Stewarts Presentation response

I've always overlooked cities I've passed through, not realizing that these big industrialized towns were once fields of nature. Through Stewart's presentation, I realized that there are pros and cons to the development of big cities. I never really thought of it as a big deal to have urbanization but it actually has a major impact on nature and the population. One of the slides that i saw to be most interesting is the one that talks about how the cost of getting rid of pollution is more expensive than just letting pollution happen. The government decided that hurting our environment is a better way to save money? I understand, from an economic standpoint, why the government would want to spend the money on other things that could further the advancements of technology, but they are failing to realize that if pollution furthers, there will be more expensive problems later on. On a global stand point, the video that Stewart made a great display on how pollution is not only affected out country but others aroudn the world. In the video it stated that 33% of Chinese population breathe in pollution so much that it is equivalent to smoking to packs of cigarettes a day. I found this absolutely disgusting. I never realized how polution can affect people. If we don't take care of the pollution in our own country, we will wing up with illness and greater health problems that could threaten our economy and our population as a whole. I think that Stewart's presentation was very good in that it was very inforamtive and easy to follow and udnerstand. It gave me much better insight on what the pros and cons were for expanding our big cities. His presentation made me think about how life would be different if we continued urbanization and also what it would be like if there never was any urbanization.

Work Cited

"American music." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



"jazz." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



"Grammy Awards." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.



Fischoff, Stuart. "No Link Between Media Violence and Youth Violence Has Been Established." Opposing Viewpoints: Media Violence. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010153234&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.



Deggans, Eric. "WORDS CAN HURT." The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). (Feb 20, 2007): 1E. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=OVRC&docId=CJ161659441&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.



Pelley, Debbie. "Violent Song Lyrics Encourage Aggressive Behavior in Children." At Issue: Violent Children. Ed. Bryan J. Grapes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 23 Feb. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010032204&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0.

http://leadership.uoregon.edu/upload/images/music.jpg

http://www.irvmusic.com/music%20note5.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/sun%20over%20ocean/michaela981/sun-over-the-ocean.jpg

http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/pastorbill-390395-albums-pueblo-family-church-growing-faith-family-service-pic18394-unity.jpg

http://www.brentcunningham.org/wp-content/uploads/Police%20line%20--%20reporter_12_8_06_10.jpg

http://myfivebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/american-flag.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adQRz1Ixh1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31v0RrIljj4

Tony's Blog Response: Native Americans in the 21st Century

Tony’s presentation is about the Native Americans and how they survive in the 21st century. It is said in the YouTube video on the third slide that most Native Americans live in poverty on the reservations that are given to them because of the promises from the government. In order to make money in the reservation, they have a casino, which brings in some income to the reservation but the money coming in fluctuates because the population is so small. The amount of Native Americans in poverty is the highest of all the ethnic groups. One thing that I found saddening was the fact that many people live in such a remote area, that there is no electricity and many people have no choice but to pick between buying milk to feed the children or buying toothpaste to keep up hygiene. In his fourth slide, I thought of how many people do think of the Native Americans and where they should stand in society, but I also feel like people say more than they do. I have only heard of one organization that helps our native people. I find it very interesting how, even though the Natives were on this land first, Americans have the right to kick them out. They are called Native Americans for a reason: they are native to the country, meaning they’ve been here before anyone else settled in, and they are Americans. If they are Americans, they have a right to property that is given to other Americans. The Native Americans, as seen in the YouTube video, have increased into a downward spiral in alcohol and suicide. They are convinced that the USA is trying to keep then in poverty forever. I understand how they could think that but they are also trying to live independently away from the American way of life. I don’t think it is all necessarily the American’s fault. Also, Tony pointed out that many Native Americans feel stereotyped as people who believe in spirits and are extremists in being one with nature. This is not true for most. This stereotype is portrayed in the movie Pocahontas and the song, Colors of the Wind. Another example of how Americans offended the Natives was the Illiniwek. In all, Native Americans and the Americans have decreasing trust in each other and in order to stay united, things have to change in regards to the stereotypes and discrimination of other ethnicities. I found Tony's presentation to be very informative and easy to follow. I really liked the pictures and videos he used, it helped me understand how the Native Americans are feeling in regards to this issue between them and the Americans.

