Dwelling with Local Sounds

I imagine that this is for the young tourist partying at the beach and at clubs. The Station Played American PoP music. It feels like any other popular Pop music station other than the DJ who speaks Spanish. and the commercials are of course in Spanish. The happening around the place seem to be advertising car sales, and a few clubs, My Spanish is so lacking that I could not make out much. My teens like the station as we will be going after the pandemic is over. The current rhythm of life on this 2-hour binge was that of a dance party wherever you are at. Upbeat music,

I selected this radio station because I once learned about this island and it was always intriguing to me just because it's secluded and it seems like it's as far away as you can get from Arizona. Upon listening to the sounds alone, it sounds very much like they speak french there. Because of how it sounds, I imagine that this island is a french territory and therefore it is probably more well off than other island communities. Some of the music sounds very tropical, with upbeat melodies; it sounds like a mix between a lively Spanish fiesta but with ocean island vibes. Other things sound normal, like french rap and even some English commercials. After hearing all of this, I imagine life on this island to be very fun and filled with people going to the beach; it seems like a big tourist island and a paradise for Europeans to travel to because of the French sounding roots. I imagine that people there are enjoying the end of summer and even though I can't understand what they're saying I am guessing they might be talking about the corona virus just because it's such a hot topic. After researching Réunion island, I confirmed that it is a French territory. Their main language is French, but they also speak Réunion Creole. It is an island east of Madagascar in the Indian ocean, and there are almost one million people who live there, many of which are African and Indian. I learned that the island is only 28 miles long and has a very tropical climate with many volcanoes because it sits over a hot spot in the earth's crust. I also learned that certain music types originated there, called sega and maloya. Tourism is a big part of their economy and Europeans use this island for naval transport. I think I was mostly right in my assumptions about the island, and I definitely want to visit there at some point in my life. Researching combined with actually listening to the real island for a few days really helped me picture a full life and community on the island, and it was so interesting to speculate what lives these people who live so far away are living.

Yarona FM 106.6 - Gaborone, Botswana The crime fiction novel series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith painted my first impression of Botswana and created a desire to want to visit this country one day. Thus, I choose one of the few radio stations in the capital city of Gaborone. Listening to this local radio station periodically over three days, I listened to three interesting late-night radio programs. I only was able to listen to evening programming due to the nine-hour time difference between Phoenix and Gaborone. The first was a Friday evening show called Electric Therapy Mix. The DJ spoke English and was giving away free tickets to a local sporting event. Energetic, electric, dance music played, and the majority of song lyrics were about partying and having fun. One song in particular only had the following lyrics repeated over and over, ‘I wanna have fun”. The second program was Sunday evening with DJ Kells called Revolution Live. This program was dedicated to prayer and love. The DJ said a prayer asking for guidance with the show and referred to radio as a platform outside church walls that can be used for good to spread the word of God and love. DJ Kells also asked for protection during these times and to heal the nation. He opened up a discussion with listeners to call in to discuss scripture about whether the origins of the Coronavirus is from God or man-made. The music played during this show was contemporary gospel music. The final radio show I listened to was the Hip Hop Countdown on Monday afternoon. The female DJ also referenced God and love. In fact, she said the word ‘love' so many times that she joked to her producer they needed a jar for how many times she says love. The number one song on the countdown list was by a Botswana Hip Hop, artist called ATI. He is one of Botswana's most recognizable musicians known for local Hip Hop infused with Western sound. He has been nominated for numerous awards at the Botswana Music Awards. In Conclusion, listening to these radio shows on Yarona FM 106.6, my impression of Botswana is that it is a country of feeling. The radio DJ's all spoke about love and aimed to connect with their listeners. Culturally, they seem like spiritual people wanting to connect to each other and their community through faith. The rhythm of life in Gaborone seems to be energetic and lively. In contrast to my impression from the local radio station, Lonely Planet calls the city, “low-key Gaborone” and describes it as either terribly unexciting or one of Africa's more tranquil capital cities depending on your perspective. They state that there is not much to see except government ministries, shopping malls, and urban sprawl, however, it can be an interesting place to take in the pulse of the nation. The country of Botswana, on the other hand, sounds like a wonderful place to take in the sights of the safari. It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, that has landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta. Botswana is one of the greatest safari destinations as it is home to animals like Giraffes, Cheetahs, Elephants, Zebras, and African Buffalos. I am more intrigued now to take a trip to Botswana to see and feel, in person, what the pulse of this country is really like.

