English Class

My finial thoughts on this class are “I am glad I made it!” Going into this class I thought it would be difficult but I was not prepared for the amount of work that had to be done. The first and second week when I looked at the here is what to do section I was like wow that is a lot of work. At first I was very overwhelmed and thought that I should drop the class, however after trying the first couple of weeks work I soon realized that it was not so bad. I realized that it was many small assignments. I decided to sick with it and make sure that I budgeted my time well. It really helped having the time line on the main assignment page. I used that to help me stay focused and not miss too many assignments. I am very happy that I decided to sick with it.
I soon realized that the reading was very interesting and that the work, although there was a lot of it, was not too difficult. I really liked the Music and Culture readings. I thought that the essays were very interesting. I really liked reading all the different prospective's on the music industry. I really learned a lot form them. I also liked not just reading a novel or two. Getting to read essays from many different people kept the reading interesting. We got to read many different styles of writing and analyze them.
I also liked the blogs. I have never blogged before and at first I was very nervous about putting my writing out on the web and having other people read it. I did much debating about weather or not to drop the class over this assignment. However once I did and I got good feed back my confidence grew greatly. Now I am more comfortable doing it. I also liked reading the other students blogs. It helped me see things from a different point of view. Sometimes when you take on line classes you just read take a test and due the homework, but you never interact with the other students. I thought it was really neat to be able to read what other students thought about the topics.
Another thing that I liked about the class is that the essays were broken up into many different steps. Most of my other classes have a research paper due at the end but it is nor broken up into many small assignments. It is just one big paper due at the end of the semester. I found that the peer reviews were a lot of help. I got many good ideas from them and I think that I was able to improve my paper with the help of the peer reviews.
Over all I really enjoyed this class. I think that not only did my writing get better but my confidences as a writer improved over this semester. Thank you to every one for the great peer reviews and also the great blog responses.

sampling

I think that sampling is very creative.. If you think about it to listen to a song and then be able to take a piece of that and turn it into something you have created is very creative. Not everyone can do that.
At first when I thought about this question, my first response was no. To take someone else’s work and use that for a platform is not creative. My thinking was to be creative you have to be original. However that is not true. Creativity comes in a great variety.
The definition of creative is to bring into existence. So if an artist takes a sample and brings into existence a new song then they are being creative. Some of the songs that use samples are very new and different that the original so to say that they are not creative would be a shame. I also think that some people confuse liking something with an artist being creative or good. This is not the case. A song original or sampled can be horrible and you can hate it but that dose not mean that the artist is not creative. It just means that you do not like his work.
To be able to listen to something and then create your own off of that is definitely creative. Think about it. They have to create around what they have already heard. Sometimes a person can be moved by something they hear. They might hear a song or a beat and be inspired by it. It might be tire muse of sorts and then come up with a new song.
Also they have to make it their own. Sometimes artists make a song and they take a sample to add to it. That takes creativity too. It may not be original but it is still creative.
My husband listens to a lot of reggae and they sample beats and lyrics of all kinds of songs. However each song is original and creative in its own right. For the most part they sound completely different than the original song they sampled.
I truly believe that many artists sample well know bates and lyrics for the fact that more people will feel as if they relate to the new song better. If you liked the original song then the odds are you will like the song they made for the sample. It is all about marketing.

