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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Music, Dance, And Tourism In Los Cabos, Mexico, Melanie E. Davis
Music, Dance, And Tourism In Los Cabos, Mexico, Melanie E. Davis
Theses and Dissertations
For a thriving music and dance scene to flourish in tourist destinations, certain factors for performers must be present including economic stability, a baseline level of patronage, resilience to seasonal tourist fluctuations, and adaptation to demographic changes over time. In the Los Cabos arts community, local aesthetics are transformed and embodied by work of performers whose activities are multicultural and multilingual. Over the past fifty years, Los Cabos was transformed from a sleepy fishing village into a major international destination. The island-inspired arts scene includes live performances featuring cultural representations from other lands besides Mexico. Grounded in the humanities, I …
"La Reyna Es El Rey": Expressions Of Gender Identity By Female Mariachis In The Southwest, Erika J. Soveranes
"La Reyna Es El Rey": Expressions Of Gender Identity By Female Mariachis In The Southwest, Erika J. Soveranes
Theses and Dissertations
Since the 1990s, the popularity of all-female mariachis has grown in the United States. These ensembles push the boundaries, both socially and stylistically, of a genre which has traditionally disregarded female participation. In this thesis, I study two all-female mariachi groups in the Southwest in which I have participated: Mariachi Buenaventura from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Mariachi Margaritas from Brownsville, Texas. These two groups struggle to establish their reputation and aspire towards equal recognition to their male counterparts on the basis of musicality. Based on musical analysis and ethnographic reflections, I argue that the mariachi tradition embodies patriarchal values …
Elevating My Chicana Feminist Consciousness Through The United States' First Female Show Mariachi, Monica A. Fogelquist
Elevating My Chicana Feminist Consciousness Through The United States' First Female Show Mariachi, Monica A. Fogelquist
Theses and Dissertations
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles is widely recognized as the premier all-female mariachi in the world. In my thesis, I examine the gendered implications of a female group directed by a man and their relation to Mexican and Mexican American gender ideologies. Many of the ideas on gender roles traditionally inculcated in previous generations of Mexican and Mexican Americans are still manifest in the ways in which the group functions. Through my personal testimony as a former member, and accounts by other past and present members of Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, I argue that Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles …
El Son De "El Cuervo": The Transformation Of Armonía Practice In The Mariachi Tradition, Adolfo Estrada Jr.
El Son De "El Cuervo": The Transformation Of Armonía Practice In The Mariachi Tradition, Adolfo Estrada Jr.
Theses and Dissertations
In mariachi scholarship to date, armonía practices are often overlooked. The armonía instruments provide essential rhythmic and harmonic support, yet their specific practices are assumed to be invariable. Close analysis suggests a more complex story. This work provides an analysis of the armonía within the son jalisciense song form in particular, by comparing several performances of the popular son jalisciense song “El Cuervo ” (The Crow). Analysis reveals that the armonía underwent a homogenization process before arriving at present-day practices, and I argue that the 1965 Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán recording is the point of homogenization on which future …
Narrative Structure In The Works Of Frederic Rzewski, Bree K. Guerra
Narrative Structure In The Works Of Frederic Rzewski, Bree K. Guerra
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
This thesis examines the compositional strategies Rzewski applies to affect his audience’s expectations so that the experience of the work parallels the political and philosophical ideas within it. Employing musical narrative theory as a way to characterize the process of expectation that can guide the perception of musical meaning, I explore how Rzewski’s pieces support or reject interpretation through a musical dramatic trajectory in ways that reflect the concepts behind the work to argue that: 1) Rzewski’s early variation works follow a linear narrative whose sequence of musical transvaluation conveys dynamics of socio-political problems and suggest solutions through collective action; …
U.S. Jazz In The 1950s, Amanda Canales
U.S. Jazz In The 1950s, Amanda Canales
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
