Connection to Project #1

Today, in choir class, Mr. Polluck did a lot of different warm ups. He wanted to make sure people were actually attempting to improve on different aspects of their singing. He wants us to practice better diction, tone, dynamics, etc. Many of the kids in my class sounded the same as they did a couple weeks ago, meaning either that they didn't try to improve, or they need further instruction. I think people in my choir class need to listen to what Mr. Polluck says more intently because he definitely knows what he is talking about. He is just trying to making us a better choir overall.

Current Event

On Thursday, on a plane going from LaGuardia to Louisville, there was a bomb scare. A Jewish teen pulled out some sort of box, called a tefillin, and passengers mistaked it for a bomb, so the plane route was diverted. The plane ended up landing in Philadelphia, surrounded by the Bomb Squad and Homeland Security. Well, they removed the teen from the plane and talked to him about the box. He told them that a tefillin is a religious item that observant Jewish men use during weekday morning prayers. They let the cooperative teen back on the plane, where him and his sister were still allowed to continue on to Louisville. It was all just a big misunderstanding.

I saw this story on the news and read the article. I was interested mostly because my boyfriend left for Florida this morning, and his flight was delayed do to this incident. Of course, they were being told a completely different story about a hostage situation, and I was extremely worried. When their plane finally boarded, I was relieved, and then I saw the story on the news and felt even better knowing that my boyfriend and his family were never in harms way.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/21/national/main6123671.shtml

Good Deeds and Maturity

The other night, my boyfriend and I talked his son into sleeping in his own bed. He has feared doing so for a long time, but that particular night, he was willing and ready. Of course, after he said he would, he didn't want to go to bed. Kids will be kids. I know he was slightly nervous, even though we assured him if he wasn't ready he didn't have to. We told him if he needed anything that we were right next door. Then, we turned on his night light and tucked him in. To our surprise he slept through the whole night in his own bed. He's slowly becoming a big boy.

You Are What You Read

Playing By Ear

I read an interesting article on playing by ear, which means listening to a note and being able to copy that note. Whether you play that note on an instrument or sing it, you are very talented if you can do so. A lot of people that play by ear can't even read music, but if you can do both, then you're ahead of the game. I am good at playing and singing by ear, and I can read music fluently. Playing by ear doesn't always apply to music, though. Many believe that when listening to something over and over again, you start to memorize it, and I agree.

http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/whymusictheory.html

Weekend Growth/ General Knowledge

Over the weekend, I had All South Jersey Chorus practice. At last week's rehearsal, we were told that we had to know our music this week and that we would be tested on certain pieces. Well, our conductor wasn't kidding. She tested people on four different songs, and they did pretty well. She wanted us to have all of our music mostly memorized, which most people didn't. Then, we started rehearsing the hardest piece that we are doing and a lot of people didn't know their parts, so our conductor got really frustrated with everyone. I definitely don't want to be one of the people that learns their music last minute because I want to enjoy my last All South Jersey concert, without having to worry about forgetting words.

Current Event

Antwonn Tanner is a actor from one of my favorite tv shows, "One Tree Hill." He was one of my favorites because he carried a very comedic role in the show, and always had a positive attitude. Apparently, he was arrested for social security card fraud recently. He pleaded guilty, but I'm not sure how long his sentence will be.

Good Deeds and Maturity

The other day, I met my friend Matt's little cousin. He was so cute, but a little out of control. All of a sudden, he went and grabbed his beanie baby, which came with a story. He sat down on the couch next to me and asked if I would read it to him. So, I figured it would be more fun to read it together. He absolutely loved this idea. We took turns reading a page at a time, read the entire book, and he never lost interest. This gave me an extremely good feeling. It was as if this kid sisn't ever want to sit down and take a breather, but for some reason, he really wanted to read with me and had no intentions of getting up until we were finished.

I can't wait until my boyfriend's son gets more interested in books. He has a few, and sometimes wants to read them, but loses interest pretty quickly. I want to read him bedtime stories and give him some of the books I read when I was a child.

You Are What You Read

I stumbled upon an article that interested me very much. Well, apparently doctors are studying the effects that music has on a person's mind. They say it soothes the mind, and may even help cure mental illness, or at least speed up the process. Music is therapeutic, and doctors are hoping that their theroies are correct. They are also trying to find out music's role in medical science. Music may even have an effect on older people, causing them to have more of a desire to live longer.



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Music-in-any-form-can-rekindle-life/articleshow/5425472.cms

Weekend Growth/ General Knowledge

Over the weekend, I didn't really do much, but I did attend a party. There were a lot of people there and many of them were out of control. It's one thing to enter someone's house knowing you can handle yourself, than to completely make a fool out of yourself and others in the process. One of my friends took things a little too far and got really sick. This made me think aboutf how that could've been any one of us, and that it could have been more serious. So, now I am going to try to be more responsible when I go to parties with my friends because I don't want to end up like that.

Also, I met someone new last night, a friend of a friend. He seemed pretty cool, but I could tell that he wasn't who he seemed to be. We were helping him take a piece of furniture to his brother's house, and on the way he was talking about beating people up because they owed him money and wouldn't return his calls. Well, I don't really like fighting, but even moreso I hate borrowing money. I am going to keep my distance from that kid if he continues to be that way.

Current Event

The People's Choice awards 2010 were hosted by Queen Latifah, and I didn't get to see it for myself, but I found out that Johnny Depp got an award. I was really excited when I heard the news, so I looked up what award he received. I was delighted to see that he was named actor of the decade. I absolutely love Johnny Depp, the movies that he is in, and he definitely deserved this honorable award.

Good Deeds and Maturity

Even though I originally wanted to be a senior mentor, I didn't end up becoming one. I do, however, try to help others when needed. I am told that I'm really easy to talk to, and that I listen intentively. I am a Sunday School teacher at my church, and I enjoy teaching the kids very much. They always arrive on time, eager to learn.

Last year, I was section leader for the school's choir. I am a very strong and confident singer, and I like to help others break out of their shell. Also, I can read music, so if anyone needed help learning their music, I was right there willing to help in any way I could.

My boyfriend has a son that I absolutely adore, and I feel like his step mom. I help take care of him, and I play with him. I am normally over everytime he comes over.

My Topic

The topic I chose to do my senior project on is music, due to the fact that I can't get enough of it. To be more specific, I love singing, and that's why I'm going to study more about vocal music. I have been in many different choral groups, from church choirs to All South Jersey Chorus, and I've learned a lot over the years. Yet, there are still many things I don't know much about.

I've learned that it is not good to sing from the throat, but many people do it all the time, even famous musicians. It is better to sing from the diaphram, although at first it may not be very comfortable. What I want to know is, does singing from the throat damage the voice in the long run, and does everyone have the capability to sing from the diaphram? People argue that singing from the throat is easier and more comfortable, however others believe that it is the other way around. I am not completely sure what I am going to prove in my research paper, nevertheless, you can pretty much tell where I'm trying to go with it.