My topic of interest while in Spain was the music. At first I was very hesitant to select music as my topic, solely based on the fact that we would be singing and dealing with music the entirety of the trip, but I found that music is everywhere in Spain! The country is filled with vivacious and boisterous people who share the same of love of music that I do.
Prior to the trip, I did not know a whole lot about the music scene in Spain. As far as I was concerned music in Spain was limited to the Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack. I had of course heard Spanish music before but I had never known whether the music I was hearing originated from Spain or any other Spanish speaking country. We talked about how music changed over the years throughout Spain and all the different types of music, from Flamenco to Pop music. Also while in rehearsals it was nice to learn music in all the different types of spoken languages. While researching I was not aware of how present music is in the streets of Spain. Not to mention that musical theatre is becoming more popular in the country. El Rey Leon is already in it’s fourth year. Music travels through every window, doorway, and street in Spain. It’s everywhere!
While in Spain it was not hard to find street performers singing their hearts out or playing their instruments on the sidewalk. I clearly remember one local singing for the people of his country in front of a Cathedral in Salamanca. Sadly there were too many people and it was impossible for me to get a picture with him, seeing as he was singing away but the experience itself was amazing and I will never forget it. Also while in Spain I discovered how truly popular American pop music was in Spain. At many of the bars and shops they blasted the hits of today. I cant even count how many places played Beyoncé or the latest hit here in America. You can also see how it has influenced the music there. The pop music there is really catchy and shares many similarities of music in America just with Spanish flare.
Spain’s music scene is just as big as the music scene here in America. Everywhere you go there is music waiting to be heard. It adds to the already beautiful scenery that Spain offers itself. I will most definitely be visiting Spain again in my lifetime and I hope I will have the opportunity to get to know the music of Spain and the country itself better. It’s music is amazing and could be listened to all day long. Spain and its music made for an amazing trip and wonderful learning experience that will be remembered by the Carthage Choir for years and years to come.
I also found it really interesting to hear music that I knew by heart playing in almost every store. It made me feel connected to these people that I have never met before in a strange way.
But in reality, I loved the street performers and the flamenco music! To me, it showed such a great taste of Spanish culture that I would have never been able to experience any where else. These little things really highlighted my trip in an amazing, unforgettable way.
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Allison Wellnitz
1/28/2015 03:56:19 pm
While we were in Spain I also noticed all of this about music. These are great observations Austin! I heard music anywhere from traditional spanish folk music, flamenco, to American top 40 and Justin Bieber! My favorite musical expereiences in Spain most definitely were the flamenco dancers, and singers, and street performers, and the opportunity to sing on the El Rey Leon stage! It was also an amazing experience to share an communicate with the natives through singing music in choir as well.
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John Kryl
1/29/2015 01:22:03 am
This post helped me realize that there were more opportunities to hear music in Spain than I previously realized. I was hoping to experience more authentic music in dinning situations or organized concerts, but I didn't really see that as much as I would have liked. I didn't realize, though, how much I experienced in non-organized situations... like on the streets!