tech

I think the impact of technology is beyond the expectations. In today`s world, everything is easier to be reached, new musical programs such as garage band, or guitar pro, are teaching the basics of musical techniques to many amateurs who could have no chance to find out those things that easy and cheap. I thin that is the main reason why electronic music is becoming more famous day by day and that will go on.

Adam Lambert

i went to youtube and looked up Adam Lambert's AMA performance. i wasn't very disgusted by it but it is indeed very inappropriate. I thought his vocal ability was very good and i enjoyed his singing. About the kissing, tones of rock vocalist did it just for the shock value at shows, but i think Lambert picked the wrong time and place to do it. I felt sad for Lambert for the fact that he lost opportunities later to the performance, i guess he really didn't think about whether his place in the industry permitted him to something like that. I mean look at Lady gaga's latest music video telephone, it is super disgusting and inappropriate but she didn't get her shows cancelled, it has to do with her status in the music business.

I really enjoyed taking this class this year. I learned a lot about american music and its impact. I thought I knew plenty, but their is always more to learn. I would definitely suggest this class to others who may be interested. It wasnt such a hard class but it was interesting and fun. Katie thanks for teaching such a great class.

performance as art

Performance as an art has a large impact on live shows these days. Many artists may sacrifice some of their musical abilities in order to add more visual aspects to their show. To me, that idea is totally unnecessary. I have seen many shows where the artists played amazing and were still able to put on a performance that was unbelievable. Iron Maiden was one of the coolest shows I ever went to. They shreded and rocked while running around with light shows, fireworks, a huge mechanical eddy, costumes changes, the whole package. I have seen tons of bands that didn't need any gimmicks to put on a great show. It seems to me the artists who need to sacrifice their music for a show aren't really talented at all.

This semester

Since the beginning, in my first blog post, I remember stating what I hoped to learn from this class and that is to learn the exciting music genres of each time period and since music has influenced and provided me company it was my turn to learn the history of it. Guess what? I did! Thanks to Katie, I acquired so much knowledge about the music from 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's- all the way to present years. Once again, gender, sexuality, race, and culture are all big factors and have contributed much to the present music we have today. This class was such a joy to be in and I had a great time learning something I really cared and loved for.

Pop Music as Torture

Read an interesting Freakonomics article recently. According to Wired magazine, the US government is using David Gray's Babylon to torture inmates at Guantanamo Bay and in fact may owe Mr. Gray royalties for the use. But the devastating power of soft vocals doesn't stop there. In Australia Barry Manilow is used to keep "late night hooligans" from hanging out in parks. However their is a flip side to this music and apparently (also from Wired) Kenny Rogers may help recovering stroke victims. An interesting use of music.

Since this is the last post and it seems like the popular thing to do is to reflect I shall write my second paragraph. I enjoyed this class and the relaxing atmosphere brought by the teacher and fellow classmates. I really enjoyed the earlier slower paced music genres where we were able to really absorb them especially Muddy Waters and the Big Band era. It gets a little hard after the 60's to fit everything in. I also, enjoyed the blog posts as they were unique in the fact that most students, even quieter ones had an equal say by using texts and left some interesting posts. I think for future classes that the blog should be tied in with Friday discussion more. If one had to write down in words their thoughts on a specific discussion question before the actual discussion there could be a deeper more diverse conversation. For me at least I'm terrible at speaking on the fly and feel like I'm blabbering on.

Thanks for a very enjoyable class!

Adam Lambert's Performance

I am a big fan of Adam Lambert and I was upset when he did not win American Idol but at the same time glad that he does not have to follow the Idol contract. His vocal abilities were undeniably exceptional during every performance on the show. Therefore, I was extremely looking forward to his album and the rest of his music career. Someone with this amount of talent must not follow other artists and Adam would definitely create something exotic and special right?

However his performance at the AMA's was a big disappointment. As a big fan, I really could not finish watching his performance without wincing or looking away. Some of his moves were really inappropriate. However, what disappointed me the most was the fact that where did his true talent go? You don't need a ton of costume and moves to prove you're creative and different. Many critics claimed that he put on this big show to cover up his lack of talent but I disagree. He does not need any of this! I was also disappointed that he was not being original. To truly be successful, you need to be original and have your own distinct style so your fans can recognize you and distinguish you from other artists.