My Musical Culture

    Hello friends! 

 

    My name is Allana Danielle and I am a junior studying violin performance at Converse University. Being welcomed into the world by a family of musicians, my love for music blossomed at a very young age. At the age of 3 years old, I began taking Suzuki violin lessons. At 8, I started formal piano lessons. And by the age of 12, I was playing guitar, mandolin and composing songs in the contemporary genre (voice with piano or guitar) and instrumental pieces that I would work out on either piano or violin. Playing music was always a hobby for me, as I never thought I was good enough to pursue a career as a professional musician. It was not until my junior year of high school that I began to believe in myself and realize that my love for music was much more than a way to unwind at the end of the day - it was a big part of who I am. After that, I began to really take my practicing seriously, playing my violin up to 6 or 7 hours a day, just because! By the time I reached college and made my decision on where to go and where to continue working on my craft, I decided on studying music at Converse!

 

    Today, my main focus is on mastering my primary instrument, the violin, but I still continue to perform on my other instruments in differing music environments than that of classical music. You can find me standing in as choir director and pianist at different churches in the area. You might find me traveling with local Spartanburg gospel-country bands, playing gigs along the south-east (just recently at Dollywood in the Pines Theater!). You might hear me do some fiddling down at Frank's Opry House in Gramling. Or, you might hear me perform instrumental/vocal works at local coffee shops here in town. My music making ranges far and wide from what my Converse folks see sometimes, and it’s such a pleasure to share it with them when I do get the chance.

 

    Now as I’ve mentioned above, music has played a very important and essential part in my life. With all that being said, I would like to share some specific pieces of music that have led me to where I am in my musical journey today.

 

1.) A piece of music that I’m really digging right now is a bit different than any Bach or Mozart piece you might hear me perform. It’s become somewhat of a hype song for me; something that’s really catchy and makes me feel empowered as a woman. The absolute queen, icon, and just all-around beautiful person, Lizzo, released this song, "Rumors" featuring Cardi B, back in August of 2021. Since then, it's been one of my most played songs (according to my Spotify Wrapped this year) and a song that I can really bop along in the car too. Although I can't exactly relate to the lyrics, I just find it extremely catchy and empowering - whether that just be from the rhythm, instrumentation, melody, who knows! But having worked long, late shifts as a delivery driver, playing this song made everything go by so much faster and a WHOLE LOT more fun!

2.) A piece of music that means a lot to me as a musician is Pierce Pettis', "That Kind of Love". My father introduced me to Pierce Pettis back in 2017-2018 when we went to go see him perform live at the White Horse in Black Mountain, NC. After that night, I absolutely fell in love with his music. To be completely honest with you, there is not anything super special about him as a performer - he is a good looking, funny, kind man and musician - but it was the lyrics he wrote that really caught my attention. 

That night, he performed this song and since then, it has become a song I strive to live and love others by. 

“Oh may you be remembered by, that kind of love…”

3.) A piece of music that I can't really connect with falls under the atonal music of Arnold Schöenberg (the example listed below is an excerpt from his Pierrot Lunaire). I was first introduced to his music in the second semester of Music History II and since then, I have never forgotten about his music. The sounds heard in his music makes the brain work hard to understand the emotion or message surrounding the piece and it showcases a heavy intensity that only music can portray (other than mankind of course). And while I believe his music is still very vibrant with differing colors, characters, and emotions, when I listen to it, I get very overwhelmed, bored, and/or frustrated easily. It’s simply not my cup of tea. But you listen to it and tell me what you think: