Posting #8

The main theme I see through my research so far is music affects people in many different ways, usually in a positive way rather than a negative way, and most people in our society love to listen to music because it sends a message and gives people in the musical culture a sense of purpose in our society. 

Some of the people I've talked to feel the same way when it comes to music and how it affects them. Some of my friends in the musical choir culture have told me the reason they like choir is it gives them a place where they fit in and they like to sing. My former teacher, Mr. Fleck, told me he likes teaching music cause he loves music and the message it sends to the public. He told me it has a way of healing old wounds and warming the heart of a person. Plus, like his students told me, it gives him a sense of belonging in the society we live in today.

My place in the subculture is kind've in between an outsider and an insider. I am more of an outsider now because I am out of the culture now, but I am still involved in choir events at my school and I still talk to some of my friends that are in choir. So, as of right now, I would be in between the two.

It is similar to where I was eight weeks ago, but it is slightly different because I've been looking at the culture from the outside rather than on the inside. I've been observing the culture rather than being in the culture. When I've went to my field site, I would take notes on what I saw from the students, how the teacher taught the class, what the class looked like now compared to when I was in the culture, what the class smelled like, etc. I've observed and taken notes on all these things in my particular field site, and because I did this at my field site, this would make me more of an outsider over an insider because I'm looking at the culture as a whole rather than from one perspective.

The things that have changed have been the way I look at my culture. When I was in the culture, I looked at choir as an easy A that was a lot of fun and a way to make new friends. Now I look at it as more than that. I look at it as a place for people to fit in. I look at it as an art form and a way of entertaining the public. I see choir as a way of expressing yourself through music rather than expressing yourself through talking. All of these things I've noticed when I've went to my field site, and these are the things that have changed the way I look at my former culture as a whole.