Musics of the World Week # 6 part 2

Title- Unknown

Performers- Kenyan Children Singing and Dancing.

Origin- Kenya

Orchestration- Vocals and drum beat on a bucket.



Here is an example of children of Kenya performing together

in  song and dance. As you can see in the video the adults led the

songs and the children follows in song and dance. What I like about this

video example is the fact that both the children as well as the adults are

actively involved in the performance. I feel that having the adults or teachers

actively involved in the performance allowed for the students to feel engaged in

the lesson as well as to have fun. Performances like the example seen here can be

great for socialization of children. Personally, I feel that I could definitely incorporate

more lessons that involves active movements and peer interaction among the students

of the class.  Social interactive lessons could also assist with various learning styles of

students because we all know that people have different learning styles.

Musics of the World Week # 6

Title- Eu Sambo Mesmo

Performers- Jazz Bliss Brazil

Culture- Brazilian

Orchestration- Saxophone,  guitars, drums/percussion, and vocals.



This week I chose to take a look at music of Brazil. Brazil is filled with culture

and various types of music styles and genres. Generally when some people think

of music in Brazil; they may think of samba music or bossa nova style music. Rarely

do people consider jazz music to be a part of Brazilian culture. What is so significant

in this video example to me is the performers provided a recipe for Brazilian music with

a side dish of jazz. For example, the performing group included a mixture of samba and

bossa nova along with an overall jazz feel. I feel that a performance such as this could

definitely contribute to socialization. The socialization of this performance demonstrates the role

play of the performers musically providing the audience with jazz music while maintaining the

traditional musical tradition of Brazil.

Musics of the World Week # 5

Title- El Maraquero

Performers- Strings of Fire featuring Carlos Caro and Orquidea

Culture- South American/Venezuela

Orchestration- Harp, maracas, acoustic guitar, conga drums, bongos and wind chimes.



I came across this video of a group of musicians performing a selection entitled "El

Maraquero. The first thing that instantly caught my attention was the name of the

performer; Strings of Fire. I knew I was in for a musical treat even before I started

watching the video. El Maraquero has a style in which there is a lively samba type

feel to the music with the accompaniment of a harp. Just when you think there is

nothing else to the performance, the performers briefly shift gears at 5:03 and allows

the harp player to begin the second section with a more elegant style. The bongos,

maracas, and guitar gradually eased back into the performance by picking up

the groove back to it's original tempo. I feel that creativity is definitely incorporated

and quite noticeable in this video. The solo performances of the harp and maracas added

musical creativity which also led to audience engagement . The performers ability of

significant improvisation assisted with the music creativity of this performance. As

music educators we should encourage creativity in all realms of music. If we continue

or implement music creativity; I feel that our students will grasp an understanding and

an appreciation of the craft of music.

Musics of the World Week #4

Title- Soy Mexico Americano

Performers- Los Lobos

Culture- Mexican Folk Music

Orchestration- Accordion, electric/lead guitar, drum set, electric keyboard, and saxophone.



Last week I completed a blog post that showed a Mariachi band performing live

for an audience. This week I came across a video that shows a group of musicians

that are performing a type of music that is popular within the Mexican culture. The

style of music that is performed in the video is Mexican folk music. When some people

think of Mexican music the first style of music that comes to their mind is Mariachi

music. There is a wide range of music styles in Mexico which is based upon specific

cities and regions. The variety of music styles in Mexico can also be based upon the

various instruments that are used to produce the sound of the music. Traditional Mexican

folk music can be classified and identified by ensembles such as "banda" and "conjuncto

calentano".  I feel that as music educators, we should encourage and teach authenticity.

I feel that in learning about world music it is important to learn all of the authentic aspects

of world music. For example, in order for students to grasp the full concept of music of a

specific culture; the students will need to understand the relevance and reality of the music.

Musics of the World Week #3

Title- Popurri

Performers- Mariachi Los Camperos

Culture- Regional Mexican/Latin

Orchestration- Trumpets, Violins, Harp, Guitarron, and Vihuela (Plucked Instruments).



This week I chose to submit a video of a Mariachi Band for my blog. Coincidentally,

I will be doing my fieldwork observations this weekend of a live Mariachi Band. I

will be the first to say that I am not familiar with the historic aspects of Mariachi

music; however, I love how Mariachi music sounds. What I like about this particular

performance is how the different instruments are aligned with the vocal aspects of

the performance. Furthermore, I feel that the role of context in musical structure

is very important in music and particularly for the performance provided in the video.

For example, the harp, violins and trumpets provided an introduction to the vocal

section of the song. At 1:48 the strings and trumpets provide solo aspects to the performance.

