Submitted by Ayanna Posipanko on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Music…
The first morning of the Music Study Abroad program was a Blue Badge tour to Westminster Abbey. In the walk from the Tube station to the Abbey, we all walked by Parliament Square Garden and the Churchill War Rooms. Later, we traveled to Handel’s House and Hendrix’s Flat, as they lived within the same building in different time periods. Just in a single day, I had experienced over a thousand years of history.
Something that immediately stood out to me about the city of London is how much the city is in the modern age, yet there is a careful preservation and respect for the city’s past. In Parliament Square Garden, there are a series of statues of various statesmen and other important historical figures such as Winston Churchill, George Canning, and Millicent Fawcett. Not only is there a representation of English history in this square, but there are also statues of great historical figures from around the globe, including Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln.
While there is an emphasis on learning American history in the United States, in my experience, there is little physical representation of history that can be seen in an everyday context. The areas that the group walked through were extremely busy intersections and streets and just down the road from the Abbey and Parliament Square was the London Eye, a mark of modern engineering. Not only that, but on every building where a historical figure has lived, there is a blue plaque to acknowledge them.
The integration of the city’s past into the current day allows for an immersive historical environment. It was incredible to be able to learn about the music-specific and full history of London and be able to walk down the street and experience it in person.
