When I first start a paper I try to imagine a creative introduction that usually involves my experiences in life. So far I believe that I have had a quite adventurous 17 years. I can sometimes introduce a paper with my boating stories on the Chicago River, or some of the fun and exciting, yet utterly stupid things my friends and I have done. Honestly I love the ways i get started on papers because it gives me a chance to commerate the fun things I have done.
Writing a paper, in a way, is a very fun and exciting activity for me. Being able to freely express myself through paper is a good way to explain my reasoning and also to share the good times I've had so far in my life. I don't feel like it is neccesary to make any changes in the way i approach writing papers because it is not only fun for me, but because it enables me to give the reader a fun time and not to bore him to death.
It seems that when i try to write a paper, my mind runs wild. When I take a idea and start to think about it, my mind really starts to travel. This is not because of ADHD or some other problem with my brain, I just think that my mind is very active. As I brainstorm ideas it seems as I type my mind goes into "whirl-wind mode" where I almost seem to run with a idea too far and it takes me quite some time to come back home.
I love the way my mind works. I would'nt change it for the world. As I explained earlier the fun and excitement that i can pull from writing makes the wait well worth its while. When looking upon the stories I have written about and the memories it brings back, thats all I need to think about when I'm wondering if this is enough or its not the end.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Best of Week: Mindbooks
The Mindbook is the best way to gather an idea on how a person operates, and what is really going on in their mind. On Tuesday when our class shared the images in our Mindbooks, the images really opened my eyes to the kinds of people in our class. When looking at the images and collages that we had drawn, it made me realize how intricate the human brain works, and how unique we are compared to other people around us.
When I created the first image in my Mindbook, I centered the main idea around music, and how there is a connection from Classical music, to a more modern type of music like lets say, Metal. I thought to myself that since many people enjoy music, maybe a few other people would do the same as I, but I was really wrong. Everyones' book was different.
When I examined the Mindbooks that my group did, i was amazed! It seemed like they spent hours and hours cutting, clipping, drawing, pasting... it really blew me away. Not only the amount of work hit me, but how the books contrasted with eachother and how unique they were from each other. One person's book was really pretty, only focused around the idea in a quote, one drew a car and all his favorite brands, a dark, evil scary looking face; it amazed me.
At first, I was not really a firm believer that the Mindbook would help us in any significant way; however, after the first Mindbook entry I am very excited to get working on our next assignment due this week and see what we come up with then.
When I created the first image in my Mindbook, I centered the main idea around music, and how there is a connection from Classical music, to a more modern type of music like lets say, Metal. I thought to myself that since many people enjoy music, maybe a few other people would do the same as I, but I was really wrong. Everyones' book was different.
When I examined the Mindbooks that my group did, i was amazed! It seemed like they spent hours and hours cutting, clipping, drawing, pasting... it really blew me away. Not only the amount of work hit me, but how the books contrasted with eachother and how unique they were from each other. One person's book was really pretty, only focused around the idea in a quote, one drew a car and all his favorite brands, a dark, evil scary looking face; it amazed me.
At first, I was not really a firm believer that the Mindbook would help us in any significant way; however, after the first Mindbook entry I am very excited to get working on our next assignment due this week and see what we come up with then.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
It Matters: Music in Culture
Many people will agree that music over time has lost its purpose of explaining life, the government, social standards, and other topics like that. Today, many of the genre's of music we hear today are pretty much pointless. Lets take a song like 'Chicken Leg'. What is the point?
Back in the 60's and 70's, music had a point, whether it was directed at the social standards of society, the government, or whatever it was that famous artists decided to write about; music really had a deep moral purpose to it. Today most musicians who make it big rely on a computer, and something stupid to sing about.
In class we learn about great classical composers who truly changed the way of music. I also firmly believe that the way composers in the classical periods have influenced such bands as Dream Theater. If you were to listen to any song by Dream Theater you would understand where i am coming from. The amount of practice, coordination, precision, and complexity can litterally let you hear a connection to such great composers long ago.
Many people including myself believe that a genre like rap is just another source of problems for many Americans. I think that much of rap we hear is centralized around drugs, drinking, fighting, gang-banging, and alot of other illegal things. Violence and rap seem to go hand in hand. For instance on May 30th 2009 there was a shooting in Austin Texas when a rap group couldn't play because the group showed up late. Members of the band shot up eight people that police say were mostly women. Whats the point? There is no point what so ever, another mindless shooting spree fueled by anger.
Many modern musical artists really need to start using music to portray emotions. Classical composers seem to fuel the mind and heart. On September 16th, i remember coming to class in a okay mood. When I wasn't allowed to hand in a assignment i was honestly very mad. I understood why but its just that I did the work and should get credit. After that I was rather upset. When our class listened to a piece of music by a classical composer, it seemed like I actually felt a little better. Music tends to sooth me, and it seemed to help alot of other people in the class as well.