Danielle's Blog Response

I found Danielle’s blog very informative and interesting. I am very interested in looking at the different views of other religions. I am a Catholic and I hadn’t realized how religious diversity has affected our communities because our own community is not as diverse as others. Religious tolerance is needed everywhere. I find it interesting that religious discrimination exists, but it's not surprising. A picture Danielle used in her project said, “Each new religion that arrives within America faces intolerance by those religions that have established themselves and their supporters in America. These established religions feel that new religions threaten their beliefs and way of life.” I think that this is very true because this intolerance for the minority is not only happening in the areas of religion but also in race, gender, or even if a new person coming into a high school who is different from the normal standards. The main topic of Danielle’s presentation is the religious intolerance for Atheism. According to Danielle, “Religion is the belief of an unseen, powerful entity made everything in the universe…without a single shred of evidence,” while Atheism doesn’t believe that there is another world or greater entity that made life. She expresses that the reason why there is religious intolerance is because neither religion will accept the other and they argue about which belief is true instead of just accepting. In correlation to my presentation, when there is religious intolerance, there is a separation of unity in the country. Religion can be expressed in many different ways and it’s our job as Americans to accept one another to create a united nation. With any problem of discrimination, the religious majority will always have the larger influence on the ideas of the American society, well expressed by Danielle’s presentation. At the end of the presentation, Danielle expresses that there religious tolerance is increasing little by little by showing the clip of Character USA. Once people realize that religion is only an aspect of what defines one’s character, religious tolerance will become easier to increase. I really like how Danielle potrayed this issue in her presentation. It helped me understand alot more about the world in regards to religion which is bigger than us all.

link between rap and violence? ( analytic)

The issue up for discussion is about if rap and violence have any direct links between them. One study done, which was found in the book called, a review of the Literature and Issues for Future Research, concluded that there was no correlation between music and the increasing crime rates. The study takes its course by first looking that the listeners of each type of rap, which include hardcore and soft rap. The researchers also look at the listeners to heavy metal, which has the many of the same characteristics as rap. The researchers found that there was a difference between the listeners and the music. The people who listened to heavy metal were mostly working class white youths, while rap was listened to by the urban black youth. The collection of data collected from researchers concluded that there was a connection between the races and the type of music that was listened to but that there was no link between rap and violence. The researcher’s opinion on the issue was that even though heavy metal and rap are mostly the same, the races make it easier to put blame of the influence of violence on one type. They concluded that, “assaults on rap music are part of a long-standing sociologically based discourse that positions black influences as a cultural threat to American society,” This quote expresses that, because of the old prejudices against blacks in our society, it is easier to point the fingers at the them because of what has been done and said about them in the civil rights era. They believe that the lyrics of rap are not necessarily the reason why crime increased but that it is easier to blame the black race because of the prejudices from past generations.
The other half of the argument expresses that there is a direct distinction between rap and violence in the communities. An example that was shown in this argument had to do with a school shooting. A teacher named Debbie Pelley, who taught the shooter, did research for the investigation that had to do with what influenced the killer. The killer’s peers told investigators that the shooter changed when he started listening to Tupac and Bones ~N~ Thugs. These hardcore rappers have some of the most explicit lyrics. While looking at the lyrics, many adults were shocked at the vulgar things said in the lyrics. When Pelley asked the students what they thought the music was about, they all agreed, “the theme and message of this music (rap) is that killing and being on death row is cool”. This shows that the black population express messages directly in their music and because music has impacted the listener’s minds, the society worries that the listeners who don’t understand the urban black lifestyle, will think that violence and certain negative experiences are okay to have. Although the rapper’s aren’t trying to send this message but to express their life and make it relative to how they lived, those who don’t know the reality behind the music might take the messages This side of the argument believes that, because music is so impactful to its listeners, the glamorization of violence would negatively affect the listeners and that is what has caused the rise in crime rate.

