Jerkin' (Weekly Blog #14)

New Boyz

Jerkin' or Jerk is a street dance that originated in Los Angeles. Since 2009, jerkin' has gained fans along the West Coast and has gained popularity on the East Coast.

The dance itself consists of moving your legs in and out called the "jerk", and doing other moves such as the "reject", "dip", and "pindrop". The rap group New Boyz wrote and recorded a hit in Los Angeles entitled "You're a Jerk", while the group Audio Push wrote and recorded "Teach Me How To Jerk". As the jerk culture continues to flourish, several new groups specializing in the Jerk style are being courted and signed by major labels. As Jerk music becomes mainstream, new dance crews and artists are competing and performing at events not only in Southern California, but spreading to other parts of the world. The Ranger$ crew not only competes in dance contests, winning numerous awards, but have recorded several songs and have been signed to a major label. I personally am a big fan of the Jerk movement and hope that it continues to flourish.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerkin'

The Jazz Age (Weekly Blog #13)

The Jazz Age was a movement that took place during the 1920s from which jazz music and dance emerged with the introduction of mainstream radio and the end of the war. This era ended in the 1930s with the beginning of The Great Depression but has lived on in American pop culture for decades. With the introduction of jazz came a new cultural movement in places like the United States, France and England. The birth of jazz music is usually credited to African Americans but expanded and modified to become socially acceptable to middle-class white Americans. White performers were used to popularize jazz in America. Cities like New York and Chicago were cultural centers for jazz, and especially for African American artists. In urban areas, African American jazz was played on the radio more often than in the suburbs. In the 1920s youth used the influence of jazz to rebel against the traditional culture of previous generations. This youth rebellion of the 1920s went hand-in-hand with fads like bold fashion statements (flappers) and new radio concerts. As jazz flourished, American elites who preferred classical music tried to expand the audience of their favored genre, hoping that jazz wouldn't become mainstream.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Age

Rock and Roll (Weekly Blog #12)

Rock & roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Rock & roll is a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music. Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s, and in blues records from the 1920s, rock and roll did not acquire its name until the 1950s.

In the earliest rock and roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or added by guitar in the middle to late 1950s. The beat is usually a blues rhythm with a stressed backbeat, the latter generally provided by a snare drum. Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit.

Rock and roll began achieving wide popularity in the 1960s. The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a widespread social impact.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll

Music and Mathematics (Weekly Blog #11)

Music theorists, at times, use mathematics to understand music. Mathematics is "the basis of sound" and sound itself "in its musical aspects... exhibits a remarkable array of number properties", simply because nature itself "is amazingly mathematical" (Reginald Smith Brindle, The New Music, Oxford University Press, 1987, pp 42-3). Though ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Mesopotamians are known to have studied the mathematical principles of sound, the Pythagoreans of ancient Greece are the first researchers known to have investigated the expression of musical scales in terms of numerical ratios; Particularly the ratios of small integers. Their doctrine was that "all nature consists of harmony arising out of numbers". From the time of Plato, harmony was considered a fundamental branch of physics, now known as musical acoustics. Early Indian and Chinese theorists sought to show that the mathematical laws of harmonics and rhythms were fundamental not only to our understanding of the world but to human well-being.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_and_mathematics

The Birthplace of Hip-Hop (Weekly Blog #10)

DJ Kool Herc

Hip hop is a form of musical expression that originated in African-American and Hispanic-American communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically in the Bronx. Hip Hop music consist of poetry that is spoken - rather than sung - over either original or sampled instrumental recordings mixed with new original sounds from drum machines, and/or other instruments. As of now, the culture has expanded way beyond its original roots and now is considered a worldwide subculture consisting of rapping, DJ’ing, hip hop dance, and graffiti art ("Four Pillars of Hip Hop").

The block parties of DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is considered the birthplace of hip hop. Herc would mix samples of existing records with his own shout outs to the crowd and dancers. Kool Herc is known as the 'father' of the hip-hop.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop

History of Blues (Weekly Blog #9)

Blues music is one of the only true American music forms. Blues has its deepest roots in the work songs of the West African slaves in the South. During their laborious work in the fields of the Southern plantation owners, black slaves developed a "call and response" way of singing to give rhythm to their hard work. These "field hollers" served as a basis of all blues music that was to follow. Following the end of the Civil war, black men could only pursue a few occupations. This included back-breaking manual field labor and becoming a traveling minstrel. Many chose the occupation of traveling minstrel playing raucous, all-night country dances, fish-frys, and jukejoints. These musicians relied on their physical stamina and mental collection of many blues songs. Although the lyrics of many blues songs are soulful and sad, the music as a whole is a powerful, emotive and rhythmic music celebrating the life of black Americans. The lyrics of the songs reflected the themes of their daily lives including sex, drinking, railroads, jail, murder, poverty, hard labor and love lost.

Source: http://academic.scranton.edu/student/pendraks2/page2.html

The Music of Belize (Weekly Blog #8)

The music of Belize has a combination of Kreol, Mestizo, Garifuna, and Mayan influences. Most of the music is rewritten in English. After many centuries of Maya habitation, Spanish followed by the British colonists arrived in the area, the latter keeping Belize as its only colony in Spanish-dominated Central America. More influential than the arrival of the European colonist was the importation of African slaves. Europeans brought polkas, waltzes, schottisches and quadrilles, and Africans brought instruments and percussion-based music. The Mayans made the first diatonic marimba. African culture resulted in the creation of music in the logging camps played by banjos, guitars, drums, bells, accordions and a donkey’s jawbone (played by running a stick up and down the teeth). One of the most popular musical styles created by Kriol musicians is brukdown. Brukdown evolved from the music and dance of loggers, especially a form known as buru.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Belize

African-American Music (Weekly Blog #7)

African-American music is a general term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans. Many of their ancestors were brought to North America as slaves, bringing with them polyrhythmic songs from hundreds of black African ethnic groups across West and sub-Saharan Africa. The joining in the Americas of African peoples from different regions and from multiple cultural traditions merged their music with influences from polka, waltzes and other European styles. African-American genres have been influential across socio-economic and racial groupings internationally, and has also become popular on a global level. African-American music and all aspects of African American culture are celebrated during Black History Month in February of each year in the United States.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_music

The Illegal Downloading of Music (Weekly Blog #6)

I believe the downloading of music that was not paid for is wrong. Illegally downloading music takes money from those who work so hard to make the music, and that is thievery. Music artist work hard to make the music that we listen to everyday, and for one to just steal the music is wrong. And it makes no sense for a musicians “fan” to steal their music. If one steals music, they are taking away from the person he or she admires; that makes absolutely no sense. By stealing music you also run the risk of getting into trouble with the government, so there is no point in doing it.  

Back Then (Weekly Blog #5)

In the song and music video “Back Then” by Mike Jones, Mike Jones reenacts a scenario that happens pretty often.  He had a “Rags to Riches” type life, and in the “rag” part of his life a certain girl did not like him, but when he acquired riches the girl started to like him. Of course he realized that she only liked him for the moment because of his riches so he shunned her. This is significant because it tells people not to just get with someone off something as petty as money. This is why we have so many broken marriages today; because of people getting in a relationship with someone for the wrong reasons. This needs to end in our society.

You Are My Sunshine Template

Template

It was extremely difficult to make the template exactly like the song (in MuseScore) so I tried my best and this is the final result.

My Score

My score was an image of an iPhone. I did this because it would make sense that I would have to touch the score to get the sounds. Also, I knew that I could get multiple sounds out of the score if I drew separate apps. I connected the apps so that I could slide my fingers between apps. The idea to use the image of an iPhone for my score hit me while I using my iPod touch. I was using an app that made different sounds depending on where you touched the screen. I figured that I can incorporate this into my score, and the idea was a success. I made a cool beat in RJC and I incorporated the it into the video. I am a fan of hip-hop, so the beat of the toon has a hip-hop feel to it. The final video contains video filmed from two cameras (One panning around and one steady in place). I used the video in place as the base to my video and I cleverly switched back and forth to the panning video using slick transitions.  

Music: The Universal Language (Weekly Blog #4)

Music is the universal language because one can listen to any kind of music and appreciate it. One can walk into a musical situation and sit in with musicians from other countries, races or cultures. Music can create images without using words. Musicians are able to play music with other musicians without speaking the same language. This is because music is the universal language. Someone does not have to speak the same language with someone to play music with him or her. Musicians can just pick up their instruments and improvise. Music can convey thoughts and feelings on a visceral level; no matter where you’re from you can understand and enjoy music. Music is everywhere and has/is being made by every culture. One does not have to understand the words of another song to enjoy it, nor does it need to have words. Music is merely beautiful to the ears. Anyone can appreciate any form of music no matter where the person is from, what language he or she speaks, or what the person is accustomed to.

Can Listening to Classical Music Make Babies Smarter? (Weekly Blog #3)

Letting a baby listen to classical music can relax and turn him or her into a classical music fan later in life, but it won't make the baby smarter. Researchers at Appalachian State University believe that they have found the Mozart effect (a temporary increase in intelligence experienced after listening to a piano sonata written by the famed composer).

The Mozart effect was first reported in 1993 by scientists at the University of California at Irvine, and replicated by the same group in 1995. The study found that college students who listened to a Mozart sonata for a few minutes before taking a test that measured spatial relationship skills did better than students who took the test after listening to another musician or no music at all.

The effect in the students was temporary, only lasting about 15 minutes and has always been controversial. But the media and politicians jumped on the Mozart effect, claiming that listening to the music offered numerous benefits and could ease physical and mental health problems.

The idea that babies would be smarter if they listened to classical music came from this ordeal. One year, the governor of Georgia authorized that a classic music CD, which contained the sonata and other pieces, be given to all new babies when they left the hospital.

In spite of this hype, there was not enough evidence that listening to classical music made people smarter. The lead researcher in the original U.C. Irvine study himself said in a Forbes article that the idea that classical music could heal health problems and make babies smarter did not have enough evidence, though he believes that listening to a Mozart sonata can prime the brain to tackle mathematical tasks.

When the researchers at Appalachian State University tried to duplicate the original "Mozart effect", they found out that the presence of classical music did not affect student’s performance on exams.

Source: http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-mozart-effect-classical-music-and-your-babys-brain_9308.bc

Music Score Explanation

I made unique symbols for all the sounds that I heard in the listening exercise, and I incorporated the symbols into a music score. I made a line graph music score; the horizontal line indicated the minute that I heard the sound in and the vertical line indicated how loud the sound was. If the sound continued for a long period of time, I drew both the symbol and smaller versions of the symbol near it.

I randomly selected symbols for some of the sounds that I heard. Some of the shapes just popped into my head. I made some of the symbols by building upon symbols that I already made for similar sounds. For example, for cars on the street I picked the letter F with 3 lines as a symbol, but for the trucks I heard on the street I picked an F with four lines; and for the club car I chose an F with 2 lines (Normal F). For whistling, I picked 3 o's for the symbol, but one o was above the other two. I also picked 3 o's for "key's jingling" but with one o below because the same guy that was whistling was also jingling the keys. For spitting, I picked an arrow pointing down for the symbol because the person spit on the ground. I picked two conjoined o's for Security Guard's foot steps and two separated o's for Security Guards conversing. I also made the shape of a butt to indicate the farting noise that I heard.

“Where Is The Love” Evaluation and how it relates to Social Justice (Weekly Blog #2)

The theme of the song Where is the Love? by The Black Eyed Peas is Peace on Earth. This song tells the listener that it is pointless to fight others because we are all children of God. This song relates to Social Justice because the song list social justice related issues such as war, racism, poverty, and the government lying to its citizens. The song states “If love and peace is so strong Why are there pieces of love that don't belong, Nations droppin' bombs, Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones, With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young, So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone”. These lines express the theme of the song because it really questions the unpeacefullness of the world we are living in today. These lines address the problem that innocent children are dying from war. The Black Eyed Peas then go on to say “Wrong information always shown by the media Negative images is the main criteria Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness in equality”. These lines talk about the media poisoning children’s mind with the negative material shown on the T.V. and the internet. These lines also state that the media is influencing children to do bad things, and this will ultimately have a negative effect on the future because children are the future. For example, if a child is watching a Lil Wayne music video and in the video Lil Wayne is smoking, the child will be influenced to smoke because he or she yearns to be just like Lil Wayne. I found it interesting that the Black Eyed Peas addressed these topics because there songs are usually about partying and sex. I’m glad that they switched the subject to a more important manner. I think it’s great that they’re trying to make the world a more peaceful place.

