alright, so i've been a bad kid/student. at least in some respects. i was supposed to throw down my discussion summary on november 30th...oh man did not doing it affect my grade in fys. anyways...im gonna do the best i can.
i can't really remember what we discussed in class during my assigned discussion summary time, so i've opted to comment on a few things that i know for a fact we talked about the last couple of weeks of class.
first off...jamboree. it sounded so much cooler than it actually was. i think that the idea was really awesome...however nic was right when he warned us that it was mostly just a bunch of kids walking around with their heads down and trying not to make eye contact with anyone. but walking around i did see some pretty cool stuff...and i think our booth was one of the best out there! i really enjoyed making the video for our section...even though i embarrased my self a lot trying to cook. i think that the 3pm section came together pretty well and most of us pulled our own weight (however not the gigantic amount steph pulled) to make jamboree sucessful.
we had some conversations about the point of having a fys class, and if people enjoyed it or thought it was completely pointless. a few people in our class did not understand where the "human diversity" aspect fell into place. we talked about the discrepancies between different fys classes...for example, for some people, fys presented them with a tremendous amount of work...some were even given more work than they had in a 4 credit class. while our class, on the other hand, was not based a lot on homework and assignments but more on in class participation. i think that there definantly should be some sort of guideline for fys classes...maybe a set number of assignments everyone should be forced to do? i just dont think it's really fair to have no idea about the expectations of the class you pick (or have to pick because it's the only one that will fit into your schedule). I feel that some people were really gyped by their fys...and that just doesnt seem fair because it is a measly required 2 credit class.
however, on the other hand, i do think one of the good aspects of fys is giving freshmen the opportunity to form another core group of friends. while this doesnt succeed for all people, i think it's a really good idea. the small class size definantly alows you to feel a little more comfortable speaking in front of your peers.
all in all, i think fys isnt such a bad idea...there are just a few kinks that need to be worked out. i think that we could be forced into worse things...i now i didnt absolutely detest spending 50 minutes in nic's class twice a week. and we learned about some pretty interesting things...i enjoyed the assigned chapters from deep blues and in the country of country. some of the presentations were pretty cool too. however, i am a little dissapointed at just how long jamboree took...and how long the presentations did too. i really wished we would have spent a little more time discussing the books and the music that we listened to outside of class in class. but i realize that the time restraints are a little hard to work around.
anyway, i enjoyed fys, and wish i would've spoken up even more in class.
happy 2nd semester everyone!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Gospel Playlist One
This was a good playlist. Not being a huge fan of gospel/religious music, I thought the songs were just going to be the typical "praise the Lord" kind of stuff. While that was certainly the main idea of most of the songs, I was suprised to find that I actually enjoyed most of the songs. I realized that, culturally, they are timeless pieces of art because they managed to capture perfectly the environment of the individual times they were recorded in. This is what interested me the most.
Also, Lyle Lovett's "Church" (which IS an amazing song by the way) shows how even contemporary music takes inspiration from roots music. Lyle Lovett could have been easily influenced by old time recordings and by the musical preservation efforts of people like Moses Asch. I think incorporating "Church" in the playlist was a great way to show the timelessness of the music.
I enjoyed the acapella and harmonizing aspects of the music, we haven't listened to a lot of that before. I also noticed a recurrent theme in the harsh belief of "judgement" in the songs. Religion was obviously not a think that was taken lightly during those times.
I also enjoyed "Dry Bones" by Bascom Lamar Lunsford because of the awesome banjo and "O Day" by Bess Jones and The Sea Island Singers because the percussion and repetition reminded me of the influence of Negro Spirituals on more contemporary gospel music.
I noticed in "Moaner Let's Go Down In The Valley" by Delta Big Four a common melody which I had heard before. I believe it is from Alison Krauss' "Down to the River to Pray" (I'm not entirely sure if that's the name of the song) that was O Brother Where Art Thou. I'm interested to know now if Alison Krauss' song is a traditional melody that is just a spinoff on the Delta Big Four song.
Also, Lyle Lovett's "Church" (which IS an amazing song by the way) shows how even contemporary music takes inspiration from roots music. Lyle Lovett could have been easily influenced by old time recordings and by the musical preservation efforts of people like Moses Asch. I think incorporating "Church" in the playlist was a great way to show the timelessness of the music.
I enjoyed the acapella and harmonizing aspects of the music, we haven't listened to a lot of that before. I also noticed a recurrent theme in the harsh belief of "judgement" in the songs. Religion was obviously not a think that was taken lightly during those times.
I also enjoyed "Dry Bones" by Bascom Lamar Lunsford because of the awesome banjo and "O Day" by Bess Jones and The Sea Island Singers because the percussion and repetition reminded me of the influence of Negro Spirituals on more contemporary gospel music.
I noticed in "Moaner Let's Go Down In The Valley" by Delta Big Four a common melody which I had heard before. I believe it is from Alison Krauss' "Down to the River to Pray" (I'm not entirely sure if that's the name of the song) that was O Brother Where Art Thou. I'm interested to know now if Alison Krauss' song is a traditional melody that is just a spinoff on the Delta Big Four song.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Folkways Collection, Episode 4
Episode 4 talked a lot about how Smith's anthology has had a lot of influence on modern musicians. I think that this just goes to show that the music that was recorded will withstand time and is a very crucial element in defining just where certain musical styles come from today.
I enjoyed the music in this episode, particularly the Canon Jug Stomper's "Minglewood Blues". There was also a bit of music played towards the very end of the episode that was interesting. It was hard for me to distinguish the style because it seemed to have both blues and country influences...it was very rhythmic like the blues but also incorporated banjo. I thought this was particularly cool because it shows the integration of both musical genres and the influence they had on one another.
I enjoyed the music in this episode, particularly the Canon Jug Stomper's "Minglewood Blues". There was also a bit of music played towards the very end of the episode that was interesting. It was hard for me to distinguish the style because it seemed to have both blues and country influences...it was very rhythmic like the blues but also incorporated banjo. I thought this was particularly cool because it shows the integration of both musical genres and the influence they had on one another.
Folkways Collection, Episode 3
Moses Asch's drive for sheer authenticity is what I found most interesting in this episode. Folkways was an amazing label, one I'm surprised I've never heard of before. It's definitely one of a kind in the fact that the recordings reflected perfectly the time and culture of the music that was being made. Asch didn't care about the money that was brought in from the recordings, he cared about the simple fact that the music was getting out there, and that it would be preserved for future generations. He seemed to realize perfectly how important this music was in defining American culture at the time.
Asch was amazing because he realized that "the 'meat' of the records was in the music, not in the cover art". The presentation of the records meant nothing to him compared to preserving exactly the way the music was being played.
I sincerely wish that there was a modern day version of the Folkways label. I don't really believe that "authenticity" is a popular term in today's music industry.
Asch was amazing because he realized that "the 'meat' of the records was in the music, not in the cover art". The presentation of the records meant nothing to him compared to preserving exactly the way the music was being played.
I sincerely wish that there was a modern day version of the Folkways label. I don't really believe that "authenticity" is a popular term in today's music industry.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Blog Summary for October 10th
I came into the library tonight expecting to spend about an hour going through the most recent blogs posted. However, since there has only been a few blogs posted in the past week by a select number of students, it only took me twenty minutes. I guess you kids don't really conform to the blogger addiction so prevelant among young adults...or maybe it's just because you don't spend countless hours blogging for a class. Go figure.
I do realize that I am accusing myself of this fault as well. With one previous blog before this one, I doubt I have any of you beat.
However, this blog thing is a lot more interesting than I intially thought. I found myself entertained by what my fellow students had to say (not that I'm not always entertained by what they have to say...you know what I mean). I can't imagine the amount of fun brain-stimulation that would come from everyone posting regularly. Maybe we should try it.
Anyway, on with the summary.
A few students commented about in-class performances and their reactions to them.
Steph was great with the positive feedback and really provides motivation to all.
Greenstar talked about their performance of The Whitstein Brother's Weary Days. My initial reaction to this was "wow... i wish i would've been there to hear that...i wonder how that worked...all three original band members were deaf?!" Thank goodness I read Brady's blog summary. Greenstar performed the song in American Sign Language. Now that makes a little more sense. I think I saved myself some embarrasment there.
Ruby X had some interesting things to say about the gap between the rich and the poor in today's society. America is a material nation, where not having the most up-to-date and expensive technology can certainly put you at a severe disadvantage that is easily visable to the outside world.
I as well feel very lucky to be attending college.
This led me to think about the old time blues and country recordings we have been listening to on Pandora and in class. The recordings obviously have such poor quality because of the lack of advanced technology at that time. They were still generations away from the perfect, overdubbed and overglossed recordings of today.