Music in Literature (analytic)

Like all arts, music is used as expression of one’s true feelings. The feelings show through the lyrics and rhythm of the song. Also, music is used as an escape for those who want to shed some light on their lives that are filled with darkness for one reason or another. It is a way for artists to focus on something that makes them happy. When people is passionate about something, gaining knowledge of that certain thing or just engaging in it will bring joy to the person and ultimately help bring inner peace. It is a way to release negative feelings, especially if one is a very private person, writing music releases the negative energy without having to talk to someone else directly to get it out. Just being able to write down lyrics or play a song will help calm down a situation. In Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, Sonny uses his passion for jazz to release negative energy from himself. He escapes from the darkness of being African American by focusing on something that he loves. Sonny’s brother, the narrator, did not understand Sonny and his love for music. He just let Sonny do what he wanted without asking because it made him stay sane. When Sonny had to live with Isabel, the narrator’s girlfriend, Sonny became uneasy. The narrator reassured him, “They got a piano at Isabel’s. You can practice on it.” And then he said that sonny replied, “That’s right. I forgot that.” And “his face relaxed a little,”(124). The fact that Sonny even relaxed at all having an instrument or some form of music in his new home showed how music has affected his life. Even in times of struggle or nervousness, the music having an appearance, made things a little easier for Sonny. Also, by the end of the story, the narrator was taken to a blues concert with Sonny because Sonny really wanted him to go and the narrator wanted to be a good brother. At this concert the artists began to play the blues, their original pieces of the blues. The narrator began to realize, “the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph… it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness. And this tale, according to that face ( of Creole’s, the musician at the concert), that body, those strong hands on those strings, has another aspect to every country, and a new depth in every generation. Listen, Creole seemed to say, Listen,”(139). This quote really confronts the point that music is an ongoing phenomenon that brings hope and light to those who are filled with darkness. That darkness could be anything from emotional drama to physical violence. That light that is given from the music is the message that the song sends to its listeners. In this story, the music gives hope to the listeners that black triumph will happen and they will be free of prejudice and hate someday. The narrator also states that the music gets deeper with every generation because, the stories in these songs are being retold at a different level of complexity, along with new stories depending on the experiences people in a certain generation have in the recent society. The passionate people are the ones who use music as a tool to get away from society’s evils and focuses on releasing negative energies to create a fantastic song. Music is also used as a tool to retell stories and creatively bring history to the listeners as well as creating new history by writing songs for future generations.

Music Background ( analytic)

American music was founded in the early 1600s. It originated in Europe, but over time, other influences, including African-American ethnicity, assumed more importance. There are two different types of music. There is Classical and Popular music. Over time, these types intertwined to make the modern music we have today. The first type of music was the classical music of the church. The psalms from the Bay Psalm Book were among the first pieces brought to American and were the beginning of the classical music. As time went by the musical knowledge of the Americans declined because there was only a few tunes set from psalms that were not published. Many congregations, which are religious communities, started to add their own twists to the songs. This caused a larger audience to see the creative process of music making, since church was part of the communities. From the church, there became two sects of music: the religious sect and secular sect. Religious music revolved around god and his gospel, while secular music was considered the nonreligious music. Secular music was more about the livelihood of the local people in the communities. When the songs were published, many lacked rhythm and pitch. Thomas Walter, a musician of the time, decided to write the first instruction manual for music called, The Grounds and Rules of Musik Explained. As more people started to learn music’s structure, more secular music became popular, eventually forming the second type of music, popular music. The first set of popular music was called The Seven Songs for the Harpsichord. This book of secular songs was the first completely American book of secular songs. It was composed by Frances Hopkinson and was dedicated to George Washington in 1788. After the American Revolution, more Europeans dominated the music world, spreading the love for music among the states. When slaves were brought into America, their music began to influence many of the American musicians because of the unique sound. The music sung by the black slaves was used to express their life to those who didn’t understand and to get feelings of anger and depression out of their systems. They used music as a cry for help. Even though the messages didn’t get across to the Europeans, they adopted the different rhythms and pitches to put a new twist on the already structured American music. After the civil war, more music from the African Americans was discovered. The new feelings and emotions of the songs of the African Americans were called jazz. Jazz became the origin of all popular music. The blues branched from jazz and other genres of music branched out of the blues, causing multiple genres of expression to grow into the American society, such as pop, rock, country, hip-hop, and rap. Music was first made as an expression of love towards god. Later, this expression became more nonreligiously connected to people’s lives and eventually music became one of the most dominant ways to express one’s self and show how they feel through authentic rhythms and pitches that are shared all over the world. The music also provides a sense of unity throughout the nation. Music also plays a big role in retelling history. For example, the songs from the black slaves show their lives in song and their beliefs in God, while modern day music shows what goes on in the mind of the new generations of people. Music, such as rap and inspirational, express artists' day to day experiences that others might not face. Music brings a sense of reality to those who don’t see it every day while also providing entertainment that others can relate to and have interest in.

