I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited many museums around the world. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the curation of pieces and the decisions surrounding what to include or leave in the basement. I often craft assignments for my students to redesign and curate a museum that we have walked through. Curation is a skill and the best curators know that you can’t please everyone all the time. This challenge intrigued me, and it was a daunting task to narrow down a selection of 27 to just 10. Each piece represents a crucial aspect of the human experience, and their diversity showcases various cultures and people. As the challenge was clear, I had to consider both the content I’m sending and the potential recipients or listeners. Here are the major criteria I considered:

1. Meaningful and Universal Themes: The recordings must feature meaningful and universal themes. I selected songs and sounds with messages that transcend language and culture, such as love, hope, and unity.
2. Cultural Diversity: It’s essential to include a variety of music and sounds from different cultures and regions to represent the diversity of human expression and experiences. I was mindful of cultural sensitivities and avoided adding too many recordings from the same geographical area to ensure global representation.
3. Positive and Uplifting: Prioritizing positive and uplifting tones and songs was important. These recordings have the potential to bring joy and inspiration to those who encounter them, including potential extraterrestrial civilizations or future generations of humans.
4. Balance between Instrumental and Vocal: I aimed for a balance between instrumental and vocal recordings, avoiding repetition. For example, I chose only one classical piece, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, known as one of the most famous pieces.
5. Opening Message: Including an opening message is crucial for context. It explains the purpose and intent of the record, providing key information about Earth and the message. The “Greetings From Earth” and “Voyager Golden Record” segments should be placed at the beginning of the record, although they are not part of the 10 recordings.

Official Selections and Brief Reasoning:

1. Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor (7:20): A classical piece representing timeless human creativity.
2. China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu (7:37): Representing a vast global population and culture.
3. India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar (3:30): Also representing a significant global culture.
4. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes (0:57): Preserving the culture of the Navajo Indians, which is vanishing.
5. Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes (1:26): Preserving the culture of Australian Aborigines.
6. Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen (0:38): A brief and sweet representation of love.
7. Zaire, Pygmy girls’ initiation song, recorded by Colin Turnbull (0:56): Highlighting a specific gender and culture.
8. New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan (1:20): Emphasizing a specific gender and culture.
9. Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México (3:14): An impactful piece representing North America.
10. Bulgaria, “Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin,” sung by Valya Balkanska (4:59): Adding variety with a vocal performance.

This exercise was quite challenging, and I agonized over my decisions. However, after establishing clear rules for myself, I found it easier to finalize my choices. I don’t envy those who do this for a living as you will never be able to please everyone and the decisions you make have a lasting affect.

P.S. If I were to choose three pieces of music from the past 50 years to add to this record, I would choose ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley (incredible message and a unique style of music), ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon (again, wonderful message that brings people together and has lasted the test of time), and ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson (this revolutionized the music industry and played a significant role in shaping the pop and dance music genres).