Research Symposium

BIO

I am a first-year music student from Palm Bay, Florida with research interests in music education and musicology. I am currently pursuing a degree in music education with the intent of becoming a high school band director upon graduation.

Sounds of the Wonder City

Abstract

Brass bands are present throughout Bolivian festivals and are a notable component of the sound environment in La Paz. These brass bands are semi-professional and consist of community members which organize for performances like the festivals of Gran Poder and Entrada Universitaria. Through performances of traditional Bolivian dance music like the morenada, diablada and caporales, they have established significant ties to Bolivian heritage. This project seeks to answer questions about who can and cannot participate in these ensembles, how they contribute to a sense of community, and how these ensembles will evolve. In this project qualitative data was gathered on the nature of these performances through both written sources and video/audio sources. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with academics and participants in Bolivian brass bands. Through the project it can be determined that the nature of these ensembles are primarily community-oriented and culturally expressive, rather than a performance-based ensemble.

Keywords: musicology, brass bands, sound