Viewpoints: No Link Between Rap and Violence?

This viewpoint was the opposite opinion on the issue between rap and violence in youth. Before the studies were done to research the affects of kids listening to rap, there was background information. This information included the fact that heavy metal and rap were similar but had different listeners from different races and cultures. Rap was more recognized by the urban African Americans and heavy metal was mostly found as being listened to by middle/working-class of whites. What i found most interesting was that the characteristics of rap that were being criticized were the same as the heavy metal characteristics except for the fact that the listeners and the producers of the songs were different. I found it interesting that rap was given more criticism just because of society's views on the blacks. I think that there is definitely still more prejudice against the blacks and that's why there the music is such an issue. The studies that were established concerning the types of music and the cultures showed that the races did link with the type of music that were perceived to be "their culture's" music, but the criminals and negative behavior showed no link between the music and the violence. They believed that the negative behavior came before the the music and the music just was a contributor. Music was not the cause. I believe this to extent. I think that music is a big contributor to the actions taken by the listeners but I don't think that it is the main cause. There has to be another reason that the kids would listen to the lyrics in the music in the first place. My personal experience is that I have listened to hardcore rap before but I would never do some of the things that they say to do in the songs.

Tatum, Becky L. "Studies Have Not Established a Link Between Rap Music and Youth Violence." Opposing Viewpoints: Media Violence. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 .

Viewpoints: Linked Rise in Violence to Music (Ny Times)

The article in the New York time looks at the situation objectively. In Colorado, police linked music and violence together because the crime rate skyrocketed when the hip hop night club came into the town. The police insisted that the gangster rap music was affecting the attitude of the people in the town towards women and violence. They think that the music brings a want for the actual gangster activities in the night clubs. This angered many people in the city because they thought otherwise. They thought that they were being racists against the kind of music. A local rapper said, " When two cowboys got into an argument at the saloon, went outside and had a draw, no body blamed the music that was playing in the saloon." When I read this i thought that he had a point. There is violence in any culture but i also think that there is a difference between having violence in your own culture, and spreading the negative culture to other innocent societies. At the end of the article is does state that the authorities found that after they spoke about the gang rap violence link, there had been a drop of attendance to the rapper events, dropping to 200 from 700. When people realize that what their listening to is vulgar and unattractive, many will stop wanting to live that thug life or even listen to the music. I find it so interesting that many times, the messages aren't even listened to by the listeners but they are desensitized by the lyrics without even realizing it. When the people do realize this then they decide to move away from it.

