Global Music Autobiography

Music has been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father has a very diverse taste in music and has played a wide verity of genres through the speakers of our home throughout my childhood. His taste in music has had a strong effect on the music that I listen to on a daily basis. My father grew up in Memphis, Tennessee… a place that is home to many talented musicians. Music was played ranging from street music, early hip-hop, country, and even traditional Celtic music (which is part of our lineage). My friends have always joked that my playlist can switch up from classic rock to country, and finish out with some 90’s rap in under 10 minutes. My global music taste is centered strongly in the United States and has been influenced by my family, but has also been affected by other countries. During my senior year of high school, my childhood best friend decided to attend college in Scotland. She and I have always bonded over having similar music tastes, and continually are sharing links to new songs we have found that we think each other would enjoy. When Nicole moved to Scotland this continued, however, the style of music was not what I was used to receiving. I was introduced to the European top hits (which included A LOT of club music). I really enjoyed expanding my playlist to include songs from other parts of the world, even if it wasn’t a traditional song. A more recent experience that has affected my global music perspective was my recent trip to Germany. As many of you know, I was not able to attend class Monday as I was flying home from a New Years’ trip across the pond. Throughout the trip, we spent a lot of time in larger cities such as Munich and Frankfurt meaning we were consistently around music. Whether this be walking down the street and hearing performers, in the taxis, or listening live music at bars and events. The best experience I had involving music on the trip was on New Year’s Eve. I spent the evening dancing away to music I had no idea what was being said but enjoyed every minute of it. The event we attended was massive and encompassed six large event tents in a large field in downtown Munich. Each tent had a different style of music and a very different vibe. We went to all of the tents and spent time drinking and dancing in each, really focusing on the music and having fun. That was one of the best musical experiences I have had, and only made me want to travel and create more fun experiences.