[Name omitted] arrived and we shook hands. He grabbed a Koran from off of the bookshelf and brought it over to us at the bench in the back of the room and began to explain what we were about ti see, as well as a considerable amount of background information on the Islamic faith in general and the Friday prayer ceremony. When we asked if women came to the mosque, he explained that they pray separately from the men, in the room directly behind us which had tinted glass – floor-to-ceiling windows through which they could see the men and the service progress, but the men could not see them. He also said that the children pray with the women. He explained all this, particularly the fact that women are kept from the view of men during prayer services, by stating that “Islam is very disciplined.” [Name omitted] added to his point by detailing the protocol for Friday prayer as we were about to observe it, which involved an optional preliminary period for individual prayer, call to prayer, group prayer, and finally a sermon followed by an informal meet-and-greet period. Each of the prayer periods was governed by a specific set of guidelines that included bowing, kneeling, and reciting prayers and verses from the Koran, all in a pre-determined order.

The service was initiated by a middle-age man in a skullcap and long blue robe, who stood in front of a microphone in the middle of the room and began to chant in Arabic. The chant was monophonic, cyclical, and varied in rhythm with a medium range of rising and falling sounds produced in a strenuous, nasally drone. The sound was loud enough to be heard by those outside the building, who began to trickle in by twos and threes. [Name omitted] informed us that this adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, was a ritual performed prior to each prayer service as an invitation to the Islamic faithful to come and pray at the mosque. He made it very clear to us that, contrary to what our Western ears may perceive, the adhan was not considered music, since any kind of music – including singing or the playing of musical instruments – is considered a distraction to worship in the Islamic faith. For this reason, musical instruments are not allowed inside a mosque at any time.

About ten minutes after the call to prayer began, the room was filled with people and the call to prayer was ended. Group prayer began, this time led by a young imam (Islamic religious leader) in a white robe and skullcap. The imam began to quote verses from the Koran in Arabic, which he then translated into English for non-Arabic speaking participants, which according to [Name omitted], comprised a majority of College Station Muslims. After leading the group in a half-chanted, half-spoken call-and-response prayer ritual, the imam then closed with a five-point sermon on how to receive the eternal reward of Haj (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca).

Of particular interest to us was the divergence in behavior between the men and the women. We were in the main prayer hall, along with all of the other men and the imam leading the service, while the women and children were in the room directly behind us. Due to the fact that we were sitting so close to the wall adjoining the two rooms, we could hear what was going on behind us inside the tinted-glass room. Before us, in the group of men, all was silent except for the sound of the imam’s voice and the rustling of clothing of the male Islamic faithful (and perhaps an occasional cough). Behind us, for the entirety of the sermon, the realm of the women could be heard, although no one seemed to notice. From the laughing of older women talking to each other, to the crying of young children, various sounds emanated from the room that held the women and children. [Name omitted] had mentioned before the service that we should be silent, and that it was unlikely that anyone in the room would make noise either, because it was considered very disrespectful. However, he had not mentioned any particular social practices of this sort concerning the women and children who we could only hear but not see. Following the service, all of the men stood around and greeted each other, but even as we took our leave of the mosque, we saw very few women. As we left the mosque, we could not help but comment on the fascinating juxtaposition that existed between the silent, disciplined male-dominated prayer hall we had just sat in, and the loud boisterous female room we had overheard just behind us.

http://studyabroad.tamu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=17154

Our class blog was transferred to a new server over Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately, during the migration all posts that were added to the blog since October 17th were lost. It also appears as though they were not properly backed-up and thus cannot be retrieved.