This radio station was on of the few that I could find with songs that were in Portuguese and not English. It was very latin sounding to me, with an accordion prominent in every song I heard. It reminded me a lot of the mariachi music my stepdad would play in the house. I expected more of the stereotypical Brazilian music, like samba, but this station was still generally upbeat in tempo with a strong bass beat. After researching the city, I learned that Porto Alegre translates to Joyful Harbor. This city is the birthplace for a lot of intellects and artists in Brazil's history. It is also highly populated. This station definitely sounds joyful!

My primary language is Spanish and even though I dont speak it much at home its nice to be able to correlate it to Italian. This radio station seemed to be focused on political views or news pertaining to the Italian government. I could make out some words and with the tone and annunciation I was able to make out how passionate they were talking about the subject at hand. I was curious to hear if anything was being covered on the global event taking place but couldn't make out any of that. After researching the broadcasting station I was able to find out that It's a Radical Party station in Italy. The government pays for the station to be aired but the agreement is they are to facilitate Parliamentary sessions for people to listen too. They also air important court cases, live debates, and themes relevant to the political beliefs of the Radical Party.

B) I chose this radio station because I have always wanted to travel to Santorini, Greece. Listening to this station creates a greater itch to one day go and experience this culture. The information that I gathered just from listening to this station is that the music tends to be upbeat and rich in sounds that seem to encompass tradition and classical appeal. The station also had a few songs that were modern, or pop influenced. This inspired more questions for me such as: Is it common in their music culture to hold on to traditional influences but do they also grasp toward newer pop styles? I also noticed that most of the music they played and ads they ran were male voices. What does this say about women in their culture? What I imagine by listening to this station is a city rich in culture and tradition that aspires to be more modern. I would love to go there one day and fully immerse myself in their culture and understand their traditions.

A.) I choose a radio station based in Cambodia. The station is called Love FM, it's based in Phnom Penh, the capital and most populated city in Cambodia. My boss is originally from Cambodia, so I know a little bit about what it's like there. What surprised me is the music being broadcasted was American music from the early 2000's. Most of the songs had underlying messages about love and relationships. The radio announcer also said something about a down payment on a house being $2,000. The radio announcements and the music were in English, but the commercials were all in Cambodian, which also surprised me. My boss often watches a show called “Cambodian Idol”, so after listening to this radio station, I believe that Cambodian people are heavily inspired by American culture. I also researched the average price of homes in Cambodia. I found that the average cost to rent a home is around 150 USD monthly. After further research, I've learned that Cambodia is one of the cheapest places to live in South Asia. There are several English newspapers posted daily in Phnom Penh. I wasn't aware that the English Language was so widely used in Cambodia. It was interesting to learn about a more modernized city in Cambodia, because from what I've learned from my boss, I thought Cambodia was only rural and poorer cities.

I chose a radio station in Indonesia because it has always been a place of interest for me to travel to. It has always been my dream to go to Bali. However, there weren't any radio stations in Bali that were working. So, I chose one in Jakarta. The music that was playing was interesting to me. It was very similar to American music, just in a different language. A lot of the songs sounded like love songs, and were on the sadder side. After doing further research, Jakarta is the largest city in Indonesia. It is the center area for economics, culture, and politics. It is also known as a melting pot for several cultures due to opportunities for work and living. Jakarta is the equivalent of New York for them. The radio channel was interesting to me because the city is known for a lot of movement and fast speed lives, but the songs playing were very mellow and on a sadder tone.

I chose this radio station because of the COVID-19 virus and wanted to know how Italy, Rome was doing during the Pandemic outbreak. The translation while dwelling in place help me with understanding the Romantic language. The empathy for hardship Italian's are facing is similar to America's, e.g., Citizens affected by the virus, and those passing away. The culturally diverse city with socializing and enjoying super together is with close family right now. Radio Garden Station Rai Radio Tutta Italiana: The description of visual, social, and cultural perceptions of the place based on the experience of the local radio station was peaceful, i.e., soft pop-rock music was relaxing to listening too. Radio Garden is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our dedicated team is hard at work tending to the garden on a daily basis, and planting seeds for the future and keeping the weeds at bay” (Radio City, 2020).

