Music and Gender

As I've mentioned before, I began playing the violin when I was in 6th grade. I couldn't recognize it then but the more I think about it, the clearer it is to me. When I first joined the orchestra, we were given the option between violin, viola, cello, and double bass. The class was small so having enough instruments wasn't the problem: the problem was that almost every girl wanted to play violin, and almost every boy wanted to play bass. The teacher was a bit stressed since most students were committed to their instrument, but the orchestra could not be composed of only violins and double basses. The teacher encouraged some to rethink their decision, but only a few students switched to playing lower string instruments. I didn't realize it then, but I do now: I realized that girls commonly play high string instruments (violin, viola) and boys commonly play low string instruments (cello, double bass). However, this trend did not continue into high school. I met more male violinists and violists, and I met lots of female cellists and bass players. In fact, my younger sister played the double bass for a few years. It's nice to see this change. Gender should not dictate or influence what instrument you play.

Besides my personal experience in orchestra, I've recognized something in the music I listen to. I see its pretty common for women to be dressed or posed seductively. This is not to say that all album covers with women or girls in them will have them dressed or posed seductively; I am stating that it is more common to see women in album covers dressed or posed seductively compared to men. To prove this point, I linked 2 songs that include the album covers in the thumbnail. The first is Kali Uchis' "Killer" and the second is Miki Matsubara's "Stay with me." Regarding albums with men in them, they are typically posed and dressed how they please. I have not yet seen an album cover where a man is dressed or posed seductively. No, I do not wish to see an album cover with a man dressed or posed seductively. I will say that a majority of albums with men in them have an intimidating look. To see what I'm talking about, I also included a link to Kendrick Lamar's "DNA." Like the previous two videos, this video includes the album's cover. I included the link as well since I hope you'll give them a listen; these are really great songs by some even greater artists. 

Album Cover for Kali Uchis' "Isolation"

Album Cover for Miki Matsubara's "Stay with Me"

Album Cover for Kendrick Lamar's "D*MN"

Music and Me

Hello! My name is Gisselle Marines. I grew up in Greer my whole life, so I'm only 30 minutes away from home. I'm a violinist with about 7 years of amateur experience. I started playing in 6th grade with the middle school orchestra, and I have continued to play. Right now, I'm in the Converse Symphony Orchestra. My parents aren't musicians, but my dad did know how to play guitar in his youth. He's the one responsible for my unique music taste. I was always encouraged to explore my talents, so I did take piano lessons for a short time when I was young. I enjoy learning new instruments, so I tried to learn how to play piano with little success. Even so, I really enjoy music and its many genres and instruments.

I actually have a CD Player in my dorm, so I get to play all my favorite songs without worrying about ads.

 Music I like now: Harmony by Elton John

 Like I mentioned earlier, I have a CD Player. In my CD collection, I have Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Album. I love Elton John and the music he makes. This song is just so pretty and it is probably my favorite song in the whole album. I do recommend listening to other songs by Elton John if you enjoy listening to this one.

Music with meaning: On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz

 

Another thing about me is that I'm a huge Gorillaz fan. I was such a big fan that I named one of my cats after this song from the Plastic Beach Album. His name was Melancholy, but we called him Mel for short. Mel was truly a one-of-a-kind cat and I loved him dearly. He loved playing outside, hunting rodents and bugs, getting pets and scratches, and fighting other cats. Unfortunately, he passed away Thanksgiving day of 2023 because somebody struck him with a car, leaving him for dead in the street. All he was doing was hunting mice. I struggled so much with grieving that I couldn't listen to this song without sobbing just thinking about him. I actually hate Thanksgiving now because of this too. Please let this be your sign to drive safely and watch for animals that may be crossing the road.

Music I just don't like: End of Beginning by Djo

I first heard this song on TikTok and so many people were raving about it saying it was really great. I tried listening to this song seriously, but it just feels very repetitive and a little bland for my taste. That's not to say that this song sucks. I just didn't connect with it like other people were and that's fine by me.

Music just cause: There is a Time by The Dillards 

 

I always watched old shows with my mom and dad like The Andy Griffith Show. There's always something silly going on in the small town of Mayberry, NC, so I always enjoyed spending my leisure time watching that show. I remember one episode had this song in it, and it is truly beautiful. This song doesn't hold much meaning for me, but it is a song I really like simply because it feels nostalgic.