Music needs to regain the significance that it played in a persons' life as it did before all these new genre's of music came out. It seems like every day brings us a new song that has no meaning, just another sound on the airwaves. Artists should bring back the intellectual sounds that we once used to hear and bring them back. If someone took these steps, music would once again take charge, and maybe even give us the news we want to hear about.
Back in the 60's and 70's, music had a point, whether it was directed at the social standards of society, the government, or whatever it was that famous artists decided to write about; music really had a deep moral purpose to it. Today most musicians who make it big rely on a computer, and something stupid to sing about.
In class we learn about great classical composers who truly changed the way of music. I also firmly believe that the way composers in the classical periods have influenced such bands as Dream Theater. If you were to listen to any song by Dream Theater you would understand where i am coming from. The amount of practice, coordination, precision, and complexity can litterally let you hear a connection to such great composers long ago.
Many people including myself believe that a genre like rap is just another source of problems for many Americans. I think that much of rap we hear is centralized around drugs, drinking, fighting, gang-banging, and alot of other illegal things. Violence and rap seem to go hand in hand. For instance on May 30th 2009 there was a shooting in Austin Texas when a rap group couldn't play because the group showed up late. Members of the band shot up eight people that police say were mostly women. Whats the point? There is no point what so ever, another mindless shooting spree fueled by anger.
Many modern musical artists really need to start using music to portray emotions. Classical composers seem to fuel the mind and heart. On September 16th, i remember coming to class in a okay mood. When I wasn't allowed to hand in a assignment i was honestly very mad. I understood why but its just that I did the work and should get credit. After that I was rather upset. When our class listened to a piece of music by a classical composer, it seemed like I actually felt a little better. Music tends to sooth me, and it seemed to help alot of other people in the class as well.
Music needs to regain the significance that it played in a persons' life as it did before all these new genre's of music came out. It seems like every day brings us a new song that has no meaning, just another sound on the airwaves. Artists should bring back the intellectual sounds that we once used to hear and bring them back. If someone took these steps, music would once again take charge, and maybe even give us the news we want to hear about.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Change of Mind: Classical Music
The first time that I had ever really listened to Classical music was probably in the 3rd or 4th grade when my class was in music class. To be honest it seemed like I disliked it a lot; it seemed repetitive and after a while it seemed to get boring. Classical music bored me when being compared to other types of music such as Rock and Roll, Metal, or Heavy Metal. It seemed like there was more rhythm, more tone, and more power coming through the speakers when listening to other kinds of music.
For most of my young live (according to teenagers) I guess that i never really gave classical music a chance even though it is coming from such influential composers such as Mozart or Bach. It wasnt until Mr. Allen's Humanities class that i actually gave classical music a chance again; however, i will admit i was in a way 'forced' to do so. Being taught to listen to music not as a whole, but learning to listen to music in a way where you absorb everything from the bass to the treble.
After this activity I could really feel the music going into my mind, and it made the whole principle of classical music clear to me. Later that day when i returned home, I almost immediately went to my room and turned on my iPod so I could try out my new skill at breaking down music and piecing it all back together. I was shocked. I felt the music that I have always listened to in such a more distinct heart-grabbing way, that it really got to me.
Now that I have a new skill to put to use while listening to music especially in the classical genre, I feel like there is a lot more to learn when listening to music. I feel that there is so much more to classical music that many of my friends and especially myself have missed throughout all these years. I know that I will once again try to give Classical music a new chance in my life to influence the ways I listen to music. Its hard for me to feel the ways I did towards Classical music before Mr. Allen's experiment with our class, and for his work I am greatful. All I needed to do was to give it a second chance.
For most of my young live (according to teenagers) I guess that i never really gave classical music a chance even though it is coming from such influential composers such as Mozart or Bach. It wasnt until Mr. Allen's Humanities class that i actually gave classical music a chance again; however, i will admit i was in a way 'forced' to do so. Being taught to listen to music not as a whole, but learning to listen to music in a way where you absorb everything from the bass to the treble.
After this activity I could really feel the music going into my mind, and it made the whole principle of classical music clear to me. Later that day when i returned home, I almost immediately went to my room and turned on my iPod so I could try out my new skill at breaking down music and piecing it all back together. I was shocked. I felt the music that I have always listened to in such a more distinct heart-grabbing way, that it really got to me.
Now that I have a new skill to put to use while listening to music especially in the classical genre, I feel like there is a lot more to learn when listening to music. I feel that there is so much more to classical music that many of my friends and especially myself have missed throughout all these years. I know that I will once again try to give Classical music a new chance in my life to influence the ways I listen to music. Its hard for me to feel the ways I did towards Classical music before Mr. Allen's experiment with our class, and for his work I am greatful. All I needed to do was to give it a second chance.
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