At 5:19 there is an emotional change to the performance with the string instruments. At 6:12 the rhythm and feel of the performance is very similar to the beginning of the song and ends with

strong vocals along instrumentation.

Musics of the World Week #2

Title- Cloudy Sky

Artist- 12 Girls Band

Country of Origin- China

Instrumentation- Erhu (two string fiddle), Pipa (four stringed instrument), Zhongruan (plucked string instrument), Dizi (flute), Yangqin (hammered dulcimer), and Duxianqin (one stringed plucked  instrument)



12 Girls Band are an all female Chinese musical group that consists of 12 members.

The members of the 12 Girls Band were selected through an audition process. The

initial audition had over 4,000 contestants to compete to become a member of the

group. Each member of 12 Girls Band is classically trained in music. Each member

also studied music at various conservatories such as the China Academy of Music,

the Chinese National Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory of Music.



I feel that classification systems can be very useful for time periods as instrumental

classification. Specific classification systems can be used to classify specific music time

periods. For example, music time periods are currently classified according to years,

composers, and musical characteristics of the specific time periods. A classification

system can be very useful to classify instruments into specific groups or families.

For example, Chinese musical instruments such as the Erhu, Pipa, Zhongruan, and Duxianqin

 all belong to the string instrument family that can plucked or played with a bow.

Musics of the World Week #1

Title of piece- Arawan

Performers- Tinariwen

Culture or Origin- Mali/West Africa

Orchestration- Acoustic guitar, lead guitar, and Djembe African Drums.



Paragraph Reaction

Tinariwen is a group of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region

of northern Mali. They are famous for various genres of music such as

Tishoumaren (a style of music in Northern Africa), world, folk, blues

and rock. Tinariwen won a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album

at the 54th Grammy Awards. "Arawan" is a song that I came across while

listening to various world music selections. As I listen to "Arawan" I can't

help but to get into a rhythmic groove of the song. The vocals seem to have a

light rock and even hip hop feel to the music as Tinariwen performs. I feel that 

ethnomusicology informs world music pedagogy by becoming exposed to

various types of world music through careful listening and analyzing music

from around the world.

Technology Assisted Music Learning #8

We have come to the end of our technology assisted music learning course. This week we had to major assignments to complete. We were asked to create a WebQuest and an ePortfolio and submit the URL of our projects. WebQuests and ePortfolios are rather new to me. I have viewed various WebQuests over the internet but I have never created my own. Luckily for me, I know had an opportunity to create my own WebQuest. I must admit that I felt a bit overwhelmed prior to creating my WebQest and ePortfolio. After watching the tutorials numerous times I made a few practice pages to just test my skillset in making a WebQuest. Some of my practice pages turned out great and others did not. I really struggled with adding pictures, clip art and videos. However, I refused to let any adversity stop me. After a few more tries I eventually grasped the concept of how to insert items in my WebQuest. I watched the videos yet again to make sure I had an understanding of everything before I started to creat my final WebQuest. I created a WebQuest for a music appreciation class that I called G Dumas American Popular Music. My WebQuest gives students an opportunity to explore various genres of music that is popular in America. I feel that I did a good job in creating  my first official WebQuest. My WebQuest creativity will not stop here. I definitely plan on creating more WebQuests for my classes in the near future. I feel that they are a great learning too that can be used to encourage larning through technology. As we have learned throughout this course, learning through technology can be very challenging and fun at the same time.

We also had an opportunity to create an ePortfolio. I have used electronic portfolios such as live text in the past but I have yet to create my own professional portfolio through the use of Google Sites. I used the knowledge I had gained by learning how to create a WebQuest. I chose to create my ePortfolio from scratch and then chose a theme for my page. We were asked to create sections that documented our learning and achievement in this course. We were also asked to include artifacts as examples along with reflections. I feel that creating the ePortfolio will be very helpful for future endeavors that may be professionally job related as well as continuation of graduate studies.

Technology Assisted Music Learning Week #7

For module 7 we learned more ways to use technology for assessments. I feel that module 7 also provided great examples of how to use technology for administrative tasks. The discussion post for this week prompted us to discuss ways we currently use technology for assessment purposes in our classrooms. We were also asked to discuss ways we use technology for administrative tasks that is used for professional productivity. I use Finale software for assessing students. Finale is a great music notation software in which you can create music through music notation as well as MIDI. For example, one assessment that I have created through Finale was a music notation test. My created music notation test was very helpful because I could create my own test based upon the level and needs of my own students rather than using a pre-created test. My students can also use Finale to create their own music through music notation. For example, I would ask the students to create a 15 measure rhythm in 4/4 time by using half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes etc. I have also used GarageBand for music creativity assessments. Quite naturally one major difference in the two programs is that Finale is much more costly than GarageBand. I feel that we should definitely incorporate more ways to assess our students through technology. One of my group members mentioned that they use digital notebooks in their school. I feel that a digital notebook is a great tool that can be beneficial to students as well as teachers. Students can become more organized and teachers can track student progress through digital notebooks.  Although we may view band and chorus as performance based classes, we still must find ways to use technology for assessments.

Module 7 also gave us an opportunity to learn more about using technology for professional productivity purposes. I was amazed at how much we can use Google to complete administrative tasks. We had an opportunity to create documents, quizzes, presentations and calendars. I have to admit that I did not know that you could create an assessment through the use of Google Forms and Google Drive. In the past I would just simply create a quiz through Microsoft Word or somehow stumble upon a "ready made" assessment. The good part about creating your own assessments is that you can create assessments specifically for your students based upon the topic and knowledge level of your students.  I really enjoyed creating the newsletter and presentation through the use of Google Drive.  Google Calendar is another technology administrative tool that we became acquainted with. I will definitely begin to use Google Calendar to help me keep track of important dates of performances, meetings and deadlines.

Technology Assisted Music Learning Week #6

Module 6 was a very interesting module that included topics that personally hit home in my opinion. This weeks discussion post prompted us to consider instructional design and how we apply instructional design strategies during our classroom instruction. After reading chapter 6 we were asked to create a top 5 list of topics that we thought were new, interesting or important. My top 5 list includes; 5. Project Based Learning, 4. Instructional Logistics, 3. Copyright, 2. Public Domain and 1. Backward Design.

I feel that instructional logistics really hit home in regards to my current teaching situation and could also have an impact on other music educators as well. I have personally experienced logistical issues that has caused frustration. I gave an example of a situation where I began the school year with a set number of students and a set number of computers. However, the number of students increased whereas the number of computers remained the same. These issues are definitely frustrating to me, however, theses logistical issues are not discouraging. We must find ways to overcome instructional logistical issues and continue to teach our students by any means necessary.

Another interesting topic that one of my group members mentioned is the misconception that students have about music. I feel that students are often lured to believe misconceptions about things because they do not take the time to either research information themselves or ask the teacher for conformation. One misconception my students have is believing that a certain genre of music is boring to listen to or perform. I try to do my best to expose my students to a variety of genres of music. In most instances my students tend to change their outlook on things after lessons and performances.

This week we also began to learn the process of creating a WebQuest. I have explored various WebQuests but I have never created a WebQuest for my classroom instruction. So far I have created an outline of what I want my WebQuest to consist of. I was able to complete the WebQuest tutorials and gain a better understanding of how to create a WebQuest and how to make it unique. I am really looking forward to completing my final WebQuest and hopefully begin to implement such technology resources for my classroom instruction.

Technology Assisted Music Learning #5

For module 5 we had the opportunity to learn more about technology assisted music learning. However, this week took us into another mode of thinking when it comes to incorporating music technology for our classroom instruction. This weeks discussion post asked us to think about ways we facilitate and develop students' responses to music through the use of technology. There are many responding to music activity types that are located on pp. 122-127 in the textbook. I had to spend some time self reflecting about ways I currently facilitate and develop students' responses to music in my own classroom instruction. As I referred to the readings on pp. 122-127 I noticed that I was indeed providing facilitation and development for students' responses to music through music technology. One major aspect of facilitation of music technology that I use is allowing my students to listen to recordings of music that we are currently rehearsing for festival or concerts. I call this type of exercise "music listening resources". For example, if we are starting to learn a new piece of music I will first distribute the music to the students and allow them to look over the music for music notations and rhythms. I usually address any problematic areas that I may feel that the students may have trouble with or the students will ask me themselves about certain rhythms they may not understand. We will then begin to play through the music as best as we can. I believe this method is also great practice for sight reading purposes. After we have played through the music for the first time I will then play a recording of the music for the students. Now the students can listen to what the song sounds like as well as focus in on their particular instrument that they hear. Not only does this method help students learn music but it also teaches them to listen critically, evaluate and analyze music more effectively. Some people may not agree with this type of facilitation to develop students' response to music because they may feel listening to music may serve as a crutch for music performance. I do not view this method as teaching my students to play by ear, however, I feel it provides my students another way of learning to perform music through the resources of technology. Coincidentally, I have noticed through our discussion posts and responses that a number of people also use music listening as a form of learning music and to facilitate students' response to music. I also record rehearsals as well as performances in both audio and video formats. I will typically playback the recorded rehearsals and performances back to my students so that they can participate in self-evaluation.

We were also introduced to a type of social bookmarking called Diggo. Diggo is a very cool tool that allows for not only social bookmarking but research and knowledge sharing as well. It has really cool features that allows for tabs as if you were using sticky notes to mark a page. I also like the highlighting feature in which you can use a highlight tool to highlight important passages in readings. The highlights can be in different colors such as yellow, green, blue and even pink. This form of social networking is quite new to me but I feel it is definitely a great resource.

Technology Assisted Music Learning Week # 3

In this weeks module we had an opportunity to create more music through the use of music technology. We also had a great discussion post for module 3. The discussion prompt gave us an opportunity to give our personal insight about non traditional music students and how to incorporate music technology for non traditional music students. I was amazed to see that 80% of our student population in our schools are non traditional music learners. Obviously this makes sense to me when I think about my current teaching situation and my band program. I currently have around 90 students in my band program. I would consider to have a small band program than most other schools. However, there are over 1300 students that attend our school. I can't help but to think about the other students that are non traditional music students and learners of music. I feel that music technology is definitely a way to get those students involved in music learning. I know for a fact that the students I do not teach enjoys some type of music. I observe students on a daily basis walking down our halls with ear buds and headphones listening to some type of music. I even observe some students singing along to the music that they are listening too without a care in the world about who see or hear them. The non traditional music student may not know how to read music or play any type of instrument but they have passion for the enjoyment of music.

I feel that music technology programs would be a great way to get non traditional music students involved in music learning. However, some schools love the concept of music technology but are not fortunate enough to have adequate finances available to purchase technology software programs and equipment. My school was recently awarded a federal grant to purchase technology software programs and equipment. I feel that it is going to take teachers, school administrators and parents to push the issue of the incorporation of music technology in our classrooms to bridge the gap between traditional and non-traditional music students.

Soundation is a great computer software program that teachers can use to incorporate music learning though technology. for module 3 we had an opportunity to create our own music composition through the use of loops, MIDI and digital audio. I really enjoyed exploring the different sounds that were available to use for my composition. This is a free software program that can be used by students of all ages. I did run into a few technical issues during the creation process of my composition. However, I feel that the more I explore and practice with Soundation I be able to overcome the technical issues that I experienced before.
 

Technology Assisted Music Learning Week #2

As I continue to learn and explore music technology through our readings and assignments, I can't help but to be amazed at the continuous advancements of music through technology. This weeks discussion prompt gave us an opportunity to discuss improvisation and it's lack of acceptance in the classroom. I feel that this is a very interesting topic that is widely discussed among musicians as well as music educators. I feel that improvisation is an important aspect to incorporate in music performance as well as music education. Improvisation allows for musical creativity for musicians and students that are learning music. As I explained in my discussion post, I feel that Improvisation tends to scare people away. I definitely think that this is due to the fact that some people are not familiar with improvisation are just simply do not know how to improve at all. The frightening misconception of improvisation can be easily cured by creative exploration. The Kratus 7 level sequential process will definitely help in improving and individuals fear of improvisation. Coincidentally, the first steps of Kratus's method is exploration. If we get out of our shell and explore improvisation of music we will find our knowledge and confidence of improvisation will become second nature. Confidence in improvisation will go a long way in the classroom as well. When students are able to witness the instructors confident ability to perform and teach improvisation,  the students will then become confident in their own ability to grasp the concept of improvisation. I also found and shared some interesting information through my PLN. One article I found on Feedly was about keeping music in schools. A group of students from Utah performed at the state capital to prove and make a significant statement of the importance of keeping music in our schools.

Also, we had an opportunity to learn about to music software programs that allows for music composition. MuseScore and Noteflight are two free music software programs that allows for creative music composition. I have had previous experiences with Finale and Cakewalk music software programs. However, I feel that MuseScore and Noteflight are great programs to use in the classroom as well as creating your own personal compositions. Personally, I felt more comfortable using the MuseScore program rather than the Noteflight program. Both software programs are similar in features and notation input but for some reason I had some slight difficulty with the Noteflight program. The tutorials for both programs were a great help in completing the assignments. I feel that I will get a better understanding of Noteflight if I continue to explore and create other compositions on my own. It's just a matter of becoming more comfortable with the software and it's capabilities. I do feel that I could definitely use both software programs for my classroom instruction with my students.  I have attached the link to my composition below "A Bicycle Built for Two" 

 

 http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/c59e1ce8a6226a60aeef9834e52eaa20408d1363

 

Technology Assisted Music Learning Week #1

The advancements of music technology has made a huge impact in todays society. From classroom instruction to recording the next Grammy award winner; technology assisted music has had an effect on our society whether we like it or not. I was very excited to see that I would be taking a course in music technology. However, I must admit that this first week has been a bit challenging for me in some areas of just setting up the necessary technology requirements for the class. So far this week has been an eye opening experience for me. These eye opening experiences have been quite difficult yet I feel that it will definitely help me with technology networking, communication and music.

I have always considered myself to be a fan of any type of new technology. However, I am not that experienced with the social media and networking tools such as Feedly, Google+, and Twitter. Therefore I was eager to establish my personal learning network. I have heard nothing but positive things about Google+ in relation to how it can assist with news, articles and social communication. Although I have heard all of these positive things, I was still afraid to step out and try it for myself prior to this class. Thankfully, this class requires us to use Google+ as well as another program called Feedly. I am so amazed at all the things you can do with Google+ and Feedly. There are so many resources that can be explored on various topics. I love the different communities that you are able to join and have the capabilities to communicate wit other people that are in the community. A member of our class has already said that the Google + site helps us to interact with each other more frequently. Therefore, we are not limited to just our group members in our discussion post groups.

One of the activities for this week allowed for us to have a creative experience with Incredibox. Incredibox is a free computer program that allows you to create a remix of beatboxing, whistling and vocals. I really enjoyed creating my remix with the "dudes". The directions are pretty easy to understand and the process to create a remixed composition is actually simple. I feel that the best way for anyone to understand and appreciate incredibox is to just explore the different ways you can compose a remix with the various sounds of the 'dudes".  I feel that students of all ages would definitely enjoy this computer program. The students will gain an understanding of simple music composing techniques such as creating a musical composition with variations of layers of tones and rhythms.  I am excited to learn about music technology and ways to implement music technology in my classroom instruction. I am looking forward to see what week 2 has in store for us.

Listening Journal # 8

Bodysnatchers by Radiohead is an interesting song both lyrically as well as vocally. The song is full of electric guitar playing and has an overall electronic feel throughout the song. The rhythm seems to have a rock or even a slight heavy metal feel to it yet I can also hear the basis of early rock music within the song. The lyrics seems to be connected with the title "Bodysnatchers" because of the references extraterrestrial references such as a person being alienated from the world yet confined to their own body with no escape. It appears that "Bodysnatchers" had a political statement or even a personal cry for realworld references by Radiohead. 

Listening Journal #7

The music of the 80's and 90's are what I call landmark music. By this I consider the variations of music from the 80's and 90's to make a huge impact for vernacular music. I have always loved listening to music from the 80's and 90's. However, throughout this course I have gained a much larger appreciation for vernacular music and realized the pathway in which such music has helped listeners embrace American popular music.

One music artist that I feel has made a huge impact in American popular music is Madonna. Some may argue that Madonna is a great vocalist and others may beg to differ. Some people may consider Madonna to be a great stage performer. Meaning that she may lack the necessities of a true vocal and lyrical musician. This is where the rubber meets the road for the great debate to whether or not visual and video appeal takes away from the musical craft of the musician. "Like a Virgin" is a song performed by Madonna near the beginning portions of her career and instantly catapulted her to the top of the music pop charts. Although the song was not written by Madonna, her performance of "Like a Virgin" sold records. I feel that the song itself is bright and has an upbeat dance groove. The synthesized instruments along with the drum set pop and fills gives the song a typical 80's style.  It has great rhythm that accompanies Madonna's light yet strong voice.

Prince is another landmark music artist from the 80's era of music. Prince is what I consider an all around musician. I have yet to see an instrument that Prince could not play. I recall watching a television performance by Prince. He began on the lead guitar then he performed a duet with Sheila E and then he finished the performance on the piano. I was thoroughly amazed because Prince was known for his stage presence and crowd appealing performances. I just didn't realize how musically talented he really was. I can vividly remember listening to "When Doves Cry" growing up as an adolescent. My dad bought me the 45 record and would wear that record out on my little record player. I absolutely love the instrumental value that the song has. There is a well balanced mix with the lead guitar, drums, and synthesized keyboards. Prince shows great vocal range with his voice by singing some low somewhat bass sounding vocals and eventually up to higher pitched vocal sounds in the song which are thought to be sighs and groans.  I always felt as if Prince's intent was to imitate the sounds of doves crying yet in a musical aspect with his higher pitched sighs.

Who can ever forget "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performed by Nirvana. This particular song definitely brings me back to my school days in the early 90's. What made "Smells Like Teen Spirit" so special is that it blended pop lyrics along with heavy metal instrumentals. As I listen to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" I am actually taken on a ride on an instrumental roller coaster. The solo guitar plays the introduction for 4 measures and then the remaining instruments comes in hard, loud and heavy to the point where your want to aggressively bob your head to the rhythm. Then just as quickly the instruments gets soft again yet keeping the same pop/heavy metal groove to make room for the vocals. Then yet again for the chorus the band cranks back into heavy metal mode to accompany the loud growling vocals. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is definitely a song that in my opinion help lead the way for pop music vocals with heavy metal instrumentals.

Listening Journal # 6

For listening journal # 6 there were selections of music that I enjoyed listening to. Module 6 talks about music from the 1970's through the 1980's. As previously noted before, I am a huge fan of music from all genres as well as music eras. Vernacular music of the 70's and 80's made it's mark in the history of American popular music. Being an 80's baby, music from the disco era, rock, pop and early rap will always have a special place in my heart.

When I typically think about music from the 1970's, I always think about disco and rock music. I also take into consideration the cultural attributions that music from the 70's has had on American society. "Stairway to Heaven" is a hit song performed by Led Zepplin in the 70's. The hit British band became an American sensation with their rock and pop feel to their music. "Stairway to Heaven" is a very instrumental with great lyrics. The textbook describes "Stairway to Heaven" to be the anthem of heavy metal music. Although "Stairway to Heaven" isn't like other led Zepplin songs or the typical heavy metal songs with loud guitars and heavy drumming; it still consists of musical value. I love the smooth flow of the guitar accompaniment with the vocals. Near the end of the song the vocals gets a little louder along with the drummer providing drum fills and the guitar breaks. Then at the end of the song the instrumentals fade out as the song ends with a soft vocal.

"Oye Como Va" is a hit song by Carlos Santana. "Oye Como Va" has a Latin rock feel to the music. As we all know, Latin music is filled with great instrumentation ranging from various percussion instruments to brass, strings and keyboard instruments. I feel that the rhythm quickly locks in as soon as the music starts. It has a certain groove and emotion throughout the song. The "groove" is felt from the beginning to the end of the song. What I really love about this song is that it gives a lot of room for instrumental features. Not taking away from the lyrics of Carlos Santana however, I feel that the instrumentation along with the limited vocals has made "Oye Como Va" a hit song.

I thought that this would be my first time hearing "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads. However, after listing to the song I soon realized I had heard this song on the hit video game Guitar Hero! This is a great song and it's a shame that I haven't heard it on the airwaves on any radio station in my area. However, for that simple reason I am glad we have the opportunity to listen to such great music for our listen journal exercises. "Psycho Killer" also helped to lead the way for the punk rock era in music. The lyrics may have been out of the ordinary but I feel that it's unorthodox style gave listeners another style of popular music to enjoy. Hence in which I feel serves the purpose of vernacular music.

Listening Journal # 5

For listening journal # 5 I had the opportunity to listen to music selections that were popular during the early 60's and into the mid to late 60's. I personally enjoy music from the 60's because overall instrumental sound that went along with the lyrics. I have always wondered why the music in the 60's had such powerful lyrics and emotion. I often asked my parents about the life and times of the 60's. As I have found out through the readings in chapter 9, many of the songs that were created in the 60's were full of emotion due to the cultural events during that time period. Music of the 60's consisted of political events, racial frustration, war and even happiness.

During the 60's, rock and roll as well as r&b quickly emerged as popular music in America. However, the "British Invasion" took America by storm. Not by war but through the popularity of their music. A group called the Beatles topped the charts by having and maintaining # 1 records in America. "Please Please Me" was one of the Beatles first hits in the UK however was also one of the most unsuccessful songs to be released in America. The song consists of energetic vocals as well as excellent instrumental attributes. The form of this particular song is in a typical AABA. Until my further readings in chapter 9, I never realized how much emphasis that the Beatles put on pronouncing words and phrases that assisted in making the words rhyme. For example, as described in the textbook, "complainin" is intended to rhyme with "rain-in".

The Beach Boys also emerged as a group that were famous for popular music in America. The textbook describes the music of Beach Boys as "surf music" which became popular in California. 'Good Vibrations" was a successful released song by the Beach Boys in 1966. Although this was music from the 60's it has a feel good sensation to it. Just like the Beatles hit "Please Please Me", "Good Vibrations also had great lyrics to go along with great instrumentation. However, the sound of the vocals were a bit different than other music. The high pitched vocals help to make a distinct sound that the Beach Boys became famous for. The lyrics of the song gives a description of a woman that gives them happiness.

Music of Motown was also a huge success in the 1960's. Rhythm and blues became a popular genre of music as well as assisting with the crossover and interrelations of other music genres. We have learned through our readings that r7b as well as rock and roll definitely had culture influences. The textbook describes r&b music as "soul music". Through current and previous listening activities, I feel that r&b is mixed with blues as well as jazz and pop. "Papa's Got a brand New Bag" is a classic song that contains rhythm as well as blues. The sound of James Brown's vocals provides listeners with emotion and soulfulness. The rhythm of the band accompanies the soulful lyrics of James Brown's vocals. As we all know and have seen; the stage presence of James Brown is like non other . In the music performance world we call that "showmanship"

Listening Journal #4

Chapters 7 and 8 describes music of the "Postwar Era. The styles and genres of music that were considered Postwar music provided America with a new found sense of enjoyment for music and life in general. The terms "rock and roll" "rhythm and blues", country and western, and the mambo came into play on television sets and radio stations. The listening exercise for module 4 has provided me with a better understanding of the music itself as well as possible contributing factors that led to the names of the genres of music of the Postwar Era.

As stated in the readings of chapter 7, many of the song from the 1940's and 1950's were romantic songs about love and possessed sentimental value. However, the Postwar Era music consisted of a mixture of current thoughts and emotions of life after the war, depression, as well as music that was uplifting and happy. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie by Louis Jordan was considered to be in a category called "jump blues. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie as a jazz feel in regards to rhythm, however had a slightly different style and feel. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie has a feel good sensation to it. It also has the feel that it is the type of music that is played at parties and jazz clubs. The hard swinging style, the not so ordinary lyrics and lively performances led to the name for another genre of music called rhythm and blues.

Rhythm and blues has become a well know style and description of music from yesterday to today. This particular style of music also had a new flavor and feel to the music. Surprisingly, until I completed my readings of chapter 7; I did not realize that rhythm and blues was considered music for African Americans. There were many contributors to the evolution of rhythm and blues. As I listened to " Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean", I could definitely still hear the jazz feel in regards to rhythm as well as the jump blues style feel. However, the lyrics and stylistic approach was quite different form other earlier songs that I have listened to in the past. I feel that this is what help set the scene for the standards of music for rhythm and blues, especially for women performers.

Rock and roll was another genre of music that took flight and never looked back during the Postwar Era. Like rhythm and blues, I did not know prior to my readings I chapter 8 that the term "rock and roll' was referencing music for whites. The term was first used commercially by Alan Freed; a disk jockey in Cleveland. Elvis Presley became the face and the king of rock and roll music. As I listened to "Don't be Cruel" I could definitely feel the expression of Elvis Presley's lyrics. The music was rhythmic and has a type of feel in which makes you want to dance along with the heartfelt lyrics.

 "You know I can be found,
sitting home all alone,
If you can't come around,
at least please telephone.
Don't be cruel to a heart that's true".

"Baby, if I made you mad
for something I might have said,
Please, let's forget the past,
the future looks bright ahead,
Don't be cruel to a heart that's true.
I don't want no other love,
Baby it's just you I'm thinking of"

Listening Journal # 3

For listening journal #3, we had an opportunity to listen to a variety of music from the 1920-s and deep into the 1930's. During this time frame, music had really began to flourish throughout America. I feel that the term "vernacular music" really came into play during this era. This is due to the spread of jazz and blues music among people of different ages and races. Jazz and blues also lead to the development of "swing music" and music of WWII.

As I continued my reading process through chapters 5 and 6, I was able to get an enhanced knowledge about music as well as musicians of the jazz, blues and swing era. I am a huge fan of jazz and blues music. As I listened to the music selections for listening journal #3 I was quickly brought back to memories of the music that my grandfather would play as I was a child. Chapter 5 is entitled "St. Louis Blues" however, due to the widespread popularity of blues , there were many geographical references to the sound of blues. As I listened to St. Louis Blues, I was trying to distinguish the Bessie Smith version and the W.C. Handy version. I feel that both selections are distinctive in their own way. W.C Handy's version is more upbeat and has a different instrumental feel to it where as the Bessie Smith version is slower yet emotional and was still appealing to listeners. The textbook says that Bessie Smith's version of the St. Louis Blues helped to bridge the racial gap of blues as well as introduced this type of blues to white America.

As I am still training my ear to listen critically, I cant help but to think about the close relationship of jazz and blues. It seems as if jazz and blues music feeds of one another yet they are able to hold their own place in music as separate genres. For example, As I listened to "Caravan", it has the jazz feel and flow to it from an instrumental standpoint yet it also has the feel of blues deeply rooted within the song. Again, this is just my thoughts and opinion to what I personally felt through the song. As I continue this course I will definitely continue to train my ear to listen critically to music for analytical purposes. Another aspect that I noticed from the blues selections of the listening journal is the form of twelve bar blues. The twelve bar blues served as a basis for blues music to be written or sung. The textbook even refers to twelve bar blues form as to be an important concept to American popular music.

