Intro
Thanks to the Internet, anyone can hear music from anywhere at any time now. But for most people, there is a certain kind of music that reminds them of home. It’s often the traditional music of their parents and grandparents.
Traditional music is usually folk music, played by common people on acoustic instruments without amplification for many, many years. Some types of traditional music are also well-known art forms now, such as Spain’s Flamenco.
To sing or listen to the songs of your ancestors can make you feel all sorts of things. Listen to Mason and Vanessa talk about the traditional music of their cultures.
Traditional music is usually folk music, played by common people on acoustic instruments without amplification for many, many years. Some types of traditional music are also well-known art forms now, such as Spain’s Flamenco.
To sing or listen to the songs of your ancestors can make you feel all sorts of things. Listen to Mason and Vanessa talk about the traditional music of their cultures.
Dialogue
Mason: I happened to hear on the radio, and I don’t know why they were playing it, one of the songs from “Fiddler on the Roof” the other day. I was raised Jewish, so there’s something about the music of that culture and kind of time period that just gets to me, in a weird way.
Vanessa: How does it get to you? Do you feel a connection to your heritage? It is the old-fashioned sound that reminds you of maybe your grandparents?
Mason: It’s kind of a nostalgic thing. There are surely parts of the world where that music, kind of a Klezmer-y feel is more normal, but to me that only happened on special Jewish occasions like Bar Mitzvahs, or weddings, or High Holy Days or things like that. So it always puts me into an “Oh! Something Jewish is happening!” kind of mode, which was always a special occasion for me.
Vanessa: I see. Now, I grew up listening to Irish music in my house all the time. So to me it sounds normal.
Mason: And you mean U2?
Vanessa: U2, but also more traditional Irish folk music.
Mason: Ok.
Vanessa: So sometimes I’ll be driving and stop at a light, and be blasting some really old-fashioned fiddle music, and I’ll get some funny looks if my windows are down.
Mason: Why is it that a lot of the cultural music feels…I almost want to call it outdated?
Vanessa: Maybe people don’t want to change too much because it makes them feel connected to their heritage, so they don’t want to update it.
Irish music has the same effect on Vanessa, although it just reminds her of her heritage in general. She heard traditional Irish music every day growing up.
Mason doesn’t know what traditional Irish music sounds like. He imagines it sounds like U2. Vanessa says she’s talking about folk music. Mason thinks that sounds outdated, but Vanessa thinks that’s the point. Some things shouldn’t change.
Tell us about traditional music from your culture. Do you like to hear it? How does it make you feel?
Vanessa: How does it get to you? Do you feel a connection to your heritage? It is the old-fashioned sound that reminds you of maybe your grandparents?
Mason: It’s kind of a nostalgic thing. There are surely parts of the world where that music, kind of a Klezmer-y feel is more normal, but to me that only happened on special Jewish occasions like Bar Mitzvahs, or weddings, or High Holy Days or things like that. So it always puts me into an “Oh! Something Jewish is happening!” kind of mode, which was always a special occasion for me.
Vanessa: I see. Now, I grew up listening to Irish music in my house all the time. So to me it sounds normal.
Mason: And you mean U2?
Vanessa: U2, but also more traditional Irish folk music.
Mason: Ok.
Vanessa: So sometimes I’ll be driving and stop at a light, and be blasting some really old-fashioned fiddle music, and I’ll get some funny looks if my windows are down.
Mason: Why is it that a lot of the cultural music feels…I almost want to call it outdated?
Vanessa: Maybe people don’t want to change too much because it makes them feel connected to their heritage, so they don’t want to update it.
Discussion
Mason recently heard a song on the radio that reminded him of traditional Jewish music. Hearing music like that reminds him of special occasions when he heard it growing up.Irish music has the same effect on Vanessa, although it just reminds her of her heritage in general. She heard traditional Irish music every day growing up.
Mason doesn’t know what traditional Irish music sounds like. He imagines it sounds like U2. Vanessa says she’s talking about folk music. Mason thinks that sounds outdated, but Vanessa thinks that’s the point. Some things shouldn’t change.
Tell us about traditional music from your culture. Do you like to hear it? How does it make you feel?
Grammar Point
First Conditional
The first conditional is used to make predictions about the future.
The first conditional consists of two clauses, one with if + simple present verb and the second with a simple future verb, like when Vanessa says, “I’ll get some funny looks if my windows are down.”
Vanessa predicts that if she listens to Irish music with her windows down, people will look at her funny. She could also have said, “If my windows are down, I will get funny looks.”
Which is correct, “If I wear this jacket, I will be hot,” or, “I will be hot if I wear this jacket”?
The first conditional is used to make predictions about the future.
The first conditional consists of two clauses, one with if + simple present verb and the second with a simple future verb, like when Vanessa says, “I’ll get some funny looks if my windows are down.”
Vanessa predicts that if she listens to Irish music with her windows down, people will look at her funny. She could also have said, “If my windows are down, I will get funny looks.”
Which is correct, “If I wear this jacket, I will be hot,” or, “I will be hot if I wear this jacket”?
Quiz
- When Mason hears traditional Jewish music, he thinks of __.
- Why wouldn’t U2 be considered traditional music?
- What does Vanessa think of when she hears traditional Irish music?
- Which does not belong?
Answer Key 1:D 2:D 3:B 4:C
Vocabulary
folk: simple music, usually created with acoustic instruments
amplification: electronics used to make sound louder
ancestor: people you descend from or come from
gets to me: affect someone
heritage: cultural history or background
old-fashioned: not modern, resembling another time
Klezmer: traditional Jewish music
Bar Mitzvah: a Jewish ceremony celebrating the entrance to adulthood at age 13
special occasion: something that happens rarely and is to be valued for that reason
outdated: old fashioned, out of style
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