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Blog Post #10

Answers: 

1. Sadly, there is currently no cure for amusia. One reason comes from the fact that the cause for this disorder is not even known. As I mentioned in the presentation, amusia is a disconnection syndrome, meaning that if you have amusia, your brain’s white matter will be “eaten” and communication pathways among different brain regions will be disrupted. However, disconnection syndrome does not cause amusia, as there are no reported case of people having, for example, apraxia or agnosia with amusia. Not being able to identify the origin of any problem will strongly hinder the possibility of finding the solution, and this rule applies to amusia. There is one research that aimed to examine whether frequent exposure to music can improve pitch perception in amusics, but it yielded no result. I will put a link of the study below: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3350472/

It is definitely disheartening, but I truly hope more people will be aware of this condition and channel more effort into understanding the complications entailed. 

2. I changed the topic quite a lot of time. Initially, I wanted to do ALL types of musical disorders, including one called “savant syndrome” (autistic people with incredible musical skills despite having difficulties with other aspects of social life), which I found really interesting. However, there just wasn’t enough research on other musical disorders, and hence, finding a naysayer was even more challenging (e.g, no one would ever publish an article saying “People with mental disabilities are trash” for me to argue against). Discouraged, I changed my topic to “how music affects our brains in the long-term”, comparing brain structures of old musicians to the ones without musical training. The naysayer would be similar to Erin, which was about schools cutting budgets for music programs because people could not acknowledge the long-term gratification. However, I did not feel passionate about this topic. It was a safe choice, there were enough “ingredients” to put into arguments, but I could not imagine myself spiritedly talking to you guys about it. I went and discussed the options with Dr. Keehn and after receiving the advice: “Don’t play it safe”, I narrowed the thesis down to amusia and was thrilled to find out it was a great fit. What interests me is how people tend to neglect a strange phenomenon if it does not pose immediate threat to its sufferers. For example, if a person survives a car crash, doctors will not have him/her listen to a piece by Bedřich Smetana (yes, I am a fan of “The Moldau”) and ask “Does it sound like a monotone?” (acquired amusia). There are researches on the long-term threat amusia poses (which I used for the paper/presentation), but the number is clearly insignificant compared to other research topics. I really think more light should be shed on this enigmatic condition to understand more about brain functions. 

3. Kudos to the person who asks this question, I love it! If I had congenital amusia, I would not think of it as something I could not stand, because from birth, I already did not perceive music anyway. I would be like other amusics, who find music irritating. However, if I started having amusia from an accident (TOUCHWOOD!), I would be depressed. Can you imagine having been indulging in music all your life and then suddenly, every tone turns into a flat line? Furthermore, as I mentioned in class, I am going to have so many problems as my mother-tongue is a tonal language. Let’s just hope that none of our peers will develop acquired amusia because that’s painful. Okay, this is such a hypothetical question with a dark setting and even though I felt intrigued at first, envisioning myself as an amusic makes me feel uneasy now. But still kudos!

—

2. I have a lot of work to do now. First of all, the page number. I will definitely add more about the cure for amusia and stress the importance of looking into this disorder more seriously. I will also work more on citation, adding them to points that are not common knowledge, such as the “white matter” part. Since this is a draft, some of my sentences are still lengthy with weird structures - I will definitely fix that as well. Finally, I will find a more persuading conclusion to this topic, as the ending seems to be weak compared to the opening (I know, my thesis stirs quite a lot of expectation from readers). 

3. For the reflection in the former FYI courses, I wrote about learning how to write persuasive arguments/utilizing resources but not this time, because this idea starts becoming repetitive. Instead, I would say that this course widened my perspective, and taught me that there would always be more to learn about a certain topic, as long as I set my heart on discovering new information. When I gave up learning the piano, I did not think much about it, but after taking your class (not really “after”, more like “halfway through”), a sense of regret was building up inside me. I should’ve been more patient, and could’ve been a part of the musical community at Augustana. However, I also learned that I don’t have to be musically trained to understand the value of music, being more than just entertainment. Before coming to Augustana I did not have the chance to discuss any content freely, and even though I still find it weird to straightforwardly state what’s on my mind, I am definitely putting more effort into this. So thank you for being my professor this term, and teaching me that there is still a lot to discover about the science behind music, as well as the braveness to speak up my mind, participate in meaningful discussions and determination to explore a tough topic. To sum up the ten weeks: “Don’t play it safe”.

