Response 3

I think that Mitchell made some good observations in his first rant, but I think the same things that I’ve said about his other post still apply here. This post, when I checked, was pretty short. If he elaborated on some things, like he talks about how it gets under his skin when people call him a fag or loser because of the music he listens to, but if he just elaborated a bit more, then he’d get more words and marks. Another thing that I noticed when I read this post is that Mitchell doesn’t really say what the post is about. If he would have said something at the start of this post, or even put it in the title, then you’d have an easier time trying to figure out what his post is about. He does say some things that get you thinking, and it seems like he knew his topic, but again, it’s all about elaborating. So, to kind of wrap this up, I think that Mitchell needs to lengthen this post up, put in a title, or even just tell what the post is about, and maybe elaborate a bit more on some things. Other than that, he did a good job on this post, too. I’d give him a 7 out of 10 on this post.

Response #2

I think that Jordan really did a good job on his Rant #1 post. He knew what he was talking about, he did a good job on elaborating on his points, he has the required amount of words, and he really gets his message across. I don’t think there’s anything that he could have done better on, but if I had to give him one word of advice, it would be to watch spellings, because I noticed a few spelling mistakes in this post. If he types his post in Word first, then that will help, because it has a spell check. Other than that, he’s done a good job, and he just needs to watch for spelling mistakes. Another piece of advice I’d give Jordan is to maybe insert a little more of his opinion, because it seems that it doesn’t really flow smoothly, and that’s okay to an extent, but you still should try and have your lines flow smoothly. Other than that, Jordan did a really good job, and he really hit it home with this post. I agree with almost everything that he says. If I were to give Jordan a mark for this, I’d probably give him a 8 out of 10, and only because there is a few spelling mistakes, and it didn’t seem like he added much of his own opinion on things.

Lucky 13

I don’t really believe that luck has a big part in the success of performing artists. Artists, in my opinion, get on by whether or not they have talent, and not just by luck. Where luck comes in is when they go to sell their records, because you don’t know whether or not your album is going to be successful or not. It’s not like you just go into the studio and your album is an immediate success when it gets released. There have been a few albums like that, but that’s beside the point. Some of the artists that have gotten on by talent include Bon Jovi, Led Zepplin, and many others. You probably wouldn’t find too many artists that have gotten on by luck. It’s just something that you have, or something you don’t. It’s not like you just know a producer in a studio and they’re like, “Oh, you’re in because I know you.” There are maybe a few artists that maybe have gotten on by luck, but it’s not likely. If you think about how many bands and artists are out there, there’s maybe only about 5% percent that have gotten on by luck. So what I’m really trying to say here is that even though luck has a place in the music industry, it comes into play with selling records and not with getting into the scene. People could argue with this, but this is just my opinion on the matter. It matters if you’re actually a good band or not mostly when you’re trying to get out there.

Rant #2- How music influences you

How music influences you really depends on the person. One person might say it helps them to study easier, like me, or another person might say that it affects the mood they’re in. If they’re listening to a sad song, they might be sad, and if they’re listening to a rock song, then they’re going to be in a different mood. Research has been done that says how music influences you, but the one thing that you can take away from it is that it’s different from person to person. One website lists seven ways that music influences people’s mood. Things like entertainment, mental work, and discharge were mentioned. [1] I think that they make some good points, but it doesn’t really say how it affects people differently. You could say that people are influenced by different music easily, and in different ways, but it really does influence you. Another website says that if someone listens to country music too often, they’ll commit suicide[2]. I personally don’t think that’s a good conclusion, but there are proven cases of it. The website also says that music helps athletes get pumped up before a game, and I personally agree with that. So, to conclude, Music really does influence you, and in different ways, but it will vary from person to person, and from song to song. Someone could be more influenced by country music, while someone else could be more influenced by rock music, and that’s just the way things are sometimes
[1] Taken from http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/03/seven-ways-music-influences-mood.php
[2] Taken from http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/Some_music_singers_bands_influences_your_mood_and_thinking

Thoughts on Music Technology #2

I still think that Music Technology is a fun course, and for the same reasons I’ve mentioned earlier. The things that have been easy are setting up the PA system, and getting recordings into CuBase. The only things that I find challenging are getting the right sound in CuBase, and deciding which effects to put on. Sometimes, it’s really easy to do, but other times, it’s not really as easy. You could use one effect for one song, but on another, it might not work out so well. I’ve really enjoyed just the whole course overall. It’s just the sense of knowing you’re behind what happens with the music department at the school, and that you can always learn something from everything you do. If, for example, you set gains too high, and it takes away from the performance, you learn from that, and you’re less likely to do it again. There hasn’t been anything that I haven’t enjoyed in the course. It’s just been the kind of course that you enjoy taking, and where there isn’t really anything that you don’t enjoy. That’s just my opinion, though. If there was one thing I’d like to see in the course, it would be a schedule of who soundchecks the band and sets the gains each day. It seems that sometimes some people do it more than others, and there’s one person who almost never gets a chance. Other than that, I just think that Music Technology is still a course where you get to do really cool things.

