On Thursday, March 13, 2014, ELC Teaching Fellow Kerry Pusey hosted an event titled “Music and Cultural Exchange”. As implied by the event title, this gathering focused on exchanging ideas and experiences related to music and culture. Participants from various ELC classes joined the event and enjoyed some free snacks and drinks while getting to know a bit about one another’s’ tastes in music.

Conversations during the event centered on topics such as current trends in music and the relation of culture and language to globalization. This topic led to some interesting side topics, such as the incorporation of multiple languages, as well as the blending of styles in many current popular songs. The group also discussed resources for discovering new music and listening to music. Of course, participants shared their favorite online sources, such as YouTube and Facebook, but also mentioned the importance of friends’ recommendations and word of mouth for finding out about good new music.

Towards the end of the event, participants were given lyrics to analyze while watching a video by the band Little Dragon. The final message delivered by the host was that music, like other forms of art, is up to interpretation. Even if you don’t understand every word, you can create your own meaning and still enjoy a song.