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Blog Post #9

1. I think a good protest song would be one that utilizes the use of lyrics in a way that is not too explicit. For example, throughout the song “Strange Fruit”, the lyrics focused on describing the image of the hanging corpses without even mentioning the word “lynching”. By creating an image, the song will leave room for the listener’s imagination, and the listener will be playing the active role of peeling different layers of meaning until the whole message is uncovered. If the lyrics are too blunt, too much emotion can be triggered at once; however, by being subtle, the effects will be way more long-lasting. Also, the article mentioned a very reasonable point, which was the strong performance. I still remember the scene from “The Mockingjay” where people of different districts came together to sing “The Hanging Tree”, fighting against The Capitol’s suppression. Even though fictitious, the scene had an huge impact on me. Compared to when the main character, Katniss, initially sang the song in a non-protest way by the river bank, when a huge amount of citizens marched the streets and chanted homophonically, the song immediately became a protest work. (1:00 compared to 3:00)

2. In reference to the reading last week, the author talks about how lesser-known artists are likely to gain more trust as they are seen as being more authentic than famous artists. Indeed, I have an example right here: 

This indie song, in my opinion, has extremely meaningful lyrics and makes very good use of musical factors to convey its message. 

3. The reason why I relate a lot to this song is due to the pronoun used in its lyrics. In a sea of songs placing too much emphasis on the singer’s narration, “Someone To Stay” does the opposite: it tells the story of “you”, which is the listener. The lyrics also include the word “we”, a generalization that makes sure every listener is a part of the song. It starts off softly, but progresses to be a bit upbeat thanks to the introduction of the drums, depicting mixed emotions a person experiences during hardships. The choir you hear in the song is sung by children, affirming that no matter how difficult things might get, this life still retains purity and goodness, brought about by good people that one comes across. I love the bridge, everything gets loud so suddenly it resembles a scream from the singer, how he lets go of emotional suppression in search of someone to truly understand his vulnerability. The message is so positive: no matter how strong we are, we still need help from others, and it is okay to feel helpless at times, as the question “Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?” will be answered by the ones who deserve to be in our lives. 

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Symposium Day Post

I attended a session called “Using Theatre to Develop Clinical Empathy: Working with Pre-professional Majors”, presented by Dr. Popple, Melina (sophomore) and Alexis (senior), both double majoring in Biology and Theatre. The session was hosted in Olin auditorium, so there was plenty of space, hence a positive impact. The team presented their findings relating to how empathy within the medical field can help treatment become more efficient, as it promotes placebo as well as the patient’s willingness to put in more effort throughout the treatment procedure (frequent visit, sufficient medicine intake, enhanced mood,...). The Powerpoint’s layout was very organized, but the research videos were very blurry, due to being filmed by a phone without any further processing. I was really engaged when Dr. Popple talked about the methodology, how the team staged scenarios involving a “doctor” breaking unfortunate news to a “patient”, and a participant evaluating whether the doctor was being empathetic. I also really liked Melina’s presenting style, as her speed was decent and she did not have any significant pause or amount of filler words. However, it was different for Alexis, she used a lot of “like” and “um”. Even though both of the undergrads utilized body language very professionally, Alexis’ pauses made it quite difficult for me to concentrate on the points she was trying to convey. None of the presenters read from prepared notes so a lot of eye contact was maintained. From this presentation, I learned that non-verbal communication was a huge contributor to an engaging presentation, and would definitely try to not read from notes in my talk next week. 

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Blog Post #8

Interview:

1. The main factors influencing my purchase: genre and all the tracks must be good. I normally stream music and if I find that the whole album is worth purchasing, I will go get a copy. If not, I will only save several favorite tracks to my library on the streaming software.

Sam Smith’s “The Thrill Of It All” album.

I like most of the tracks (I think Sam Smith is one of the few popular artists whose music isn’t degraded into a mainstream, superficial direction) and my mom is a big fan of him so I got the physical copy of the album for both of us to listen on the DVD player.

I like indie music for the most part.

I normally stream music on Spotify and watch videos on YouTube to discover lesser-known artists.

The music industry focuses too much on eye-candy and earworm factors.

None. I only enjoy their music, without regarding them as role models to pick up personality traits.

As mentioned, no matter how much I love the artist, I will stream the album prior to purchase. There are artists who used to be great at first but after some recognition, their music becomes the “popular” type, which I don’t find enjoyable at all.

Not really. I think of music as a temporary escape from reality so I try not to think about social responsibilities too much.

Starting fundraising campaigns on social media sites, keeping their image in front of the public eye and organizing concerts whose ticket revenue partly goes to charity organizations.

Not really. I personally don’t think the music industry contribute significantly to the well-being of society as much as other fields.

Not much. I enjoy myself at live music events than think about socially responsible behavior.

A musician that thinks about ethical responsibilities from a small scale (image, song lyrics, music videos) to a large scale (interviews, fundraising, charity).

I think it’s important for an artist to do so. The audience comes from many different age groups, and for youngsters who enjoy that artist, there’s a high chance they will learn the artist’s way of thinking and behavior.

Not really. As a listener, I don’t really link music with social responsibilities.

No. I go to the event simply because I like the style of music.

I think everyday decisions have more impact on social responsibility (e.g: you help a person in need), whereas consuming music doesn’t entail situations that require your immediate actions toward an issue.

2. (Cassandra Talbot)

When I consider purchasing music, I usually focus on content, price, and packaging. If it's digital, then all that matters is price and content.

A vinyl of I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty

I'm beginning to collect vinyls and that's one of my fav albums of his so I couldn't resist it.

Alternative rock, pop punk, indie, 70s, 80s, 90s, early 2000s, and on and on and on

I have a Spotify premium account so that's my main mode of consumption. If I do buy music, it's always physical on either a tape, CD, or record. Usually I listen to music while on transportation, doing homework, studying, or when I need to relax.

I think the mainstream pop industry has lost its flair and now only produces catchy tunes. But, I still believe there are a lot of people out there who still value creating good music.

Some bands have helped me understand myself better, but otherwise they have not made a huge impact on me.

Any purchase has to be thoughtful as a college student so it's made me more conscious of my empty bank account.

I only support artists who aren't horrible people, so if the producers or artists are  generally decent or nice people then I'll buy their stuff.

Some bands and other artists create songs to raise money for certain charities or to raise awareness about current issues.

A MCR member I think wrote a song once about trans people to show support

N/A

N/A

Someone who takes responsibility for their actions. Someone who is conscious of their actions and the effect it may have on their fan base.

Yes because especially for adolescents they are role models.

Yes

N/A

I think a majority of people don't care if the artist is socially responsible, but I do think more people are caring. So the degree an artist is socially responsible may impact their sales.

Reading:

1. Authenticity is important to an artist’s efficacy in promoting social responsibilities because without appearing to be genuine with their good intentions, artists cannot obtain the support from their audience. A campaign will never be successful without the contribution from the audience. For example, an artist intends to donate a part of ticket revenue to a charity organization, but without fans wanting to attend the concert due to a lack of trust in the artist’s social responsibility, tickets won’t be sold sufficiently and the donating task will become challenging. Furthermore, authenticity helps build a firm image of the artist: the social responsibility isn’t only short-lived but will thrive to better society for many years to come. Without authenticity, there won’t be support in the long run, and any long-term plan won’t be fruitful. Authenticity is vital because it creates a connection between the artist and the audience, as well as emphasizing the determination of the artist to create good impacts as a result of previous personal experience. Authenticity affirms the truth behind intention, and demonstrates that the artist actually cares and relates deeply to the issue.

2. “[T]he authenticity of these socially responsible behaviors is enhanced where the cause is deemed to match the characteristics of the band or musician. For example, the American musician Macklemore was cited as being illustrative of a socially responsible artist based on his campaigning for equal rights and holding a ceremony to marry Gay and Lesbian couples as part of his Grammy Awards performance. As the musician experienced hostility at school as he was perceived to be homosexual, his promotion of equal rights reflects his own understandings and he is applauded for this behavior” (239-40)

3. I used to really admire Halsey for actively promoting feminism: she gave numerous inspiring speeches about how women should love their bodies and stop letting the media’s body objectification affect the way they perceive themselves. Her song also depicts women empowerment, and she never lets anyone control what she wants to do, including tour destinations or meeting fans. However, everything went downhill when she sang a soundtrack for “Fifty Shades Darker”. Many (including Halsey) argue that the series focuses on how women free themselves from submission to truly enjoy gratification in intimacy but personally, I don’t think so. Neither do a large portion of Halsey’s supporters. As a person who has always been supporting the power of women, it was a very disappointing experience to listen to her singing for a film that promotes abusive relationships. After this incident, I actually start questioning whether what she has been advocating was true, or authenticity never existed at all and they were only theoretical, shallow statements.

*Speaking about artists growing mainstream, here’s one that I’m constantly afraid her music won’t be as meaningful as she’s now receiving so much recognition. I’ve been supporting her ever since she was a 14-year-old who posted unfiltered songs on SoundCloud, and today she’s trending on YouTube. Her music is still great, but I’m just fearful. Here’s her latest song that I thought would be great to share with you. 

