Hanging in there

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Today was the final day of my early start music course. *sigh* I am not at all happy for it to be over. This means that the actual semester will start, and I'll have to go to real classes. That said, I think I took more notes in these four weeks than I have taken in any other course. I learned so much about music in general, 'Irish' music in particular, and innumerable bits of very specific information.

What is Irish music? so our prof asked today in class...and I thought I'd write a little about it.

First of all, there is no one Irish music. There are Irish musics, varying from a sean nos singer to a ceili band to a Limerick rapper to a jazz sax player...ad infinitum. The musics of Ireland are like the people of Ireland, like the physical land of Ireland itself: varied yet cohesive, specific yet global, wild yet steady as a heartbeat. There is a song for everything, and there is music everywhere. The music in Ireland is the sound of a people living - and runs like a lifeblood through life here.

Each piece of music, each musician, seems to say "I'm Irish!" but in so many different ways. It seems to be everywhere, to be appropriate everywhere - in a pub, in a living room, in a theatre, in a street, in a park...it's everywhere. But still, I think you could very well go through life here not noticing it. It's present in so many places, and is even the source of so many gatherings, but may very well not be acknowledged at all. I'm so glad I took this course, to open my eyes to music in all places at all times.

I love it.

Music is the lowest common denominator. You might not be able to speak to someone, or enjoy their food, or worship their god, but you can share a song. Music is an expression of primal emotion.

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