I chose the Heart Radio MX from Guadalajara, Mexico. I listened to this radio station for two days and the songs that were played was more pop music. There were some songs I knew and started singing along and others I did not know. I've been to Guadalajara a long time ago and I remember it being a populated city. From the fast intermediate songs it brought me to a fast pace vibe. I would play around and start listening to all the radio stations but no matter what I would always end up in Mexico. Mexico is the home to my family so I decided to choose Guadalajara because it is where my grandmother is from. I visited this beautiful city a long time ago and I remember having a wonderful time. Just listening to the station brought back those memories of when I visited and it made me miss this city. I hope to visit soon and I really enjoyed this protocol.

I decided to chose a radio station in Germany because I took two years of German back in high school and it's always been a place I would want to visit someday. I spent a lot of time switching between different cities and their local radio stations, I noticed that quite a few of the stations played American music, so I wanted to find a station that played German music. That's when I landed on ON Schlager, a station that plays German pop/alternative styled music. I don't know much about Hof, but based on the many radio stations there, so I'm going to assume its a big/populated city. Based on my impressions and perceptions just based off listening to this station, I would assume that Hof is a busy and bustling city, filled with lots of people going about their business, walking around on the sidewalks and going shopping(probably not at the current moment though, due to current events). I could imagine this music being played in the background of a hip, modern clothing store or people listening to this in the car as they drive.

Estonia has been a country of interest to me as a streamer whose community I've long been a part of is actually from this country; however, he rarely speaks of it around his audience. While looking for a radio station in Estonia, I noticed a lot of "retro" stations, and stations that primarily played English or Russian music, as well as radio stations surrounding rock and metal. I selected Raadio Elmar as this station had a larger variety of music, and played songs primarily in Estonian. I often joined the station at about 7:00 AM in Estonia, and heard their daily morning reports. Soon, this began to turn into a strange mix of music, ranging from upbeat pop, to alternative music. I even heard a bit of country music in-between. The most defining part about each genre presented was the mood each song presented. Every song had an upbeat or uplifting tone to it, with lighter toned voices. The country to me seems to be quite lively, which I attribute to the variety shown in this station. I feel as if this country carries itself properly, and with a great deal of kindness. The commercials in this station are not as obnoxious as American commercials, and are fewer and further in-between. The kindness I feel is given off in how soft this language sounds. Listening to this station-- especially during the morning and early afternoon GMT+2 -- makes me think of the citizens driving to work in the morning, happy, with little traffic as the sun rises overhead. It also makes me think of the country waking up with the station playing as they prepare for the day, which is odd considering that Americans are just falling asleep during this time. All in all, the country feels much like other European countries: busy, full of people living life in the way that many do-- working, travelling, and doing as everyone else does. Though, Estonia seems to take care to be informative, clear, and kind in whatever ways it can, whether that's through the bits of news-casting given every hour or so between the joyful music, or in the form of advertisement so smoothly transitioned to, it's easy to mistake a commercial for a song before the speaking begins. The country feels like the place I'd enjoy waking up in-- as the music lifts my spirits. Upon looking up more information on the "gateway to Estonia" site, I have come to find that the country is much like I suspected, and more. The country is packed with a heavy sense of tradition and culture, expressed largely through their folk songs. Estonia is also known for being well educated, efficient, and ambitious in progress (especially in the digital world). Combined with the experience in dwelling, I can now understand why the country carries music the way it does. It's part of them to consume culture and gather information, and in doing so, the country carries a large sum of knowledge and a large collection of music between its citizens.

I chose a radio station in the Dominican Republic because I have always been interested in more tropical countries and islands. I also love to hear music in Spanish from different Spanish speaking countries. I listened to the station early in the morning on the first day and the music was very fast-paced dance music. On the second day I listened a bit later in the day and it was the same. I hardly heard any commercials or talking other than the songs themselves but I did hear a bit of talking on the second day where there was a short commercial advising everyone to stay safe amidst the current pandemic. On the last day, I listened later at night and the music was the same fast-paced dance music which I learned a lot was categorized as musica tropical. From the radio station I feel that life in Santo Domingo is island life but at a fast-paced. I also feel that it is a very community oriented and inviting culture. Upon my research I found that I was definitely getting the right feeling. One source I read described Santo Domingo as an intensely urban city which I felt was right with the community and culture I felt from the music.