Viewpoints: Words can Hurt (music and violence)

In this article, I read about different opinions on the topic of music and violence. One man, who is a DJ on the popular hip-hop radio station in Petersberg, stated his opinion very clearly," (It's) like cancer, or like crack going into neighborhoods...Gangsta rap has been destructive as the Klan". What he is saying makes a huge statement, to me it is a little extreme but it gets the point across that rap doesn't have a good message but the music spreads quickly. Much of what is said in this article revolves around blaming the record companies because the artists aren't educated enough to know how to make a better image for his or her self. This is because production is for profit and if the audience like violence they will get violence because it brings in money. Many video games and movies also depict violence and it mirrors the affects that rap has. In the article is talks about a discussion that went on between a few rappers and producers. One rapper talked about how it wasn't bad because it was a way of reality for those in the hood. Near the end of the conversation though, it was put into realization that the rappers are just reiterating the stories instead of trying to tell the listeners how to get out of the situations that go on in the normal hoodlum society. I think that this is very true that even though reality of the hood is there and interesting to hear about, it doesn't give any right to have listeners follow in their footsteps and learn negative ways from them. Instead, they should have rap about how to get out of the situations or at least be less explicit in telling their stories. A quote that I found very true and interesting is "Hurt's film outlines the way hip-hop culture pushes male artists and fans into presenting 'hyper masculine' image into the world;requiring them to show toughness, domination of others, wealth, and widespread success with women". This quote I found interesting because it shows how music impacts the mind of the listeners. Even if the song isn't made to control the minds of all of their listeners, to an extent, the song manipulates or twists a person's perception of how they should be viewed in society.


Deggans, Eric. "WORDS CAN HURT." The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). (Feb 20, 2007): 1E. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 9 Feb. 2010 .

View Points: Are Lyrics Violent?

In the story I read about the school shooting that was triggered possibly by the music the boy was listening to. This story reiterated that music has A huge impact on the listeners. In this particular genre, the negative behavior expressed "glamorizes violence" and makes the listeners think that violence and offensive behavior is okay. In the story, the 13 year old boy was a normal respectable kid who sang at church and got good grades. That Christmas, he bought Tupac and Bone Thugs ~N~ Harmony. His parents had no idea who these artists were but they didn't think anything of it. This boy, being an avid listener to the rap and gangster music, started to change the way he acted at school according to his fellow students, flashing gang signs in the hallways. He started signing the lyrics at school which consisted of words such as, " cockin the 9 and ready to aim/Pullin the Trigger/To blow out your brains/Bones got a gang/Man we crept and we came,"(Crept and we came by Bone Thugs). These violent images began to stick in the minds of many students, and is still being listened to every day. According to the investigation, "Several students verified that the theme and message of this music is that killing and being on death row are cool". With the glamorization of violence, the students have desensitized themselves into thinking that violence and offensive language is not as offensive as before rap was created because everyone listens to it and because the famous people sing it, it is okay to do. Listeners look up to their favorite artists and if the artists are saying its okay to be offensive and violent, then the listeners will be offensive and violent. I really think this is a great example of how music impacts its listeners and how society has focused a lot more on the music and telling a story with the music instead of just playing with it and making people happy just by the music aspect. The lyrics in a song always tell a story and rap brings a painful reality to its listeners of what the artists dealt with growing up or just bring a certain reality to those who dont understand. Because most of the growing fan base hasn't experienced the artists' lives though, the listeners could twist the meanings subconciously and make it into something they think is cool because it is different from what their life experiences are.

Pelley, Debbie. "Violent Song Lyrics Encourage Aggressive Behavior in Children." At Issue: Violent Children. Ed. Bryan J. Grapes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

