by Larnies Bowen
Against my fears (and the warnings of my host country contacts), a day after I touched down on Panamanian soil, I found myself stuffed onto a seat of one the glorified school buses (known as diablos rojos) that make up the public transportation system here in Panama City. Clutching the back of the seat in front of me (so much for seat belts…), I took in my surroundings.
by Phally Chroy
Kong Nai is one of the few remaining Cambodian living masters in the world that has managed to survive and play one of Cambodia’s most important traditional instruments, the chapie dong vien. In part to an Australian TV show, the TV station set up a shot at a local Cambodian venue where Master Kong Nai played music for a period of 2 hours. Through my internship with Cambodian Living Arts, I was very fortunate to be around masters like Master Kong Nai because a big aspect of my research is to identifying practitioner of music who survived the genocide, and most importantly how they are able to able to reach to the people because these practitioners are using these classical Cambodian instruments in the music.
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The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
by Aaron Shneyer
Click here to email Aaron with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
by Aaron Shneyer
I’m doing well. I hope you are too.
The past few weeks have been amazingly powerful and eye opening. With some frustration, I’ve learned that the important things can’t be rushed, but will take their natural course, even if that means missing some self-imposed deadlines. I had originally hoped to be sending you videos of rehearsals by now but alas…the good things take time.
by Phally Chroy
What an experience…walking shoulder to shoulder during the water festival in Cambodia’s capital. This is a time when most villagers make their pilgrimage to the city. Among the six million people who were in Phnom Penh, I was just one of the many attending the free concerts near the independent monument. It was very difficult getting around and getting a good view really meant being able to see–anything– from where you stood.
by James Collins
Aside from the National Championships, I haven’t gotten to see many performances from the bands I’ve been working with. The field bands are often hired to play at weddings, parades, sporting events and other community functions, but I’ve spent most of my time at rehearsals in the schoolyards. Recently, however, I’ve been lucky to catch a few shows and it’s been great to see how much of an impact the bands can have on their communities. I loved seeing the way the kids express themselves in a performance setting and I’m excited now about how I can help them to improve further.
Here is a clip from a performance I attended in Port Elizabeth. The band marched for the reopening of a major road that had recently undergone some renovations. One piece they played really got the crowd going. There are certain songs in South Africa that just seem to get everyone singing and dancing.
This next clip is from a performance in Stellenbosch (just outside of Cape Town). Assembling the steel drums and marimbas from two field bands in the area, they call this group the “jazz band”. The performance was for a school board event announcing the opening of several new focus schools in the community.
Click here to email James with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