The songs are either one of two choices bouncy energetic pop, or soothing ballads. Life seems busy and upbeat that is always on the move. The station is filled with lots of girl groups that seem to have positive and cute music. This gives me the impression that either life is well and happy or hard and dreary so the positive songs keep everyone cheerful. During evening times the ballads are played giving off an ambiance of slowing the pace and relaxing after a high-speed day.

I chose a random place that would be interesting to find out what kind of music was there. I enjoyed this station because it had old songs that I would listen to as a kid. Most of the songs were pop music and they were upbeat that it makes you want to dance to. I wish I knew what they were saying because it sounded that they were saying something important, due to thier tone of voice. :(

I chose a random place that would be interesting to find out what kind of music was there. I enjoyed this station because it had old songs that I would listen to as a kid. Most of the songs were pop music they were upbeat that it makes you want to dance to. I wish I knew what they were saying because it sounded like they were saying something important due to thier tone of voice.

Almost all of the songs that I listened to were surprisingly calming and relaxing. As opposed to most American radio stations, the music playing in Taiwan was mostly peaceful. I can't help but picture a quiet country staying calm within the midst of a crisis. I also imagined Taiwan as similar to other Asian countries in the sense of it being a very respectful culture. I imagined usually crowded streets as now quiet and peaceful, perhaps not completely empty but definitely more so than it used to be. I also imagined that there is a lot of respect for government, just based off of the relaxed commentators despite the panic of the corona-virus. Through my research I discovered that Taiwan is certainly a respectful, traditional and conservative state, even by the standards of other Asian countries. Social distancing and quarantining are in fully effect with the virus, but officials seem generally calm because they have been efficient in flattening the curve. That could be why most of the music I heard on almost all of the stations was relaxing. I probably would have just gone to Wikipedia to research general information about a topic. However, after dwelling, I looked for smaller, more personal news articles that would give me a better idea of the people there and not the basic facts. I also narrowed my research to how Taiwan is dealing with the corona-virus, to get a better look at how their society deals with panic and crises. I picked Taiwan because a friend of mine who was a foreign exchange student lives there and I made a promise that some day I would go to visit him. It was very fascinating being able to immerse myself in the culture of an old friend, especially since it has been many years since I have seen him.

I chose Rome, Italy because I was supposed to study abroad there this summer, but due to the corona virus it has be canceled. I wanted to understand how their country is dealing with this pandemic. This station seemed like a local news station because every time I listened there were usually 2-3 people talking back and forth. They seemed to be calm yet serious. I think they were reporting the news of the coronavirus and how it is effecting their country. They only played one song during my time listening to this station which was "State of Shock" by the Jacksons. I thought this could be a way to make light of the hard time. I searched for my radio station on google after I listened to it and found out that it is operated by the state owned public broadcasting and focuses on news, sports, talk programs, and some popular music.

I chose Rome, Italy because I was supposed to study abroad there this summer, but due to the corona virus it has been canceled. I wanted to understand how their country is dealing with this pandemic. This station seemed like a local news station because every time I listened there were usually 2-3 people talking back and forth. They seemed to be calm yet serious. I think they were reporting the news of the coronavirus and how it is affecting their country. They only played one song during my time listening to this station which was "State of Shock" by the Jacksons. I thought this could be a way to make light of the hard time. I searched for my radio station on google after I listened to it and found out that it is operated by the state owned public broadcasting and focuses on news, sports, talk programs, and some popular music.

While listening to this station over the past couple of days, I began to grow fond of its upbeat and positive music. There were no songs which made me feel stressed or anxious. The station kept reminding listeners that it was “time to unwind” and “Dublin's easy place to relax”. I felt comforted knowing that the station was geared towards this type of energy, given the current stress of the worldwide pandemic. Only a couple times (mainly in the early morning) there was actual news coverage, so it was nice to get a break from that. The station also played many different genres of music, truly representing every type of listener. This leads me to believe that people living in this area and tuning in are easy going and optimistic, seeking out an escape from the stress of daily life. Even the name of the station “Sunshine” emulates what the station is trying to represent to it's listeners. It was a refreshing and easy listening experience.

