Second Week

I am actually well acquainted with the idea of being both an insider and an outsider in a particular setting or situation. While my parents' origins and the fact that I was raised speaking spanish and practicing Mexican traditions enables me to consider myself an insider to the Mexican culture, I am also aware of the fact that since I have never lived in Mexico I can not consider myself a true insider. I have never had to deal with the currency, educational system, and uniform views about religion present in Mexico. I can not say that I understand Mexican culture simply because I have heard Mexican music. Mexican culture, like any culture, can not be analyzed and understood simply by listening to its music. Without any previous knowledge about a society, an outsider will not recognize the meanings and histories that these individuals attempt to convey about themselves and their beliefs through their music, and will thus remain an outsider to its culture. Since I have not taken the time to explore my family background, it is clear that although I am Mexican I am nonetheless still an outsider to the Mexican culture.
Not surprisingly, I accentuate different parts of my identity at different times and in different settings. When I am with my family I participate in more cultural and religious events than when I am here at school or with my friends. Even though I continue to be Mexican and Catholic while here at UCLA, these characteristics are not as apparent here as they are at home where I am compelled to demonstrate them by attending mass and cultural performances. Music has actually played a very large role in these contexts, yet it remains only a part of a whole meaningful event. The music in a cultural perfomance, for example, is made up of the sound, movements, and dress of the performers. Sound is not synonymous with music, and in many cases some of the sounds are actually created by the movements of the performers and their garments. The cultural shows I have attended could not have been carried out solely by making music with instruments, for the dance and costumes completed the performance by helping to demonstrate the meaning and symbolism that accompanies that particular song or musical performance. Because music can serve different purposes, there are also different types of music for different types of events. Music at a rock concert, for example, is notably different from the music heard at a religious service. While the sole purpose of the music played at concerts is to entertain, the music heard in religious settings is more purposive, striving to evoke blissful emotions.