This is particularly disappointing considering that many of your recent Field Note Reports were added just prior to the server migration. Please be patient as I attempt to fix the problem. Also, be aware that you might receive an email from me requesting that you resubmit your materials.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Best,

Dr. McManus

A First for MUSC 324: 

• Simchat Torah Dancing, October 7th, permission required
• Contra Dancing, First Saturday of every month
• Texas A&M Heavy Metal Competition, 10/06/2012
• Jam Sessions – Good Time Charley’s, October 19
• Jazz Night School – Monday/Tuesday Evenings, The Frame Gallery
• Piano Practice – MSC Flag Room
• Bollywood Night – September 28th

Local Festivals:

• Brazos Valley WorldFest, November 9th-10th
• Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival, November 9-10
• Texas Reds Festival, October 12-13
• First Fridays, Downtown Bryan, first Friday of every month

Campus Events:

• Dandiya! (Hindu cultural celebration with dancing) – October 5th,
• Baithak (Student performers of Indian dance and music) – October 6
• Brazilian Capoeira (Martial Arts/Music/Dance) – Sporadic, contact organizer
• PERF Faculty Recital (wide variety of music, including experimental computer music, improvisation, and dance) – September 25
• Pablo Salcedo, Andean Flute, November 7th
• James Luna, Mexican-American multi-media performance artist, October 11

Local Events:

• Mariachi Music, Casa Rodriguez
• Salsa social dancing @ Village Cafe, Canana’s Night Club, Grahamas Night Club
• Belly Dance, Zumba, Hip-hop, and Tai Chi dance classes
• Poetry Slams & Open Mic – Revolution Cafe & Bar

When I first found out that we would be conducting research in Bryan/College Station, I was extremely excited to get some hands on experience in an area of academia that I have little knowledge of.  I have been a music lover and performer all my life, but I have never considered this method of entertainment as a possible career path. After taking this course I have gained considerable insight into the values of ethnography research, to not only the scientific community but to my future profession as a Conservation Biologist.  The most difficult aspect of attempting to preserve ecosystems and promote sustainable living is communicating with the people that live near these habitats. It is impossible to develop recommendations for conservation without understanding the people that are affected by these proposals. Through ethnography field research, the scientific community can better understand how music influences decisions making cross-culturally and how it shapes the values of large populations.

This research opportunity not only applies to my future profession but it has changed the way I think about musical events and entertainment in general. This experience has taught me to pay close attention to details; even the most seemingly insignificant act can convey a plethora of underlined meanings.  I will never again be able to attend a musical event without attempting to understand the story that the music is illustrating about the people who perform and experience it.

This concert unfortunately falls outside of the scope of our project, both because it occurs prior to the date your proposal is due and because it is in Houston. Regardless, if you are able to attend, this is a great opportunity to hear an internationally renowned popular musician relatively close to home. http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0C0048F0B6268B12

My time in MUSC 324 and specifically as a cultural fieldworker helped change this perception. My group decided to attend the Holi festival mostly because it sounded fun. Our little research in advance let us know that the event was put on by the Hindu Student Association and would be attended by a few hundred people. When we showed up we first noticed the diverse group of students in attendance. Not just diverse in my traditional view of “diversity”, in which not-white is synonymous with diverse, but diverse in that there were people of every skin tone. It was very obvious from both observation and participation that this diversity in attendees also translated into diversity of interaction at the event. Every attendee, whether Hindu or not, was able to fully participate in the event. The “battlefield of color” [throwing of colored powders at Holi festival] was an even playing field. Everyone was a target and there were no barriers keeping certain groups together. In fact, the atmosphere encouraged interaction with anyone and everyone. At Holi I was able to see what diversity can really look like, people from different background coming together to celebrate.

The event organizers had a lot to do with this welcoming atmosphere. While Holi is a celebration that has strong Hindu roots, they were able to adapt it to a campus where most people know nothing about Hinduism. Rather than be exclusive and uninviting, the Hindu Student Association appeared to use the event to expose members of the community to their existence. They intentionally played popular “American” music that you would expect to hear at any party. Mixed in they would introduce bhangra and other more traditional Indian songs. There were students teaching attendees Indian dance and inviting anyone curious to join the dancing. The organizers did everything in their power to make attendees feel welcome and included in the celebration.

