% control over song choice and decided on as a group, which in other music cultures, usually on person or the pastor/reverend/priest requests that the songs be centered around the sermon.
Material Culture of Music
There isn’t much material other than the actual instruments and technology used to create the music. A piano, guitar, violin, drum set, jambe, and microphones are the general tools used in the performance. What makes this unique from many other churches, like DCBC, is that this music church permits drums and jambes. Also another thing unique that sets this culture apart from other professional churches and music cultures is that the team consists of all students in high school or college. “The music itself is stored in a music software program. The tech/AV guys in the back have headphones and large amplifiers and adjusters to tinker with the voices and adjust them to the right volume and tones” (Anonymous). Although most churches have the same team in some vicinity either in a black room or in the back, this church is unique in the fact that the team consist of all teenagers. “No surprise many of these kids are very well experienced and also played instruments. This gives them the edge needed to contribution to the worship team in feedback and other methods to improve” (Anonymous).
Preservation of Music
This music culture is preserved through the kids that grow up in Frisco Community Bible Church who decide to step up with the “intention […] to glorify God” (Yu). As many college kids go off, the middle school and high school students take their place. “If they know how to play an instrument, most of the kids who want to serve are eager to learn” (Yu). Most of the children know at least one to two instruments. If they still want to be involved, but don’t have the money for the instruments, they can still sing and add vocals to the worship team. This method creates a specific age and music background to all the future musicians of this culture. “Unlike other similar Christian music cultures, we aren’t hired, professional, or even good at times; we just care about the heart and giving the people the umph they need to ‘get in the zone’ when the pastor starts preaching” (Anonymous).
Conclusion
The Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team is a unique music culture with specific attributes that make it different from all other Church singing groups. The aspects of music include Ideas About Music, Activities Involving Music, Repertoires of Music, Material Culture of Music, and the Preservation of Music.
Works Cited
Anonymous, Anonymous, current eldest remaining member. Personal interview. 1 Mar. 2010.
English Worhsip. Texas: Frisco Community Bible Church, 2010.
Yu, Rebecca, current counselor teacher performer. Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2010.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blog Post 8
Analyzing the Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team, I had some issues with various tasks in my endeavors to obtain information. Although their receptive culture and approach made this assignment fairly accessible, the reality of them mostly being in high school made it difficult to arrange convenient interviews. Most of the performers had homework due to AP classes and assertive parents. Another issue was that some of the performers had other activities were arranging a meeting would conflict with other activities. Sometimes distance was became a large obstacle. A few of the musicians lived in far of various cities. The interview was luckily fairly simple itself to conduct, although one of the musicians in this music culture reacted very awkwardly in person. I say this because it was an icebreaker oddly enough to the interview. The previous performances were not posted or recorded, which made it hard to find more info to share to the class about the music culture. Many of the AV guys in the back were busy helping set up and take down things, so interviewing them was impossible. Different personalities varied, but they were all still joyful and helpful in my endeavors to learn more about their music culture.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Blog Post 7
The music culture I have been studying is the Frisco Community Bible Church Youth Worship Team. Some aesthetic qualities are the willingness to help and being well dressed, usually in suits, dresses, and other formal attire. The role for these musicians is to prepare the congregation of the English Frisco Community Bible Church hearts and minds for the sermon. Usually they perform monthly on Sundays at 11:00am.
Much of the music choices can be found online, on iTunes, at live concerts, and in stores. The performers mostly perform as a hobby, though they know and perform with other instruments competitively. There are no restrictions on who participates, in the audience, but who serves has a limitation. The limitation is one must be a Christian in order to serve, because in order to serve he/she must do it for the right reasons. No one actually makes their own music in this culture, but they meet to arrange the order and way the music will be performed. The performance is open to all to sing along, so there is a substantial amount of audience participation. This music culture has a separate session where they welcome the whole congregation.
The text has the purpose of bringing the congregation to sing and get us in the right mind set. The last song is usually used to reflect the sermon. Various Christian composers’ songs are picked, but usually the leadership’s tastes combine with the audience’s preferences are kept in mind, also. Since this can’t usually be done in one song, five or six songs are chosen to appeal to the different age groups.
I was lucky to have one of the AV members show me where the performances are displayed online in his Xanga page.
http://crazy2idiot.xanga.com/audio/
Much of the music choices can be found online, on iTunes, at live concerts, and in stores. The performers mostly perform as a hobby, though they know and perform with other instruments competitively. There are no restrictions on who participates, in the audience, but who serves has a limitation. The limitation is one must be a Christian in order to serve, because in order to serve he/she must do it for the right reasons. No one actually makes their own music in this culture, but they meet to arrange the order and way the music will be performed. The performance is open to all to sing along, so there is a substantial amount of audience participation. This music culture has a separate session where they welcome the whole congregation.