I chose Sydney Australia because I thought that would be an interesting place to listen to because I would just think they would listen to American music. They have their own artists that are unique to them and the station that I listened to was East Side Radio a station I thought would have oldies but to my surprise it was jazz. I don't think there are too many stations at least in AZ that play jazz. I listen to it when I just need a break from music but still need something on in the background. The music was very calming and I can imagine that this station would be playing in a nice hotel lounge or cafe. I could also see this being played by an older person remembering about the good old days while looking out on the water.

For this project, I've decided to travel to 3 different locations, Riga Lativa, Modra Slovakia and Tromso Norway. I listen to a lot of pop music so I checked out the pop stations. Each station from each location had a particular feel to it. Some were more up beat them others .some were in English while the others were in various languages giving me that cultural aspect. I thoughts when reading this prompt was that I was going to travel to a location and the music was going to be your stereotypical music you hear in movies to depict that state. My process was to choose an area that was the furthest away from Phoenix so I could see some differences within our music/style. At first , it was very challenging. The places that I traveled to had similar taste in music so I had to go literally around the world to get a different variety. I learned that there are different styles and variants of music/pop music each style has its own quality and music could say a lot about your location that you're living in. For instance, Norway was in another language! Same music but just in a different language.the instructions given for this prompt allowed me to have more freedom when it came down to choosing my location and the type of music genre that I wanted to focus on instead of making it specific.

I chose to listen to a station located in Beijing, China. I was interested in learning what they were talking about or listening to during this outbreak. Though I do not speak the language, I was listening for any recognizable words, such as “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19”. Interestingly, the station seemed pretty upbeat. The first time I listened, I only heard songs in Chinese. I used Shazam to figure out more information, and was surprised to learn that the songs I had listened to ranged from 1994 to 2006. When I listened again, there were songs playing in English ranging from 1967 to 2011. Some of these songs I recognized, such as “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak and “Time Of The Season” by The Zombies. There was a male host who occasionally spoke and introduced songs and ads played after every three or four. From my research, Beijing is under lockdown and the city seems eerily empty. Perhaps an upbeat radio station that does not center around the Coronavirus is what some people need during this time.

For this protocol I chose Madrid, Spain and the radio station was KISS FM. I've always wanted to travel to Spain and while looking at the radio stations in Spain, KISS FM stood out to me because the music was upbeat, continuous and in the languages of English, Spanish and even French. The music consisted of upbeat songs, often from the 80's and a popular music playing in American pop stations currently. I listened to this station for 2 days and it gave me an impression of Madrid being a lively city. Madrid is the capital of Spain and I envision it to be heavily populated and this radio station gives me a vision of this city having a bustling nightlife scene, while researching more about Madrid I discovered that it does have a large number of night clubs and music event centers.

I choose this protocol because it's like traveling without leaving home. It was a way of exposing myself to a culture through musical elements and radio conversations. I chose Educador because my friend Julia lives there. I always so fascinated that Educator is vibrant in natural landscape and food. I thought it'd be fun if I immersed myself to hearing the musical culture of Ecuador, Quito. I'd say a lot of their radio output is about the coronavirus. The local radios are broadcasting what you can say public warning about false information being spread on smaller radio stations. With Educador being on 60 day lockdown authorities are doing their best to reach out and give right information. Apart from health broadcasting the music was a mixture of latin and american music. There were a lot of remixes that incorporated musical instruments of the region. Many of the music was upbeat which makes me think the radio are doing their best to keep everyone on high spirits.

Listening to the two radio stations that are local in Mykonos, I noticed that mostly electronic music is played. When I visualize the atmosphere in my head, I picture it to have a fun night life. I chose Mykonos, Greece because that is a place I have always wanted to travel to and is at the top of my bucket list. I love the beautiful white buildings that line the cliffs of the beautiful clear blue water of the ocean that I have seen in pictures and movies. One day, I hope to travel there and see if it is everything I had imagined. Since the radio station only played electronic music from the times I had listened, I imagined that the culture is friendly and lively. This is based off of my experiences with this type of atmosphere in music. I tend to go to a lot of festivals where electronic dance music (edm) is played, and festivals have a culture of their own. Everyone is very nice to one another and everyone comes together to have a good time and enjoy the good energy and music. I can imagine the social aspects being very fun and lively as well. I can imagine that rooftop parties, bars, or restaurants are very popular. I imagine such a fun, lively and energetic atmosphere in Mykonos, and I can imagine it being a place filled with young people wanting to have a good time. After doing a little bit of research, it was found that Mykonos is the "ibiza" of Greece! There are many bars and nightclubs, making it very popular for its nightlife. https://www.greeka.com/cyclades/mykonos/things-to-do/

