UPSI TESL MUSICIAN

PREPARED BY : NOORANI BINTI YUSOF AHMAD ZHAFRAN BIN SHAGUL HAMED MUHAMMAD AFIQ NAIM BIN KAMARUZAMAN D20101038194 D20101038300 D20101038190

PARTICIPANTS

2 female participants : 1 Malay and 1 Chinese Currently on Semester 5. TESL students in Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI)

Mother tongue: Anna = Malay

Joanna = Mandarin

This interview was done via Facebook

According to Gee (2011:88), we use language to be recognized as engaging in a certain sort of activity, which means that a socially recognized and institutionally or culturally supported endeavor that usually involves sequencing or combining actions in certain specified ways.

ACTIVITIES

okay, to involve in band, patient and passion both

needed. in a band, we cooperate with different people, guitarist, bassist, vocalist, drummer, keyboardist, etc. sometimes people comes with different personality, to get us all along are sometimes difficult. some people are not serious in playing music, some people are passion enough that they forget to eat when they are playing and practicing. - Joanna

Piano and vocal are my instruments. When I play the

piano, they keys I touch play the feelings I feel. There are tempos to follow with every music piece. Forte, staccato, mezo forte. They fit every feeling. Vocal has helped me feel like somebody else. Like when I took the role of Dancing Queen in Kemuncak Seni in the 2nd sem. I get to be something/somebody else. Its like role playing but in singing. In memorising some crude academic stuff, I'd have to sing it in my head to make sure it sticks. It helps so far, alhamdulillah. - Anna

Joanna - Involves in a band

-

Passion in music can make people forgot to eat when they are playing and practicing.

Anna
-

Took the role of Dancing Queen in Kemuncak Seni in the 2nd semester. Play piano

Based on the extracts given above, we can identified the

activities that are being done by the participants

The writer use language to be recognized as engaging in a

certain sort of activity. In this interview, she uses words that associated with music to tell people that she went through a good experiences involving in music.

Through her choices of words, things are clear now that she is involve with music

IDENTITIES
usage of language to be identified as a certain group of people

Excerpts.

when the band are in live performances, sound checks and settings of equipment is very important. for instance the volume of instrument and the vocal must reach a certain balance, if the sound check is not done properly, the quality of the performance might get affected.

In the discourse, just from the language used, we are able to tell that the person is someone who involves in music. Use of instruments, sound checks etc. etc.

POLITICS something good worth having (for a social group)

Excerpts.

Their passion towards music, amazing talent and skills impressed me the most. Vocal has helped me feel like somebody else.

When I play the piano, they keys I touch play the feelings I feel.

Their feeling when playing or getting involved with instruments. The joy that made them proud of who they are.

The qualities of being musicians.

RELATIONSHIPS

Language is being used to build relationships between

the participants and the social around her.

 I use it a lot at home. My parents speak a lot of English. They do speak malay but its more of a mixture of english and malay. I use it when I speak to my friends

in Kl as well - Anna

Relationship :

Anna use English to build relationships in the social.

 i use english in class when i am with my non-chinese friend. -Joanna

Relationship : Joanna uses English to build relationship with her nonChinese friend

CONNECTION

Language is being used to connect something that has

happened in the past with what happen in the present.

I started learning the piano at the age of 5. Enrolled in

a music school at 7. I didn't finish my piano lessons though. See, there are 8 grades before getting a diploma in piano. I stopped at grade 4 because of UPSR and didn't continue since. - Anna

I started to play caklempong for pencak silat antara

sekolah2 zone Kl, choir, singing auditions wherever I can. I tried out one in a million in form 4 but didn't qualify

because I was underage. Then I signed with bigband

UPSI. I resigned last semester. Oh, and I tried out my luck

at AF9 last year. . The dean didn't want to sign my

release letter for penangguhan semester. So I didn't go. Anna

The participant talks about her experiences with music

We can see it from the usage of words :

from past until now.

At the age of 5 At the age of 7 Form 4 Last semester

Last year

SIGN SYSTEM AND KNOWLEDGE

Language is being used to make certain sign systems and certain forms of knowledge is privileged over another.

Piano and vocal are my instruments. When I play the piano, they keys I touch play the feelings I feel. There

are tempos to follow with every music piece. Forte,

staccato, mezo forte. . They fit every feeling. Vocal has

helped me feel like somebody else. Like when I took

the role of Dancing Queen in Kemuncak Seni in the 2nd sem. - Anna

okay, to involve in band, patient and passion both needed. in a band, we cooperate with different people, guitarist, bassist, vocalist, drummer, keyboardist, etc.- Joanna

Not to mention about different music genre that we

are playing, for example, aizat the guitarist love jazzy

music. while another guitaris hamzah love malay rock

genre. for me, i dont like both, because for me, these genre are bored. i like pop music, which is for them is lame. - Joanna

Varieties of any one language :

Musical Category:

people, guitarist, bassist, vocalist, drummer, keyboardist Tempos,music piece. Forte, staccato, mezo forte, jazzy music, malay rock genre, pop music

Word choices shows a certain form of knowledge which are privileged over other language.