The text has the purpose of bringing the congregation to sing and get us in the right mind set. The last song is usually used to reflect the sermon. Various Christian composers’ songs are picked, but usually the leadership’s tastes combine with the audience’s preferences are kept in mind, also. Since this can’t usually be done in one song, five or six songs are chosen to appeal to the different age groups.
I was lucky to have one of the AV members show me where the performances are displayed online in his Xanga page.
http://crazy2idiot.xanga.com/audio/
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
This particular video is on the Japanese Noh style of music. There are some distinctive classical consistencies and elements in Japanese music. This particular clip is taken in Tokyo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klww4AerPgw
The music overall has pitches that differ from Western pitches and tones. These can be heard throughout this clip, although not all are tones different from the Western tones. These tones that differ are called semitones.
The tempo seem to quite fast for Japanese music which is generally slow in nature and almost nonpulsatile in sounding, but the Japanese Noh style clearly has a moderate speed.
Other Elements of Japanese music is a sense of space between the notes, known as a ma. This allows the listener to get a sense of balance and equilibrium.
One particular thing that can be noted is the stage room. The performers are playing cues for a actor who wears a mask. The actor sings, speaks, and dances to the rhythm and chant of the five musicians in the background. There seems to be five actors also, one main character with a role as a warrior of some sort.
The division between musicians and actors is clear due to clothing attire. The musicians are playing mainly rhythmic percussive instruments, although there is one outcast that happens to play a reed like instrument. Most likely this instrument is a sho, hichiriki, or ryuteki, but due to quality it is hard to pin down which one it is.
The audience takes a small role during the performance, like a many Western plays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klww4AerPgw
The music overall has pitches that differ from Western pitches and tones. These can be heard throughout this clip, although not all are tones different from the Western tones. These tones that differ are called semitones.
The tempo seem to quite fast for Japanese music which is generally slow in nature and almost nonpulsatile in sounding, but the Japanese Noh style clearly has a moderate speed.
Other Elements of Japanese music is a sense of space between the notes, known as a ma. This allows the listener to get a sense of balance and equilibrium.
One particular thing that can be noted is the stage room. The performers are playing cues for a actor who wears a mask. The actor sings, speaks, and dances to the rhythm and chant of the five musicians in the background. There seems to be five actors also, one main character with a role as a warrior of some sort.
The division between musicians and actors is clear due to clothing attire. The musicians are playing mainly rhythmic percussive instruments, although there is one outcast that happens to play a reed like instrument. Most likely this instrument is a sho, hichiriki, or ryuteki, but due to quality it is hard to pin down which one it is.
The audience takes a small role during the performance, like a many Western plays.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Blog Post 5
Tihai, a North Indian Hindustani classical trio band, performed a traditional Indian style that revealed most of the elements of Indian classical music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqqTPCmnKU
Digital Pill only featured three pieces, but the first piece had two performers featured with their own improvisations, one playing the saxophone like instrument and the other on a chordophone that might be a sitar. Although, the saxophone isn’t a traditional Indian instrument, the sitar and talbla are.
The tabla is a drum that is played with the hads and fingers to create elaborate patterns, another element of Indian music. Accompanied by the drummer in the second and third pieces, more elements are visible.
The improvisation was based on a raga melodic style, which is there are hundreds of unique ragas with their own ornaments, scales, pitches, and melodic lines which create the mood for the music. I could only hear the melodic movements, which didn’t move much, but the ornamentation in between seem to create the spirit of the music.
The tala, or long rhythm cycles, were too complex to follow, but seemed to be somewhat consistent for the musicians to follow together in the second and third pieces. Ironically, it seemed like the tabla player was following the sitar player rhythmically which contrasts from the contemporary style of music, where the drum is the metronome for the band.
Strangely I didn’t notice a drone until I read that it was a tonal foundation for the raga. This band also had a drone in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqqTPCmnKU
Digital Pill only featured three pieces, but the first piece had two performers featured with their own improvisations, one playing the saxophone like instrument and the other on a chordophone that might be a sitar. Although, the saxophone isn’t a traditional Indian instrument, the sitar and talbla are.
The tabla is a drum that is played with the hads and fingers to create elaborate patterns, another element of Indian music. Accompanied by the drummer in the second and third pieces, more elements are visible.
The improvisation was based on a raga melodic style, which is there are hundreds of unique ragas with their own ornaments, scales, pitches, and melodic lines which create the mood for the music. I could only hear the melodic movements, which didn’t move much, but the ornamentation in between seem to create the spirit of the music.
The tala, or long rhythm cycles, were too complex to follow, but seemed to be somewhat consistent for the musicians to follow together in the second and third pieces. Ironically, it seemed like the tabla player was following the sitar player rhythmically which contrasts from the contemporary style of music, where the drum is the metronome for the band.
Strangely I didn’t notice a drone until I read that it was a tonal foundation for the raga. This band also had a drone in the background.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Blog Post 4
When Googoosh sung at the live concert in Malaysia, the Iranian elements of music could be heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtiTG7Gcb7A
The melody was definitely complex. Some syllables had several different notes sung, many which sound very strange and almost flat or almost sharp at times. I believe she used quarter-tones in this manner, but I do not have perfect pitch.
The basic melody was sung by the crowd at times. This allowed me to understand the basic melody but also contrast it to Googoosh’s voice. During these short periods when the crowd could be heard, she would vary away from the melody with her own improvisation and kick to the song.
The music had heterophony textures. The melody and some instruments played the melody at different times. Googoosh would frequently waver away from the melody, another hint of heterophony texture. Although, there were clear uses of western instruments and homophony textures at infrequent occasions, one can tell this is not a western style of music.
The rhythms seem to be very simple but different between different instruments; which is another aspect of Middle Eastern music. Also, the language that was sung was in Farsi or the Iranian Language.
She has become an iconic figure ever since the Iranian government let her perform and leave the country. Although I am not used to listening to Middle Eastern music, she has a nice quality to her voice. Her style serves as an Art Music type since she is mainly doing this out of her passion for her country and culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtiTG7Gcb7A
The melody was definitely complex. Some syllables had several different notes sung, many which sound very strange and almost flat or almost sharp at times. I believe she used quarter-tones in this manner, but I do not have perfect pitch.
The basic melody was sung by the crowd at times. This allowed me to understand the basic melody but also contrast it to Googoosh’s voice. During these short periods when the crowd could be heard, she would vary away from the melody with her own improvisation and kick to the song.
The music had heterophony textures. The melody and some instruments played the melody at different times. Googoosh would frequently waver away from the melody, another hint of heterophony texture. Although, there were clear uses of western instruments and homophony textures at infrequent occasions, one can tell this is not a western style of music.
The rhythms seem to be very simple but different between different instruments; which is another aspect of Middle Eastern music. Also, the language that was sung was in Farsi or the Iranian Language.
She has become an iconic figure ever since the Iranian government let her perform and leave the country. Although I am not used to listening to Middle Eastern music, she has a nice quality to her voice. Her style serves as an Art Music type since she is mainly doing this out of her passion for her country and culture.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Extra Credit Blog Post 4
The Chinese New Year Celebration was an unexpected pleasure. My mom was also excited to attend since it was an open to the public, when we arrived at 7:00, there were 700 people all crowded in and outside the Conference Center Auditorium. Depressed, but determined to take notes, I befriended the bouncers and helped them bounce the frustrated parents and tourists.
The audience consisted of mainly Chinese people, some even came from china. The eager attendees ranged from little boys and girls to grandparents. There were also the regular elders and college kids, but my Asian brethren outnumbered them with a 100:1 ratio.
The performers occasionally between scenes had to change costumes. The men wearing Chinese white silk and red sashes. In the begging act they carried red fans. The girls who performed next were wearing teal and white dresses, some using masks as part of the act. Most of the girls in this act had claws of some sort and the main actress had a beautiful white dress.
This class was my way in to talking to some of the performers. I mainly talked to the Turkish fellow Ali. He wrote down some of the instruments that I heard (thanks Ali).
The instruments that I heard were the “Rewup, duttar, and timbur” (Ali). On top of these instruments I heard an idiophone and a drum. The music that I was listening to had a Duple and Simple Meter. Even with the buzz of the crowd, the music was still amazing, reminded me of my last vacation in China. Although I didn’t sit among the audience, my time that night was still an adventure. I hope next year they have more seats.
The audience consisted of mainly Chinese people, some even came from china. The eager attendees ranged from little boys and girls to grandparents. There were also the regular elders and college kids, but my Asian brethren outnumbered them with a 100:1 ratio.
The performers occasionally between scenes had to change costumes. The men wearing Chinese white silk and red sashes. In the begging act they carried red fans. The girls who performed next were wearing teal and white dresses, some using masks as part of the act. Most of the girls in this act had claws of some sort and the main actress had a beautiful white dress.
This class was my way in to talking to some of the performers. I mainly talked to the Turkish fellow Ali. He wrote down some of the instruments that I heard (thanks Ali).
The instruments that I heard were the “Rewup, duttar, and timbur” (Ali). On top of these instruments I heard an idiophone and a drum. The music that I was listening to had a Duple and Simple Meter. Even with the buzz of the crowd, the music was still amazing, reminded me of my last vacation in China. Although I didn’t sit among the audience, my time that night was still an adventure. I hope next year they have more seats.
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