Wrap up

-Tell me about something you learned about another culture this term that really surprised or intrigued you.
We didn’t talk about this in-depth, but I was surprised that music is somewhat banned in Saudi Arabia. This is because some Muslims view music as sinful, especially non-percussion music. They believe that this distracts from God. Some Muslims also believe it is sinful for songs to make any mention of women and for women to be involved in the composition of music.

-Tell me about something that you realized about your own culture through our discussions.
I realized that Western popular music has a huge influence in Asia. I have this friend that really likes K-pop and I have noticed its similarities to American popular music. However, I didn’t realize it could be linked to the Blues. 

-Tell me about a couple of things you really liked about this class, and a couple of things you wish could have been different.
I liked the curriculum and the textbook. I also really liked the blogs. I wish the class wasn’t so long, however. 
-Tell me about something that this course has inspired you to learn more about.
I have really enjoyed taking this course.  I am coming out of it with the understanding that the cultures we learned about are not so different from the one I’m used to.  I realize now that we have the same basics: holidays, religion, celebrations, and music. I want to continue to learn more about music from other cultures, as I feel it will make me a well-rounded musician and better teacher. I would love to do some more traveling to experience these cultures first-hand. 

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