My first impression was really shocking, as I was unaware that there are radio stations dedicated to helping people sleep. Funnily enough, as I had just chosen the station the owner of it came on and explained it was to help those with insomnia. Apparently, it is effective as the owner said they have received donations in the past from listeners. The first sitting the music seemed mysterious and alluring. I would not really have considered that style of music sleep music but I guess I would be wrong. The following times I tuned in, the music was much softer and more what I would consider sleep music. According to some light research, New Zealand has a growing homelessness crisis slowly increasing which is leading to a lot of people sleeping in their cars.

The place I chose seems really nice with a lot of harmony and peace. The first day I thought about how cool it would be to be in Japan at this moment exploring all the temples and historical buildings. Then the second day I was actually imaging that I was already in Japan looking at the cosplayers at Akihabara and visiting Kyoto and looking at the many temples. The third day, I was actually daydreaming of how it could be if I visit Japan since this place seems to be really awesome and peaceful. Then, when I searched about this place noticed that I wasn't wrong this place is really quiet and nice.

For a long time, I had always wanted to visit Italy to see the sites, taste the food, see the culture, explore the art in person, ect. Listening to the music, it seemed to be a mix from pop and jazz. There were a few songs here and there that gave me a Mexican vibe with the nice guitar sounds. Very upbeat and fun to listen to in the background, I pictured things were very optimistic or at least trying to stay optimistic given the current situation as of late. I do not know Italian or even Spanish for that matter so I had no clue what any of the songs were saying or what any of the songs were called. My only way of identifying them was based on the beat and rythem of the music. But a lot of the music sounded very cheery, perhaps they are doing their best to stay positive.

When I was in the summer before I went into my 5th grade year, I went on a trip sponsored by the organization, People to People. This is an educational organization started by President Eisenhower to provide leadership, culture diversity, and knowledge for future generations to become world citizens. The trip was two weeks: one in France, and one in England. I really enjoyed one day in the second week where we were roaming Birmingham for lunch where we were headed for London later that night on the bus. I remember the old architecture neighborhoods and cottages. I remember the long store fronts, some classical and some modern. I really liked the river that run throughout the town as well. I thought that his town was a perfect blend of modern coming with respect to the predecessors. Listening to the music, i have heard some american, mostly British, some European. The focus is mostly pop, EDM (Electric Dance Music), rap,reggae, and etc. I really appreciate that took great interest into new artist kinda like we do here in the US. I get a feel that they really support their youth culture with some great beats, raising artists to inspire, and different cultural music mixed in. Overall, I really would love to go back to the UK and really enjoy the country in general, but definitely stop by this town and maybe Warwick Castle because that was spectacular as equally.

For this protocol I choose to listen to a station in Culiacan, Mexico. In all honesty I chose this city because I recognized it from the Netflix show called Narcos. I like the soundtrack of the show so I thought I'd hear a few things I'd recognize. Turns out I knew a significant amount of the music I listened to and I often caught myself reminiscing of the weeks in the summer with my late great grandparents. I'm sure my hispanic/latino classmates can relate to this, but on the weekends we would wake up to our parents blasting the music cleaning the house from ceiling to floor. All the Ramon Ayala covers and just well knows latino songs were played. One thing I curious to know was what the station translated to so with the help of google it said "The Grumbling Beast" and I found it kind of funny in regard to the city itself. Not only from the Netflix show but simply googling Culican you'll see that this city is notorious for crime and being dangerous so in perspective it went well with it's location. In conclusion I loved listening to this station and have kept it open in a tab to listen to while doing homework all week.

Italy has always been a place I have wanted to visit. Also, being an art major, it's one of those places artist usually want to go and visit. From listening to this station, I have noticed it is very similar to pop radio stations we have in the US. I noticed that the radio station played music that was in Italian and English. From listening to the radio, it seems like Italy is culturally and socially similar to the US. From researching Italy, I have found that one of the things they are known for is music. About 62 Million people live in Italy, therefore making it a very populated place. Being an artist, I have really only been interested in the art scene in Italy, so being able to listen to the radio and discover what kinds of music is played on a popular radio station has been an interesting experience.

