What is World Music? The question seems simple enough on its surface, however once you begin answering you may find it difficult to convey what it really means. That is because we think of World Music as a genre, one that you could go to a record store and find as a section between Banda and Spoken Word. Despite its name, World Music as a genre encompasses little of the world’s total music. Indeed, if it really was a catalog of “all the world’s music”, the term would be useless.
A more succinct definition I find is, “someone else’s local music”. Yet this fails to encapsulate what that music sounds like, the instruments involved, and the culture that drives its creation. These are all key factors in how I describe music to others when describing a band or a song.
On Saturday September 28th, I attended The World Music Festival at 8va Hall with intrigue as I knew this would not be a typical piano recital. I had only attended one event at 8va Hall before, which was a BBQ in June where the students performed outside under the cover of a bubble making machine.
When I was learning piano myself, a typical piano recital would mean roughly 1-2 hours of sitting quietly while a child played through their piece, clap politely while they bowed, and then get a treat at the end. This model has not changed very much at all in present day music schools.
As a child, the seriousness of the recital filled my young heart with dread. In the months leading up to a performance I would practice my piece diligently. Then with a week or two left I would become anxious. My whole family will be there watching me, along with 100 other people, listening to and watching my performance. If I made a mistake, it was crushing. Then once it’s over, you start the process all over again.
In this way, the student may perform around two to four times a year. In my experience, I was only really proud of maybe one performance of the four each year.
This is not what learning music should be about. The chance to perform and share your craft with the world is one of the greatest parts of being a musician. When we teach children that the performance is nerve-wracking, they will associate performing not with joy, but anxiety.
So instead, The World Music Festival had performances of pieces that did not take months to learn but weeks. There was of course clapping politely for each performer, but also conversations, laughter, eating, and high spirits. Quite the opposite from what I experienced growing up as a musician.
The performers played pieces from their heritage, and shared their local dishes in a potluck. We all get to bring a part of home with us for comfort, and perhaps find something new that shapes our perspectives for growth. By having the space to meet parents, teachers, and students in person, we are developing a culture that says performing for other people is not scary but instead fun and beneficial for all.
When the recital was completed, students were invited to play further if they wanted to, which a few quickly accepted. Many other students went to get photos with their teacher. I met with others that I had only worked with online, usually with some line of “Do you remember me from Kaizen?” My own student performed wonderfully, and we high-fived before we said goodbye.
Taking a look back at 8va as I left, it occurred to me that World Music does not have a cultural center. There is no town, region, or country that can claim “World Music started here”. World music can be anywhere, anytime. “Someone else’s local music” might just be playing right now, down the street in your neighborhood.
Onward,
Connor Moen
