{"id":16051,"date":"2020-03-08T20:04:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T00:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=16051"},"modified":"2020-03-06T17:19:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T22:19:37","slug":"mongolian-throat-singing-anyone-welcome-to-one-of-t-c-s-more-unusual-after-school-clubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=16051","title":{"rendered":"Mongolian Throat Singing, Anyone? Welcome to One of T.C.\u2019s More Unusual After School Clubs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Six thousand miles from the snowy Altai Mountains, in classroom B310 of T.C. Williams High School, student Anna Dugan offered around a plate of Boortsog, a type of fried cookie traditionally found in homes across Mongolia.<\/p>\n

The 16 year-old spoke effusively about The Hu, a folk metal band with almost cult-like status in the far eastern country, that could definitely not be confused with The Who, she pointed out.<\/p>\n

And then the singing began: a low, primal sound of overtones coming from the back of the throat. It is peculiar to Western ears, to say the least.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the Mongolian Throat Singing Club, which has to win the prize for T.C.\u2019s most intriguing after school gathering.<\/p>\n

Anna, the president and founder, first heard the ancient music when someone played it to her ninth grade class to calm students before an exam.<\/p>\n

When I first heard it, I was just very curious,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought it was a weird instrument, not a voice. It was quite shocking. But the more I listened, the better it seemed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A year later and her interest was piqued further as she learned about The Silk Road, Genghis Khan and the role Mongolia played in shaping the modern world in her AP World History class taught by Molly Freitag.<\/p>\n

Anna, now a junior, said, \u201cI love the fact that the music draws so much from nature, the sounds mimic waterfalls, the wind through grasses…”<\/p>\n

The songs tell stories of warriors going off to battle, of life as nomads living in yurts. It is so ancient and primal and that really appeals to me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Months of watching YouTube followed as she worked on the tricky technique of layering multiple pitches \u2014 or overtones \u2014 at once.<\/p>\n

She practiced in robotics class and at home, she recalls. It took \u201cabout a month\u201d before she started to make headway.<\/p>\n

And while Anna plays the cello, she says singing has never been her musical strength.<\/p>\n

My voice has a range of about one octave,\u201d laughed the 16 year-old who said she listened to \u201cnothing but Bach\u201d before developing a love of throat singing music.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last September, she convinced a couple of friends to join her as she established the T.C. Mongolian Throat Singing after school club.<\/p>\n

No one was quite sure what to expect but to drum up interest, they DJed in the library one Friday morning, distributed fliers and put up posters.<\/p>\n

Now, the group has attracted upwards of ten members and meets twice a month. Anna does her best to research and then teach the members as authentically as she can.<\/p>\n

\"student<\/p>\n

They hope their existence will help preserve the art form which has perilously survived the centuries but is now gaining something of a following.<\/p>\n

Mongolian rock bands such as The Hu, which draw heavily from the genre, are fast gaining popularity outside the region.<\/p>\n

And more girls and women in the country are taking it up, busting the baseless historical myth that it causes infertility.<\/p>\n

Freitag is the club\u2019s teacher sponsor, a necessary requirement when establishing an after school club at our high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I was kind of surprised when Anna approached me,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it sounded so interesting that I didn\u2019t hesitate and I said \u2018let\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe there was so much interest and students were fascinated by it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One Sunday last month the club attended the Natural History Museum\u2019s Family Day event, Mongolia\u2019s Past and Present.<\/p>\n

Encouraged by Freitag, the students introduced themselves to Sumiyabazriin Zagd-Ochir<\/a>, a renowned Mongolian throat singer who had flown in for the event.<\/p>\n

So surprised was he to learn of the T.C. club that the very next day he came to the school with an interpreter and held a two-hour masterclass for them in the orchestra room.<\/p>\n

He taught them techniques and skills they could never have picked up from YouTube.<\/p>\n

Anna and her members were understandably delighted to have coaching from a bonafide Mongolian throat singer.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had our wildest dreams surpassed by just being in existence,” she said. \u201cAnd then to be mentored by a real Mongolian throat singer was beyond anything we could have imagined.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe learned in two hours what it would have taken me months to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freitag, who comes to each meeting with smiles and encouragement, is proud of what the group has achieved.<\/p>\n

The musical style is not exactly to her taste, however. She prefers Motown, 1980s pop and a bit of hip hop.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019ve grown an appreciation of it\u2026shall we say.\u201d<\/p>\n