01 Aug 12 - 03:57 PM (#3384785) Subject: Diplomacy Through Music in Afghanistan From: Desert Dancer A short item at Utne Reader: Diplomacy Through Music in Afghanistan 7/11/2012 by Peyton Tochterman My name is Peyton Tochterman. I'm a musician from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I make my living writing, teaching and performing American Folk music—the music that tells stories in notes, chords and verse about who we are and what we Americans are all about. And I'm now in war-torn Afghanistan. There's a video at the link. This is the singer-songwriter school of "American Folk", rather than traditional... CNN poses the question of whether they should report on this: American Sings in Afghanistan. (You have to log in to reply.) Here's a longer artical from The Daily Progress (Virginia): Tochterman's music helped build common ground. Related to this, The Annual Afghanistan Winter Music Academy at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music included American fiddling, among other things. This was Eden Macadam-Somer, who is amazing, and currently pursuing a PhD at the New England Conservatory in "Contemporary Improvisation". Here's a YouTube video of her clogging for the Afghan students. I believe her musical partner, Larry Unger, was able to perform with her there, too. Eden was intending to return there today, actually, for two weeks. Her Indie GoGo funding attempt didn't work out. I hope that she was able to find the funds elsewhere. In these kind of interactions there is so much learning that goes both ways. More power to those who do it. ~ Becky in Tucson |
01 Aug 12 - 07:47 PM (#3384868) Subject: RE: Diplomacy Through Music in Afghanistan From: GUEST,Gern Sounds very useful to me, and it sounds like you're getting a lot out of it. What do the Afghan audiences respond to? What interaction can you have with them? What content limitations do you have to consider? Particularly, are politics discussed? Kinda hard to avoid it in that setting, I would think. |
01 Aug 12 - 11:07 PM (#3384908) Subject: RE: Diplomacy Through Music in Afghanistan From: Desert Dancer Hi, Guest,Gern, this was not me, the article text is from Peyton Tochterman. Check the Daily Progress link for a little more detail on his trip. Here is another site with more information on the programs with the New England Conservatory at the Afghan National Institute of Music. Click on the "Archive" link for stories. Here is another video, of Larry Unger and Eden performing at ANIM. ~ Becky in Tucson |