I chose a radio station in Amsterdam. A lot of the music they played were songs that I actually have in my own playlists. The music was happy, poppy, and a little folky. When I listened, I really just imagined people dancing and floating through the streets to the music like life was a movie with a seamless float-y dance number. Even when the radio personalities talked about all that's going on, they were lighthearted and unbothered it seemed (at least tonally, I couldn't understand most of the dialogue). It just came across as a very happy carefree place. Upon researching, I learned about their tolerance to the trans community, recreational drugs, and smart systems for transportation. Amsterdam is teeming with art culture, coffee shops and recreation.

The radio station I chose played Afro-pop and Afro-hip hop with a bit of American hip hop/R&B sprinkled in. It was interesting because while it had the same feel as an American hip hop/R&B radio station there were a lot more songs with religious themes intertwined with the secular music, almost all set to afrobeat and dancehall tracks. It gave me the same home-like comfortable feeling I got from listening to radio stations in while visiting friends in New Orleans with the unfamiliarity of an unknown language sprinkled with English and American sounding accents. It was very youthful, modern, and cross-cultural while remaining very clearly and proudly African.

Borgo Val di Taro, Italy Radio Taro FM 101.1 Day 1 I'm at home in solidarity with the world, so I thought I would listen to the same music as the people in a small Italian village to try and show support. They can't leave home as their country is ravaged by covid-19, and I'm at home to prevent what's happening to them from happening to us. My fear right now is the pandemic impacting the United States the same way it's impacting Italy. I can only imagine what the people of this small village are feeling, however, they're music is so romantic. The station plays a combination of Italian and American 1980 love ballads. The feel of the music isn't tragedy. Day 2 I can't understand what the dj is saying, but he seems happy and upbeat. The songs I can understand are the same songs my grandparents listen too. The channel reminds me of the time I spend with grandma in her purple old van. We don't talk much, but we listen together. I can imagine a bunch of old ladies respectfully bopping to this song in their cars and homes. The more I think about them the more I see my grandparents in their Idaho condo decorated with false plants and Jesus portraits. Day 3 While I was listening today, I tried to research the village. I can't find anything I understand. It's all written in Italian, and the things I can understand are major news headlines about the virus's death toll, the social isolation of the Italian people, and lack of respirators. I can imagine the Italian grandma's and grandpa's are a lot like my own. They're resilient, religious, and probably at home listening to their 1980's love ballads and waiting out covid-19.

The station I chose Is based in Tokyo, Japan. A place filled with bright lights and beautiful nature. I choose this capital, because I've always been intrigued by Japans culture whether it's music, fashion, food etc. so when listening to the J-Pop station I realized that they only played girl bands, and In japan there are hundreds of pop bands, but most are girl groups. I would describe the sounds of each song as techno/70s Japan pop, which made me wants to get up and dance or act like I'm in a really intense breakup scene in a romance movie. There were many Known beats that I've heard in old American songs that were produced in the 70s too, so I enjoyed it although I've already listened to Korean pop which is similar. When researching this capital there was a fact that dancing in Japan was illegal about 70 years ago, because it was seen as a way of promoting prostitution, but now many girl bands in Japan are able to dance however without this rule. Another fact I found was that most cat cafes are based in Japan, which is very exciting because I love cats and coffee and I think it makes me even more interested in visiting Tokyo knowing that they have a lot of my interests all around

I chose to listen to a radio station in Athens because we've been learning about a lot of pieces of art from Greece in my Art History class. I feel like there is a chill and relaxed atmosphere here, for the majority of the songs that played all sounded very indie with a combination of alternative rock, jazz, and low-fi hip-hop. Most of the songs I listened to were in English, but the commercials were in Greek. I found this to be very interesting because I don't think I've ever heard the Greek language spoken before, oddly enough. All of the advertisements also had music that was pleasing to the ears in the background, which I thought was cool. I did some research on the station itself and it looks like they have a lot of diversity in the artists they feature, which is refreshing. Based on the songs I heard, I think Athens would be a very peaceful place to live and I would like to visit someday.