Literature response: Sonny's Blues

This short story is about a man and his brother Sonny. It took place in a time of segregation and hatred towards the Blacks. It was discovered in the story that Sonny was a man of music and he used his music escape from the life of darkness around him. Sonny always wanted to be a musician but no one, including the narrator understood why. Years past and the boys drifted apart. After many years of not associating with each other, the narrator hears about his brother and decided to write him. He got a response and they wind up reunited. Upon this reunion, new curiosities about Sonny arise in the narrator's head. He wonders what Sonny had been thinking about and how he had been living. He was scared because Sonny was a dope addict and got into a lot of trouble. Sonny was also a kind of kid who had a certain wall that hid his vulnerability inside. The narrator knew that his brother was like his dad in many ways, including the privacy aspect. He also found out that his dad had a brother, this brother was a musician. He loved playing his guitar and it made him feel at peace. The night he died though, his music died. His guitar was run over by a car. He and the narrator's mother talked about the situation with his dad and his dad's brother and his mother told him that he shouldn't leave his brother alone. When the narrator and Sonny were in the empty kitchen, Sonny revealed that he wanted to be a musician. He wanted to be a jazz musician. The narrator told Sonny that a musician was a hard paying job and he thought of jazz musicians as " good time people", which was what his his dad called it. Sonny told the narrator that it was what he wanted to do and even though it is going to take time he was willing to practice because it was the only thing that truely made him happy. There was a piano where Sonny was staying and he took use of it every day. He was so passionate about his music and it made him happy to be able to improvise the records that he played. When Isabel's family found out Sonny was working with white folks on music, they scolded him and there was silence. The silence was "louder than the sound of all the music ever played since time began," (126). As Sonny got more upset, his music became less frequent and twisted. Another point in the story where music present was when the two sisters and brother started singing, the narrator says, " The music seemed to soothe a poison out of them,"(129). As the lady was singing sonny talked about how, when he heard music, it maked him feel "sort of warm and cool and the same time." He had a good feeling inside of him when he listened to music. It calmed him down. This story shows how music can have an impact on a person's life. When some one is feeling upset or hurt, music can calm him or her down and make them forget about the world around them while they create their music.

Where I'm at Now..

At this point in my research, I've looked at the different types of music and how music came into the American life. I found it very interesting that people didn't appreciate music until later in the 20th century. I thought that music was always around, but really the music was originally pushed aside. The impact of music on today's world does not reflect on the past because of the difference in interests of people today verses people from back then. Also, I thought it was really interesting that every form of music are just moderation upon moderation of jazz. I don't know how pop music generated from jazz. The development of music was progressed by people who went against the common norm and invented a new way of expression.

Primary Source: Music in America by Antonin Dvorak

Antonin Dvorak believes that music has been lacking in American and underestimated in importance to a nation. He believes that music is the weakest of the arts because it has only started to form. In 1894, when this document was dated, music had just taken coarse in the classical world. Popular music had not come to mind yet. Dvorak said, " The great American republic alone, and its national government as well as in many other states, suffers art and music to go without encouragement". When Dvorak says this, he is saying that the reason why the arts is a weak part of the nation is because the government does not help raise music in the public eye. He is contrasting between how government protects the economy and education, but not expression. Dvorak believes that some people are meant to be scholars and others, artists. He believes that if artists are not privileged to do what they are call to do, which is perform, then the government is being unjust. Another discouragement that Dvorak talks about is that his students don't get the willingness of the American publishers to create sounds new to the nation. The problem with American music at this time was that all the music was so narrowly classical, that anything that was outside of the box was rejected. Through all the discouragement though, Dvorak brought hope. He uses the example of England and how their music industry and encouragement for students grew. He stated, "A single institute can make such a change, just as a single genius can bestow an art upon his country that before was lying in unheeded slumber". He is showing that one person can make a difference and that difference is the start of the development of appreciation of music in America. When others argue to Dvorak about how it is not popular in America to have music, he counters that saying that there is so much music appreciation because every concert hall is always filled for every concert. The states cannot speak for the whole nation when saying it's not popular because the outcomes of the concerts show otherwise, making the government look stupid for even trying to argue that statement of music not being popular. He comments about how he realizes that music is not as big in the states and in other countries but he believes that this is only because the government makes music out to be boring and not needed. Those people who are afraid to fight for what they want keep the norms of the society and no room to make the change for the better. He states, " It only rests with the leaders of the people to make the right beginnings." He is saying that encouragement of music will not just come, people have to fight for it. With this quote, I related Dvorak with MLK and Cesar Chavez, who i read about earlier today. They all have a common idea: change won't happen unless someone steps up and fights for the change. I find it interesting to see what the difference musicians made in order to bring music into the popular norms of America. Musicians had to work for their rights of expression, just like the Blacks and Hispanics have to work for their rights as citizens.

