Reflection 4

I'm not sure what I can say that I haven't already said about this amazing week with the Global Arts Program. This week has been one of the best things I have participated in at IU--the program, even in its beginning stages, is a GREAT tool through which Balfour students can learn how to address social issues through art. This is such an important tool to learn, especially at such a formative age. As William Mazarella (2009)  has argued in reference to advertising, "Any social project that is not imposed through force alone must be affective in order to be effective".  I feel this quote applies to the Global Arts program. In order to effect their surroundings, each Global Arts Infusion scholar has had to learn to be affective--to have an affect, one must be effective. Art reaches people in ways other methods can/do not, and I certainly hope that these students take away the lesson of being positive, affective global citizens in the most effective way possible.

Reflection Day 3

Today taught all of us that adjustments to our daily schedules happen for a reason, and I believe the reason today was the simple fact that it showed us all we could adjust and still get our planned work completed. I feel this is a great lesson for these students to learn, as college is full of new schedules and unplanned events through which one must learn to time manage and prioritize correctly, so I am grateful today unfolded as it did.
These students are so astute! They ask the most direct and engaging questions, to which thankfully we so far have been able to answer lol and in addition, the energy in the room is so positive. I believe we really have them to thank for that, as teachers can provide all the materials and the know-how in the world, but unless students are willing and open to learning, nothing towards that aim will be accomplished. One of the best things I saw today was one student who had seemingly been content to sit alone for two days, but today, purposely put herself right in the middle of a group of other students for the entire lesson. I'm sure that as the week progressed she felt more comfortable, but it was nice to notice that not only did she willingly sit with others today, but the other welcomed her at their table:)  That is what this program is all about for me--people learning and living together, growing and becoming their own personality for others to enjoy. I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds for these kids. They are on their way, for sure.

Reflection Day 2

I found day 2 of this program just as wonderful as the first day. I really enjoy working with Derya, as our teaching styles are very similar. We keep the students moving by continually changing activities while keeping everything interrelated, and I believe this is working very well with all of our students. The social movements discussion was a big success, and they had great contributory ideas in our mini-lecture about the topic. They loved starting the T-shirt design, and even asked us many questions about the various world music we played during their design time. Overall, a really good day for group 2:)

Reflection 1: Global Infusion Day 1

July 10, 2017
8:45pm

Day 1 of the Gobal Arts Infusion program was more than I expected in many ways. I have experience working with college age students, so I did not encounter anything that surprised me, with one exception--all the students were very engaged with our topic of migration. Any time we asked them for ideas, they were on point with their answers. They seemed interested in our personal stories of migration, and willingly participated in all that we offered to tell and instruct them. I enjoy working with my project partner, Derya, as she is a very personable educator that had many fascinating techniques for drawing out the ideas from the students pertaining to our activity at hand. Based on my first impression, I am looking forward to delving into our topic deeper with our group tomorrow, and am eager to see them create their art project based on what we have planned for them:)

Round 2 on this Snapshot for me:) I am a very literal person, so when I read we needed to do a snapshot to introduce ourselves to the Balfour group, I thought that meant our future students. I read all of your snapshots, and now I get it LOL So, this re-write is correctly written now:)

My name is Amy Aiyegbusi, and I'm a second year PhD student at Indiana University Bloomington in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology on track to earn my degree in Ethnomusicology. I earned a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from IUB along with 3 minors: German, European Studies and Medieval Studies and my MA in European Studies at IUB. I am a 2017-18 IUB Graduate Student Emissary, an academic mentor for IU Athletics, an editor for the Journal of Hip Hop Studies, a grad employee of IU's Archives of African American Music and Culture, a DJ for WFHB Community Radio Bloomington, and a volunteer for the City of Bloomington Farmer's Market. In my research, my country of focus is Germany and my topic is Women in German Hip Hop with a concentration on the Turkish diaspora. I am looking forward to learning from all of you during our time together, and any ideas you might have for our group are most appreciated. 


As an ethnomusicologist, I study the interaction of music and culture, focusing on the ways people use music as a lens to project their identities and social issues to the world around them. I am highly committed to a global perspective in education. I know firsthand how deeply studying abroad changes a person, giving them an enhanced perspective by teaching them that no matter who a person is, all of us are important and deserve fair and equal access to all things in life. Gender Parity and Female Empowerment are issues I feel are of vital importance to all of us regardless of who we are, and this video gives a great introduction to the concept and importance of both:

In my travels overseas as a student, I have witnessed women and girls in different circumstances and locations. These pictures are from Nigeria/Africa from my trip in November, 2016:

For my MA thesis, I lived in Germany from September, 2015 until March, 2016, in order to conduct ethnographic research. Here are some pictures from that trip:

See you very soon!

Amy