Tradition

       Traditions are customs and behaviors passed down through a society or group of people. Traditions are based on ideals and not on actual functions. For example, a Christmas tree does not serve any practical purpose but putting up a tree around Christmas time is a common tradition in America. Traditions sometimes seem to be in contrast with modern advances in technology.

Arts in the Digital Age

       With the arrival of the digital age, a whole plethora of new artistic ideas can be explored freely. With all of the new forms of media and communication, art can really blossom. New forms of art can before explored that would never have been possible without advanced technology, such as animation. The arts have also become available to a much wider audience. For example, a piece of music in 19th century was reserved for those who could afford to go to a venue at which it was performed, and once the piece was over, that experience was essentially done for the individual. Now, a person can go onto Rhapsody Mp3 player and have thirty free listens to almost any music they desire, or search Youtube for an orchestra concert. In many ways, the high availability of art in the new digital world may seem to devalue aritistic works. Art used to be a fleeting glimpse, now it can be a lasting stare. At the same time, more artists have a chance to make their art available. There may have been another Shakespeare in Elizabethan England who didn't have the resources at their disposal to make their works known. Today, people have a whole new set of tools to create works of art and a vastly increased number of ways to spread thier art. Maintaining clear ownership of one's art may be difficult in the digital age, but maybe ownership is not so important. Mozart died before finishing his famous Requiem, meaning a colleague composed a large portion of it, not changing the fact that it is still a magnificent piece of music.

Project Goal

       My goal is to learn more about traditional Dega music. Being a musician myself, I would very much like to learn more about this music. I would like to see how this music differs from the types of music I am exposed to everyday. Also, I would like to come to a better understanding about the role that the traditional Dega music plays in the lives of the Dega here in North Carolina. From what I have already learned through the video conference and other resources is that the younger members of the Dega community are rather uninterested in their traditional music. From what I have seen so far, the traditional music of the Dega seems mostly ceremonial or situational(for example, celebrations or funerals) and involves a wide range of instruments. It seems that the music is not harmonically complex, but there may be a lot to learn about the form of the music. I would like to personally work with members of the Dega community who know much about their traditional music. Ideally I could get in touch with Dega musicians who could give me a live performance of some of their music.
                                                                                                                                              


                                                                                                                                              Dega Music