I am Italian, so some genres that are associated with the Italian culture are pop, classical, rock and folk. The genre I will be focusing on is Italian Folk music. Some instruments used include the accordion, flutes, and bagpipes. The music originated in the 16th century. Some unique characteristics of Italian Folk music is the use of yodeling within it. Another unique characteristic is that different professions, like fishermen or soldiers, have their own songs. There are many artists that still produce Italian Folk music, like Baraban, Tre Martelli, Casa del Vento etc.  The genre is still tied to my ethnicity, as it is an important part of the country’s heritage. 

Source: https://blog.dinolingo.com/italian-language-culture/italian-traditional-music-and-musical-instruments-italian-culture-for-kids/

My family has been in Poland for generations until 25 years ago they migrated here to the states. Both of my parents originate from the Podkarpackie region of Poland. They may be from the same region that shares similar language and religion, but they both have different dances and music. My mother’s side is from Rzeszow, or near the outskirts of town and grew up watching and learning the rzeszowiacy dance popular in that region. My dad grew up more south in the Doły Jasielsko-Sanockie region so his family grew up dancing and watching the Pogórzanie dance. These two genres are not as popular as other polish genres. 

Growing up with Rzeszowiacy and taking lessons when I was younger, I choose to write about it. The music is very changing. At times the tempo could be slow but as the music and dancers progress, it becomes relatively faster. The dance matches the tempo, but is mostly fast-paced and involves lots of moving around the stage and jumping. Normally nowadays its this dance is performed to show the culture and history of the region and is danced around certain holidays or just days of significance. The instruments you would hear are normally a violin and sometimes there’s even an accordion and signing. This dance is tied in with this culture because it’s still performed to this day and there are still icons from this culture present today in polish culture. 

My dads side is originally from Poland, and a popular genre of music and folk dance is the Polonaise. “Polonaise” is the word “Polish” in French and its typically danced in carnival parties, or in ceremonies. It was first shown in the 17th century in French courts, but the original form of the dance originated in Poland. The dance itself is very slow paced, as the dancers walk more than they actually dance. They have a very straight posture and they typically never move their hips. The men are to be seen as very respectful and have dignity when they are around their partner. One of the greatest composers for Polonaise was Fryderyk Chopin, and most of his works were made with the piano. The Polonaise is definitely still tied to Polish culture, as it is a polish folk dance, and usually performed in weddings and ceremonies. They have groups located in Poland who pre-record the music and it is played all around the state.

In Chinese culture, the genre of folk music is prevalent and dates back to the Han Dynasty. One folk dance that is popular even today is the Chinese Dragon Dance. Initially used in a ceremony to worship ancestors and pray for rain, this dance today symbolizes “wisdom, power and wealth, and … are believed to bring good luck to people.” Typically, the music that goes along with this dance consists of “music of beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs.” Several dancers carry poles which are attached to a huge, decorative dragon. They dance and “puppet” the dragon to make it move as if it were a real creature. This dance is performed usually during Chinese New Year or at Lantern Festivals. Today, this performance still goes on and can be seen in many Chinatowns around the states.

I personally don’t feel tied to this folk genre or Dragon Dance because I don’t believe in the meaning behind it. Nevertheless, this type of music and dance is still very tied to my ethnicity and is enjoyed by many people from other cultures during the Chinese holidays. The video below shows the Lion Dance performed with the drum and gong in New York City Chinatown where many bystanders were able to witness.

When discussing what encompasses one’s individual’s ethnicity certain customs come to mind. My parents are Jewish immigrants who migrated from Russia to the United states in the early 1990’s. Throughout their transition and assimilation into the American lifestyle certain cultural customs were kept intact and non-wavering.

An example of this is lighting candles before sundown on Friday evenings to being in the Sabbath. While lighting candles the females of the family gather around while singing a prayer song as well as praying from the heart. The prayer say is Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, Melekh ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel  which translates into Shabbat. Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbat candle[s]. After this we sing Shalom Aleichem which translates to Peace be upon you to bring in the Sabbath.

During Sabbath we are not allowed to play instruments or use technology so the voice ( which is a gift by god) is used. Since there is no instrumental accompaniment and it is one single line of music if would illustrate itself as monophony.