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Blog Post #7

1. This means that each party fighting for the right to claim ownership of Jerusalem has its own perception and does not want to objectively dissect the problem by acknowledging other views. The religious belief passed down many generations cannot be changed within a day, and as time goes by, these sacred ideologies become almost unchangeable. The reason why negotiation cannot take place is due to each party’s fear of its own limitations in perception, need to prove influence, and extreme protection of its own culture. Upon reading this, I immediately thought about the left and right wing of American politics (how extreme conservatives can rarely sit down, listen to the thoughts of liberals and actually respect them). Conflicts can be found among parties, but then I also thought about my own country. As a country governed by only one party, you will never see protests in the streets if you come to Vietnam. The government never appreciates citizens’ opinions, and even when people express arguments that are persuasive but go against the government’s perception, they will be considered as renegades. Even in education the same thing takes place: I still remember when I attended a scientific contest wherein the judges disregarded my team’s invention because we did not make something that was taught in the textbook (how is doing so considered “an invention”?). Being blinded by one’s subjective views and unable to recognize other viewpoints can be very detrimental, as it leaves no room for acquiring true understanding as well as critical thinking, and this leads to the inability to negotiate with one another. 

2. Jews view Jerusalem as the most sacred land, since the remains of the Second Temple as well as the Wailing Wall still exist here, serving as the core of their religion’s symbol. Christians view Jerusalem under a different lens: it was the land where Jesus sacrificed his life for the sin that humans committed. For Muslims, Jerusalem includes the Noble Sanctuary where Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It can be seen that each religion has its own story relating to the sacred land called Jerusalem, which makes each view so distinguished and the fight for ownership inevitable. 

3. The prayer starts off softly, accompanied by the strings and solo keyboard, whose first stanza includes the depiction of Jerusalem: “The one with the most beautiful buildings/The flower of all cities”. Fairuz clearly appreciates the natural beauty of this city, as the first part of her prayer focuses on describing Jerusalem’s purity. However, as the prayer progresses, it suggests the ongoing fight over this land, by introducing heavy beats and loud blasts. I think it is really interesting how the prayer shifts from the image of mosques to Christian connection, as in the fourth stanza, the prayer talks about the crying faces of Mary and her child. The act of crying comes from the fact that children in Jerusalem have no shelter, people are forced to leave their homes, and how unstable the political situation at this land is, despite originally being known as the “Land of Peace”. After the fifth stanza, listener can understand that perhaps it is not the Gods that want us to fight over Jerusalem, but war comes from human’s selfishness and their need of power, generalized as “forces of evil”. Jerusalem might be the land where all historical events occurred, but instead of fighting for the right to own it, each faction should try to embrace the value of one another and cherish religious diversity. 

4. The distinctive elements of Palestinian popular music include: ululation (high-pitched tongue trills), improvisation, pure melody performed monophonically (reminds me of medieval chants), complex vocal, percussive beats, and hand clapping. For Israeli popular music, listeners should pay attention to: use of Slavic/Russian melodies, promotion of nation’s identity, and the depiction of social/cultural problems. This type of music shares a lot of similar features to those of Palestinian music. 

5. In rare cases, music is played on TV or radio stations. Music can also be disseminated by transporting tapes across the border and distributing thousands of copies. Censorship placed includes sending artists to underground, complete control over broadcasting networks, banning of nationalistic lyrics, confiscation of personal belongings, and even imprisonment. 

6. I notice the presence of string instruments normally used by artists in the Middle East, and also voice trills performed by the male singer. Although this is a cover, 90% of it resembles the original version. This proves that the artists cherish the authenticity of the song but still work to alter it a bit to achieve the delivery of an underlying message: to bring people together as a whole despite each person’s status of citizenship. I think the song works really well for spreading this idea as it encapsulates both Western and Middle East musical characteristics, signifying a unity among countries. 

7. I agree with the author’s final words. Music is viewed as a temporal escape for the world’s complicated political issues as it is one of the art forms that bring people closer together, despite their differences in ideologies. I still remember the time when China claimed its illegal possession over various parts of South China Sea, aggressively provoked other Asian countries including Vietnam, Japan and Philippines. During that time, lots of Vietnamese grew hatred for the country, including me. I wanted to delete Chinese songs from my Walkman, because it is really weird listening to music performed by people belonging to the country that tries to STEAL an oceanic part of Vietnam. However, I gradually realized that I should keep things distinguished. The fight for territory is the politician/government/military’s fight, musicians are not the ones responsible for starting the conflict. Neither are the country’s citizens. Upon travelling to different parts in Vietnam during that time, I witnessed Vietnamese people hissed at Chinese tourists, which was totally unreasonable. I learn to accept that the conflict affects everyone because we all have patriotism, but there are certain cultural values (including music) we still need to appreciate, not bash due to political tension. 

