Happy Fourth.

I should try to update more often, because now I have a whole week to look back on... hopefully I don't leave anything important out.

Tuesday night Peter took me out to dinner so that we could talk about what I've been doing so far/what I plan on doing while he is gone. We went out to this nice little Vietnamese place in Newtown. Next week is NAIDOC week (Originally 'National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee'... but now it more broadly means National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Week.) This week is set up to celebrate history and culture of the Indigenous people of Australia, and there are events held all over Australia. Because of this and other festivals going on next week, I should be kept quite busy outside of the Conservatorium... so we'll see how much I even get to go in and continue my library research.

Wednesday after another day in the library, I went over to the Art Gallery for the opening performance of the World Shakuhachi Festival. It was just a short introductory concert, but it was still really cool. If you don't know, the Shakuhachi is the Japanese bamboo flute. After the concert, I went downstairs to the theater to watch the Sergei Eisenstein film 'Strike.' It's fun to see how the music is used in silent films. Granted, there are relatively frequent breaks in the movie where text will come up giving a brief overview of what's going on, but in the absence of the actors speaking, the music plays a huge role in setting up the scene.

Thursday was pretty average. I spent a good amount of time reading about tips and techniques for playing the didgeridoo, and then also put in a fair chunk of time in the practice room working on those things. I do believe I am getting a lot better, and it's fun to hear myself progress and feel the improvements in my technique. In a conversation I had with Rob a week or two ago, we were discussing the difference between working with a didgeridoo and any Western instrument. When someone begins learning how to play the violin, say, there are endless scales, etudes, and other technical exercises to constantly drill. There are definitely techniques to work on with the didge, but it's really a completely different thought process.

Friday. Happy Fourth of July! ... it was weird not being in the States for Independence Day. So, what did I do? It was actually quite a busy day. I woke up around my normal time, and started walking down towards Redfern. A very different part of town that I've been living in. It is actually kind of a rough area, and I was warned by numerous people to be cautious when going down there. I didn't run into any trouble, but... lucky me, it did start downpouring as I was walking. I stopped in the nearest train station for some shelter until most of it had passed over, and then continued on. I can't really complain though, because I think that was only the second day of rain since I've been here. I headed over to the Community Center for the launch of this book, 'Down River.' The book was inspired by a song of the same name which was made popular a couple years ago. Down River is a rap song which was made by a group of Aboriginal kids out in western New South Wales as part of a community project to provide more opportunities and activities for kids. The book tells the story of the kids and their community, and how the popularity of the song has really helped their community. It was pretty interesting, and I got to meet the author and a few of the people who were involved in the song and book.

After the launch, I made my way back to my place, where I regrouped, dropped some stuff off, and then got ready to head out to Castlehill, (another suburb of Sydney.) I took a 30 minute train ride out to Paramatta, and then another 30 minute bus ride up to Castlehill. Why, you may ask? Well, to meet up with some other Americans! Chris McCallum, (who is the current vice principal at the elementary school I went to, and where my mom still works,) is Australian, but has been living in the states for about 10 years now. Right now, he is on vacation visiting his family back here in Sydney, so I thought it would be fun to meet up and go out with the fam. I feel like everyone I met that night has been to Derry, NH, which was really funny seeing that I'm over 10,000 miles from my hometown, talking to people about street names and Derry Village School. One of the other families who came out actually lived in Derry as well for 4 years, and only just moved back to Australia a year or two ago... what a small world. Of course, I go and order a burger, being the American that I am. However, this was no normal burger. The thing was so big that I could hardly fit it in my mouth (and I have a pretty big mouth.) Not only was the burger itself thick and piled with the normal toppings I'm used to, it also had beets, bacon, a sunnyside up egg, and probably some other things. It was delicious. Anyways, it was nice to be around some other people who really know what the fourth of July is about, so thanks for inviting me out Chris, if you are reading this. (Besides, I finally found someone who could give me an pretty solid explanation of the Australian rugby rules.) One of the couples gave me a lift back to the train station, and after a quick train ride back into the city, I got home not too long after midnight. No fireworks or racetrack, but a good Fourth nonetheless.

Today, Saturday, I was supposed to have a didgeridoo lesson... but my teacher didn't show up. I'm still not sure what the deal was, as I couldn't get through to him. I will try to figure that out tomorrow. So instead of a lesson, I wandered around Bondi Beach this morning. It was a beautiful day, though not quite nice enough for me to go swimming in the ocean. There is a really nice pathway along the cost. I walked down it for a few miles and got some great views. Then I headed back to the city to see some films showing at the opera house. Along with NAIDOC week, there is this festival going on now called Message Sticks. This festival is showcasing some new films about Indigenous life. I thought the best was a short documentary about this dance routine which was posted on YouTube last year some time. The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-MucVWo-Pw
The dance is called Zorba the Greek Yolngu style. The director of the documentary, who was at the showing today, commented that music has no boundaries, and it can cross all barriers. I though this was a great representation of my project. The guys who did the dance did it as a thank you to this Greek lady who is taking care of the directors daughter. The music and the dance style may not be traditional Yolngu style... but it shows how their culture views music and looks to music as a way of life. The dancers had also traveled down all the way from Elcho Island up in Arnhem land to give us a little performance of their dance right there in the Opera House. It was a really fun experience.

A little side note... I booked my trip up to Cairns the other, and I will be going up at the end of July for a few days!!! This is going to be my one big touristy thing to do while I'm here. I will go out to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, I will go on an adventure in the rain forest, and of course... to tie it in with my project at least a little bit, I will be attending a performance of the Tjapukai Dancers. I am really excited about that whole trip.




















Another picture of my with the didgeridoo I'm learning on. Notice the tall skinny figures painted on. These are called Mimi Figures, and from what I understand, they are something like the boogie man.















An exhibit of contemporary Aboriginal art over at the Art Gallery.




















Redfern Community Center, where the book launch was.















One glimpse of Bondi Beach.




Thanks for reading. I hope every body had a nice Independence day where ever you may be.


Ciao.
Luke.