Before: I wanted to choose a local radio station in a country because I am a big fan and supporter of small, local radio stations. That's why I chose an in-land radio station Australia rather than near the ocean or beach. I thought I would be able to get a different point of view of the country than just a beach vacation destination. Armidale was the name of the town, and by my assumptions I believe it is a small town located somewhere in a green valley or forest-type environment. I believe the population is older, and I got a very laidback vibe from the type of music and the attitudes of the DJs. They may have some tourism in their town, but I think it inhabits locals rather than vacationers. Two out of the three days the music mostly came from America, which I thought was interesting. I don't think there are a lot of Americans living there though, I just think the disc jockeys are allowed to play the genres they personally enjoy. I believe the station was local because they had a few different disc jockeys that were able to play any kind of genre of music they wanted, or so it seems this way. It reminds me of a small, volunteer-based radio station I used to work at with my sister in Colorado. There were volunteer DJs who could come in at designated times and play whatever they wanted, as long as you were trained with the equipment. When my sister and I did a show, we would generally base it off of a couple close music genres like they did. The vibes form this station really reminded me of the one in Colorado, except they had way better accents. Maybe they could be sister towns. After: Armidale is a city (population approx. 24,000) located in New South Whale, Australia that is located in a subtropical climate. Surrounding the city are large hills covered in a thick, green forest. So, I was technically right in my idea of Armidale being located in a forest, but I was off on the size of the population, although, 20,000 is not very large when compared to other cities. This city is known for a couple national reserves, seen in the surrounding natural beauty. Armidale is a colonial town, so there is a larger tourist-based economy than I thought. The buildings are historical with a quant touch, so maybe this historical-antique vibe gives the city that small-town feeling. The more I listened to the radio the first day I instantly painted a picture in my head. I was convinced that this place was the Australian twin brother of my beloved Carbondale in Colorado. Maybe I need to get a plane ticket and visit both locations for a couple months each, and then determine if they can be called similar. With that pre-conceived idea in my head I carried it throughout the next two days. Some may say this is narrow-minded, which it is, but it let my brain come up with better pictures of this random place on Earth. In some ways my predictions were right, but I'm glad I didn't just create an identical Carbondale. As much as I love that town, I don't want there to be exact copies of anything. Armidale seems like a lovely place on its own.

For Dwelling Local Sounds, I chose a local station in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, a city near where my family is from. I have only visited once December 2019, when I was listening to the music station, I actually had a different experience than I imagined. I remembered my little cousin who enjoys the Spanish music they played. I felt sad because I really liked getting to know the family I met in that time. The station rhythm alternated from English song to a Spanish song and so on. During the commercial break, announcements were about current world health concern, COVID-19 virus. There was also an announcement about purchasing items and having them ship or delivered to your home. Another advertised how well health of people in the state of Guanajuato was the best. When music finally returned, they started their announcement of the radio station coming back from the commercial break with a pop song about coronavirus (COVID-19), which was a unique way of telling listeners to stay healthy. My visual, social, and cultural perceptions of the place are all based on my visit to the area from my previous and first trip there. I remember the sunsets and sunrises that were seen across open rural land. Some interesting facts I found about the place are Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico has a population of 1.239 million people, it is known as the “shoe capital of the world”, and muralist Diego Rivera was born in the state of Guanajuato. Overall, I chose the Dwelling Local Sounds project because it was specifically assigned for class work. I thought I would hear music from a lot of different places in South America all in Spanish, and I actually heard American music as well in English. I specifically heard music from a DJ in Chicago, Illinois. I heard Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj songs as well, which was interesting and unexpected.

I really loved listening to this station. I was able to hear many songs and artists I know from listening to Jazz from stations here in the States. Also this introduced me to new and local artists who are still in the jazz scene today. It was odd listening to the station's broadcasters. I studied french for three years and barely remember a thing from it, but I was able to pick up the odd words and sentences here and there. Mostly about news regarding COVID-19 and introducing artists they are playing. That's what I was able to pick out at the very least. I wanted to hear this station because the frequency it plays on is the usual frequency I listen to when traveling the states. I listened to pretty much 89.9 on a massive road trip a couple years ago. Mainly because data was usually out of range. Also a French friend of mine recommended this station my senior year of high school (he was an exchange student). I only just recently remembered that by listening to this station.