Mexico

Music in Mexico

Music conveys an essential and revolutionary role within the country of Mexico. There are many different aspects that influence Mexicos music and various styles. From a cultural aspect of Mexicos Mariachi, Banda, Ranchera, and Norteno music, to an aspect of dance and entertainment depicting rhythm of music. Mexicos music has evolved and is also influenced under the aspect of religion in regards to the Catholic religion and wedding ceremonies. Even the political aspect contributes to Mexicos music, portraying major political events such as the Mexican Revolution in styles known as corridos.

Throughout time, the culture in Mexico has changed its course, but still kept its originality. Each state has its own unique and different contributions that make up what the culture in Mexico is like, including the different forms of music, folktales, dishes, dances, and etc. The music known as Banda has became a huge influence throughout everyday lives in many Mexican states.

Banda was originally established in the 1880s, in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. It did not become extremely popular until the 1890s and it had started as a combination of both Mexican and German Polka music because at the time many Germans were living in the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Jalisco, and Nuevo Leon. The first actual band of Banda that was formed was in the 19th century somewhere in the southern and central part of Mexico. Banda is one of the most popular forms of music that Mexico has, along with Musica Nortena, Corridos, and Mariachi.

The Mexican culture is not just one; it is many contributions tied together at make it so diverse and influential. Each state is known to have music that represents itself. Banda plays a huge role in what is known to be the Mexican culture. Most towns in every state tend to have their own group that performs at any event that takes part in there community, for example at parades, funerals, parties or religious ceremonies. The most known festivals are celebrated after saints in Mexico, every town has their own saint and throughout the entire year the entire town participates in these celebrations that are filled with fireworks, music, food, and family fun. They are known, as Las Fiestas at usually tend to last six to nine days. For example, Tizapan, Jalisco is the town that I am personally from and the Fiestas that occur there happen during the last week of September entering the first week of October. Banda and weddings are a very popular combination in the Latin community, not only in Mexico but also in other Central American countries and here in the United States. Any type of party, no matter the occasion usually tends to have Banda.

The most important instrument is a tambora or also known as a bass drum. Tamboras was the original name of Banda, but was later changed. Along with the tambora, the tuba, cowbells, cymbals, and tarola are also used. This style is more original form of Banda, no vocals just instruments. The more modernized Banda contains the original instruments and also the trumpet, clarinet, value trombones, slides trombones, and alto horns. A vocal team also participates.

In the last century, Banda has made a huge impact in Latin American countries as well as in the United States. It continues to grow and become more and more known not only in the Latin American community but also to other cultures and nationalities. Despite the change in society and time, Banda still remains to keep its originality and continues to grow each and everyday, still managing to subsidize a huge part in the Mexican culture.

There are a lot of different types of music in Mexico and there are a lot of cultures also. Theres the Mariachi, the Banda, the Ranchera, and the Norteno. Each one has a different sound that enriches the Mexican culture. Even though they all sound different they all play Corridos. A Corrido is usually a song about someone or something, and it tells a story; it can also be like an autobiography about someones life, or an event that happened. The Corrido started back in the 1800s, but it became really popular during the Mexican Revolution. During that time the most popular ones were about Francisco Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, and Francisco I Madero because they had a great impact on what was going on at that time. Also, Corridos during that time were to honor the brave heroes that wanted a better Mexico for the people, and the lyrics expressed it. In modern days, Corridos have changed gradually in the way that they dont talk about heroes anymore; in contrast, they talk about drug dealers like Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, Ismael El Mayo Zambada, and Amado Carrillo Fuentes. For some people they are heroes, even though they are killers and not heroes like Zapata and Pancho Villa. Nowadays, Corridos are a great part of our culture. Mexico is one of the riches countries in the world when it comes to culture. Each state has something to offer when you go visit. For example, the state of Michoacn is one of the richest states in Mexico when it comes to culture. The landscapes, the food, the people, the traditions are just unbelievable and not to mention the music. In this state there are 11 towns called Los Once Pueblos. The people who live there are indigenous people called Purepechas. Many of them are studied musicians, and they either play in a Banda, in an orchestra, or in quartets. The interesting part is that they sing in their dialect, and many pieces of what they play are called Pirekua. A Pirekua is a happy song, which is sang in Purepecha dialect.