All of these things together gave me an incredibly positive view of the Hindu Student Association and also on what minority groups have to offer our local community. These groups celebrate their diversity and differentness from the “majority” culture, but don’t want to be separate. They want others to know about what they do and actively invite outsiders to join in their cultural celebrations. My experience at the Holi festival showed me how minority groups want diversity to bring us all together. This understanding of diversity is something that I can rally behind and I’m now looking forward to its continuing impact on the students at Texas A&M.

As researchers, we always have to consider whether the potential benefits of our research outweigh the potential risks to the people and cultures we are researching. Some of the religious communities we have worked with have informed me that they are very happy with the benefits of this project, however, every situation is different. In this case, as Adam points out below, we do need to consider if the risks in fact are greater than the benefits. While Adam seemed apprehensive to broach the subject with me, I am incredibly proud of his concern regarding ethical fieldwork practices. 

Excerpt from Field Note Report: When Observers Outweigh Participants 

On Sunday, March 25^th, group ten had the pleasure of joining the Brazos Valley Buddhist Association for their weekly meditation session at the Unitarian Church. Although initial dialogue between the president revealed that members were apprehensive about allowing students to observe their service, we received an incredibly warm and gracious welcome from members upon arriving. In addition to four regular attendees, there were five students from another class and our group; totally twelve people […] The chants were monophonic and rarely varied in pitch. While members went through multiple chants, it was difficult for our group to distinguish when one chant ended and others began. The chanting continued at a soft, quiet volume for a total of nine minutes. When their chanting ceased, each member went into a personal prayer while holding a beaded necklace […] Because none of our members had attended nor experienced a meditation before, we were confused by the process and unclear of what exactly had taken place during the chanting and prayer. Picking up on this, [the leader] asked the group if they would be interested in hearing some information about Buddhism and the process of chanting during a meditation session. Upon receiving approval from the group, [the leader] provided a brief synopsis of Buddhism’s history and ideals, as well as detailed information about the chanting […]

Guest Post by Adam Solomon

“Within a few minutes of arriving to the Unitarian church of College Station and seeing many young faces I was already fearful that the number of students would outweigh the number of practicing Buddhists at the weekly chant session put on by the Bravos Valley Buddhist Association. The clock stuck 2:55, almost time to start and only four members had shown up, and just to make things worse another group of students showed up just before [name omitted], the unofficial leader of the session started the worship ceremony. [The leader] initiated the session with a quick prayer and my fears are confirmed, the students outnumber the regular members 2-to-1.

One might think that many students arriving to study a sub-culture of College Station would be a good thing, however when I found out that students from four different groups had shown up on the same day I soon made a hypothesis that this might happen every week, which might make the practicing Buddhists uncomfortable, as they might feel more like a show for others, much like the Gamelan performers at the World’s Fairs in the early 20th century. From my personal standpoint I felt very uncomfortable for a majority of the 2 hours.

After the chanting was finished we were informed by [the leader] that this happens every weekend, more students show up than practicing Buddhists, he feels obligated to explain what is happening with the chanting and then to provide a brief history of Buddhism. [The leader] spent close to an hour explaining what Buddhism is about. [...] I felt very uncomfortable because despite being as respectful as I could, I still felt that simply being there was rude because it cost them their worship session. Therefore, I would urge future groups to strongly consider another event to attend. Not because I did not enjoy the event but because I felt uncomfortable and rude for taking up the Bravos County Buddhist Association’s 2 hour worship and chant session and cutting it down to a short chant session, history lesson, and short 20 minute meditation session, about a third of what they would have usually done. It was a very insightful 2 hours but given the circumstances I would have felt more comfortable at an event like Holi because it is not as personal and I would not feel as infringing on their time of worship.*

*Sections of this guest post have been omitted or altered for ethical reasons and/or to maintain confidentiality.