SongVuePhotovoiceAlb um

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Photovoice By Song Vue

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Chinese acrobatic troupes tour more then 100 countries and regions to promote friendship & cultural exchanges. There are 120 troupes with 12,000 people involved in performing (thinkquest). The Lion dance evolved from folk dances in China. There are two types, the big lion which has 2 men and the small lion with only 1 man. They perform with movements that captures the lion such as rolling and jumping but also strength, agility and playfulness of the lion (thinkquest). Acrobatic Show in Beijing, China. This is the Lion dance that is performed during most acrobatic performances. China has had long traditions of music and dance. This picture displays some of the traditions that are still held in China.

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Peking Opera in Beijing, China. This is the story of the Monkey King going to the West. Peking Opera called “Jingju” in Chinese meaning the theater of the capital, is a form of musical theater. The plot comes from popular legends, historical events, novels or narratives. It is a combination of virtuosi singing, stylized movements and gestures, acrobatics, fancy make-up and elaborate costumes. Scenes within the opera varies from romance, battles, acrobatic skills, dramatic scenes, to scenes such as the comical slapstick of political satire (105 Wong).

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Qeej is an instrument often played by the Miao or Hmong group. The boys are practicing the Qeej as part of their daily school work in Xijiang village. The tradition of learning the Qeej is still present in small Hmong villages like this There are many songs and repertoire that must be learned to be considered a skilled Qeej player. Pieces range from funeral songs to weddings songs. Xijiang is a village located in Guizhou province, China. It is farther away from the major city of Guiyang. It is about a 6 hour drive from Guiyang to Xijiang. Xijiang has about 1,000 Hmong families,while Guizhou in total has about 4 million Miao people. The Miao in Xijiang speak the central dialect and are considered the “Black Miao” sub-group.

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Western Classical Musicians are mostly trained in their instruments from a very young age and perfect their skills when in college. In comparison to the Qeej players there are many similarities but one similarity is learning the instrument from a young age. The difference I notice is the way the two groups perform. Qeej performances requires movement when playing a piece. Western music is based on formality which requires the musician to be positioned in a designated place and play with good posture. Western music college Brass Quintet group consisting of five different instruments. Instruments include Trombone, Alto & tenor Trumpet, French Horn, and Tuba.

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This is the Miao group in Wenshan, Yunnan. They are singing a group song called “Our name is Hmong”. This type of group singing is considered more of a social type of performance, as noted by many ethnomusicologist when observing how a certain ethnic group uses music. Notice however that they are lined up similar to classical choirs and there is a conductor in front of the group directing them. This is mostly influenced through western churches group singing activities.

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This is an example of how classical western choirs would line up in performance. For this group there isn’t a conductor, but the larger choir group does require a conductor with them when performing to help shape and bring the music out. This picture is different from the Miao singing group in how it is solely for performance purpose and not a social focus. Although the singers look like they enjoy singing the song, but the use of expression is something that is taught and practiced numerous times before performing in front of an audience. The difference with the Miao group is that they are singing with emotions that is not practice except for the song.

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Miao girls in Xijiang, Guizhou performing a traditional Miao dance. The clothing is traditional Miao clothing and is often worn during dancing and singing performances. This type of dance was designed to be performed in front of a group, preferably guest. The name of the song was called “Taking the train to the Miao village.” This is slightly different then other types of Hmong dancing where it is social and includes a group dance. This could be the impact or influences of westernized dances such as ballet, where the performance aspect is done solely for entertaining not a social focus.

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St. Cloud State University group dancing with the Miao in Xijiang Village. This picture is an example of group singing and dancing in a social aspect. There are Qeej players and the Miao women are singing while dancing in that circle. The reason why it is considered social is because they invite the guest to participate as well.

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Dancers in Beijing, China. This group of 3 dancers are performing outside to a Korean pop song to promote the new mp3 mini player. The style of the dance is contemporary dancing. This is an example of how the influence of other countries can directly impact China within dance and music. When analyzing this type of contemporary dance there are many things that suggest it is derived from western influences. When observing the dance I noticed that it was mostly similar to American hip-hop dance styles. The music was Korean pop but it is mostly influenced by American hip-hop and rhythm and blues popular music.

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Hmong college students at Yunnan Nationality University performing during the dinner banquet. This type of singing is considered contemporary because of the performance focus of it being for entertainment versus social. The type of clothes and usage of a microphone to amplify sound is also an indicator of contemporary singing. Along with how Chinese music is changing more into popular western music. This group is singing a song that sounds more contemporary because of the chromatics and chordal progressions within the piece. Ethnic groups such as the Miao or Hmong group is also shifting from traditional to contemporary music. The sound of the song or music piece is what determines whether it is traditional or contemporary music.

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This woman is from an ethnic minority group in China. she is supposedly singing a traditional song, but I think it is more contemporary then traditional because of the way she is dressed and how she sings the song. Perhaps the words and meaning of the song pertains to her ethnic culture but the sound of the song with vocal and music sounds very modern and western music influenced. The musical instruments are hard to distinguish because the instruments are not visible or played live. This is a good example of how ethnic minority music is influenced by Chinese music which has changed because of the influence of western music. therefore I believe that most traditional music will eventually change to sound similar to western popular music, which was then derived from western classical music.

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Young Chinese woman singing at a bar or club in Kunming, Yunnan. She was singing in the Chinese language but the song reflected more of western melodies and musical instruments. The setting of the club mostly resembled the clubs in America. Her type of singing would be considered contemporary Chinese pop music. The only difference was the language she sung the song in. This observation gave me the impression that Chinese music has evolved into this type of popular music and it mostly resembles American popular music.

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Music shop in Wenshan, Yunnan. This music shop is also a place where they teach children how to play the piano. These two children are learning how to play the Piano by reading the notes on the sheet of music. This is a good example of how western classical music has influenced the people in China. This Wenshan area is one of the smaller cities in Yunnan. If small cities are experiencing this influence then perhaps bigger cities are more exposed to western classical music and perhaps more exposed to popular western music.

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This picture was taken at the Hmong International Market in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This vendor is selling movies and music from overseas. Some vendors I spoke with mentioned that they get Chinese music from visiting china and purchasing CD’s over there to bring back and sell in the states. Other vendors stated that they can order CDs online or through some of the bigger businesses in California, who then ships the CDs to MN. Most California businesses have connection with some of the music companies in China that ships to them. Globalization impacts not just the music itself but the business or music industry as well. This then impacts the different societies in China and America.

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As a result of the influence of western music classical and popular Many people are finding ways to expose all types of music in china. This artist Song zu ying is supposedly a Miao singer. I bought her CD when I went shopping in the CD stores in Beijing. Listening to her music I think it sounds more contemporary then traditional Miao songs. The songs are also in the Chinese language and not the Miao language. The way the CD is designed displays a direct result of globalization.

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In Conclusion Traditions in China are still maintained through live performances. Ethnic groups in China are still practicing their traditions of folk singing and dance. Even though it is apparent that traditions still exist, there have been many influences from other countries especially western countries that directly influence music in China. Globalization in music is very visible. Everyday the youth is exposed to many ads, commercials, magazines, and other media sources that are directly influencing their decisions in what kind of music they choose to listen to. Globalize music impacts not just the music from traditional to contemporary changes but these changes also can shape a society differently.