Also, there is a town called Paracho. This town is the land of the guitar, and every August a fair of the guitar is celebrated. This celebration lasts one week. During this fair there are many events including listening to classical music, traditional dances, and concerts at night at the plaza. Many tourist come to this international fair to have a good time and why not to buy a guitar, a violin, a Tololoche, or a Bajo Sexto. These instruments are plucked and bowed chordophones. The Bajo Sexto has 12 strings, and the Tololoche is like a bass but bigger and it only has four strings. During this fair, people are assigned a specific day. For example, Monday is for the hunters, Tuesday for the Panaderos or bread makers, Wednesday is for the butchers, Thursday is for the taxi drivers, Friday for the merchant people and Saturdays are for the guitar makers, and Sunday is the main day for the fair. Basically all these people gather at a main place and a procession is created. They all start dancing through the main street of the town. Every single family who is dancing at the procession is dressed in the traditional dress of Michoacn. In these processions maybe ten or more bands accompany the families through the main street until they get to the plaza (downtown) where they give bread, candy, or meat depending the day they are marching. The states of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Guerrero, Morelos, and the state of Mexico are pretty similar to Michoacn, but they all have different ways of celebrating there traditions. Also, indigenous people are different. One state that is different from all these states is the state of Sinaloa. Unlike Michoacn, Sinaloas indigenous people are called Mayos. The main celebration in Sinaloa is the Mazatlns carnival that takes place in Easter. People from all around the world gather at the Malecon (pier) and they presence the traditional dresses and their music, which is Banda. Mexican music and culture is just beautiful because of all the varieties we have in Mexico. If you go to Sonora, you can find the native people called Yaquis, if you go to Chihuahua u can find the Tarahumaras, if you go to Nayarit you will find the Coras, if you go to Jalisco you will find Huicholes, and if you go to Oaxaca you will find approximately 15 different indigenous groups. Thats what makes Mexico a beautiful country.

It is important that I know who wrote what. This seems like a great introduction to the presentation but goes a bit more in detail than what I expect from the group leaders introduction to the country. If this is the introduction, it is great. However, bear in mind that you will not have time to say all of this during the presentation. Also, make sure that each members efforts are clearly marked. Although this is a group project, each one of you will receive an individual grade.

Who is doing this?

Mexican dances say a lot about the culture and the rhythm of the music. Every dances has different colors that are sown into the costumes the performers wear to perform these dances. The colors are somewhat different to each dance and so are the costumes. Each piece of music has their own particular way of dancing. Some songs demonstrate this are the traditional dance of Mexico call the Jarabe Tapatio, Duruburi from Chihuahua, La Danza del Venado from Sinaloa and el Baile de Pelea de los Gallos from Aguascalientes. All these dance have different stories to tell, which explains what has happened or whats going on. Fix this

The first dance is called the Jarabe Tapatio, otherwise known as the Mexican Hat Dance. This was named the national dance of Mexico in 1924, as mentioned on the page Traditional Dances of Mexico. This dance was made so they could bring every culture in Mexico together. In this dance a man and a woman flirt with each other. After a while the male tries to have the female dancer fall in love with him by doing sexually movements.

The second dance is called Duruburi from Chihuahua, Mexico. This dance was performed in outside festivals so that the stars could see it. The dance was a ritual that was made by the Indians known as Los Tarahumaras de la Sierra of Chihuahua. The dance was dedicated to the father Sun and the mother Moon. The movements they do are sitting on the floor raising their hands up to the sky and then bringing them back down and he repeat this movement for a while. After that they get in two rows and start seeping back and forth and them they move to the sides and do the same steps. One of the girls gets a stash and does like a skipping movement around the other girls that are sitting on the ground.

Thirdly is the dance called La Danza del Venado (dance of the deer) is used in the city of Sinaloa, Mexico. The performance was also known as the pascolas. This is a dance that is preformed after the killing of the deer. They make up the rhythm and sounds with the different movements they do with their body. The instruments they use to preform are flutes, drums and rattles. They would dress like a deer and the hunter representing what they have just done. And also they would act out the deers movements while it died.

Lastly is the dance called el Baile de la Pelea de los Gallos (dance of the cocks or roosters). This dance is performed at the national fair of Mexico which is held at San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The dance is made up of two male dancers and a female dancer. The males part of the dance is to show whos the most manly or stronger man. The woman dances with each male for a couple of minutes. The movements the male does is just having his hands held together at their backs while they are dancing with her or fighting like roosters with each other. Their feet movements are like tap dancing and kicking. The females movement is just making circles with her skirt. The female is a prize for the male that wins her over.