My Paper

Wow, where to start venting on this one! I am writing my paper about my son’s illness Cystic Fibrosis and how weight affects their health and when it is time for a feeding tube to be placed. This is a very emotional thing for me to research since it hits so close to home. We are currently trying to make this decision for my son.
I have lots of material to use for my paper, all most too much, and have read most of it already. I have to narrow down what I want to say and focus my paper in on my topic, the issues of weight, nutrition and CF. This is proving to be difficult due to the massive amount of information I have and the numerous other things that go along with CF. I have gotten a little side tracked in my out line and have had to bring it back to my topic many times. I found my self going on and on about breathing treatments and lung function when I need to stay focused on Nutrition. I thought it would be easier to write the paper because I am so familiar with the topic but it is proving to be the opposite. Because I know so much it is difficult for me to stay focused on one part of it. I keep going off on different tangents then having to go back and take out parts and then starting again. It is very frustrating.
Another thing that I am having trouble with is getting my thesis statement right. It is really difficult for me to get my idea for my paper into a proper thesis statement. I know what I want to right about; I have done the research and have an outline, but no proper thesis statement. Maybe that is why I am having a hard time keeping my paper focused.
The other difficulty that I am having with my research paper is finding the time to write it. I am back to working full time after being a stay at home mom for 5 years and am having a hard time balancing every thing. It has been a little crazy.
I feel so much better after that vent! So to fix my problems I am going to ask Professor Gross to help me with my Thesis statement on Monday. Once I have a proper thesis statement I think that my paper will stay much more focused. I am also going to schedule time to get the paper written on Monday night. I need to finish my rough draft ASAP. No more excuses! It is time to get my butt in gear and write this paper. I am going to stay focused and get this elephant off my back. I hope that when the paper is done I will have a better understanding of CF and nutrition so that I can make the best decision for my son. Thank you for reading my Vent.

Piracy

When you think of piracy you probably think of a move taped by someone in the theater with people walking by and terrible sound, or of a guy on the corner selling bootleg DVD’s and CD’s. However, there is a new piracy and it is internet piracy. Internet piracy is when people download music or movies illegally off the internet. It is also file sharing. Most people do not realize that sharing a music file with a friend is actually piracy. Many people download music and then send a great song to a friend or two, then that friend may send it to a friend and so on until many people have the song that one person downloaded.

The question is who looses off of internet piracy and I think that the answer to that is the artist and the producers. Artists and producers make money off of the sales of the songs and albums, so if people are downloading the songs for free off the internet then they are loosing money. I know that internet piracy is a huge problem for the music industry but I really do not think that there is much they can do to stop it. No matter how they try to protect the music from piracy there will always be hackers to break through.

I think that the major reason that internet piracy is so big is because of IPods. With an IPod you can choose to download one song at a time and not an entire album. When I was a kid if you wanted to get just one song and not the whole album you had to wait for the song to play on the radio and try to tape it. If that did not work then you had t go to the store and buy the album. Of course you could always tape a friends tape but it was much more difficult than today’s method. Now kids can take out their IPods and go on the internet and fins the song. Then down load it. It is so easy to get songs off the internet that most people do not even think twice about it.

In the end it is the artist and the producers that suffer form the loss of money. Most people will continue to download free music. It is up to the music industry to find new ways to make money off of their songs.

American Idol

The “American Dream” to me is making your dreams, what ever they may be, come true. People come from all over the world to enjoy America and live for their dreams. Some people will do anything to make their dreams a reality. For example going on TV, and being a part of a show like American Idol. Some people think that the shows are exploiting them, but I do not.
The main reason I think that the contestants on this show are not being exploited is because they choose to be there. They stand in line and wait for hours in the hopes of being on the show. They want the publicity, they want to be famous. I know that in watching the show some of the really bad singers that go on the auditions do it on purpose to be on TV. You see these people dressed up in crazy outfits, sing like crap and then when Simon and the other judges say they suck they get upset and yell at them. It is all an act! They put that outfit on and knew that they could not sing. They know that they will get a bad review and if they make a scene they will be on TV. I think that many of they egg on the “exploitation” of them selves. Look at William Hung. He was on the Ellen Show and many more, all because he could not sing. Do you really think that he thought he was as good as all the other contestants on the show? I highly doubt it. He wanted to be on TV, and he was. Without a show like America Idol he would have never got what he wanted.
On the other had there are people that audition that can really sing, but they know what they are getting into. They have the choice every week to get up there and sing and be judged. They know that in order for the show to stay popular there has to be a “mean” Judge. If everyone was nice and sweet no one would watch the show. They choose to be there; therefore they are not being exploited. Many of them would not even get a “big Break” if they were not on the show.
Most people who want to be a singer know that the business is harsh and subject to the whims of society. For many people this is with the fame and fortune. They want it so the put up with all the crap that goes with it. So in short I have to say that if they are choosing to be on the show in its third and up season they know what they are getting into. They are not being taken advantage of; they are striving for fame and money. If they do not like it, then they should quit. If these Contestants are “exploited” then they let it happen and go along with it knowingly. They do it for the fame and money.

reality

I think that the teenagers gave Eminem credit for “keeping it real because they could relate to what he is saying. He was talking about an absentee dad and a mom that is strung out on drugs. The kids that they interviewed have the same thing in there life. The kids feel as if Eminem is saying all the things no one talks about in their home. They also love the fact that he so openly changes authority. What teenager would not?

Do I really feel that his music is “keeping it real”? No. I think that he is emotionally out of control. He has had a hard life and sings all kinds of crazy things that I hope are not based in reality. For example, killing and raping people. I think that his basic ideas may be based in reality, like the love he has for his daughter and the anger he has toward his mother. After that not much else is “keeping it real”. It is more like an out of control teen saying anything that comes to his mind. I hope that the kids that they were interviewing realized that they truly do not know how much on Eminem’s lyrics and his pasts are truly real.

I do not feel that all lyrics need to be based in reality. It is nice to have a variety of both lyrics that are based in reality and some that are not. I think that music that you can relate your life to is a great way to release stress. It really helps me to be able to turn on a song when I am down and feel like someone else knows how I feel. Weather I am happy or sad, celebrating something or morning a loss I want someone to share my feelings with and know what I am going through. . Life can be so crazy sometimes that I just want to hear something that I can relate to. Sometimes when I listen to songs they say the things that I am too afraid to d\say out loud. I truly feel better when I can relate to the lyrics of a song.

However, sometimes I just want to let loose. I do not want the music to say anything in particular. I just want to have fun. In this case I do not need the music lyrics to be base in reality. I want them to just be fun and crazy. I want the music to have a good beat and a few catchy lyrics and that is it. I want to sing and dance with out a care in the world. I want to feel free. I do not want to have any deep thought behind it. I just want it to be fun.

I think that all music, weather it is based in reality or not, has its place in my life and it is just about what I want to listen to at the moment.

Jazz

Drugs and Jazz., to some the words have become to mean the same thing. Werner’s opinion that jazz artist turn to drugs because of a lack of audience response, is only half right in my opinion. I think that the fact that the audience is always demanding more from them is more of an issue. People start out liking an artist then they get “board” of the same thing, they want to see them live and be entertained also. They want the artist to wow them every time they step on stage. This is a lot of pressure for any person. I feel that the constant pressure of the fans and the industry leads to a life of drug and alcohol abuse. Not just for jazz artist but for artist of many genres.

I have know a few struggling artist and when they start out it is all about fun and making it “big”. Then, when they start to get popular, it is all about getting “bigger and better”. It becomes a struggle to keep the audience entertained and finding a wow factor. Some of these artists got lost to drugs and alcohol. They say that the pressure is just too much. Pressure from them elves, from the fans, the record produces and managers just keeps mounting. One of my friends told me one day that he felt as if nothing was ever good enough. That “they” always wanted more and better. . A few of them say that they were much happier before they had musical success.

I also believe that the provenance of drugs in the music industry is a major factor. I think that to a certain extent it is tolerated and some times expected for the artists to do drugs. Major artist go on huge tours and work log exhausting house. All the while, we the audience want them to be fresh and excited as if it was the first show. How do they cope? Well I think that is where the drugs come into play. They take some thing to help them have more “energy” or to get through this performance. Then one thing leads to another and then they become full on addicts. Maybe they feel as if they “need” something to get them trough this performance or to just make it through another day.

I also feel that as a society we are way to accepting of this type of behavior. If an artist comes out on stage all drugged up we may say how upset we are, maybe. However we will still listen to their music and buy their records. Some times we expect them to be on drugs. Like jazz musicians. We feel as if it is part of being an artist.

I know that this is not the case with every artist but I think that with many of them it is. I could not even begin to image the huge amount of pressure they must feel day in and day out. It must be very hard for them.

Dance

I do think that the dance floor is indeed powerful enough to ease differences and bridge cultures. I believe that not only the dance floor, but dance its self is very powerful. People have used dance for many things since the begging of time. If we look into history we can find dance and dance floors. For example, Native Americans used dance to communicate with the spirits, to heal and to tell their history. If you look at European history, they introduced their daughters into society and showed their wealth by holding Balls. Even today when we have foreign dignitaries visit our country we have balls, or dances, for them. There is also Quinceanera and the first weeding dance. These are just a few examples of how music, culture and communication are all intertwined.
Dance is very powerful. It can communicate in any language. You do not need to speak the language of the dancers to know what they are portraying. People of all cultures can come together for the love of dance. We can go to any county and go to a dance hall and dance. We do not need to know what they are saying we are able to share with one another through the movement of our bodies. Dance is a very powerful tool of communication.

In Clubs and Dances today you see a mixture of all types of people. People from many cultures all in the same place for the same reason, too have a good time. When people are dancing they can get comfortable with each other easier. After they dance, then they can strike up a conversation and maybe become friends. When people are out having a good time they are not as aware of different cultures. They are more focused on the music and having fun then the differences in the people around them. I think that people who truly love dance appreciate different cultures more. I think this because they can see the beauty in the dances and share them with the other people.

There are even shows on TV like “so you think you can dance” that bring together many culturally different dances. Dances from all around the world are learned by contestants from many back grounds. I think that shows like this will also help to bridge the gap. It introduces the general public to styles of dance and music that they may never be exposed to other wise.

Dance is now and will continue to bring people together.

Advisories

Parental advisories

I do think that record companies should be responsible for putting parental advisories on the music they distribute. I think that they are the ones putting the music out to the general public so they should be the ones to put the advisories on it. They know better than anyone, except maybe the artist, what kind of content it has. As a consumer I depend on them to help me know what is ok for my children and what is not ok.
I think that the advisories work to a certain extent. I always look at the Parental advisories of the music I buy for my kids. I also check it on video games, movies and TV. I think that as a parent I find it very useful and extremely helpful. I do not want my 8 year old son playing a game that had prostitutes and gory violence. I do not think that he is old enough, nor mature enough, to fully understand exactly what is going on. However, I still do not think that it is appropriate for him. Without the advisories I would not know what songs are full of profanities with out listening to the entire CD. In the event that I did buy the CD, then listen to it and realize it is not appropriate for my son, I will have lost my money because you can t return then once they are opened.
On the other hand I have bought things, mostly video games, that are rated PG and I have found them completely unacceptable for my kids. I once bought a game for my boys and when I got it home the game was nothing but blood and guts. The charters were saying everything but curse words. I was totally shocked that it was rated PG. I learned that you can not totally relay on the parental advisories when choosing what to buy.
Another problem with them is that they do not really work with teenagers. My sister was buying and downloading what ever CD or songs she wanted regardless of the parental advisory. I do not think most stores would stop a teenager from buying a CD because of the parental advisory. I know that teenagers for the most part do not need the supervision like the younger kids but I still think it is important to monitor it somewhat.
As I have said before, I do believe that the record companies should put the advisories on the music. However, they are of no use if parents do not use them. I know many parents that think that it is perfectly fine to let their kids listen to anything because it is “just music”. Untimely it is up to the parents to say what their children can and can not listen to.

Influenced by music?

I think that music does influence the behavior of youth to some extent. I believe that many people do not realize just how susceptible kids are to what others are saying. Be it a mother to her son, teacher to her students or lyrics singing a song, they soak it all in. No matter what form it comes to them in. They are like sponges absorbing everything they hear. When kids listen to songs that degrade women and basically say don’t listen to authority, then they are going to be influenced by it. To what extent I think depends on many things. Like their morals, values and family life.

To group all kids together and say that music affects them the same would be wrong. I think that everyone is different and therefore they will be affected differently by things, be it music or any thing else. I think that kids that are in loving homes with good role models and being brought up to respect other will be less influenced by negative music than the kids that live in bad environments. I kind of think of music as a back ground force, it is there influencing the kids but not as much as many other things. This means that if kids have been raised with values that say respect others, listen to authority and follow the rules then music will have a minimal affect on them. However, kids that are raised with poor values that say it is ok to hit your spouse, rob a store, guns are good and cops are bad then the negative music will influence them a lot more. They will hear the lyrics as a confirmation that it is acceptable to do in those things in our society. Not only is it in their family but it is also being sung about on the radio.

I want to say, that I do not think that music is a major influence in most people’s lives. I do not think that listening to Goth music was the reason why the Columbine kids shot up there school or why some kids kill them selves. I think that in these extreme cases the kids have many other things going on in their lives and music is used as a scapegoat. In these cases people want to find “something” to blame, so they point their finger at music. However, there are thousands of kids that listen to the same music and they do not go to such extreme measures.

To wrap this up, I will say that we as parents do need to monitor what are children are listening too. I think it is really sad when I hear a 2 year old kid is singing about Bitches and Hoes. I know that they probably do not know what they are saying but one day they will. Maybe it will affect then and maybe it will not, but do you really think we should chance it? I know I don’t.

Bloom

When Bloom writes, "It is their passion; nothing else excites them as it does; they cannot take seriously anything alien to music", about young people I think he is wrong. It is a very bold statement to say that nothing else will excite them but music. There are many things in a teenager’s life that may excite them and that they may take seriously besides music, for example getting their drivers license, money to go shopping, prom, graduation and school are just a few. I think that he is over generalizing in this statement. I do not think that this pertains to all teenagers or young people, maybe some or even most, but not all. As a teenager I was not that passionate about music. I like it but I was not passionate by any means. Sure I listened to it, I had favorite songs, bands I liked, even a crush or two, but I was not consumed by it. I had many other hobbies that also kept my interest. As a teenager I was very interested in photography and making jewelry. I spent many hours on theses two hobbies. I probably listened to music while making the jewelry or organizing my photos but I was much more interested in them than the music I was listening too.

However, this statement would have fit my older sister very well. She loves and still does love music. She would spend hours listening to music and trying to learn how to play different instruments. She also would write her own songs and record them. She did not take any thing as serious as her music. She can play many different instruments and now is striving to work in the music industry. She is now and was then consumed with music.

In my opinion I think that if Bloom had made this statement about teenagers and the opposite sex I would have agreed much more with him but it still would be over generalizing. I think that if anything is their passion and excites them it would be the opposite sex. I know when I was in high school everything we did and did not do was because of the boys. If there was a dance we went to see the boys or we would not go to avoid the boys. It was never ending. I don’t know if it was that way for everyone but it sure seemed like it. I have a younger sister and it was the same thing for her and her friends. All they talked about was the boys and when the boys came over all they talked about were the girls. Even my husband agrees that all the teenage boys think about is the girls.

I think that when ever someone makes a blanket statement about a group of people it is over generalizing because all people are different. So what one person likes another person may dislike. So to say that all young people have a passion for music would be incorrect.

Is it useful to analyze music?

I do not think that analyzing music is for everyone. Some people want to know what the songs are about, while others just want to listen. I think that some people are more in tune with poetry and the meaning of music while others are just about enjoying it. I am the type of person who just wants to listen; I do not like interpreting or analyzing the words of a song. I just want to loose my self in a song and not be worried about what it means. I like to just “rock out” and let the music take over. I think that if I stopped to analyze the words and try to figure out the meaning of every song I would not enjoy it nearly as much. All of that to say that there are some songs that I do love the words too and they inspire me. The words are inspirational and make me think. These songs I think about what the words are saying but I still do not think that I analyze it.

On the other hand, my sister is a musician and she loves to analyze music. Not only does she look at the lyrics of the song and decipher what they might mean but she also analyzes the musical instruments in the song. She spends hours looking over songs and enjoys every minute of it. She likes to “pick them apart” and find the “inner meaning”. She says that she appreciates the music more when she knows where it is coming from.

Do I think that she enjoys the music more than me because she know what note it is playing in or what all the lyrics mean, absolutely not. I also do not think that she enjoys it any less. I feel that we both enjoy the music in our own way. We can both “rock out” to the same song and equally enjoy it, but she just knows more of the technical stuff, to each their own.