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Blog Post #6

1) Parody 

Chorus

This land is your land This land is my land From California to the New York island; From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and Me.

Verse

But was the land ours, or was it stolen? The trail of tears where their dreams were broken If only our hearts were as soft as cotton  To blot the blood that they had shed. 

"For civilization”, was what we said We pointed at them, “Barbarians” When will we be brave enough to say This land was not for you and me. 

2) 

A. The chapter focuses on analyzing how World War II was one of the most fertile periods for music production, despite hardships faced by both record companies and artists. It also discusses public perception of war music by looking into methods wherein this type of music reached the audience, the ranking on charts and songs’ meanings. However, no matter how developed the music industry was during this time, the author also noted that the era failed to produce an influential war song similar to that of World War I. 

B. War-related songs reached the public during the ban via: live radio performance, being featured in films as incidental songs (both musical and non-musical), record sales (the public would purchase if possible after hearing the song even for once), sheet music sales, and the strike wherein companies agreed to the new AFM contract.

C. The hardships faced were the lacking of shellac (a substance used to produce phonograph records) and the shortage of manpower to operate/maintain machines. 

D. According to OWI, the proper war song must not include sentimental romantic feelings, because such songs would not highlight patriotism. Also, they were thought to hinder the spirit to fight and win the war. A proper song would be able to intensify the war effort and express the true spirit of the war. 

E. Sentimental songs which could evoke homesickness or arouse over-emotionalism were banned.

F. OWI channeled too much effort into finding “that one war song” instead of focusing on producing a really good song. World War II songs did not have virtue in patriotic intent. Also, the songs did not achieve success like “Over There” for another reason: not every person could fully understand war songs whose meanings were too unrelatable for those that did not participate in combat. 

G. “Over There” was a success due to its memorable and easy to sing along melody. Also, the chorus was homophonic, which depicted the mutual spirit of all people in contributing to the war. The song has a marching vibe to it: upon listening I could imagine a group of people walking, holding weapons and propagandizing their political views to the public, creating a wave that continued to spread among even more people. 

(This is a very, very tough reading I have to admit)

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Blog Post #5

1. From the text, musical therapy for MS patients intrigues me the most. In psychology class, I learn that this illness causes people to constantly feel a tingling sensation within their body (and most of the time this leads to the whole body shaking) due to the destruction of myelin. Without this fatty sheath, electrical impulses travelling from one nerve to another aren’t insulated, so basically the patient’s body is “shocked”. It is really horrible to experience electrical shock all the time, and even my psychology professor affirms that MS is almost incurable (I will prove him wrong after learning about this therapy). Upon watching the video, I feel stunned, and really happy that the people who once lost control over their own bodies can now function as a healthy individual. 

2. I wouldn’t say that the experience is very therapeutic, but there was one time during my senior year in high school, everyone completely freaked out a few days before the national school-leaving exam. The teacher calmed us down by playing trance music and told us to close our eyes while breathing to stable, rhythmic patterns. It seemed that my whole class went through meditation together, and as crazy as it sounds, not only did we calm ourselves down, but everyone became confident enough to feel that passing the exam would be easier than initially thought. As a student from a developing country without an advanced medical field, I’d have to admit I never had the chance to witness musical therapy with my own eyes. 

3. The chapter discusses how music affects research in different fields of science, changes people’s perspectives about the meaning of being alive, and aids people both physically/emotionally. 

4. Some of the sources that she used: 

- Daniel Barenboim (social educator)

- Kay Kaufman Shelemay (ethnomusicologist)

- Aaron Berkowitz (neuroscientist)

- Stephon Alexander (physicist)

- Richard Hawley (rock musician)

- Daniel Levitin (saxophone player)

The sources are very diverse as they depict opinions of people coming from many different educational backgrounds and involved in distinguished professional fields. However, these individuals all recognize the value that music integrates to our lives, whether it is viewed under the lenses of science, culture, or the musician him/herself. By using my sources, the author delineates the power of music as expanding over many fields and impacts society in a lot of aspects. Making use of different sources also highlights the notion of being objective as well as capable of giving thorough evaluations. 

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Blog Post #4

1. I played the video a lot of times in order to possibly discover the hidden musical potential the dust could create but I have to admit, my ears ache so badly. I agree it is interesting to realize that even though space is devoid of sound waves, radio waves still exist. However, the existence of radio waves and their similarities with the ones used to broadcast songs on Earth does not make the sound “musical”. The pattern is random, more like a screech, and lacks musical characteristics, including contour, texture, rhythm,... 