The catch phrase "race music" was used during this time period. However, in the music world, "race music" was a phrase that was used in a more positive manner. It was used as an example of black nationalism and was meant for blacks to express pride. "Race music" was applied to musical styles such as jazz, blues,  and gospel music. As for the phrase "Hillbilly music", it was describing the music that was more so generated for southern whites. Even though the style of music had two different names, the root of blues still could not be broken or destroyed. Both styles had common instrumental and lyrical features as well as origin and pride of the music itself. The enjoyment of music makes music universal and brings all people together.

Listening Journal #2

For my second listening journal I will be reviewing some aspects of the music from module two as it relates to important contributions to our musical society.  I feel that most early developments of music has definitely put a stamp on American Poplar Music.

The music for module #2 consisted of genres of music from the 1920's t the early 1930's. The sounds of Ragtime, Jazz and Blues quickly flourished across America. The textbook describes the movement of music of this era "catching as the small-pox". I feel that these particular genres of music brought about the concept of rhythm as well as syncopation. As I listened to the recordings for module 2, I could definitely feel the various rhythm and syncopation methods used throughout the ragtime and jazz selections. However, I must admit before reading chapter 3 I did not realize that there was a special name for this technique which is called stop time sequences. Stop time sequences can be heard when the performing band abruptly stops on a dime and allows for a performer to play a solo. The use of trumpet mutes, slides and glides also came into play for various jazz, ragtime and even early blues songs.

The "Tiger Rag" is a particular  ragtime selection that I feel has had an impact on the development of jazz and blues. Throughout the activities for module 2 I was able to listen to different variations in which Tiger Rag could be played. For example, I was able to find a recording of Tiger Rag that was performed by The Canadian Brass. What made this performance so interesting is the performers ability to perform Tiger Rag on a Tuba. When in the past I have only seen or heard the song being played with the typical banjo, trumpets piano and even clarinets. I also liked Louis Armstrong version of Tiger Rag as well.

The arise of Jazz also had an impact on Early American Popular Music. Through the readings there is a bit of controversy to where jazz originated. Some people feel that jazz is rooted in New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit and even in New York.  Needless to say no matter where people feel the birthplace of jazz originated, it still has had a significant impact among African Americans success in music. The jazz craze gave countless opportunities for black musicians to perform and showcase the musical talents. The jazz craze also opened the doors for blacks to break the barrier of dance bands and dance orchestras. Musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, Bennie Moten and Fletcher Henderson assisted to close the racial divide of music.

Listening Journal #1

I would like to begin my very first journal post by saying how wonderful it is to be able to have access to listen to various genres of music and vernacular. Music has been a part of my life from childhood to adulthood, therefore,  I have many favorite songs, singers, and musical groups. However, I have not explored in depth to which such wonderful music was derived from. My goal  throughout the progression of this class along with the listening journal exercises is for my knowledge and appreciation of American popular Music to increase. The selections that we were required to listen to for our first journal entry was an eye opening experience for me. Eye opening in a sense that at times we often forget the historic values that America Popular Music posses. I feel that such music has had a strong contribution to the success of the type of music that we listen to today.

As I listened to the selections I was often placed back in time to which the songs were created. Some people may feel that the selections for our first listening journal may be too old to enjoy. I have to say that personally I definitely enjoyed listening to the songs for a number of reasons. One reason being that most of the songs told a story. I feel that some of the music today lacks the intriguing lyrical aspects of music and are solely focused upon repetitive beats. For example, as I listened to "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", I was instantly placed in the moment. I was able to feel a type of emotion that stylistically could have been tied to love as well as sadness. I feel that these type of feelings were felt because of the acapella style and approach in which Barbary Allen sang the song.

Another selection that caught my attention was "Long John" by Lightning Washington and his fellow prisoners. I have never heard of Lighting Washington prior to this listening exercise. However, I have heard of work songs in which "Long John" reminded me of. Such songs have a deep rooted history in which I feel Blues, Jazz, and even Country music were derived from. Again, these types of songs did not involve instruments. The only instruments that can be heard were the vocal sounds of the men singing and the hammers and ax's that were being used in rhythm and unison as they worked.  I feel that the prion songs or work songs helped the men to sung to keep their spirits lifted while they worked and also often told stories or even calls and signals.

Finally, the similarities of "Coo Coo" by Dink Roberts and "Stagolee" by Mississippi John Hurt caught my attention from a lyrical ad stylistic approach . Both singers used string instruments such as the banjo and guitar to accompany their lyrics. I must say that thankfully I was able to view the lyrics in the textbook to Dink Roberts "Coo Coo". The words were a bit difficult for me to understand the first time I listened to the song. Although the words were difficult to understand, I was able to feel the flow and rhythm of the banjo. The most interesting aspect of this song is the call and response factors between Dink Roberts and his banjo. Mississippi John Hurt used call and response factors as well with his guitar  however, I feel that he was able to tell a story through his lyrics and guitar playing.