My music

Variety is the one word that would describe my music collection. I have a little of everything. I have gospel, alternative, rap, heavy metal and Reggae.
When looking over my music collection it is like taking a peak into my life. There is music I listened to in High school, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many other band of the 90’s. Then you can see the heavy metal stage I went through. Then there is a gradual change to Punk Rock. Wow, the memories that brings up. Then, there is the abrupt change in music when I met my now husband. There is Rap, R&B and of course the Reggae. Now that I have kids there is Hannah Montana, Jonas Brother and of course all of the theme music to every Noggin and Disney channel cartoon. I think that it is a wonderful thing to have such a great time line of my life. Looking through my music collection has just as many memories as any of my photo albums.
My taste in music and also my appreciation of music has not only changed over the years but it has also grown. I did not always have such diverse music taste. When I was a teenager I thought that all music, except the music I listened too was “bad” music and it “sucked”. Wow, how time has changed me. There was definitely a point when I had no appreciation for rap, R&B or reggae music, then I meat my husband. He taught me that all music should be appreciated and enjoyed. It took him going to a puck Rock show in Hollywood for me to realize that I too should be open to new musical experiences. He stood out like a sore thumb but he was totally open to the music. It was great and an awesome learning experience. I decided then and there that I would give “his” music a chance. Now it is a huge part of what I listen too.
I think that for the most part people’s music interest is basically the same as the people that they hang out with. I think that music is part of our culture, for example if we live in Tennessee and dress like cowboys, then we will most likely listen to country music. At the same time, I think that with IPods and computers putting all kinds of music at our fingertips we are becoming more and more diverse. Many people I know have some variety to music that they enjoy and listening too.
In exploring my musical library I realized that until a few years a go I was only listening to most popular bands of “my” kind of music. Now that my musical library has a large variety of music I feel like I enjoy it much more. There is never an occasion that I don’t have something musical to put on. If it’s a romantic dinner with my husband or we are throwing a party, what ever the occasion is I have something for it.

Music

I want to start by saying Hello world! Ok, now that I got that out of the way on to my blog.

Music is a beautiful thing. It can evoke such emotion in a person. If you are happy and you hear your favorite song it can make to happier. If you are down it can cheer you up. It can make to feel love and anger both separately and at the same time. Music can encourage you and expose you to many new things. It is powerful.
I believe that music plays an important role in our world. It can bring us together. For instance, look at the new We are the World song that was recently released for Haiti. It is beautiful and artiest from all back grounds came together to sing it for a good cause. This song gives us the feelings of hope, sadness, happiness, and devastation all in one. When people listen to it they feel the need to get out there and help. It brings the devastation and the need for more help right to you. It will bring people to action just by hearing it. One song will give the world a chance to help and be a part of something bigger. This one song will inspires change in people all over the world.
Music can be positive. However, it also has a very negative side. Today’s music, for the most part, does not give us hope or joy. Instead it glorifies violence and self destruction. It puts women down and it has lost most of its positive motivation. It also carries many negative stereo types. Sometimes music can instill hate in people.
I believe that music has and will continue to influence me personally and as well as the world. It can bring us together or help to tear us apart. Music is a great outlet for me. I have favorite song to cheer me up when I am sad, I have songs I like to sing too. I also have songs I listen to for inspiration. I believe that there is a song for any occasion.
The last thing I will say about music is I think we need to take the time to really analyze what we are exposing our children too. A couple weeks back I was watching my friends’ 8 year old daughter and she had her IPod with her. All of the sudden she was singing her heart out to “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” and then “You’re a Jerk” was the next song. I know as an adult I am guilty of not keeping all bad lyrics form my kids but I do limit what they can listen to. I do want to add that we did have about two weeks of my friend’s daughter calling everyone a jerk.
I expect that the theme of music will help me to better understand and appreciate music. I mostly listen to what is popular and on the radio. So I am hoping that the theme of music will help to broaden my exposure to music. I hope that we will look at many different styles and many different cultures during our theme. Through broadening my musical exposure I hope to gain a greater appreciation for all music.