For all its worth, each part of Mexico has their own way of keeping the culture alive; whether its by the colors in the wardrobe, the dance movements, and as they let their spirit keep the tradition alive. Whether youre interested in dances like the Pelea de los Gallos or the Jarabe Tapatio, it doesnt matter because each of these dances gives you an insight of their culture and its all for entertainment. You dont need to be an expert to see the passion they have for each dance and to know that they do this so the spectator sees what they went through at that time. As part of the Mexican culture when we hear a song or see a dance that takes us back to moment that hits home and gives us goose bumps because we know that our blood line when through that moment and that we are here thanks to them. I assume this is the end of Music and dance. Again, I need to know who did what. There were some syntax errors that need to be fixed. Go ahead and to this before you present. You should also plan on having audio or video material to support each dance covered above. Grade as is: 80

Who is writing this?

Mexico is a very great country with a rich culture. It is also a very religious country. Roman Catholicism being the number one religion in Mexico. 90% of its population are Catholic. Catholicism is a very strong religion today. Marriage being the most sacred part of the religion, of course. Fix this. Mexico also varies in great music, but nothing beats a good ol Mariachi band and/or Banda music. What I am trying to point out, is the importance of a traditional Mexican wedding from the Roman Catholic Church to the wonderful music.

Marriage in the Mexican culture with Roman Catholicism being its religion, (you already said this) is a very spiritual ceremony. Before anything of this happens, a pedidia or fathers approval happens before the wedding. Traditional Mexican families, the father is the head of the house. The father gets to approve of the proposal or not. Once the approval is granted, the decision of the date happens. Theyre also known as their godparents. The reason why godparents are involved, are to mentor the couple. Usually close relatives are chosen. Another reason why godparents are chosen, are not only to mentor the couple but to also help funding with the couples wedding. Usually in a traditional Mexican wedding, the couple rarely ever funds their own weddings. Godparents are the ones who usually the ones who fund everything considering that there are multiple godparents. Godparents play a big role in not only marriage, but in every sacrament in Roman Catholicism.

During a wedding ceremony, there are a couple symbols during the wedding. First of all, the first thing that is symbolic, is that it is held in a Roman Catholic Church and it is a lovely, spiritual, full mass ceremony. Many people join the couple at their mass which I personally think that it makes a wedding much more interesting and more beautiful with the company of others. Another symbol in a Mexican catholic wedding, is the Lazo. A Lazo is a rosary unity lace. It is an oversized rosary placed around the couples necks in a figure 8 after exchanged vows. It is placed by close friends or godparents usually. The lazo represents their joining for eternity. The figure 8 also has a meaning in which it symbolizes infinity. Meaning no beginning nor end. The rosary symbolizes the unity between them by God. The other symbolic part of the wedding are Las Arras, gold coins. Gold coins take a part in the ceremony, specifically thirteen gold coins. The gold coins represent the brides groom willingness to support the bride. The thirteen gold coins represents Christ and his twelve apostles. These two symbols are the two major symbols when it comes to a Mexican Catholic wedding. You spent too much time talking about non-musical matters. Remember that this is MUSIC and Religion.

Now that the mass and ceremony is over and it is time to go to their reception, it is common for the couple to be accompanied by their family and friends and a mariachi band or municipal band if they are in a small town and isnt a hassle to get there. Once at the reception there are lots of food and beverages as well as people. Mexico is a big party country, so many people party a lot especially at weddings. The traditional music used in an authentic Mexican wedding are the Mariachi band, usually during the reception all the way until the balie (dance) starts. Mariachi is a popular type of music played in overall Mexico (FINALLY!!!). There are multiple people in a mariachi band. All of them are dressed in studded outfits known as charro outfits. Mariachi consists of five string guitars, violins, and trumpets. Mariachi is a very versatile kind of music. Its tempos can vary and it is nice to enjoy mariachi music. Over all Mariachi is a great kind of music to listen to especially when live and is a big part of the Mexican culture and Catholic religion. Is that it????

In conclusion, Mexico is a very nice country with a great culture full of life and religion. Religion will always be one of the biggest importance to a true Mexican. Religion is a beautiful thing in Mexico. Music such as Mariachi has a big part of Mexicos heart. I personally think that Roman Catholicism and Mariachi represents Mexico quite well still to this day and will continue to represent Mexico. Im assuming this is the end of one paper and following is the next person sharing religion. Grade as is: 60%

Who is writing this?

