Minor in Music and Cultures

Music has always been a major part of my story, from being in my father's recording studio as a child to obtaining my own positions as a music, dance, and theatre instructor (See image below of my band and I). During my four year undergraduate experience when obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Industries at Ryerson University, I completed a Minor in Music and Cultures through the Department of Philosophy and Music.

According to Ryerson's website, the Minor in Music and Culture "focuses on engendering an understanding of music in and as culture and examines music’s functions through a critical lens, using a broad repertoire that allows students to make connections between musical expression and broader political, economic, religious and social spheres" (https://www.ryerson.ca/calendar/2019-2020/minors/music_culture_minor/).

My Main Areas of Research in Music and Culture:

The courses I took while completing my Minor were; Intro to World and Early European Music,The Architecture of Music, Introduction to Classical Music, Music of World Cultures, Social Issues in Popular Music, and Architecture of Music II. Below I will showcase some of my main research focuses throughout these courses.

A Song on the Streets of Italy and Puerto Rico by Sarah McLay: For decades, Latin Americans and Italians have been intertwined in a long fusion of Latin-derived cultures, notably both sharing Romance languages. Due to poor economic and social conditions in Italy, many people immigrated to Latin American countries, which had a profound impact on globalizing the arts and culture scenes in these nations. For example, “in South America, immigrants from Italy contributed to the birth of tango but were soon assimilated by a new cultural mix” (Prato, 2007, p. 458). My essay will discuss the relationship between Latin American music, specifically that of Puerto Rico in a fusion with the Western influence of Italian canzones. Using the example of a recent collaboration between Italian performer Eros Ramazzotti and Puerto Rican superstar Luis Fonsi, I will analyze “Per Le Strade Una Canzone” and apply their case to the concept of globalization through musical fusion. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vQQ6Z5Fn8QrYNjH3MiNV9Vu3dQoQxoqn/view?usp=sharing)

A “Brave” Feminist in the Music Industry by Sarah McLay: Sara Bareilles is representative of a feminist political stance in music, because she empowers her female fans and incorporates feminist ethics into her everyday life. Her leadership and use of emotional revitalization helped her reject the patriarchal expectations of the music industry and act as a role model for girls. Bareilles promotes feminist politics and empowers audiences with her music. Bareilles defies hypersexualization and conveys emotions within her compositions. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GLs6BJL9MkayHQnsy9y--p8TWOvFSPda/view?usp=sharing)

Classical Music Comparative Research (Stravinsky and Bartok) by Sarah McLay: Igor Stravinsky and Bela Bartok are two of the most influential composers of their time. The men were born only one year apart from each other, Bartok in 1881 and Stravinsky in 1882, yet the two carved completely different career paths. Bartok was a pioneer in the field of ethnomusicology and significantly impacted the nationalist movement. Stravinsky’s work evolved the world of music when he shocked audiences with his primitive show, The Rite of Spring. The two key pieces analyzed in the following pages, are Jeu Des Princesses Avec Les Pommes, from The Firebird, composed by Igor Stravinsky, recorded in 1961, and Bela Bartok’s Hungarian Peasant Songs, No. 15 – Allegro, recorded in 2007. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/145dFMrd2LDHlbIwK8cB3eDlGKwBjoBhd/view?usp=sharing)

Research and Musical Analysis for Johann Sebastian Bach by Sarah McLay: Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most influential composers of all time. His death in 1750 marked the same year as the end of the Baroque period (Palisca, 1968, 1). Throughout his career, Bach was a composer, organist, violinist, concertmaster, Director of Music, and Cantor (Palisca, 1968, 200-201). Bach’s work evolved the music industry when he helped establish tonality through the popularization of well temperament (Erickson, 2009, 301). The key piece being analyzed in the following pages is Bach’s fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier No. 16 in G Minor, written in 1722. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w1-kgFvw6ywgi1fNEsnKTld4FU5664H8/view?usp=sharing)

Comparative Essay and Musical Analysis of Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar by Sarah McLay: Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar are arguably the two most influential composers of the twentieth century. However, the two were born on opposite sides of the world, one starting as a great American composer, and the other, a significant figure in the globalization of Indian and world music. The two key pieces analyzed in the following pages, are Spring Dance, composed by Ravi Shankar, and Knee Play 5, from “Einstein on the Beach”, composed by Philip Glass, featuring Robert Wilson. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14-PW70RPZpnr0xBr8m_MoGP3HtR6FOS5/view?usp=sharing)

Brahms - A Biography of the Composer and Analysis of Compositional Style by Sarah McLay: Johannes Brahms was a prominent German Romantic composer. The chosen piece analyzed in the following pages is Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor. After working on the 21 Hungarian Dances for a decade, Brahm’s finished composing the piece in 1868 (MacDonald, 1990, 440) and likely published it shortly after in the following year. Brahm’s nostalgic compositional style made his works focus on his predecesors, reminiscent as if he was reflective of the eras before him, writing to the sounds of his elder’s generations. (Read in full here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VZj2hDr788-wq3VJkAv9BwD3gtqpey9o/view?usp=sharing)