In the video linked on the bottom there is a violin accompaniment to the song. however, it wouldn’t be played once sunsets

My parents originated in Malaysia, but similar to America there are some diversity in Malaysia with Indians, Malaysians, and Chinese people dominating the majority of the race in Malaysia. When I do visit them, they mainly still listen to Chinese Pop. Traditional Chinese people would wear a Hanfu similar to a Japanese Kimono and perform their music but in the modern era, this tradition is not as popular.

To my knowledge, Chinese people listen to pop music like western English music and Chinese pop music or C-pop similar to western pop music but in Chinese. In some Chinese pop music like others, uses English words in their lyrics quite often. However, mainly in old traditions they mainly use string instruments like the Erhu, Guqin, and Dizi.

So like K-pop the formatting is similar, but the C-pop is mainly appreciated amongst our own community, unlike K-pop which has a heavy influence in western society currently. They mainly create a smooth flowing tone throughout the music, especially with the string instruments. The traditional Chinese music is different from the current Chinese pop because it’s leaning towards a mix between Western Pop and Traditional Chinese Music. However, this Chinese pop shows the string instruments mainly used in Chinese culture and modern Chinese pop.

When talking about ethnic dances, for me, Tango is one that came to mind. It originated in the slums and impoverished areas in Argentina and Uruguay in the 1880’s. It is a mix of African, Spanish, and Argentinian song and dance. Some of the instruments used in an ensemble to play the music include guitars, violins, flutes, pianos, double bass, and bandoneons, which are instruments that are similar to accordions.

Some of the main characteristics of the music includes its fast tempo, syncopated rhythms, which is when sounds are displaced to unexpected parts of the song, a tool most commonly associated with jazz music. Most songs used to tango to also includes two equal repeating sections, usually in two different keys. This is done so the dance can be done in a lead-follow type form. This type of dance and music has become very popular throughout the world. This popularity has made different types of songs that tango is danced to.

Both of my parents were born in Poland. Different parts of Poland have different customs and different music every person listens to. A very popular music genre in Poland is the Krakowiak. Today, it is considered a national dance and genre of music. It was developed over time in the southern parts of the country and most importantly in Krakow, Poland. This type of music has been around the time of the dynasties. While listening to krakowiak, we are able to realize how quick and fast the beats are. In the dance itself, our feet are supposed to imitate horses to mimic their movement. Usually, the dancer performing the krakowiak will wear polish folk costumes. The fast syncopated style of Polish folk music has everyone on their feet. Considering it is a very upbeat and dance style genre, most of its music contains a consonant interval. Throughout the music, it has a short long short type of rhythmic pattern. 

The Krakowiak is in duple meter. Its melody has patterns containing extra notes, dotted rhythms, and use repetition. Some of the types of instruments used are baroque violins, recorders, fortepianos, trumpets, and the accordion. Today, different bands perform it at polish culture festivals and many special events. This type of music is still listened to today but most importantly it is performed. It is carried on through many generations and many people still dress up to perform. The example I choose is performed in the city it originated from in Krakow. In the video there dance women and men partnered up dancing together in front of a crowd at the main square of the city.

My parents are both Guyanese. The music associated with Guyana is just like music from other Caribbean areas. Some examples are soca, dance hall, and reggae. One genre that is widely listened to is reggae. Reggae music originated from Jamaica which is another Caribbean country. It was made around the late 60’s.
Reggae music is still tied to Guyana and other Caribbean countries. It’s closely associated with dancehall and soca music. These genres are often mistakes for one another because they are very similar. This music is influenced by other genres like jazz and calypso. Calypso music is a parent genre from many other genres in Caribbean culture. The harmony in reggae music is typically consonant. Reggae music influences today’s pop music. Other genres even include this genre such as rap. There are different types of music in this genre. Some are more calming and peaceful. Whereas other songs are made for dancing and are played at parties. Bob Marley was a very famous reggae artist. His grandson Skip Marley also makes music in this genre. Other artists such as Tory Lanez has music inspired by this genre. Recently Koffee won a Grammy for the song “Toast” which is a reggae song.