Music Symbols For Listening Exercise

Listening Exercise

Noises Heard
Cars on the street, L, Adjectives: Loud, Aggressive, Mechanical

P.E. Teacher, L, Adjectives: Mad, Dissatisfied, Pushy

Birds, L, Adjectives: Loud, Crazy, Playful

Someone walking down the steps, L, Adjectives: Steady, Balanced

Whistling, L, Adjectives: Joyful, Relieving                                  

Club Car, L, Adjectives: Fast, Careful, Loud

Door, L, Adjectives: Swishing, Forceful

Security Guard Footstep, L, Adjectives: Careful, Light

Security Guard Talking, L, Adjectives: Happy, Funny

Janitor Conversing, L, Adjectives: Friendly, Happy

Pen Tapping, L, Adjectives: Nervousness, Jittery

Lady Talking, L, Adjectives: Talkative, Happy

Spitting, D, Adjectives: Nasty, Disturbing, Moist

Cart Being Moved, L, Adjectives: Loud, Noisy

Large Truck, D, Adjectives: Pollution, Huge, Loud

Baby Humming Bird, D, Adjectives: Worried, Odd, Loud

Fart, L, Adjectives: Nasty, Natural, Funny

Keys Jingling, L, Adjectives: Noisy, Ringing

Figurative Language in Rap Music (Weekly Blog #1)

Drake

Hip-hop music is full of figurative language. Rap artist nowadays are using similes, metaphors, personification, hyperboles, metonymy, and even alliteration in their songs. The rapper Drake is a specific rap artist that uses figurative devices. In the song Successful, Drake says “Alot of ya'll are still sounding like last year The game needs change and I'm the cashier, Nickels for my thoughts, dimes in my bed”. In this line, Drake is calling himself the cashier because he’s bringing change to the “Rap Game” just as a cashier would give change (as in coins) to a customer. He is comparing the “Rap Game” needing change, to a customer needing change from a cashier. He then expands on the idiomatic expression “A penny for your thoughts if you put your two cents in”. Instead of getting a Penny for his thoughts, Drake claims to be getting nickels. Plus, Drake is literally getting paid for his thoughts because he’s a rapper and they’re paid to express their thoughts in songs. He then goes on to compare a dime to an attractive female, relating back to the original concept of him being a cashier. In Drake’s song, Miss Me, he employs a paradox, a metaphor, and a simile in one line. He says “I will have a model wife; your girl is as hot as ice”. This line leaves one questioning: How can someone be as hot as ice? Well the answer becomes clear upon further inspection. Drake uses the word ‘hot’ as a measurement of beauty, and if someone is as hot as ice (which is cold), that signifies that the person is not attractive. Drake also uses metonymy when he says “Green” to signify money and “Bling” to signify jewelry. Seeing as though rap music is usually ill-mannered and filled with nonsense, it intrigued me to find figurative devices in Drake’s rap songs.

The Difference Between Hearing & Listening

The difference between hearing and listening is that hearing is the ability of the ear to sense sounds, as opposed to listening that is a more conscious effort to interpret the sounds, requiring concentration of the mind. This ties in to Evelyn Glennie and Beethoven in the sense that they are/were great musicians that lacked the ability to hear. They are/were able to be great musicians because of their great listening skills. They are/were able to interpret the sounds through vibrations and other methods, and that is why they are/were great musicians.

Musicians And Deafness

On sciencedaily.com, I read that Deaf people sense vibration in the part of the brain that other people use for hearing. And this helps explain how deaf musicians can sense music, and how deaf people can enjoy concerts and other musical events. This information suggest that the experience deaf people have when feeling music is similar to the experience other people have when hearing music. I also read that the brain is adaptable. When someone is deaf, the brain processes vibrations in the part of the brain that would otherwise be used to process sound. A study was held at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology. They used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activity between 10 volunteers from the college (that are deaf) and 11 volunteers with normal hearing. The research showed that both groups showed brain activity in the part of the brain that normally processed vibrations. But in addition, the deaf students showed brain activity in a golf ball-sized area, the auditory cortex, which usually is only active during audio stimulation. The people with normal hearing did not show this brain activity. This research shows me that deaf people can enjoy music just as much as those who can hear do. When I first heard that Beethoven, arguably the world’s best musical composer, was deaf I thought it was impossible. I thought to myself “How can people who cannot hear, enjoy and conduct music without being able to actually hear it”. But now I know that their brains adapt so that they can enjoy music. I conducted a test. I covered my ears and blasted a song really loud on my speakers. By feeling the vibrations and bass, I was able to identify the song. I was able to get a little taste of how deaf people enjoyed music.