Musical Event: The Grammys

Tonight, January 31 2010, the 52nd Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in L.A. This awards show is one of the main music awards shows in America. It was founded by a man named Pierre Cossette. This man thought that it was appropriate for all the music lovers and artists to come together and appreciate eachother and the ideas and music they bring to the world. This awards show is for popular music. All genres of popular music is mentioned and solo artists, duos, and groups are able to be nomiated for an awards and all genres are mentioned in some way. Either by mention, memorablia, or nomination. The main awards are: Best record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, and best new artist. Also, the people behind the scenes that make the artists' songs prefected are also mentioned in recognition. This is a way for all artist and the world to appreciate what music has brought to the world of entertainment.

"Grammy Awards". American history. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com.

Popular Music: Jazz

The origin of jazz came from the African American Population. Th African American rhythms with the European instruments and melodies molded together. The Western construction of the songs had a 7 note scale was now played with the African American 5 note scale. The jazz vibe of the five note scale turned into the blues sound we hear today. Many elements contributed to jazz. One of these elements had to do with improvisation. With the "relaxed" feel of improvisation and the smooth sounding African rhythm, jazz was one of the most enjoyable genres of the time. When the tune picked up, people called it "swing". The birthplace of American jazz was nowhere other than New Orleans. American Jazz was made when African, European, Caribbean, and other exotic rhythms and melodies met and molded together in New Orleans. IN the 1900's, Jazz rapidly spread throughout America and continued to transform and add different instruments such as percussion and piano to the ensemble. African American jazz players like Louis Armstrong flooded the cities, making entertainment a major industry. Soon, white bands were playing jazz. A key reason that jazz rapidly grew in popularity was because of industrialization and transportation. Because of this increase in technology and transportation, there was more diffusion and meshing of ideas. Transportation and technology made it easier for ideas of others to connect and make new progress in the music industry. I thought it was really interesting that transportation was such a big part of growing popularity in music. I would have never put music and transportation in the same category but now I realize that, without transportation, there could be no communication. Without communication, there could be no collaboration or progress. Another important thing in the development of jazz was the phonograph and the radio. These objects were affordable to almost everyone and it was a major contributor to the progression of popularity of jazz. A new variation of jazz formed in New York, which is now the nation's center for jazz. This new branch of jazz was called "bebop". This new genre was mostly race based. African Americans were the founders of this and many composers used bebop during the civil rights revolution. Now, as the popular music progresses to fit the lives of the generations, jazz has become an art music. It is the origin of all popular music and remains one of the most taught music genres in music schools and universities.

"Jazz". American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com

The Arts : Popular Music

Modern Music was marked with experimentation in the 1930's. With the modern music, the atonal works, harmonies, and rhythms increased complexity because more and more composers to began to experiment. These creations were made increasingly with non-western techniques. Electronic msuic became increasingly popular. In this era of music making,around the 2nd half of the 20th century, a man by the name of John Cage believed that there should not be order to music. Music should be an outlet for emotion and creative expressions. Cage helped develope a new way to creating music that had no specific order and rejected old composers' structured techniques. Most popular music wasnt written down till years after they were composed. In the popular music era, new genres were introduced. New ideas and sounds began to take form in the new century. By the 2nd half of the 20th century, there were many different genres to chose to listen to, including ragtime, blues, jazz. Eventually, those genres were altered and became the base of our new music that we listen to today.

"American Music." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010 http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com

