I’ve been to many musical performances, and performed in many more throughout my life, but one of my favorite musical performances was the Utah State University’s Forty-fourth Annual Powwow. I had the opportunity to attend this powwow at the USU Nelson Fieldhouse on March 4, 2017. During this powwow I was able to meet a performer that was about the same age as me, and she aided in explaining aspects of the powwow that I did not understand, adding to my enjoyment of this performance. The Utah State University Forty-fourth Annual Powwow exemplified a musical performance that strengthens social ties and allows performers to express their identity. First, I will explain what powwows are and how this powwow was put together. Powwows are an event …show more content…
One social issue that we've discussed that applied to this concert was racism. A lot of people stereotype Native Americans and imagine something very different from reality. If we were to be open minded and actually get to know more about Native American culture, people would be surprised at what they discover, as shown from the reactions of the audience of this powwow. The audience paid close attention to the performance, clapped when appropriate, and revealed through their facial expressions that they were intrigued, which did not change much throughout the event. I personally felt that this was a really cool experience, and learned that music and Native American culture are far more complex than I had thought before. My reactions were somewhat what I expected, as I had studied powwows before I went, but studying about powwows and actually experiencing them are completely different. I was an outsider in this event, but it did not affect my enjoyment of the performance, as it was fascinating and some people were kind enough to explain to me things that I didn't understand. It was particularly interesting because one of the tribes that participated, the Duchesne tribe, is the tribe that my dad works for, and I have Native American ancestry, yet I realized that I know so little about music in Native American culture, proving that this powwow provided the opportunity for people to become more knowledgeable about Native American music and