I think I enjoy these old recordings so much just because they are not perfect. They manange to capture the raw emotion of the performers and their natural vocal and instrumental tendencies so much better than today's recordings do. Those old time recordings are landmark because they capture so well the culture of the time. In blues it was the culture and history of the oppressed African Americans that dated back to slavery and the time of the Negro Spirituals. And in country was expressed the voice of the poor working men and women who felt the prejudice and indifference of the higher American social class so strongly.
Does music today convey such simple and straightforward emotions, laments and ideology? Is it possible really for music to still do that with perfecting machine music is forced through?
I think we are lucky to have listened to these recordings. I know that they have made me think.
That'll end my blog summary.
I do realize that I am accusing myself of this fault as well. With one previous blog before this one, I doubt I have any of you beat.
However, this blog thing is a lot more interesting than I intially thought. I found myself entertained by what my fellow students had to say (not that I'm not always entertained by what they have to say...you know what I mean). I can't imagine the amount of fun brain-stimulation that would come from everyone posting regularly. Maybe we should try it.
Anyway, on with the summary.
A few students commented about in-class performances and their reactions to them.
Steph was great with the positive feedback and really provides motivation to all.
Greenstar talked about their performance of The Whitstein Brother's Weary Days. My initial reaction to this was "wow... i wish i would've been there to hear that...i wonder how that worked...all three original band members were deaf?!" Thank goodness I read Brady's blog summary. Greenstar performed the song in American Sign Language. Now that makes a little more sense. I think I saved myself some embarrasment there.
Ruby X had some interesting things to say about the gap between the rich and the poor in today's society. America is a material nation, where not having the most up-to-date and expensive technology can certainly put you at a severe disadvantage that is easily visable to the outside world.
I as well feel very lucky to be attending college.
This led me to think about the old time blues and country recordings we have been listening to on Pandora and in class. The recordings obviously have such poor quality because of the lack of advanced technology at that time. They were still generations away from the perfect, overdubbed and overglossed recordings of today.
I think I enjoy these old recordings so much just because they are not perfect. They manange to capture the raw emotion of the performers and their natural vocal and instrumental tendencies so much better than today's recordings do. Those old time recordings are landmark because they capture so well the culture of the time. In blues it was the culture and history of the oppressed African Americans that dated back to slavery and the time of the Negro Spirituals. And in country was expressed the voice of the poor working men and women who felt the prejudice and indifference of the higher American social class so strongly.
Does music today convey such simple and straightforward emotions, laments and ideology? Is it possible really for music to still do that with perfecting machine music is forced through?
I think we are lucky to have listened to these recordings. I know that they have made me think.
That'll end my blog summary.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Blog Assignment
1. I signed up for the roots music FYS section because it looked like the least boring one. Luckily, it fit into my schedule perfectly, and after listening to the first week music list and reading a little about Cajun and Zydeco music, I think that I made the lucky choice.
2. 5 pieces of music I would take with me to a desert isle:
The Wind Cries Mary- Jimi Hendrix
Cassidy- Grateful Dead
Down By The River- Neil Young with Crazy Horse
Coast To Coast- Elliott Smith
The Outskirts- Trampled By Turtles
3. I can't think of any particular piece of music that reminds me of my grandparents, but I know that they listen to country music a lot. I was never really a fan of country music until I spent a summer with my grandmother and had no other choice but to listen to it. My grandparents' interest in country music has helped develop my newly found respect and love for it.
4. I don't think I would enjoy any piece of music I really liked being played as a National Anthem, therefore I cannot think of anything clever to answer this question with.
5. I play my radio. And I know how to work Itunes.
6. Govenor Blanco seems like a pretty interesting lady. I would probably ask her what her favorite kind of music is, and if she has any sort of musical traditions that run deeply in her family. I'm sure she would have some interesting stories to tell.
2. 5 pieces of music I would take with me to a desert isle:
The Wind Cries Mary- Jimi Hendrix
Cassidy- Grateful Dead
Down By The River- Neil Young with Crazy Horse
Coast To Coast- Elliott Smith
The Outskirts- Trampled By Turtles
3. I can't think of any particular piece of music that reminds me of my grandparents, but I know that they listen to country music a lot. I was never really a fan of country music until I spent a summer with my grandmother and had no other choice but to listen to it. My grandparents' interest in country music has helped develop my newly found respect and love for it.
4. I don't think I would enjoy any piece of music I really liked being played as a National Anthem, therefore I cannot think of anything clever to answer this question with.
5. I play my radio. And I know how to work Itunes.
6. Govenor Blanco seems like a pretty interesting lady. I would probably ask her what her favorite kind of music is, and if she has any sort of musical traditions that run deeply in her family. I'm sure she would have some interesting stories to tell.
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