musicnerd2020-blog

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Podcast Review

Write a recommendation to a friend about each podcast. Why should your friend listen? What did you learn or like about it? Anything special about the podcast? Now, recommend a future episode topic or follow up question/s for each podcaster based on their topic and style. 

People don’t often talk about Irish music. My friends should listen to this so that they can become more aware of how important it is in culture as well as its connection to history. I liked that he told a story in the beginning and how he showed multiple song. The podcast has really pretty music. I think that he could possible talk about another non-mainstream culture and the history behind it by using stories.

Izzy’s link is not working so I have to wait until she does so. I will update this once this is done.

**UPDATE**

Izzy’s voice is like watching a youtube video. It’s easy to listen to her. This podcast is incredibly educational about how this is an alternative form of therapy. The podcast played music that related to each topic. I think that she could talk about how attending concerts can affect someone’s mental health can be affected by it or possibly how integrating it into mental hospitals can help. She also could possibly talk about the logistics of using music therapy in group settings.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Documentary Part 3

1. What song did Joan Baez steal from Dylan?

Love is just a four letter word

2. What genre was "Maggie's Farm?"

It sounds like light rock.

3. What did Pete Seeger think of Bob's use of distortion?

He hated it because you couldn’t hear Bob’s voice.

4. What song went number 1?

A hard rain’s a-gonna fall

5. How did Dylan label himself?

He said he was a music writer, not an author. Other than that, he often talked about how his music ended up being protest songs. Thus, being a protest singer.

6. Did he participate in demonstrations?

He did not. He stayed out of all of that.

7. What was the most absurd interview scene you saw?

Probably when Dylan talked about how much people hated him to the point that he was getting death threats.

8. How long did Dylan take off of touring?

Eight years

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Part 2

1. Who was one of Pete Seeger’s biggest influences?

Bob Dylan

2. As he is discovering song writing, what were some of the influences making the lyrics possible?

The time period as well as some other musicians. He is inspired by how much people make music their life.

3. When Dylan says he wasn’t a “topical song writer” what does he mean? This will be important later.

He didn’t write about specific events. He wrote about feelings.

4. What would they do with a song to make more money during this time?

Record labels pushed them to do this.

5. Why were musician’s blacklisted?

If they thought they were communists.

6. What are his songs about?

People’s feelings about the time period. 

7. So he is a protest song writer?

He claims that he isn’t but he also claims that he is. Toward the end of our session, he owned up to being a protest song writer.

8. According to the movie, what was the mark of success for an artist during this time?

Writing things for people to not feel so alone. Relatable music is the key. Also, they are successful if they live for music.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post 17/18

Turn in the appendix questions

• If you think of a few recent purchases what were the main factors that influenced your purchase?

        I bought beauty items that I have been looking at for a while. They went on sale and there is free shipping. 

• What was your last music-related purchase?

       Tickets to a Smashing-Pumpkins concert

• What were the main reasons/motivations behind the purchase?

      It’s on my bucket list to see the band, and they are at a small venue.

• What kind of music do you like?

     Everything, but rap. My favorite is 90′s rock, grunge, acoustic, and indie.

• How do you consume music—i.e., how do you buy it/ when do you watch/listen to it/where do you watch/ listen to it?

      I listen to my music on Spotify and Sirius XM. I listen to it whenever I feel like it and where ever I feel like it. There is no where in particular. 

• What are your opinions on the current music industry as a whole?

      It has evolved so that more people have the opportunity to be a musician without having to sign to a trashy label. I think the music being produced is not as well produced as the past. It is all overly produced.

• How much of an influence would your favorite musicians have on you as a person?

      A very very large influence. I named my dog after the man who influences me the most.

• How about on your purchases?

     I buy t-shirts and vinyl, but not much else since my favorite musicians are all dead. My family finds very very limited edition items for me.

• Do you consider social responsibility and/or ethical considerations when making purchases of products/ services in the area of music?

     No, but I do not buy things just to buy them. The less the better. It has to be something that I believe will bring me long term joy. 