2. Silence is widely used in instrumental music in order to achieve anticipation from the audience, making the listening experience more intriguing. For example, this piano cover by Henderson Nguyen, at 0:51, 2:32 and 3:01: 

Silence can also be found in songs with lyrics, as seen from this video at 3:22 and 3:40. I think the artist made really good use of silence, as it was implemented after the flooding of emotions from the bridge and chorus. It produces a sense of “letting go”, or a pause which represents the singers’ taking a step back to reflect on her relationship. 

The Imogen Heap’s song, in my opinion, overuses silence so much that the verses seem to be segmented and do not convey coherence anymore. I think that silence once used effectively in songs will create expectation, or a sense of calmness after building lots of tension/climax. 

3. Oh my God now that you ask this question again, I want to express my utter confusion that I did not have a chance to do in class since many people supported the Bonobo. Do you notice how weird it was that the camera was at a distance from the beginning, allowing viewers to identify the Bonobo’s whole posture, but after a while the filmer moved closer to the keyboard and it was impossible to tell whether there was a person pointing at which key for the Bonobo to press? (I became skeptical at 0:44). If this confusion is reasonable, I will rank the animals as follows: 1) Dogs with perfect pitch, 2) Snowball and 3) Bonobo. I rank the animals like that because I have to admit, not everyone has perfect pitch: what the dogs are capable of doing is astonishing. For Snowball, there was no one controlling the dance moves, and being able to adjust the movements according to the beat shows that this animal can distinguish different rhythmic patterns. 

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Blog Post #3

Thesis: Although people tend to regard music as solely entertaining, it is actually an integral part of human life, for the loss of inborn musical abilities due to various reasons often results in detrimental consequences.

Countless scientific journal articles! I guess that before I start developing evidence to support the thesis I will need a paragraph (or maybe two) to explain the basic terminologies, as this topic is deeply related to psychology/neuroscience. I will also need to present famous case studies about people who suffer from the damage of temporal lobe (the area responsible for the innate musical perception), leading to other consequences including loss of speech, memories, and even the ability to describe future intentions. I also find the musical hallucination phenomenon really interesting, as this disorder will cause the brain to hear music even though none is being played, and it is associated with depression and alcoholism. Below is a pretty interesting article about some disorders of musical listening: 

https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/129/10/2533/289289

         3. I think my thesis will express the same idea, but I need to rephrase it so the structure will be shorter and reduce the risk of a run-on sentence (I might split the idea into two sentences).

Part 3: 

         1. Music is a part of human. In the text, the author compares language to music, how people tend to improvise when they speak as to when they sing, and the interpretation process is alike for both understanding language and music. I find the baby’s crying patterns part very fascinating. In the former chapters, readers learned that heartbeat was in sync with musical beats, and in chapter 7, this idea is reiterated by the fact that crying patterns differ from one another due to the characteristics of the mother’s contour (French with a rise in pitch, German with a falling contour). While chapter 7 looks into the relationship between language and music, chapter 8 discusses the nature of music within historical context. By using the importance of music to explain how it has helped human survive and evolve, the author successfully ascertains the idea of music being one inseparable part of human. 

          2. I think the transition is not really smooth. At the end of chapter 7, by quoting Mithen, the author ponders the question whether music is a part of human’s biological structure. However, at the beginning of chapter 8, she abruptly switches to how music is an integral part of human life in a historical context. She goes on to describe musical instruments from the earliest civilization, their structures and how archaeologists manage to find them, without saying anything about biological structure. It is until a few pages in does she talk about how music aided mating and acted as a drive for human’s survival. From here, readers start figuring out the bond, as it seems that the relationship between music and natural selection, the basis of evolution, is finally suggested. It does take a while before readers can draw the connection between the two chapters, and it is kind of confusing at first. 

           3. Types of evidence used were: fossil, brain scans, musical tools, and the language of Homo sapiens.

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Blog Post #2

Jonathon Pieslak uses 2 types of evidence to demonstrate how soldiers use music as inspiration for combat: anecdotal (forum posts, interview) and documentary (published work, email, interview). Personally, I think the discussion forum’s post is not a very credible source of information. The person might not have been involved in the war, and only wrote his comment based on someone else’s narrative that he perhaps found interesting. We do not know whether the story is authentic or overstated. (And some were even taken from Yahoo forum! I cannot trust that). The interviews are also an issue. Without the context, it is hard to identify if participants are biased. For example, if interviewees were told beforehand about how the interview sought to understand the importance of music in combat, they would be more likely to alter their experience to support that stated purpose. In other words, this scientific method might not be single-blind. The anonymous email was not a good source, either. Despite these problems relating to credibility, the sources taken from published historical books are trustworthy, as they were written by experts/scholars from the field. 

The most popular genres for soldiers in Iraq were rap and heavy metal. 

The invention of devices used to store music (MP3 players, iPods,...) has changed the way soldiers used music as an emotional tool. Instead of storing music on bulky drives and playing it on speakers attached to trucks, soldiers could save their own preferred types of music, accessible anytime they wanted.

Music is surprisingly a powerful tool in helping soldiers become more motivated during combat, utilized by different troops from multiple parts across the world from as early as the 17th century. Not only has music given soldiers the determination to overcome hardships during war, it also acted as a bridge which connected soldiers being far away from home with their beloved country. The more developed the technology, the tighter the connection between soldiers and music became. It is not wrong to say that music synchronizes with everyone’s own heartbeat, and strengthens a person even during the toughest times with its magical, rhythmic power. 

Song mapping: 

[Intro]

(background music)

Hey [ad lib]

[Chorus]

Havana, ooh na-na (ayy)  [ad lib]

Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)  [ad lib]

He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na, ah

Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ayy)  [ad lib]

There's somethin' 'bout his manners (uh huh)  [ad lib]

Havana, ooh na-na (uh)  [ad lib]

[Verse 1]

He didn't walk up with that "how you doin'?" (uh)  [ad lib]

When he came in the room

He said there's a lot of girls I can do with (uh)  [ad lib]

But I can't without you

I knew him forever in a minute (hey)  [ad lib]

That summer night in June

And papa says he got malo in him (uh)  [ad lib]

He got me feelin' like...

[Pre-Chorus]

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (ayy)  [ad lib]

I knew it when I met him (ayy) [ad lib], I loved him when I left him

Got me feelin' like, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

And then I had to tell him, I had to go

Oh na-na-na-na-na (woo)  [ad lib]

[Chorus]

Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)  [ad lib]

Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)  [ad lib]

He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na (uh huh)  [ad lib]

Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ayy)  [ad lib]

My heart is in Havana (ayy)  [ad lib]

Havana, ooh na-na

[Verse 2]

Jeffery, just graduated, fresh on campus, mmm

Fresh out East Atlanta with no manners, damn (fresh out East Atlanta)

Bump on her bumper like a traffic jam

Hey, I was quick to pay that girl like Uncle Sam (here you go, ayy)  [ad lib]

Back it on me

Shawty cravin' on me, get to eatin' on me (on me)  

She waited on me (then what?)  

Shawty cakin' on me, got the bacon on me (wait up)  

This is history in the makin', on me (on me) 

Point blank, close range, that B

If it cost a million, that's me (that's me)

I was gettin' mula, baby

[Chorus]

Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)  [ad lib]

Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na (oh, ayy, ayy)  [ad lib]

He took me back (uh huh) to East Atlanta, na-na-na (oh, no)

Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ayy)  [ad lib]

My heart is in Havana (ayy)  [ad lib]

Havana, ooh na-na

[Bridge]

Ooh na-na, oh, na-na-na (oo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

Take me back, back, back like...

Ooh na-na, oh, na-na-na (yeah, babe)

Take me back, back, back like...

Ooh na-na, oh, na-na-na (yeah, yeah)

Take me back, back, back like...

Ooh na-na, oh, na-na-na (yeah, babe)

Take me back, back, back

Hey, hey...

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (hey)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh (hey)

Take me back to my Havana...

[Chorus]

Havana, ooh na-na (hey)

Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na (oh, yeah)

He took me back to East Atlanta, (ayy, ayy) na-na-na

Oh, but my heart is in Havana

My heart is in Havana (ayy)

Havana, ooh na-na

[Outro]

Uh huh

Oh, na-na-na (oh, na, yeah)

Oh, na-na-na

Oh, na-na-na (no, no, no, take me back)

Oh, na-na-na

Havana, ooh na-na

6. I am going to sound philosophical now, but for me, “feel” has multiple definitions. If you define “feel” as something that makes me become hyped, pumped and sway to the music, this song does the job. I mean it’s a catchy tune, I can “feel” the cheerful atmosphere it brings, so in this context Havana is a great song. The song is syncopated, the intro is infused with a bit of Cuban jazz and nostalgic piano, and the ad-libbed “ayy”s and “uh-huh”s definitely bring the excitement. The beats are quite strong, so the rhythmic feel is obvious, making the song pretty upbeat. The range is wide, she went from the low “na-na-na” to the high “ooooh”, and this creates the complexity of the melody. However, if you define “feel” as something that makes me feel deep (deeper than Adele rolling, even), this song does not succeed in doing so. The lyrics are not really meaningful: it only depicts the singer’s love story with a (somewhat) bad boy from Havana. Furthermore, the harmony is not that complex, it is only the melody that stands out. I think genuinely good music is like an onion: the more you listen, the more layers you peel off, and when you get to the core, you will exclaim: “Oh my God, how can humanity ever understand the true meaning of life without listening to this song? It encapsulates every emotion, and it is just so meaningful I want to stop everything I am doing to carefully listen to it”. And you probably will not like the smell of onion at the beginning: “Geez, this music does not sound catchy at all”. However, as you give it a second chance, and maybe the third, something clicks and you feel...

Actually, I am going to include a song like that. 

I have been through a lot during my high school years and there are times I just wanted to give up on life, but this song gave me the motivation to keep moving forward. I guess I can call this song a savior. If there were aliens coming to Earth and told me I could save humanity from destruction by giving them a song, Saturn would definitely be what I offered them. The surprise factor is (I have to give it away for the sake of analysis) the vocal does not start right away, and the composers built a slight climax beforehand using only the instruments. After the singer starts singing, a harmony between the vocal, the humming and the background music emerges, and the song reaches a climax. I absolutely love these lines: “With shortness of breath, I’ll explain the infinite/How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist”. I showed this song to a friend who was struggling with college life and she stopped thinking negatively as soon as the song ended. She cried and told me how beautiful she thought it was. Well, I guess that is the power of music, and the “feel” it brings. 

[itskimngxn-blog]

Blog Post #1

Part 1: 

I grow up in a family where everyone knows how to play at least one instrument skillfully - except for me. My mom often jokes that perhaps musical abilities don’t run in my genes, and I still remember her helplessness while teaching me the piano when I was a kid. For many years, I regarded myself as an anomaly, and this saddened me a lot. However, I gradually discovered my passion for singing, and I used to win first place at my high school’s annual music contest, three years in a row. The audience must’ve thought that I was proficient, but I was far from knowing even the most basic elements of music. I simply listened to the recordings until I got sick of them, and mimicked every single pitch as precisely as that I could. Other than that, people often praise my taste in music. To me, the most beautiful songs are those that can touch the soul and bring a sense of surrounding atmosphere, without the need of visual representation. That’s why I love indie music: there are so many lesser-known artists whose work I believe are more valuable than the mainstream, ear-candy songs. Whenever I’m not singing, you can find me shooting photos, making videos, or doing calligraphy.

I attempted the piano and failed, as mentioned above. And no, I’ve never sung in choir, only performing solo on stage or in the shower. 

I would say 9.5/10.

I love indie, acoustic, jazz and singer-songwriter. I don’t like rap, country, reggae and heavy metal. 

I guess it’s just personal preference? The former categories help me relax, whilst the latter kind of stress me out. Allyson’s been introducing me to rock music and I’m taking baby steps to enjoy this genre more, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll learn to love it. 

Part 2: 

We still need to question those terms because they are often intuitive. For example, people often regard sounds as low pitch or high pitch according to their origin: if they’re high up in the sky (chirping of birds), they’re high-pitched; and if they’re closer to the ground (sounds of large mammals), they’re low-pitched. But it’s not true: crickets stay on the ground and still make high-pitched sounds. Therefore, these conceptions are modern human construct, and it takes decent musical knowledge to truly understand its nature relating to pitch and other elements. 

The bird will not be considered to be making a sound if there’s no one there to hear it. According to the reading, “[S]ound is a mental image created by the brain in response to vibrating molecules” (24). Therefore, in order to perceive the bird as making a sound, there must be a person in the woods to hear it. It’s somewhat a two-way kind of communication: an entity that produces a sound and an entity that receives it. 

True. As long as the intervals are the same, the song will still remain its identity. 

People won’t be able to perceive additional tones as “adding a grain of sand to your backpack will not change the weight perceptibly” (28). The brain won’t be able to distinguish all the tones creating the overtone, and it can only identify the fundamental frequency, so making some frequencies louder than others won’t make any difference, either.

This is a pretty short song (and I always wish that it were longer!). At first there’s a note made by the strings, which is flat and doesn’t create a melody, but as soon as the piano starts playing the listener can identify a melody. When the singer begins the first verse, her voice and the background music creates a harmony. As the song progresses to its chorus, the range becomes wider, as the singer reaches higher notes, and the music background also becomes more complex. I think the well-composed harmony is what makes the song so atmospheric: I always have a feeling of floating into deep space whenever I close my eyes and listen to the song (so the title is very suitable!).