I have examined jazz music in the United States during the 1950s and argue that its popularity in various demographics illustrates that despite social and racial tensions jazz unified them. By explaining this we learn that Jazz’s popularity with different groups reflects not only jazz’s ever present flexibility but how societal values and issues are shown respectively. A brief background of the U.S during the 1950s, three key definitions for the nonconformist, conformist and purist as well as a brief history of jazz during the 1950s can be found in the introduction. Chapter II through IV deals with the specific …
La Joya Isd Fine Arts: Teaching Mexican Identity Through Music And Dance, Katrena H. Henry
La Joya Isd Fine Arts: Teaching Mexican Identity Through Music And Dance, Katrena H. Henry
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
The La Joya Independent School District has made a serious effort to cultivate and promote mariachi, conjunto, and folklórico programs at the middle school and high school level. Students give numerous performances throughout the year and these programs have exposed thousands of people to the music and traditions of Mexico and the border region. What draws so many students to these particular programs in La Joya ISD? What sense of "Mexican identity" do these programs create for its participants? Through observing various performances, interviewing educators, students, and community members, I explore why these programs are considered essential by the school …
Zumba® Fitness As A Cultural Mediator, Cole E. Durain
Zumba® Fitness As A Cultural Mediator, Cole E. Durain
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
This ethnography describes local experience as it pertains to aspects of music, dance, and fitness which are compiled into Zumba® Fitness classes of the Rio Grande Valley. While Zumba is not unique to this region, it is locally interpreted based on geo-cultural factors of the Texas-Mexico border region. A large part of Zumba’s success in the Valley can be attributed to the way music is used to identify with regional popular culture and becomes a catalyst for changing the way locals think about health. Research gathered through participant-observation shows that Zumba has become a cultural expression where participants perform both …
The Mexican Identity And Music: Audioscapes And The Transnational Death Metal Band Brujeria, Michael D. Mena
The Mexican Identity And Music: Audioscapes And The Transnational Death Metal Band Brujeria, Michael D. Mena
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
The California-based Mexican-American “activist” metal band Brujeria, uses a powerful, yet conflicting, blend of nihilism, anarchism, and racism with a dose of hyper-patriotism in its attempt to convey the voice of oppressed Mexicans on both sides of the border. While it is uncertain whether or not Brujeria is intentionally political, their live performances and song lyrics are highly critical of both the U.S. and Mexico regarding immigration policy, border-crossing, and other issues which have resonated among an international audience. In this paper I explore the conflicting notions of space, performativity, binationality and U.S. Mexico relations within the context of Brujeria …
Life Stories Of Four Conjunto Musicians: Adding To The Culturally Relevant Curriculum Of The Rio Grande Valley Schools, Andres Martinez
Life Stories Of Four Conjunto Musicians: Adding To The Culturally Relevant Curriculum Of The Rio Grande Valley Schools, Andres Martinez
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
This study examines music and culture and their importance in the learning process. As early as 1838, Horace Mann and later John Dewey (1916), Tim Brophy (1992) and others were expounding the benefits of music as a necessary element of the school curriculum. Julio Cammarota (2008), Geneva Gay (2000), Alan Singer (1994), Banks and Banks (1989) and others have argued for the importance of culture in the curriculum to enhance learning. Both elements have a unique place in the school curriculum. A brief history of the genre is presented beginning with the early years (mid 1800s), the development years (early …
A Realization And Application Of Appropriate French Baroque Ornamentation For The First Four Preludes Of “L'Art De Toucher Le Clavecin” By Francois Couperin, Andres Javier Lopez
A Realization And Application Of Appropriate French Baroque Ornamentation For The First Four Preludes Of “L'Art De Toucher Le Clavecin” By Francois Couperin, Andres Javier Lopez
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
In his work, L’Art de Toucher le Clavecin (1716-1717), Francois Couperin (1668-1733) details specific instructions for the correct playing of his ornamentation. In addition to the text, Couperin composes a series of didactic preludes in ascending order of difficulty to illustrate his ornamentation in the context of his work. I will focus on the proper interpretation of Couperin’s ornamentation and include a realization of four Couperin preludes. They contain the majority of issues presented by his ornamentation. I shall seek to properly realize Couperin’s ornamentation and use of unequal rhythms using the first four preludes of L’Art de Toucher le …