MUSIC AND USSSSSSSSS

Hello friends!!

this was my pretty view of our winter weather:

This has been such a fun journey writing this blog for our class, and I am very excited to share these last tunes. Before I get to this playlist, however, here is a link of a playlist of all the stuff we had in class that you can find on Spotify. 

Diverse Cultures 2026 Playlist                         

(please dignify the hours I spent making this with a click)

This prompt certainly was more difficult to encounter because I had to freely explore and be confident in making any decision about what to say.... what I am saying is this was a good exercise in using my brain cells and being my own vessel of education. Curating my own education for this mini blog post, if you will. 

One of the places I automatically wanted to go to was Russia- mostly because whenever I remember my Duolingo exists, one of my favorite languages to do is Russian (because the alphabet is fun). My first selection I have been debating using but ultimately chose because it is a good intro one and is fitting because of our recent weather (which apparently has been named Fern?)

ГРАЙ - В объятиях Мары 

Grai- In the Embrace of Mara

The Grai is a Russian folk metal band (dare I say syncretism? because folk melodies, Russian flute with a drumset and electrcic guitar) that I really like mostly because any time there is a successful combination of any type of flute and metal, I am happy. Interestingly enough this whole song is about THE COLD WINTER... The wooden flute in the beginning is called the Pyzhatka, looks like this (however they might also be using in some other peices another flute called the kalyuka...:

Doesn't the sound of it in the beginning of the song make you think of the icy cold outside? 

Some of the lyrics might help you cope with our cold weather:

White winter, came without asking,
Came fierce, covered with snow's silver .
Turned my soul and my heart into ice,
Covered the river with frozen tears.
Fierce winter took in Mara's embrace.

Mara/Morana/Marena is a Slavic mythology goddess associated with the rebirth and death of the cold of the winter. I think it's interesting how many cultures take the wintertime to reset, perhaps as a coping mechanism for the bitter cold and much of the danger that can come out of a long cold winter. (Modern, Russia is in Asia i think i hope) 

Another place I was hoping I could at least try to do was Ireland, because my name literally means Ireland. I wanted to go more Gaelic if I could... 

So I've actually also heard this song before and I thoroughly love this recording of Allison Helzer singing it. I came across is one a deep Spotify rabbit hole long ago, but the sweetness and simplicity of the song is what made me love it so much. 

(okay i just found the second recording and was excited that she decided to be on top of a mountain and sing because yes i support outside music videos)

It is translated from Gaelic to "the boatman" -and the supposed man on the boat is the unrequited (though some places say requited) lover of a young lady who misses him when he is out at sea. (Fear a’ bhàta | Terre Celtiche Blog) One source calls the song an iorram song meaning the song to the oars, and the rhythm flowing like rowing a boat has- i can hear it can you?). Our lady who wrote this in maybe the 19th century Sine NicFhionnlaigh of Tong says in the first lyrics "Oh my boatman, na hóro eile, My farewell to you wherever you go". Which is just oh so sweet, and I think that might be why is was able to last so long orally and then written down, becoming quite popular over time. Normally I hear this with some sort of plucked chordophone and a voice, and not much else, but sometimes a fiddle joins in different recordings that I've seen. 

The song ends with the lyrics 

"I often ask people on boats

Whether they see you or whether you are safe,

Each of them says

That I was foolish to fall in love with you."     

(Europe, Traditional)

OKAYYYY onto places I did not premeditate to explore...

I just looked at the map and found 2 places we had really never been and that I have basically no idea about and place number 1 was Kazakhstan.

The first interesting thing I learned (Kazakh Folk Music) was that though like many other cultures the traditional music history wasn't documented because of oral tradition, but their instruments were well documented, because the instruments were used to give signals when hunting or during rituals. The kobyz and dombra are their token stringed instruments (I like the kobyz because it kind of looks like a heart):

here was my favorite Kazakh dombra piece I found:

I think the melody is called "Alkissa Kui" and it is a traditional dombra piece. I chose it because I felt like it showed the spirit of the instrument and I liked how I could hear a different texture from the strings that made it sound different than just an acoustic guitar. I also chose this because the dombra traditional repertoire is the "Kui" genre that was distinct from Western music prior to the 19th century when Russia in some ways pushed Kazakhstan music to become more Westyish.  (Traditional, Kazakhstan -Asia)

The final stop on my virtual adventure is Ethiopia, a place I only know because it has a cool name. Little did I know, the first thing I would find is a cool instrument called the Begena- which is a really buzzy sounding string instrument of Ethiopia that is for the "zema" or spiritual part of Ethiopian music.  

It has 10 strings and is in the lyre family. Alemu Aga is described to be the master of the begena, and has dedicated much of his career to sharing the music of this instrument and continuing this rich tradition. While the buzzy sounds of the instrument was a new experience for me, I think it is really wild to just watch how the instrument is played. 

The rare timbre of this instrument I think sounds better when the singer joins in because then there seems to be this cool balance with the human vocals. 

I think the title of the song was Ende Jerusalem, or End of Jerusalem, which through that journey taught me the language spoken in Ethiopia is called Amharic. However, Ethiopia is very linguistically diverse, with over 80 languages spoken there so that is fun for trying to figure out words. 

Alemu very nicely explains the instrument in this video:

I did not expect much of the instrument parts to be named after various different people or parts of Christianity like the 10 strings for the 10 Commandments, and the soundbox named after Mary. This made more sense to why they call the instrument "King David's Harp"

(Traditional, Ethiopia -Africa)

Thank you for joining me as I explored the familiar and the unfamiliar music of other countries! 

I think it is exciting when we get to share what is new and special to us. I couldn't keep the fun of this assignment all to myself, and when I told my mom what was keeping me typing on this laptop she goes "oh can you put in the hu???" 

so this here is my mother's favorite song from Mongolia- Yuve Yuve Yu

(the energy is everything for us)

Peace!

MUSIC AND MOOOGEYYYYY

A warm welcome to my blog post, this one is a special one!!

my previous posts have somehow always gone back to members of my family, and it is due time that you've met the center that truly holds us all together- MOOGEY

this is a much younger me and my mom on top of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina- YES, IT IS A PLACE YOU SHOULD GO IT'S PURTYYYYY

her actual name (i guess one could say) is Judy McCallion, but she is Mama McCallion, ie my mom, but we all affectionately call her moogey because its an incredible nickname but also too, it is indeed a star trek reference. 

           (Moogey is the name of one our favorite character's mother on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They are an alien species called the Ferengi, who happen to have the funniest episodes on the series. The dramatic way in almost every instance they need their mother they go "I want my mooogey!" must have resonated with me and my sister, and we decided to adopt it. Now my niece only knows her as Mama Moogey, so it is likely a title here to stay. For more understanding of this, here is a few clips of this concept...)

INTERVIEEW TIMEEE

I wasn't quite sure how I would conduct this interview with my mother, but I eventually decided to have it framed around the main question of- what would the soundtrack to your life be? And then trusting in my and her genetic ability to carry a conversation where no man has gone before... 

My mom responded with "There's stuff I like but it doesn't accurately describe or feel that autobiographical..." which I actually totally expected as her answer because  y mom is a much more accurate and precision-based human than I... regardless, she eventually was able to come up with some pretty solid things, but disclaimer from my mother that every lyric or idea might not wholly articulate her experiences, etc. etc.

The first song made me quite excited because it actually is a super fantastic guitar and/or piano piece that I always beg any guitarist I know to play, and I totally forgot that my mom is likely the person I learned it from. (this is a trend y'all)

One of my mother's earliest musical memories and experiences were when her father would pull out his guitar and just play for his family. 

This is one of the pieces he either played often, or similar to one he played. 

    "He wouldn't play every week, often enough, usually a Sunday after dinner thing. Just hanging out together... he didn't sing with it, but he was spirited in his playing. It wasn't about them (siblings and mom) listening... he would start very slowly (part of the soundscape *wink*), then you would key into it at the parts that are more intense and then it's like ahhh yes, he is playing"

Her Dad would always give her mother records for Christmas, so the house was no stranger to music, the radio or record player being on often.

Fun Fact that Seemed Impactful to Me in the Interview: Records = music you listened t0 when you did not want COMMERCIALS 

Likely somewhat related to the influence of hearing her dad play guitar for years, Moogey signed up for guitar lessons in 4th and 5th grade. She ended up later playing guitar at Sunday mass for a year or so- but looking back the style of guitar she wishes she had gotten to learn is the more Spanish guitar style. (hey mom, you can always start now ☺)

The next piece she chose for her "soundtrack" excited me because, well...

Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite!!!! (Ryan aren't you excited???)

Her family would go camping a ton, and when my mom started dating my dad, they would sometimes go to see overlooks. They absolutely carried this tradition with me and my sister because I have this deep-seated need to be in the woods or in the mountains on a regular basis, same way you'd water a plant, take me and my mom to the mountains...

My mom had 3 other siblings, and her parents decidedly made an effort to spend time with each child individually. Her dad took just my mother canoeing one day, maybe on the Shenandoah River together, and she remembers it being really fun.

I personally had a lightbulb moment (more like 70) in this interview, and one was simply in hearing about my mother's childhood, and how her parents, well, parented. They lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Their house had a first, second floor, and basement. In the basement, there was a workshop her father used, laundry, and then a play area full of toys found at yard sales as well as the verrrry old record player of music (there are the numbers 33 and 45 involved, but neither my mother nor I are the most confident about these details) from when her parents were teenagers- thus some of the other sounds of my mother's childhood was actually 50s music in the 70s. So, she hadn't formed a taste or a distaste for her parent's music, she was just having fun.

    "You could never be bored in my parents' house. We were lucky, my parents put up with the chaos kids bring- with toys and the mentality of CREATIVE MESS IS OKAY"

I can't really describe how happy and excited I was when my mom said that because there was just a sense of familiarity with this concept/family value that goes unsaid. Creative mess, among other ideas, is just a really good way to articulate experiences with her family growing up- or more so that openness to creative messes in the pursuit of growing and living... yeah it makes me happy. Appalachian Spring at 20 minutes and 52 seconds is just about how I felt when she described some of this to me.

Next song on Moogey's Soundtrack is another that just makes sense to me because it's one of the ones she would sing every time it came on the radio. I am realizing now just how much an impact my mom liking a song so much she would sing with it had on me- because all her favorites I just deeply enjoy. Power of suggestion?

Lenny Kravitz- Fly Away

Basically, my mom hit the part of her life where she said-

     "i need to start my own grown-up life and Get AWAYYY"

My parents got married at 19 and 20 and though I guess that's considered young, they both were just ready to life and they had each other to support and love along the way.

A few years or so after living together in Maryland, my parents made the decision to move to where they wanted to raise their kids (ha-ha me at some point, but we are getting there...) so they by the advice of my dad's dad that "hey Greenville, South Carolina is going to boom in like a decade you might as well go near there". I just think that detail is so cool that he just was so confident and WASNT WRONG.

My parents have my sister Lizzie and then 8 years later ME. When I am about 2 or 3, however, my mom gets a cancer diagnosis. These next two songs live around this moment in time and after.

Seether- Rise Above This (Erin is realizing we have the same taste) 

"I picked this song just because the most difficult times of your life, once you get through them, you realize they weren't so hard looking back, and you can take anything on. You're not invincible- but you can rise above some really hard things"

And rise above you did, Moogey! (i love you so much)

I was too young to really remember much of this part of my life, but my mom battled some tough chemo treatments and the emotional toll of a scary diagnosis and stress that comes from it. My dad was halfway through nursing school at the time, so we really didn't have much money. My mom was working at a preschool. When her doctor told her it was cancer, she said, "are you sure you can't just give me antibiotics", which is so real, mom.

How does one rise above during the trials of life such as cancer?

It's not alone and it isn't in a lone moment.

    "More than one community started to help, the church, the preschool, family and friends... because soooo many doctors appoints and medicine and chemo... they told me not to go to church because of my immunity, but, there was a 7:30am Sunday mass no one went to, if there was a week i felt healthy enough- I'd say, “screw the doctors' orders I'm going to mass” "

My mom's spirit and raw determination is always carrying the amazing things I see my parents do, and there's many places where I see it recharge. Sometimes for my mom, its church, but other times its in music (sometimes the music is AT church lol). One example I was hoping she would think of was Band of Horses- The Funeral, but its a verrrry specific case where the music video is of Danny Macaskill doing absolutely legendary bike tricks. It is really cool to see how music could develop over time to have music videos as a mixed media form of art.

" ...dad spent at least 7 years on his free time training and racing (cycling...oh there's more to this but would you believe it this is my condensed blog post?) but it was from his ages 30 - 40, and our attitude together was if you're gonna do this, you will never be stronger than now, do your BEST and SEE WHAT HAPPENS...."

While my mother was having chemo, and my father had just about finished up his cycling career, my mother saw this video and listened to the lyrics and thought- “I'm not waiting my funeral, I'm waiting for the funeral of the DEATH of my cancer”.

She also connected with how the video starts with him trying and falling and falling again and again, and to my mom she realized, "don't worry if you fall down, that just shows you're getting better!" (which is a direct quote from when a bunch of toddlers were taught how to roller-skate at the preschool my mom worked at)

So, you can see here- music and not just music alone is how my mother (and ultimately, I too as her offspring) really connect and engage with our experiences. It's inseparably wrapped up in our stories- part of quiet moments in nature or with family (if it's my family it's probably loud moments...) or part of the din when fighting physical and emotional battles. Growing up with her parent's own stories through their music, then meshing with my mother's becoming story made me see how mine is doing the same. Maybe very close to the meaning of family is that shared story. Music is just one of the richest ways we get to tell our stories...

To Close my long-winded sort of summary of my interview with my mom:

Me: Got a favorite memory of music?

Moogey: Yessss, I think it was after I had been taking guitar lessons, I was still a pre teen, once or twice a year I would go somewhere special with my dad. He took me to a concert at the Kennedy Center, Andres Segovia. When you go into one of the best performance venues with grown ups very excited, it is so special. The performance started, and I was trying my best to be well behaved and polite, sitting properly. Then, part way through at the break, someone in the row behind us said to my dad, "sir can you stop drumming your fingers it is bothering the show" 😆

MUSIC AND MEMORYYYY

(the first song is one of my dad's favorites, and I would never happen upon it without him, much like other songs in my music taste, so everyone say hi to my dad)

This is such a fitting prompt for me because I am constantly agonizing over the failings of my memory, and thus spending time putting music i care about into a gazillion playlists in order to prevent forgetting about them (but the day Spotify crashes, yes you should be worried about me...) as well as putting all 70 and counting life lessons I fear forgetting into a mega document on my google drive called "trivial thoughts".... 

So that's one thing. There is music that I fear I will one day forget exists. I think that makes it a special kind of priceless because of my fear... literally the second this was assigned in class, I wrote down in a corner (that I was worried I was going to forget) of 4 pieces that immediately I was thinking of for this here post. 

Someone asked me the other day "what is your favorite song?"- and HOW IS ANYONE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION LEGIT. But then I realized, if there is a song for that, its this one:

The Unwinding Cable Car by Anberlin       (Oh my gosh go listen to Anberlin's song Inevitable too)

I'm like 5, sitting in the backseat of my dad's car, my sister next to me, my mom in the front, dad is driving. It is super late at night, but the stars are these huge twinkling globs of bright in a way I miss. We all are hearing this song for the billionth time, because it is one of the many choice songs that cycle on his USB port. I am not upset by the fact we have heard it a billion times, nor is my dad. My mom is so tired of it though, and she would rather listen to anything but this one because of how much it has been repeated. A similar discussion/argument could be said for us watching reruns of MASH daily for the entirety of my life and perhaps my dad's as well. But now both this song and MASH are the types of comfort songs/shows because of the repetitions. The second I hear the guitar at the beginning of this song, I am transported back to being in the car at night, and this biggest thing is my immediate family of 4 are all right there. One car. I did not know then how special to me moments of all 4 of us being in one room together would be to me now. At that point, the concept of us ever being separated was completely foreign to me and what a luxury that is. I am tangent-ing. Basically, this song will always transport me to being in the car, at night, with my family, and that makes my heart melt. 

Question: Any of y'all watch MASH semi-habitually? Trying to tell my mom there's other people out there...

next song....

Enya's Caribbean Blue

(technically any Enya song will send me back to my youngest memories, but this one is cool)

Okay so basically ever since I existed, I struggle to be put to sleep and struggle even more so to wake up. Ask my mom, I was such an awful morning child. Still am, just grown-up child. 

One thing that would help me get into some sort of restful state before bed was an Enya CD that I would just play over and over again until I was lulled to sleep. Then somewhere in there I stopped needed it, and went on with life. Then in middle school I was in art class, painting sOmEtHiNg and my art teacher was playing a CD in the background and lo and behold it was an Enya CD and I realized that oh my gosh these are the sounds that are intrinsic to my being simply because of, yet again, repetitions. (I promise all you music ed people I am not trying to propagandize varied repetitions in this here post, but then again...) BUT THEN I was watching Derry Girls (this show makes me cackle) with my sister a few summers ago and one of the episodes had THIS song in the background for a rather impactful message at the end of a season and it truly sent me back to trying to fall asleep, art class, but then also too their weird hypnosis of reflection that this particular song just creates. This song is one I can totally stare off into space to- contemplating anything from metaphysics to green eggs and ham to when did I last tell my friends thank you for existing because yes thank you all for existing??? like yay

next one, I didn't want to go sad, but it actually does fit this prompt soo

I really don't mean to tell a sad story but the first time I saw my dad cry was a few summers ago when my dad's close friend passed away from esophageal cancer. And they played this song at his celebration of life ceremony and showed pictures from his life at the same time and there were no dry eyes in the room. I learned so much about this person that I barely knew. I met him when I was younger, but he was one of my dad's bike racing buddies from before I was born. I learned as people shared stories of this man, Tommy K, that he was extraordinarily vibrant, risk taking, and giving to the absolute max capacity. Ever since this experience of this song, every time I hear it, I say a little mental hello to Tommy, sometimes my eyes get a little watery, and I say thanks to God for the gift of life, whatever the duration. 

I just want to end this on a lighter note. 

this is the catchiest theme song for a kids tv show you will ever hear. 

I have ZERO memory of watching the show but I have had this theme song stuck in my head for my whole life it seems. When I listen to it, I am happy that the song is not a figment of my imagination because, seriously, I dont remember watching it but I must have right???

MUSIC AND MEEEE

 Hello everyone!!!!

This is Erin McCallion- the flutist, but I will affectionately plug our dear classmate Erin not McCallion, she's a bass. So just know there's 2 of us yippee! 

If you told me my senior year of high school (at least the first half) and any time before that I would be a music major I literally would tell you that you are quite wrong, and I have no musical ability. SOMEWHERE in this journey I realized that oh my gosh, loving playing the flute for about 10 years is indeed may be a little clue that maybe I do like music! There is absolutely much more to the how in the world did Erin get HERE, as in Converse, but I feel it might deserve its own blog post. 

I am from Woodruff, South Carolina, which is like a 20-30 min drive down some sort of road with the number 2 in it. I have only lived in one house my entire life, and it is surrounded by woods, that I grew up playing in and that is basically the setting for all of my deep thinking. If there are trees, Erin is happy. 

Here is me with my sister Lizzie and her daughter Athena. They are my favorite humans ever:

Bonus question- don't we look related? For much of my life people would say I look adopted. Please in comments describe how wrong they are. 

Alright onto, the MUSIC!!!!

1. So I always say random song references and for some reason this past month I continuously would start singing the, "if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make the CHANGE". And now it's been my recent shower song that I dance to and it has been such a vibe this month for me. 

2. Foreigner's Hot Blooded is absolutely my walk up song. While it took some deliberation, this is the song that would absolutely inspire whatever accuracy powers I have to successfully hit a baseball with a bat. Something about the energy and the guitars make me feel perhaps stupidly confident I could be a Spartanburger. 

3. *dramatic sigh* 

I am sure it is completely my fault that I strongly dislike Ed Sheeran's Perfect. I am such a fan of some of his other songs, but unfortunately it has constantly been the one song that makes me feel some small levels of anger and frustration with maybe the lyrics or the slowness of the song. 

Bonus:

This is one of my all-time favorite groups, Volbeat, and my favorite (maaaybe) song by them, For Evigt- which I think is Danish for eternally/forever. This group is from Denmark (i think) and me and my dad are obsessed with them. Something that will always uplift me on a bad day is this song. ENJOY

and yes, if you ask i can very badly sing this song at the top of my lungs for you in my car (: