My world story with music – Geography 210: Geographic Dimensions of Human Development

I have always been passionate about music. Any kind. Any time. When I was living in France, I started taking flute lessons when I was 7. I would sing my favorite band’s songs in the shower, to the great despair of my brother. I even created a flute trio with two other friends, and got the permission of the mayor’s office to perform at the French open-door “marché.” Music has not only played an important role in the bonds that I have established with other people, but it has also shaped my identity as a concerned citizen about the world.

When I created the music organization “No Border Records” with people from around the world who were participating in the same online class as I was, it was with the intention of bringing peace to the world and allow people to erase misunderstanding through music. I still have that dream today, and hope to contribute to the movement of “music for change” to help attenuate those misunderstandings.

My appreciation for music from different cultures around the world is part of achieving my dream. The first step for me is to completely immerse myself in the language of music from different cultures. Bonus, I get to listen to some really cool music! Then, with this knowledge, I hope to become an active participant in the “music for social justice” movement, and alleviate the woes of today’s world.

Brianna Cicconi says:

October 1, 2015 at 2:11 pm

Chloe,
I think you map is great. Your story takes a big topic, music, and makes it extremely personal and unique. I think your narrative is very effective because you follow your growth as a person sided with your growth of knowledge of music. The interactive features were a nice touch because you showed examples of what you were talking about, a great element for people who may have never hear French music before. I really like the fact that you showed how you have come to learn about Bollywood music even though you are in Richmond. This blending of cultures and how you have also brought your knowledge of Taiwanese puppet shows and french music to Richmond really demonstrate the mobility that music has across borders or even that music has “no border.” 🙂

Zi Lu says:

It’s really creative that you chose music as a thread! The concept of bring peace to the world through music is amazing, and I believe during the process you must have been interacted with people from different culture. While globalization has becoming an inevitable topic for all of us, you are trying to eliminate the border (or should I say estrangement?) between people in a good way that they can communicate through music even without traveling far. I think as more and more people participate into this project, culture would flow together. Plus, as a musician myself, I truly believe that music works better than words.

ll3gi says:

October 1, 2015 at 2:12 pm

Chloe,

I love your narratives at the beginning! You gave very well defined theme of music and explained your experience with it in each place you’ve been too. I really appreciate the use of videos, which are more impressive than just pictures. Your text at each location is closely related to the theme and in details too. Lots of webpages to serve as interactive features. The use of self-uploaded background image also made your work stand out and showed the creativity. Very nice work, liked it very much!

Mariah M. says:

October 1, 2015 at 2:15 pm

I loved hearing the variation in the styles of music! I think there’s a real focus on globalization in your post, especially with the University of Richmond’s various clubs and programs that either bring you to other cultures or other cultures here. I had no idea we had a Bollywood club, but it just shows how cultures are expanding and being recognized and appreciated outside their places of origin. This was definitely super cool to look at and think about!

Benjamin P. says:

October 1, 2015 at 2:16 pm

Hi Chloe!

You did a great job on your StoryMap, and began with a well-written summary of your work with music. I love that you added YouTube links to videos of your music–it makes your story more relatable to the audience. I was in a jazz band in high school in which we played music from all over the world, so I really appreciate your desire to use music for change around the world. Additionally, the explanations that you give of each aspect of music are clear and concise, and you also give a clear storyline. On a scale of 1-10, I give your StoryMap a pat on the back. Nice job.