In Mexico, music has been a major component within Catholicism. Catholics celebrate the holly mass every Sunday. At the beginning of every mass a Rondalla plays religious songs as the priest walks to the podium. A Rondalla consists of a guitar player, a mandolin player, a clave player, and sometimes a bass player. All of these instruments are chordophone with the exception of the wooden claves, they are Idiophones. Rondallas have not and specific number of players. They can be formed by four players, seven players, and even ten players. Fix this. In some churches instead of Rondallas, the pipe organ is still used during a mass. In fact, in the city of Morelia, Michoacn, Every year in October, the International Organ Festival takes place in the Cathedral of Morelia. Many talented musicians from around the world come to participate in this amazing festival. The International Organ Festival of Morelia was founded by Master Alfonso Vega Nez in the year 1966 (Morelia Invita ). Prepare yourself with a Rondalla example for the presentation.

In the entire Mexican Republic every Catholic Church has its own saint and every year a Fiesta Patronal (Festivity of a saint) is celebrated. There are many towns named after a saint, so it is not complicated to know who they celebrate. For example, if the town is named San Francisco, the people of this town will celebrate Saint San Francisco de Asis, but even if the town is not named after a saint, there may be a chance they celebrate Saint San Francisco too, of course, only if the town has that saint within its church. One of the major celebrations in Mexico is in December 12. This day the entire Mexican Republic celebrates the Virgin of Guadalupe. Every town celebrates its saint differently. In this case I chose the state of Michoacn because I was born there, I lived my entire life there, and I went to many Fiestas Patronales (Festivity of a saint). In the town of Chern, Michoacn, the big festivity is every October 4th. The people of this small town celebrate San Francisco de Asis. The festivity starts at 6:00 a.m. in the church. At the beginning of the mass, a Banda de Msica (Music Band) starts playing Las Maanitas, which is a traditional Mexican birthday song, in honor of saint San Francisco de Asis.

I went ahead and separated your ideas into paragraphs here. The Saint portion above strays from the main topic of MUCIC and Religion. Be sure to keep that present.

A Banda de Msica (Music Band) is formed by 15 players or more and the instrumets they used are mostly aerophones and just one or two membraphones and idiophones. Instruments like Trombone, trumpet, tuba, clarinet, saxor (a small tuba), and percussions are the main instruments used in this type of bands. After the mass ends, the band continues playing sones outside the church. Sones are just instrumental songs. Then in the evening, people gather outside the church once again. While the people is waiting, a music band is playing to entertain all these people. When the time comes up, saint San Francisco de Asis is taken outside the church and finally a procession is created. Usually, processions walk through the main streets of the town followed by a band. Then when they get to a certain place (it could be an altar or just a well-known place within the town) they rest a little bit and finally start walking back to the church again. After the procession enters the church, a mass is given to all the people in honor of that saint. Also, the band enters the church and play instead of the Rondalla. Separate your thoughts in different paragraphs! The celebration continues with the traditional Baile Patronal (Traditional Dance). Now a band or a GrupoNorteo gets on a big stage and play music for four hours. A Grupo Norteo (Like country music) is usually composed by four or five players. The instruments required in a Grupo Norteo are the accordion, electric bass, drums, and the Bajo Sexto (Is a guitar with 12 strings in

6 double courses). These instruments are Chordophones and Idiophones. Then people experience the fireworks in honor of San Francisco de Asis. Typically, thats how most of the towns in each state celebrate the saints within the church, with a lot of music. Also these celebrations might last longer. Before the big day, Jaripeos (Bullriding), concerts, horse racing, and dances take place in town. But the big day is always the same with the mass and the procession. Paragraph! Lastly, when someone dies, they are given a mass and after the mass, a procession takes the coffin to the cemetery. Finally, at the cemetery a Banda de Msica plays music to the person who is being buried, of course, the band only plays if the person who died wished to be buried with music. In Mexico being buried with a band means that people should not be crying instead they should be celebrating someones dead. But when children die bands do not play.

Good work on the overall. Your ideas are bunched togethrer instead of separated into paragraphs. Dont stray from the main focus of your paper (Music and Religion). Grade as is: 75%

Who is writing this?

Mexico is one of the most celebrated countries in history. Whether its from their family traditions, or their artistic dances, Music has played a huge role in Mexican culture. Music can come from the different Mexican traditions that we have come to love, or even from the major revolutions that have influenced the different types of music creations. Some of the Politics in Mexico has a huge role in creating some of the most famous music genres.

According to Annie J. Randalls Book Music Power and Politics the Mexican music style called, corrido, became popular in the 20th century during the Nicaraguan revolutions. In knowledge found by, http://msw.arizona.edu/content/corridos, this music was written as folksongs about the struggles against oppression and injustice. It was written to tell tales of heroes such as Poncho Villa, and Cesar Chavez. Corrido is usually played at major keys, and are sung in a short range, they are usually less than one octive. When sung in a short range it allows performers to sing at the top of their voice, such as their falsetto, a common trait of the corrido style. Some of the more common subjects of contemporary song would be; drug smuggling, terrorism, and illegal migration. Excellent!

Poncho Villa was a political hero in Mexico. He was the most iconic from the Mexican revolution. He was known for having a great personality and loved the limelight. According to www.laits.utexas.edu/jaime/jrn/cwp/revolutionary.html, Poncho Villa was voted, mostly by the poor who were tired of high prices of food, as first commander general and led a force of 28 men. He was the first revolutionary leader to defeat regular government soldiers. Also according to, www.laits.utexas.edu/jaime/jrn/cwp/revolutionary .html, PanchoVilla was seen as a great fighter and very fast, he became one of the most important military leaders of the Mexican revolution. His men won continual battles. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with. You need to relate this to music. I suggest looking at the text of the song La Cucaracha.

Mariachi music is a huge part of Mexican culture; its about as popular as tequila itself. According to Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; and Richard Trillos book, World Music the rough guide, Mariachi music is known as a group of performers with instruments, which usually include violins, guitars, basses, vihuelas, accordions, and trumpets. Their songs tell stories about love, betrayal, death, politics, revolutionary heroes, and even animals. The common clothing for a mariachi performer is, either all white or all black clothing, slacks, tuxedo, and a sombrero. Mariachi singers were known as singing songs of revolutionary heroes or enemies. They would travel and use songs to carry news from one place to another. From its birth place Jalisco, Mariachi music will always be a huge part of Mexico and is still celebrated to this day.

Politics has played a huge role in Mexican music and has helped create some amazing styles of music, that we have come to love, appreciate, and celebrate today. Some of the music styles that come from the politics like corrido, allows us to feel what sort of emotions and pain they were going through at the time. The music styles like mariachi shows us what they thought of their heroes back then and how much they felt for those heroes or even enemies in some cases. There are many political events that led to the creations of these most favorable styles of Mexican music that we are very grateful for and we will always look back at the roots of these music and have a great appreciation. You need to provide musical examples. If this is the end of a persons work, the grade as is follows: 75%

Is this someone elses work now?

One of the most profound parts of Mexicos political history is the Mexican Revolution. The Mexican Revolution had a very broad impact on the music of Mexico, which often included singing about the revolution itself, its events, and its heroes. Most musical genres and styles in Mexico were affected by the revolution, but what stood out the most was the Mexican style of corrido and the impact the Mexican revolution had on it. The Mexican Revolution played a key role in the corridos history but was not the sole influence of these pieces of music.

The three main causes of the Mexican Revolution were the dictatorship-like rule of the president, Porfirio Diaz, the exploitation and poor treatment of workers, and the great disparity between the rich and the poor. This dictatorship-like rule of Diaz lasted over thirty years. The emergence of a man named Francisco Madero, who ran for president against Diaz in the 1910 elections, kick started the revolution. Diaz later had Madero imprisoned and declared that he was the winner of the elections. Many of Maderos followers like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata continued to oppose the rule of Diaz and were eventually victorious in overthrowing the dictator. Later down the road, Villa and Zapata had their differences with Madero, who after the over throw of Diaz had been elected president of Mexico. The differences would lead to what we refer to today as the Mexican Revolution which would last from 1910 to 1920. (Edsitement, 2014)

The origin of corridos of the Mexican Revolution can be traced back many years to medieval Europe. Corridos are stories told in poetic form and sung to simple music. The Mexican Revolution gave the corridos much popularity and cause a substantial growth in the style during its time, but the popularity of this style in Mexico grew during the 1800s. During the time of the Mexican Revolution corridos often told of events, battles, great leaders and fighters during the revolution. This style of music became a way to record, mourn the loss of people, and celebrate events that took place. The three main parts of a corrido are very simple. The first is a preface to the performance that introduces the place, the date, and the lead character to the audience. This is then followed by a story about the lead character and finally is ended in a farewell. Corridos often romanticize the heroes they sing about and usually refer to people who opposed the revolution in a bad way. For example, one famous corrido called The Taking over of Zacatecas commemorates, documents, and celebrates an important battle during the Mexican Revolution (Edsitement, 2014). One of the most known corridos throughout the world especially in the United States and Mexico is the La Cucaracha, which in English means The Cockroach. This song has been heard by many schoolchildren since the 1930s. This popular folk song does not have a specific date in which it was produced but has been said to be the result of the Mexican Revolution (Wikipedia, 2014.).You need to expand on the hidden and open transcripts of this particular Corrido.