• Can you think of ways that musicians/bands currently engage in socially responsible behavior?

       They donate to charities and perform charity concerts. They can also reflect good behaviors to the younger generation.

• Do any recent examples of socially responsible behavior within the music industry come to mind?

      The one world concert went on a couple weeks ago where musicians played for free to raise money for research on the corona virus. They did it all at home.

• Have you considered aspects of socially responsible behavior when you have attended live music events?

       I just make sure to respect people while also keeping on my toes for those who are not respectful. I also do not throw trash on the ground.

• Have you engaged in socially responsible behavior at live music events?

     Yes, as stated above. I do those things.

• How would you define a socially responsible musician?

       Someone who does not smash guitars and waste resources. Also they need to be behaving in a kind manner and supporting charities. 

• Do you think it is important for them to act in a socially responsible way?

      Of course, they are supposed to be role models.

• Would you be more likely to buy an album/attend a concert of an artist that you perceive to be engaged in socially responsible behavior?

      Yeah, I do not normally support trash human beings. Unless their music is outstanding, that will never happen. Trash human beings make trash music.

• Have you attended a live event due to the socially responsible aspect of the event?

      Yes! I went to an earth day concert where they raised money for the neighborhood and provided natural resources. I do stuff like that all summer long.

Read the article, focusing on the results section (skim the beginning).

Discuss how authenticity is important to an artist’s efficacy in promoting a social or political.

The artist has to have good authenticity so that people are more likely to react positively. Otherwise, people will dismiss them because they are not liked.

     2. Cite an example from the text

An example of this is claiming to being environmentally conscious while promoting products that aren’t. This would be deemed not reputable and their ideas would be invalid.

      3. Can you think of an example you have witnessed of either an artist promoting something that didn’t seem authentic and one promoting that did? Post a link or video if you can.

I do not have an exact example, but a lot of social media influencers promote products that don’t scientifically make sense.

Read this piece on what makes a good protest song, at least historically, and how that may be changing today.

1. Write a paragraph on what you think makes a good protest song. Reference the article and choose to agree or disagree with something they said.

It is music that goes against the normative that calls for change or states that there is something wrong. Good protest music is relative based on what someone likes and how someone feels. It has to be relatable and likable. I do agree that there is no specific format to protest music.

2. Look up a favorite artist (keep going until you find something) and find some ways in which they are trying to make a positive impact. This can be either charities, benefit concerts, lyrical messages, etc. Share you findings.

Elton John has his own charity and serves as a role model by showing how he was able to get through difficult times. Elton John does a ton of charity concerts. Most recently, he has played in the one world concert. 

3. Discuss if you think they are effective, why or why not.

Of course he is. To be effective, they have to affect one person’s life. His donations have affected multiple lives. It does not matter if those actions get public attention. His actions do, but that is not what matters.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

1. Notes

The man traded in his electric equipment for an acoustic guitar

He was inspired by folk music

He never bought records

Bob Dylan’s records were hard to find

Dylan named himself after a poet

Bob Dylan was very charismatic 

Hitchhiking was acceptable

Joan Baez was “amazing” and completely about folk music

Riots at bar between two groups of people

Irish music was played at the bar

Washington square was a place for people to hang out

Only got three songs to play at the bar

Discovered new places to play

Bob dylan got death threats

Observed what people were doing on stage to learn from their performance and music style

He learned musical instruments super fasted

Started getting deals to perform places for a while

People wanted to hear a beautiful voice, singing a melodic song

Some music places treat him really poorly

Records did not accept him because he was called a freak

Landed a record deal

2. First person experiences in interviews and videos of the events.

3. They were Joan Baez, Lead Belly, and other famous folk singers. He liked people who were completely about folk music. As if they live for folk music.

4. Some people really hated it and would leave, but some people loved it.

5. He just did not go to classes because he was too busy with Folk music. He did not want to go. 

6. He fell in love with folk music! It really inspired him to be a performer. 

7. He played guitar well and wrote very true songs. I love his music and I always have! It is so good because folk music is one of my favorite genres. I grew up listening to him.

No Direction Home Response

We’ll be watching this documentary together or on our own via Netflix. 

I want you to take notes and turn those in. Answer the questions as we go along: (This is only for class period 1)

What kind of sources does this documentary use?

Describe Bob Dylan’s background.

What were some of his Musical influences? 

What were some of the reactions to his music? 

How did Dylan approach University? 

What genre of music did he fall in love with? that spoke to him?

How was Dylan musically talented? What are your thoughts about his music so far?

[musicnerd2020-blog]

It means uniformed ideas. America is like this because there are only two parties for ideas to be represented. You typically are stuck with one party.

The books and stories about the religion take place in Jerusalem. It is just a setting claimed by the books for the religion. 

It talks about being sad first then it talks about how praying will not cure it. It is a bit sadistic. 

We should listen to the tone of the voice and the instruments. 

It is spread throughout churches, radios, and common online media. A lot of things are censored so that it is okay for children to hear. For religious songs, it is filtered that there is no bad talking about the religious figure. Jerusalem has freedom of speech. 

 I can hear an overlay of the more cultural sounding music. This has a different language and style of singing. It works because the song imagine is about peace and accepting one another.

I completely agree with that statement.

Blog Post #15 (Due Tuesday at Midnight on Tumblr)

If you are new to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, please read carefully and use this opportunity to learn about this important part of our world. Although this article is from 2002 (found on Moodle), the introduction remains vital as the climate has not changed. This area has been a place of conflict for centuries and the fighting still continues today.

1. Nasser writes:

“Not surprisingly, decades of hostility and fighting have resulted in monolithic readings of the problem, whereby each group is uncompromising and unwilling to listen to the other side’s point of view.”

What does this mean? Can you think of something in your life or American politics that is similar?

2. How do each of the three religions claim Jerusalem as a central part of their religious traditions?

3. Read the lyrics of the prayer sung by Fairuz and discuss how they change over the course of the stanzas.

4. What elements of music should we listen for in Palestinian popular music and Israeli popular music? They will sound very different, but also very different from our popular music.

5. How is this music disseminated? What sort of censorship has been in place?

6. Take a listen to the king of Rai Khaled and Noa singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” What musical elements do you notice? Does this song “work” for this purpose?

7. “The role of popular music is not limited to raising awareness of social and political tensions, but to actively participate in offering tools for understanding the shifting dynamics within a disputed territory. As music soars above the temporal crossroads, it enables people to come together and reach better understandings of one another despite their political differences. To this end, music not only reflects our vision and understanding of history, but also expands our appreciation for the present, illuminating conflicts and paving the way toward a better future. The challenge remains, however, for each party to accept the other side’s views in a way that would ensure a just peace, equality, and reconciliation for all.”

Do you agree with or disagree with the author’s final words?

[musicnerd2020-blog]

He is an Indigenous hiphop artist. He started writing music at home, but went to Columbia to learn more. His message is to give the realities of an Indigenous American and he wants to be a role model for young Indigenous people. His other message is that Indigenous people should be proud of who they are. The land that is sacred is often found to have amazing resources which is why it was taken away from them. It is Indigenous people’s day. 

The song starts off with a unsettling siren with an intense rap. The rhythm is consistent and is shown with the percussion music that has a mix between western and indigenous instruments. There is little contour so that people can focus on the lyrics. The melody has a filter over it almost like he’s talking on the radio. He is talking about how the Indigenous people are suppressed and hidden as if they do not exist. This song is incredibly effective because he wrote the song in the way where you are supposed to listen to the lyrics and you can hear his pain in the way he uses his voice.

The tempo is slow. The musical instruments are electronic to sound like r&b. There are very little lyrics and it is repetitive. The melody is doing something in a good way and is in a higher pitch. The verse is a rap about the issues. He is talking about sharing his culture and experience in a good way. This is less effective than the first one just because it does sound more western and gives off less about history. Though, I believe that this song is better.

The song begins with a lot of harmonies of female voices. He then uses that on a loops and cuts them off. His verse is the rap about what is going on. The melody has less lyrics that repeat over, “Everything’s red.” He uses short silence to off put the song while giving it rhythm. There is more contour in this song than the previous ones. He talks about how greed is affecting his community and how its doing horrible things to people. I believe that this is effective because the background to the rapper displays the emotion as well as the rapper is very clear about his messages. 

He uses a flute to display his emotions. The song has high contour, and a slow tempo. Though, the tempo is not always consistent. It sounds a lot like a jam. The melody tapers off at the end of it. He uses the silence of the taper off to move forward. It makes you feel calm. I believe this song is about how pure his reservation is. I think it is probably the most effective song displayed because it shows his true culture. The instrument is the kind that gets people to stop where they are and look because it is so beautiful and out of the “normal.”

Blog Post #16 - Frank Waln (Due Sunday May 3)

Since we can’t go to the Frank Waln Concert at Augustana anymore, I decided to put together some videos from him for you to experience his voice and his music.

1. Watch this first radio interview. Who is Frank Waln? What is his message? How did he start writing music? Why is indigenous land valuable and thus taken from different tribes? What is a better name for Columbus Day that some local governments are using? 

“Aboriginal,” “Good Way,” “Oil 4 Blood,” and “Home”

The next four videos are all music videos produced by Frank Waln. For each video please discuss 5 musical elements - melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, timbre, silence, rhythm, meter, etc. Then discuss what the song is about. Last, was the messaging effective? Why or why not? 

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #14

I believe that they can because people figure out new and creative ways to do so. Maybe it is playing a song on repeat and using that song to trigger certain memories and emotions.

Music can be used as torture. I remember learning about how during a huge unethical prison reformation movement, some prisons tried torturing the prisoners to make them come back to normal. They would use music, videos, and photos to do this. A fictional example of this would be in The Clockwork Orange. They used music, words, pictures, and videos to torture him. Every time he would try a bad behavior, these horrible emotions would come back to him. 

Sound is a weapon. Coming from someone who has a noise sensitivity problem, I have experienced what that feels like. Sounds to me are elevated. It is almost always painful. I have to carry ear plugs with me because loud speaking hurts my ears. Anything higher just feels like I am dying. 

During the Texas revolution, the Mexicans in the war played a song all night and while attacking Alamo.

The most effective example would be the one from the Iraq war because this was done over long periods of time. It is just an example of the kind of music played to bring up anxiety and a sense of fear that followed them. The song used as an example is not the best example for the situation, but the music was also played to irritate people. This is something that can truly get to people. Especially if it does not stop.

Four military contractors were murdered on tape and hung publicly. To take back control, the United States played hard rock or rap music on turrets as they surrounded the city. It was meant to confuse and disorient people.  

It is unpleasant or inhumane treatment mentally or physically. This is not allowed in the United States.

Torture is inhumane and it can permanently mess a human being up. Torture violates our basic human rights.

The United States took a video of three individuals that looked nothing like the guy and his three friends and blamed them for knowing about 9/11. He was imprisoned there to be tortured and interrogated.

They experienced screaming, being tied down into a certain position, having to use the bathroom on theirselves, loud music

I felt really sad for the people. No one deserves this treatment. Even if they did commit a horrible crime. I feel so disgusted with my country right now.

I do not think that any form of torture should be used. The fact that America has done this makes me ashamed of my country. This is an unethical interrogation device. 

I honestly do not even see any benefits. This is a disgusting and lazy way to get people to stop. 

They used a loud speaker system that the prisoners had to fundraise for.

National German music to try to install German ideas into their brain because the Nazis thought that their lack of German nationalism was a bad thing. 

It has been used in anti-drug music videos. In fancy public places where they do not want a certain type of person. Fancy places play classical music. They have also used quiet music in bookstores to prevent people from being loud and even committing theft. I honestly do not think this is done to exclude people. 

I think it is all for aesthetic because this certainly does not deter people.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Grocery List: caramel corn, coffee, cabbage, kiwi, french baguette bread, vanilla pudding, greenbeans, veggie burgers, navel oranges, whole bean coffee

Singapore is in southern Asia and is southern Malaysia. I do not know much about Singapore besides it being beautiful and it being a city-state. Singapore looks like a city next to the ocean. They speak English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. Fast-pace city people live here.

Hegemony is leadership or dominance over a group of people or a country. The PAP is the only main political group so they mainly reside over the country. A benefit is that there is a unification and consistency with the government. A downside is that not everyone’s views will be represented. 

I thought that this was very energetic and over the top. This is incredibly fun! It is like putting many separate events that America throws into one large one. I do not think that I have seen an event this large. 

Symbols of America’s civil religion is the US flag, the star spangled banner, and the statue of liberty.

Music conveys a message by providing people to feel emotion about their country and identity. The star spangled banner fills people with the feeling of pride and honor. 

The singer asked people to sing for Singapore and the background music definitely sounds like a pop song. I saw that people were unified through music and a bunch of smiles on people’s faces. My overall impression is that.

The 80′s video looked like an old fashioned movie and it had a lot of children in it. The music had a lot of fuzz in the recording. A man sang it formally and like a ballade. The 2000′s video had multiple taking turns to sing. The video features people singing in a studio alone. 

I think that the song would have a much of famous musicians singing it. I also think that it would be pretty cool to watch. It would get a lot of people’s attentions.

Singapore uses music to show a sense a unity. The music is always very lyrical and soft. In the parody song, they used it to show the problems with the city. In general, I think that people also use music to express their feelings and culture. I have always thought that music can be used this way so it really has not changed my view. I do think it is cool that music can be used to represent a country to this extent. 

Blog Post #13

Read Lily Kong’s Article on Moodle. Answer the 10 questions from the Google slides and list the grocery items I mentioned in the videos. Sometimes I forgot, so an added challenge for you!

[musicnerd2020-blog]

The mental health music therapy video is down below. This interests me because I had to do this in the past. Watching this video was amazing because I saw how much music therapy could help. I was put in a very similar situation as this man as I was getting diagnosed with severe PTSD. I felt very trapped and music helped me to express myself and to have more control over my life. So it kind of just got me to remembering the music sessions that I used to do. My issues can not be cured, but I am happy to hear that this person’s issues can be. 

I have used music therapeutically through a music mental health therapist. We had a jam session with percussion instruments. There was even people who knew nothing about music, but was able to make it beautiful.

It is about how music affects society.

Here are some of the sources: a quote from Bobby McFerrin, an interview by Daniel Barenboim who is a music educator, a quote from Micket Hart, a quote from Petr Janata and Daniel Levitin about jamming, the bible, and a paraphrase from Kay Kaufman. This is very interesting because the list has all different types of people who have something to do with music. Each person is able to share why music is important in society from different perspectives. She chose these sources to show that the idea and opinions of music do not have to be viewed in the similar way, and that there are multiple ways to think about music. 

Hearing space sounds is very relaxing and comforting to me just because of how much I love space. At first hearing human sounds with the images and the sounds of space, it was a bit off putting. Putting something natural with something unnatural seemed weird, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it.

Doing a therapeutic music session in a club is a great example. Another one is listening to music on your own to help calm your nerves. Sometimes, even creating music on your own can help you to relax. I know it does for me. 

Mr. Sacks was moved by music and so was Greg. Greg said that the newer music is like the music of the future. The next day, Greg has no memory of the concert.

He used singing to be able to say things. Eventually, he would improve and was able to speak again.

I thought that what he was doing is amazing and it make me curious about how it affects a child long term. I was actually really surprised because I didn’t realize how much work it took to get him to be able to do that and how quickly he learned.

I actually do not have ear buds right now, but it made me very tired because I use frequency music like that to fall asleep sometimes. 

Blog Post # 12 (Due Sunday at Midnight)

For Chapter 11-12:

1. Find a music therapy example from the text that interests you the most. Go to Youtube and find a video so you can see it in action. Post the video and a one paragraph response as to why that specific music therapy interested you and what it was like watching it.

2. Have you ever used music therapeutically? Have you ever seen music therapy in action first hand?

For Chapter 13:

3. What is the main idea of this chapter?

4. List at least 6 different sources that she uses. What about that list is interesting? Why do you think she chose these types of sources?

Now go to the google slides for the next questions: 5-10

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Woodstock Protest Music and it’s Impact on the War

The music played in Woodstock revolutionized the Vietnam War by using musical elements, lyrics, and the Woodstock experience to help empower people and to form a peaceful movement. 

The lyrics of songs, the musical elements, and the experience at Woodstock helped to empower people. This relates to my thesis because it is exactly what I wrote in the thesis. I also plan on using pro-war music at the time to show my NaySayer. This relates to my thesis because I can express my same three core arguments within this type of music outside of Woodstock. I plan on using original Woodstock performances from my first edition vinyl of the three days. I want to respond to them by arguing how the elements shown can be powerful. I would combine this with the documentaries I found on youtube. My other sources I planned to use, I no longer can because we had to leave school. Currently, I am still on the search for useful and reputable sources. 

I chose four videos instead of 2-3 because I felt that they all brought value. These videos describe the Vietnam War protests, what exactly happened at Woodstock, and one of the most famous performances. I plan on analyzing the music elements and the performance of “Fish Cheer,” and showing how music style impacts the protest movement. I want to write my paper in a different structure that I learned in AP Composition in high school. That being said, I want to start the paper with a whole paragraph of background knowledge of the Vietnam War before introducing my thesis in the second paragraph. This will help for the readers to understand what I am talking about. The documentary I put down will help with that. The other two videos describe what happened at Woodstock. I want to include these because the musical experience plays a large role in the protest movement. One of the videos includes interviews of people who attended Woodstock and the other video gives an outside perspective. 

Research Topic Proposal (50 pts.) - Due on TUMBLR

You have been preparing for this assignment for weeks now. As we have been reading about where music comes from, how it works, and how it may have power, some topics have probably piqued your interest. Hopefully you are close to settling on one topic for your paper, but don’t worry if you’re still paring it down.

1. Title - Please provide a working title for your paper. Just try it out. Maybe more than one? (5 pts)

2. Thesis - What is your current working thesis statement? Remember it needs to arguable, clear, and tell us a little bit about how you’re going to defend it. (10 pts)

3. List 3-4 possible argument points. How does each of these relate to your thesis? Do you have a source already to support your claim? If so, list it here. Are there counter claims for each of your arguments? How would you respond to those? (5 pts each)

4. Find 2-3 youtube videos that connect to your topic. Maybe it is the style of music used? Maybe it is interviews with people about the topic? Embed those in your post and provide a one paragraph description of each and how you could use them in your paper. (10 pts each)

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #11

The fast-paced music mixed with a very dance-like rhythm makes this music very popular. It seems like a very good song to dance to even though it’s about something bad. The music sounds incredibly cultural and it even sounds Caribbean despite it not being from the Caribbean islands.

This song is incredibly effective due to the different people singing it. A lot of people came together to create this song and it gives a sense of unity.

I do not like this song because it is making fun of a very serious situation and I generally do not like rap or auto-tune. It is about how people were racist against black people because Africa is where the disease started.

 I hear hands clapping, drums, vocals, the flute, and some sort of brass instrument. I think this song is very fun and adorable. It makes me happy.

For Vietnam, I did not expect a v-pop song to be put in the video. For the Dominican Republic, I did not expect a dance-like video. Iran took a very unique approach and used a classical music approach. I also did not expect this because it was very theatrical. Mexico had a bunch of nurses dancing to music which I thought was very fun and unconventional. The video in English seems more conventional than the rest because of the lyrics in the video, but it still is not a stereotypical public health video. I think that the most effective video is Vietnam’s because it has health information on the screen instead of a dance video. 

All of these parodies were expected because the songs are always pretty similar when it comes to the style. The most effective is the first video because it tells you things that you should do and avoid. The other two videos make fun of the scenario in a way that is not helpful. 

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I have always used the ABCs or Happy Birthday and repeat it couple of times to wash my hands.

The music used in the first video was medium paces with little contour in order to prevent distractions for the video itself. I would say that it is appropriate for the video because the video does not need music. Though, it did not help tell the story since the lady was just vlogging. The music in the second video had a bit more contour, but still not a lot. I honestly also think that this music is not needed for the video. I wish it wasn’t there because one of the higher notes was distracting so I could not pay attention to the video. Thus, I do not think that it was helpful.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #10

I believe that this is musical once it is put into soundwaves. Waves typically move in a similar way so essentially, a lot of stuff can be turned into music. In the book, the scientist explains that the soundwaves from the planets are the same as the soundwaves we hear in our brains. Upon listening to the clip, I definitely believe that this is music and will be sampled for music. Billie Eilish takes things that are not widely considered music and she makes it into music. Sometimes it will just take a certain artist to make others believe this sound can be music.

The rests used in my favorite song are used to divide parts of the music so that the listeners can feel the hopelessness of the artist. The silence is also used for rhythmic purposes. The silence before the song felt quite “hopeless”.

Here’s the screenshot

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #9

I want to write about how music in the Vietnam war brought people together in a collective unit. I am very interested in concerts and why types of music are created when it is.

Language, dance, and music are different forms of communication that are often based off of each other. For example, language can change the structure of music so that the music can flow. People also dance to music. The connections between these three are open to interpretation.

The bonobo was the most musical because it seemed like it wasn’t a rehearsed trick like the dogs did. The bonobo played what she/he wanted as she listened to the other music. Personally, I believe jamming out is one of the rawest forms of music. Then I would say that the bird is the second most musical because snowball was feeling the music throughout its’ body. This also didn’t seem like a trick. The bird was also singing along. I believe that the dog video was the least musical because it was obviously a rehearsed trick that the dogs learned using treats. I do not think that the dogs were moved by the music. It seems like they were waiting until they were told what to do. All of these are musical, but I believe that when someone feels for the music, it becomes more musical. Music is meant to evoke some sort of emotion. The dogs did not. The reason I put bonobo as the most musical is that he/she was playing something while the bird mostly danced. 

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #8

The New York Times states that identity is a made-up concept that often changes someone’s reality. A much larger scale of this would be national identity which is formed based on the race, language, and country borders. Every person develops their own sense of national identity as well as individual identity. In third world countries, people often struggle with poverty, violence, and being able to succeed in life with a disability. Music has brought hope to citizens in third world countries by taking away the barriers from limiting identities in order to give them a good chance in society.

In first world, second world and third world countries, wealth often dictates someone’s future because society runs on money. In countries like Venezuela, the lack of money prevents children from getting a good education, and from being able to explore what they want to do in life. According to the El Sistema documentary, people are so poor that some children have to search in garbage dumps for sellable items. Maestro Abreu founded the El Sistema program to take them away from their impoverished lives. Music allowed children who lacked monetary value to be rich in spiritual value. Being able to make music allowed the children to feel blessed because they were receiving an education. It gave them something to strive for in life, and it helped guide their futures. Many of the children stated that they wanted to be professional musicians when they get older. If this program did not exist, a lot of children would be dedicating their lives to dangerous work instead of being given the time to be a child. Thus, the children would have been stuck with an identity of being poor that does not define who they are. Offering music programs truly opens new doors for children and it allows them to become who they want to be.

Violence is a huge issue in impoverished areas due to gangs and other criminal activity. It is very easy to get injured or involved in criminal activity. Maestro Abreu’s goal when founding El Sistema was to get children off the street and to give them a positive influence in a child’s life. A young girl in the documentary talked about how she got shot in the leg, but she only cared about not being able to play. Instead of focusing or being involved with the bad events around them, children were able to dedicate their life to music. It gave them something productive to do so that they would not end up joining in a game or ending up in the crossfire of some gun violence. Essentially, music helps people break away from a life path set out for someone. The children get to go to horse races and perform at many amazing events. They get to experience things that most people do not get to experience in their country. The opportunities that music brings to people is outstanding because it allows people to get away from the negative events going around them.

In any part of the world, living with a disability can be incredibly hard. Being disabled in a third world country is an even more difficult challenge to face. It is hard to make a living as it is, and there is not enough time and money to support those who are disabled so that they can make it on their own within the future. A section in Maestro Abreu’s foundation was set aside for disabled children. There was a white hand choir for deaf students who could sign to music performed by other students in the disabled department. Another music ensemble is the bell choir. Special time is set aside so that disabled students are able to get a very similar opportunity as the nondisabled students get. A deaf girl talked about how the special education program allowed the kids to create an additional family, they called Maestro Abreu grandpa. This program gave the kids an opportunity to have fun, and to feel like they belong somewhere. This is really important to someone’s success because it builds confidence and life skills for the future. 

Music can transform someone’s life by altering limiting identities and giving people a new sense of reality. It gives people new life skills, and them the opportunity to explore themselves. Doing music helps them discover who they truly are, and it unlocks a powerful part of their soul: passion. 

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #7

The people running TED could not get ahold of the maestro. They tried calling with multiple numbers. The reason they were able to get ahold of him is that an assistant contacted him in person.

In a Caracas rehersal room.

Dudamel conducted the orchestra shown in the live feed within the speech. Gustavo also was inspired by what the maestro had done.

Classical music

Musicians around the world were inspired by the movement. Particularly, music educators and conductors. The orchestra toured America, visiting underprivileged areas. People learned that anyone can be a musician and that there needs to be more educators reaching out to more than one type of person. This idea isn’t unique to me, but that is because public schools try to really embrace this movement. I especially noticed it due to the area I grew up in. I just did not know who started this idea.

When making music, humans have to cohabitate to make something beautiful. Music can truly transform someone’s life by putting them on the right path in life. For example, one of his students is now a conductor in his own orchestra. Music develops a person’s full personality. It encourages children to achieve their dreams. Music allows people to overcome material poverty.

The author of the naysayer article is looking at this program from a more privileged, first-world country point of view. Part of what makes this program so amazing is the experience. Offering a musical program in a very political climate can have its challenges and it won’t be perfect. The thing is that this program isn’t made like the kind of orchestras we have in universities and other more “elite” programs. It is made to be inclusive. So not everyone will be able to finish out the program, but at least they learned some core life skills. Even if you learn music for a short period of time, it will end up sticking with you somehow. I don’t believe that a program should be stopped because people chose to protest despite knowing what consequences might come from it. The program is not telling the children to go out and get themselves killed. It is teaching them to be passionate about something that is healthy for you. I would definitely judge this program based more on a well-rounded point of view. It is important not to ignore some of the bad outcomes coming from this program, but it's also important to overweigh the bad outcomes from the good. It clearly has done more good for children than bad.

[musicnerd2020-blog]

Blog Post #6

He specifically tells the reader what music was used for. For example, music was used to entertain soldiers after the war. He explained that it was also used during combat to inspire the soldiers. During the second world war, music was used to boost morale. He also used interviews, blog posts, and documentaries. This evidence seems somewhat reliable, but there really is no true evidence. The reason I say this is because I want him to refer to historical documents, but he uses commonly known examples to gain the trust of the readers.

Rap, christmas, rock, movie playlists. Some of these are nicknamed predator music.

IPods, Portable CD players, mp3 players

Throughout history, music has played a role in the military. It has been used to advertise enrollment once voluntary enrollment became available. It has also been used during or after combat to motivate the soldiers. Music has also helped soldiers to block out the environment around them. As time went on, music began to play a heavier role in the military due to the availability of it. 

IVPCVVBO

The song I chose is called “Goodness.” I love it because of the key and how the song pretty much contradicts the title. It shows you a true sense of hopelessness which I can relate to because of some pretty horrible things I have been through. It just gives you this deep pit in your chest. That’s what it feels like to be stuck in something that you don’t want. The lyrics even talk about how hopeless life can be, even as time goes by.