About me

 Hey guys! My name is Noelia Caballero and I'm from Brunswick, Georgia ( If you know where Saint Simons island is you're not too far off). I am currently in my junior year as a psychology major and I am hoping to be a clinical psychologist one day ( focusing on health psychology). After today's class I can say that I'm excited to hear new music as well as travel with the class. I am excited to learn the history behind not only the songs themselves but the people who created them. My musical experience consists of 9ish years of playing the violin, about a year of piano lessons and some theatre experience. I have very little experience with spirituals specifically, unless you count the songs I've played for services or heard in passing.  I hope to gain a better understanding of spiritual music as well as improve my knowledge in the history of this genre.  Although we will be learning a lot in class, I feel like the hands on/visual aspects of the course will help us form a better overall understanding of the topics presented in class. I feel like once I get to experience everything that this course has to offer ( from the museums to the music itself) , I'll have a better understanding of the impact this kind of music made on the people who sing/listen to it, as well as the depth of the history that contributed to the genre. I also think that by understanding the history behind this genre, I will be able to identify different parts of  African American culture as well as the traditional aspects that help us to define the spirituals. 

Attached below is a YouTube video of an African American spiritual called "Follow the drinking gourd" .

https://youtu.be/kjBZEMkmwYA 

Key components:

Repetition

Some call and response

Religious concepts

Simple lyrics

Because this specific video only has one singer we are unable to hear things like harmony. We are also unable to see body percussion due to the nature of the song and the composure of the performer. If this were performed by a larger group, I would expect more movement and musical elements. The calmness of this performance in particular raises the question of why people interpret music differently and how one version compared to another can slightly alter the interpretation of the piece itself.  When I first heard this song many years ago, it was sung by children. I think that the version attached evokes a different emotion than the one I was used to.