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