How do I use music? How does Music Use Me?

I use music in many ways. I use it to help me study easier, as I’ve mentioned in my earlier posts, I use it sometimes if I’m sad about something to help me feel better, and I’ll use it to listen to when I’m travelling. I find that whenever I use it, it really helps me to keep occupied or relaxes me. It just seems that I can say that music is a little part of my life. There might be times where it doesn’t help as much as others, but in the end, it does what it usually does for me. As for the how music uses me part, I think that it just really influences how you shop. For example, if you’re looking for a CD to buy, and it just so happens that the store is playing it, you’re more likely to buy it than if you just buy it and listen to it when you get home or when you get in your car, if you have a CD player in there. Another example would be if you’re thinking about what to get for supper, and you have something in mind, then you’re likely going to buy it if you hear something about it in a song. It just seems that music has a way of influencing you to do things. It may not do the same to me that it does to someone else, but in the end, it helps you to make up your mind about things, like with buying a CD, or maybe even when you’re getting groceries.

Response #1

I think that Mitchell did an okay job in his post Is Music the Career for Me? post. He made some good observations, and he kind of explained things in detail, but I think that he could have elaborated a bit more on some things, and make the entry longer. One example is when he says he doesn’t think he’s talented enough for it. He could have said something about why he doesn’t think he is talented enough, or just added more. Another example of this is when he says he could get his children into the music business. He could have said something about how he would do it, or why he would do it. I think if Mitchell took the time and used the word count on Word, then this entry would be longer, and he would probably get better marks on this post. Another thing I noticed when I read this post is that some parts of this post are centered and other parts are long lines. He could maybe use Word to fix that problem. Other than that, I think that Mitchell did a good job with this post. If he would have just elaborated a bit more on some things, and use a word count, it would have been better. If I were to give him a mark for this post, I’d give him a 6.5 out of 10, and for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Mitchell, if you’re reading this, then I think this entry just needs to be a little longer, and a bit more elaborate

Controversial Figures in Music

One of the figures who’s caused a stir in the music industry is Madonna. Sure, some people like her music, and there’s others who don’t like her music, but it all comes down to what the critics say. Rolling Stone.com says that “Madonna’s many career sidelights often obscure the fact that she remains one of the greatest pop acts of all time"[1]. I personally don’t think that she’s the greatest pop acts, but then again, I haven’t heard a lot of her songs, so I can’t really say that for sure. Sure, she does have some good songs, but there are some artists that have better songs. Another site says that “There is really nothing that Madonna has recorded that has not been worth storing in the “best songs” compartment of our brains”[2] I think that the critics are a bit too easy on her. If there’s something that the critics think that people will listen to, they’ll give it a good review so that people will listen to it, but that’s beside the point. She does do a lot of things that people will have mixed feelings about besides her music, but that doesn’t mean that her music is bad. I actually kind of like some of her songs, like 4 minutes, or Hung Up is another good one, but some people aren’t going to like some of the songs that others do. It’s just a fact of life. So, to conclude, I believe that the critics are a bit too easy on her, and they should give her a better review

[1] Taken from http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/madonna
[2] Taken from http://www.musicomh.com/albums/madonna.htm

Rant #1- The pros and cons of using music to study

The pros and cons of using music to help you study are pretty numerous, but probably the biggest for each is that it helps you study easier, and it relaxes you, but on the other hand, it can distract you and cause you to not study at all. There is research that goes either way, but personally I think that it helps you study. One article I found says that music only distracts you and doesn’t help at all, but another one I found says that it really helps. My personal opinion is that it really helps you. I find that whenever I use it to help me study, usually I get better grades, and it really relaxes me, but sometimes I kind of get away from studying for a minute when a good song comes on, so there is that element there that it distracts you, but I don’t really get distracted to the point where I don’t study anymore. I can really see music being a big distraction for someone else, though, because some people really like listening to music, so when they hear a song they like, they probably wouldn’t study at all. It might even get to the point where someone who likes music a lot might even get worse grades than everyone else, and the research that has been done even says things like that. So to conclude, there is research to both sides of the argument, and it really supports it, but my personal opinion is that it really helps you with studying and doing assignments.

Is Music the Career for me?

My future as a maker and consumer of music would have to be pretty limited. I don’t see myself being a maker of music because it’s not really what I want to do. I’d use music just as something to listen to in my adult life. It won’t be a career, or a hobby, it will just be something in the background. Sure, I’ll have experience working with the technology, but it won’t be something I’d use everyday. I wouldn’t choose music as my first career choice because even though it would be cool to work for a band like Bon Jovi or Simple Plan, my first choice for a career is teaching. I’d probably enjoy having music as a career, but not as much as being a teacher. I’d also be away a lot if I chose music as a career, and that wouldn’t’ be what I would want to do. I’d rather be close to home and spend time with family. I really think that music will just be something in the background in my adult life, because of the facts I’ve listed. If I hadn’t chose teaching for a career, then I could see myself maybe doing music for a career, because it would be fun working for a band, but it wouldn’t be as exciting as teaching. I think that my future as a consumer of music is pretty intact, because I’d still listen to music when I’m older, but I can’t really see myself having a future as a maker of music, and just because it’s not something that I really see myself doing as a career

Thoughts on Music Technology #1

My thoughts on Music Technology so far are that it’s definitely a fun course. You get to work with the PA equipment, do a blog, and more. It’s a really fun course, in my opinion. It even gives you some good experience with working with a band, so if I were to become a techie for Bon Jovi, for example, this course would really help me. The only thing that I’ve found challenging so far is remembering which microphones go where when we’re setting up for a band, but other than that, there’s nothing that’s been really challenging in the course so far. I think that the things that have been easy so far is actually setting up the PA equipment and managing the sound. It was a little hard for me at first, but as I did it more, it seemed to get easier and I remember it better. I’ve enjoyed just the whole experience of the course so far. You get the sense that you’re really helping out the music program in the school. There hasn’t been anything that I really didn’t enjoy. If there was one thing I wanted to see in the course, I think it would be a schedule for which student monitors the band each day, because I haven’t really done much with working the PA board yet, and that’s okay in a way, but I still would like to do some more work with it. So to wrap it up, there’s nothing else that I would have rather taken than Music Technology, because it’s just been really fun so far, and I really enjoy being a student in the class.

My Least Favorite Things

My least favorite music would have to be rap or techno, or just anything that really involves screaming or doesn’t have a good beat. Specifically, it would be bands/artists such as Ne-Yo, Kanye West, or other artists like them. They don’t usually have the good beats that I like, and it seems that sometimes the rappers will just rap about pointless stuff and sometimes you don’t even know what they’re saying. They don’t seem to make any sense sometimes, either, which is another reason why I don’t like this type of music. I don’t like consuming this music that much, but sometimes if my brother is listening to it, then I’ll put up with it, because usually a few of the songs aren’t as bad as others. Sometimes when I listen to that music, I’ll be humming it, but then I’d think to myself why am I humming it, and I’ll stop. I don’t use this music at all in my daily life, because it doesn’t help me at all with anything. It doesn’t help me study, and it doesn’t help me with anything else. There isn’t any music in these genres that really has a good beat, and it just seems like the artists just don’t really know what they’re saying sometimes. So, to conclude, the music that I really don’t like is techno, or rap, and for various reasons, but the one reason that ties it all together is just because it really isn’t my type of music.

My favorite things

My favorite music would have to be either rock or pop. They have good beats, and there are so many good bands that play that type of music, like Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and many others. With rock, though, I don’t like really hard rock, like Metallica or a band like them. The bands I like would be Bon Jovi, Simple Plan, and Nickelback. Their songs have a good beat, and the songs seem to really tell a story really well. I really like listening to the music because the bands make a good effort to make great songs, and it really seems to have a big impact on the way they make music. The music also has a way of making the song stick in your head, because sometimes when I’m walking home from school, I’ll be humming a song that I know. Some of my other favorite music would be something that would have a good beat, and that you can relate to. The music from the movie Camp Rock, for example, has a good beat, and the songs were something that I could relate to, or say I know someone who has been there. Even sometimes, It’s just because it’s the kind of music that I listen to. I use this music in my daily life when I’m studying for tests sometimes, it helps me to think and study a little easier, or even sometimes before I leave for school, it helps me to get ready for the school day, and it helps me to think a little harder on assignments.

What is music?

My personal definition of music is something that you can listen and relate to. Most of the time, music will tell a story either that you can say you’ve been there before, or you can relate to. Music to me is probably something that has a good beat and you can kind of relate to, like what music does most of the time. For me when I think about music, I also think about whether it has a good beat or not. Most of the time, if it doesn’t have a good beat; I don’t really listen to it as much. To others, it might mean something different, or it can mean the same thing, but in the end, it all comes down to relation to your life. Someone else might even think that some of the songs that I listen to, they don’t like it. I use music in my daily life when I’m in Band class, practicing my oboe at home, or even in Music Tech class. It helps me to get through the day, and sometimes when I listen to a CD before school, it even helps me to think about what I need to remember to do in my classes. I might even listen to music while I’m studying for a test, and it helps so that I can just relax and study easier. Sometimes if I don’t listen to music, I may not do as well on a test, so it really helps just to calm me down; especially if I’m listening to a good song. So, to conclude, Music is something that helps you relate to things, and everyone might have their own definition of music, but to me it’s just something that helps me in my life