Much of the music in Mexico is played in categories known as Banda, Mariachi, Ranchera, and Norteno. These categories are the main categories involved in Mexican music today and have an abundance of sub categories. Some instruments that are played in these many categories include the violin (bowed chordophone), vihuela (plucked chordophone), guitar (plucked chordophone), guitarron (plucked chordophone), trumpet (aerophone) and a wide variety of flutes, accordions, and French horns. Violins are used to develop the total sound of Mariachi music. The vihuela is actually unique to Mariachi music and is used as the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of the sound of Mariachi. The guitar is popular in any type of music but is usually used in Mexican music as the rhythm and in some cases the solo or melodic part of songs. The guitarron is also unique to Mariachi music and gives the bass foundation for the sound of Mariachi (Blank, 2014). Very good!

The Mexican National Anthem is probably one of the most known songs when it comes to music and politics in Mexico. The history of the Mexican National Anthem is very interesting. How it came to be was actually the result of a contest held for people all over Mexico to put music to the poetic words of Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra after he won the lyrical contest of the Anthem. The winning musical composition for the contest the following year was written by Jaime Nuno. On Independence Day of 1854 the first performance of the new unofficial anthem was performed in the Santa Anna theatre in Mexico City. The song remained unofficial until the year 1943 when it was adopted as the National Anthem in Mexico. Since then the original version has been altered and edited over time (Bajainsider, 2014). Another very important aspect of Mexican politics is Cinco de Mayo, which means the fifth of May. This event, like the Mexican National Anthem, is one of the most known throughout the world. Cinco de Mayo is one of the most celebrated and largest events in the counties history. It is especially celebrated in the city if Puebla and in Mexico City. The reason this event is so vastly celebrated in Mexico and in the United States by immigrants is because it marked the defeat of the great European Army. This defeat took place in the city of Puebla which is why it is largely celebrated there. As for the actually celebration of Cinco de Mayo, military parades are organized as way of tribute to the heroes, soldiers, and civilians who gave their lives to protect their country. Such parades take months of rehearsal and preparation. Marching bands compete among others to be the best (Herz, May, 2014). With many of the instruments involved in a Mexican marching band being aerophones, membranophones, and percussion instruments, these performances are some of the most organized in the world. It also happens to be in May, which is a summer holiday for tourism. For this reason many in the US consider May 5th to be Mexicos independence day.

Although there are many events that took place politically during Mexicos history, the Mexican Revolution had the most profound and influential impact on music. Many lyrics were written about, many songs were composed because of it, and many composers were driven by it. Music and politics in Mexico can be something people rally around because of the brotherhood and sisterhood of the rich country. Referred to by some as The Motherland, it has a vast array of knowledge to be shared throughout the world, one just has to be willing to look into it.

Im assuming this is the end of the music and politics paper above. The grade as is is 90%. Very good work on the overall. You have some edits to do and some expansion ahead of you as well. Be sure to discuss which parts you will cover in the presentation with whomever is sharing music and politics.

Is this the group leaders conclusion?

Music continues to grow in diversity and abundance within Mexico. Culture played a role by providing different styles of music such as Mariachi, Banda, Norteno, and Ranchera. Dance offered many depictions of musical rhythm and tempo. Religion supported music in spirituality and traditional manners through Catholicism. Music in politics revealed, emphasized, and spoke out to the public regarding events such as the Mexican Revolution. Influenced by the countrys various facets of culture, dance, religion, and politics, Mexicos music has evolved in tradition and customs.

This conclusion is a bit skimpy. You should expand it quite a bit to summarize the work comprising each part of the presentation. Group leader grade as is: 80

Dear Students,

Please accept my apologies. I haven't been feeling up to 100% of my capabliities. I truly feared grading work and missing something. The fever has receded and I am now gaining more strength. I will extend last week's module to this week and revise anything that needs to be updated in the tests or materials within it. I am also setting myself for an intense weekend of grading your work so please be patient with the update of your grades.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chapman