The Arts: Classical Music

The origin of American music came from European ancestors. When the Europeans settled in america they brought their psalms from protestent churches in the 1640's. Throughout the next 100 years, the american churches revised and put their own twists to the original music to make totally new songs. These songs however were lacking rhythm and pitch. As a result of this lacking knowledge, singing schools, choral societies, and chiors were built. This was the start of a new element of expression. All songs at this time were religious and secular. Since most of society was based off of religion at this time, the songs were based on the society's focuses, which was religion. By the 19th century, right after the revolutionary war, Europeans had a major influence on the moderation of the american music. Many people were still uneducated about music, and those who were wanted to imitate the foreign teachers becuase they had more experience and musical knowledge. Under the european influence, one of the most important musical organizations was founded, in 1815. This was called the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. This organization encouraged the performance of choral and instrumental music. This was the foundation of american music. With the first organization in place, the ability of expression and imagination among the people sky rocketed because they were now able to have an outlet that was appropriate to the time. After a while of creating different sounds, African music became more influencial and started mizing with the already created, american music. This developed a new creative twist to the american music. Another foreign influence in the 19th century was Germany. Moving into the 20th century, however, French and Russian ideas took hold. All these ethnic ideas molded together to make a new american sound. The 3rd ethnic influence was Anglo-celtic. The educated musicians wanted to make a sound that would be recognized american. By the 1930's major experimentation took place and classical music was formed.

"American Music." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web 28 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/ .

My Initial Thoughts: The Arts

The arts are a major part of society's life. The different types of art include music, theatre, and art. These provide information about a person's life while providing entertainment. The arts are very interesting because it is a major way to express one's self. The expression in a one's artwork, song, or play, tells a story. This story provides insight on what the artist is thinking by showing bits in pieces of a his or her life in the artwork. For example, I am a song writer. My main reason for becoming apart of the arts is because it is a way to express my feelings towards a specific person or a specific time in my life. The emotions that are in me are revealed through the lyrics of my song. When I sing those songs to my friends and ask them the feelings they had while listening, they usually tell me about the same feelings that I had while writing it. This shows my friends and family a deeper part of myself. This is only one way the arts are used. They are also used in terms of imagination. Many plays and novels are based off of fiction. The fiction stories are made so their audience can be entertained. It is a way for the audience to get away from reality and their own issues and focus on something else. Being in plays is one of my favorite hobbies because it allows me to pretend and be someone I am not. It is a way that I can escape from my own reality and focus on an alter life, which would be through my character. There are many things that draw people to watching, or being apart of the arts. It is a main way of expression and release of emotions while letting others share in the alternative reality. While helping yourself by using the arts to cope with different emotions, he or she is also helping those who want to escape their own reality and become part of a new and exciting adventure.

Thoughts on the State of th Union Adress

Obama started his speech talking about how we as people were tested to become united and strong and that is how we succeeded. He is calling upon us as a nation to come back together and prevail against the economical struggles. He says that these problems and issues are nothing new. These problems of economic struggle have been here for years and change has not yet come. He believes that there is alot of hope coming from him because of the people in our nation have never given up. He also believes that the people need a government that is as strong as the people. He talks about how he has to do what is necessary instead of popular. He believs that his works are making the recession better, but not totally. I like how he did not take responsibility for what he did not do. His next goal he works on is the employment problem. he believes that by the end of this year, by putting the stimulus bill in affect, there will be more than 1 million more jobs by the end of the year. I am skeptical of what he says because he also said that the health care plan would work but it did not at all. He says that the recession is growing again so I do believe that we are coming out of the recession and that the new jobs bill is the government's main focus. I think that this is a good next step to recovering the economy because without jobs there will not be money to filter back into the system because businesses won't be able to sell anything if people don't have money to buy what they need. The new bill will give 30 billion dollars to the businesses to help start up the businesses which will eventually be stable enough to have more employees to pay. One thing i don't understand is why the government is taking away the money the banks earned back and using it again because I thought that the reason we were in a recession was that there was no money to get.., shouldn't we save instead of spend at this point? Or slowly spend instead of spending 30 billion dollars all at once? By the end of the address, Obama reminded me of Lincoln in his speech about the war and how the only way to progress is to unite. Lincoln said, " a house divided cannot stand." Now, Obama is saying the same thing because he says that the political parties have to settle their differences and stick together because thats the only way they can make definate decisions which will improve the health of our nation.

My first thoughts..

So I'm sitting here, thinking about what I should write because my teachers said that my class has to have a first post. While I was thinking about what i should write, a song popped into my head. I thought I would share this with you all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkeAzqhlkNk