How Mickey Makes Magic

Recently I just traveled to Anaheim for the WorldStrides Heritage Performance for my string Orchestra and since we performed we all got to go to Disneyland for a day. I can't seem to get Disney out of my head so in this post I will be discussing the Music my Orchestra performed as well as what makes Disney music so memorable and lovable.

The performance is such a great experience that most musicians wish for. We got to select three songs that we perform for three judges all of whom are well respected in the community. Then after we perform one of them comes up and talks to us about improvements we can make to take ourselves to the next level. The awards ceremony is the following day and my orchestra ended up taking home silver in our division (which is a good thing).

Our first piece was called Hungarian Dance NO 5 and it is a very lively piece with many dynamic markings of crescendos long with tempo changes and accidentals. (My favorite piece from the trip). Our second song was called Raindrop Prelude and it is a sweet soft song that describes the sounds of the rain so eloquently and has a great part for the lower instruments in the middle section.
The last song was Symphony No 29 the First Movement which is a longer piece but also lively and at times difficult with its fast paced sixteenth notes but very rewarding and enticing to the audience.

The other amazing thing is something that my train of thought stumbled across when I was thinking, how does Disney music get to be so deeply and widely loved? I think there are 2 reasons for that. Firstly the musical component touches so many of our emotions and everyone can relate to them on some level. The other reason is that it is designed for the kid in all of us just like the park. Sure kids love going there and freak out over the characters, but even as a 16-year-old my friend waited for 30 minutes to get a picture with Woody. I myself ran across the park to get to a ride because of my excitement. So many people believe in the magic because there is a 5-year-old in all of us just waiting to break free. My advice to all of you is to let that kid run free.

Welcoming the New Year

Hey guys! hope your holidays were great (whatever you were celebrating). I know I had a great time this break. In fact I would go to say that 2014 was a good year and while I'm sad to see it go I am looking forward to 2015. The biggest thing I'm looking forward to this year won't happen until September when I turn 16; getting my license. But in the meantime I can attempt to control the radio in the car despite parental protests. I wanted to share some moments that I had this year with some of the most important people in my life.

                

 The first one is Annelise and we have been friends since 6th grade being in Orchestra together for these 5 years, on this day we were choreographing a dance. The top middle is my oldest and my newest best friends Ty who has been my friend since 1st grade and J.P. who I just met a year ago, we were on the way to my house to have a study session for a science test. The top right is my debate partner, co-core senator, as well as best friend who sang Iris by the Goo Goo dolls for me on my birthday. Bottom row on the left is Zoe who is one of the strongest and most loving people I have ever met, and we just had to rock out on the way to school. Middle bottom row was some guy with sick dance moves at the country music festival that Zoe, Samantha and I were attending. The bottom rights is at an A's game for my parents anniversary and we brought my friend lily who is really more like my sister. The very last one is in Universal Studios and Aliezahs' brothers Ethan and Caden luckily got called up to dance on stage. I'm showing these videos because when a new year comes its always fun to think of the fantastic things you did that year and think about what you want to accomplish in the next. I am not one who usually makes new years resolutions but if I had one it would be to spend more time with the people I love and never forget those moments. Because they truly are precious 

Hum for the Holidays

         As you all know we are coming close to the end of 2014 and that means it is time to celebrate and be merry. I personally love this time of year because I can wear cute winter outfits, drink lots of warm cocoa or coffee, or its totally acceptable if I wanna just stay in the house, cuddle up by the fire, and watch my favorite movies. This time of the year can also bring on a lot of stress if you're cramming to get stellar grades, buying and wrapping gifts for everyone on your list, or having to host those family members that you love but you also can't wait for them to leave. A lot of what you hear is Christmas music right around now so I wanted to take a closer look at the science of Christmas.
         According to a NBC news story the reason for people likes/dislikes of these jolly tunes is how many times they end up listening to them. The way our brain works from the first time you hear a song and onward it climbs up until you hit a maximum point where your ears get tired of the same song and you couldn't possibly listen to Bruce Springsteen tell you that Santa will be coming to town one more time.Since Christmas only comes once a year most people can tolerate it for that short amount of time that they must endure concentrated doses. It just so happens that for people who work in retail they end up reaching this point a lot sooner than the rest of us.
         Many studies have also been done by Science Direct on how to have the perfect Christmas that will make you and others around you happy. While it is about the giving keep in mind that most people would rather receive something they really wanted and you have clearly put thought into instead of just money. On that note there are such things as bad gifts, most females respond with lying and saying "its fine" while majority of men will speak up and say that's not what they wanted (there is where the spark in the fight usually comes). People like to see houses decorated because it gives them a sense of community and shows that you participate in social activities (warning it is possible to go overboard on this trick in becoming a beam of light by night but wires by day). Christmas music and smells were studied and now as people we are targeted with just the right mixture that can influence your brain into coming back, increases our moods, and our consumer confidence so stores can insure a likelihood of us purchasing something there.

How to get Signed by a Record Label

This post is for all kinds of musicians and if they are looking to take that next step into becoming a famous musician by getting a record deal.
Step One: Find your passion and develop your music
Think about the kind of sound you like and want, people and bands you admire that have record deals, what do they sound like? You have to make it your first priority because they are not looking for someone who is promising they are looking for someone who is already professional and will be a good investment. You don't know when you could get your break so constantly practice so you can sound good and rehearsed as well as always being ready to play. A good trick is taping yourself playing so you can find your strengths and weaknesses and build off of it. Think about your target audience and what they will be wanting from you.
Step Two: Get some Followers
Whether it is in person or by means of 21st century technology you have to make your name recognizable. Play on the town or at local stores. Start a blog or a YouTube channel and post videos of your performances frequently. Start small and once your gathering starts to build expand off of it. Another way to go is if there are bands you already know and they already have a following, piggyback on them. Play before or after their set or even with them. Ask them to mention you to their followers. On top of that you are building a relationship in case you need their help such as borrowing an amp. If they already have studio connections get them to drop off one of your tapes. Once you get going make some merchandise to go the extra mile and add to your followers. Save your money!
Step Three: Record a Demo
Find a studio. Costs vary but since it can be expensive only record a few songs, your best 2 or 3. Each company does it differently so before you sign yourself away ask how the process will go to be sure you will be happy with it. Know your material really well (remember the practicing) you do not want to waste a lot of time because people keep goofing up so make sure you know what you will be playing inside and out. Do not include any covers or experimental music that is way different from the rest of your songs because that will only drive potential investors away.
Step Four: Reach out and finish the process
Now is the time to worry about your image, what clothes, accessories, symbols or any other aesthetics you want to make your musical career flourish. Reach out to Record Labels, send in your demo and call in or even go there in person and see what they think. Remember to not give up or feel bad if the first few turn you down, you can always resubmit when styles change or try other companies. Consider getting a manager whom you trust and is organized as well as resourceful,
I hope these steps will enable you in making your dreams come true.

Love Thyself

This is a re-welcome to my blog. I know for the past couple months I kind of fell off the face of the Earth, but not to worry I am still alive and doing well. Over the summer I was busy almost everyday with softball, summer assignments, babysitting, and vacations to L.A, Santa Cruz, and camping. This blog is all about music, all the different types, messages, and effects; that are represented through music.

One thing I love about music is that the lyrics mean something to people, musicians who write them are people too who have been through some of the same problems as us. A problem that is facing humans and always has been is that in society there are boxes and everyone is supposed to be a certain way to fit in this box. In reality that's not right or true, no two people are the same in their morals or DNA. It is not smart as a group to make others feel bad for not fitting in the box, or for that matter having boxes.

People are most often ridiculed on their appearance. We are told that our clothes, hair, nails, ideas, personalities, makeup (or lack thereof), and our sizes are not right. Who are we to tell others that being themselves is not right? As a society I vote that we throw out the idea of these boxes, of how we want people to look and behave. The biggest reason for this is because its not real, people were not meant to be put into a category, they were meant to be themselves and blossom

These songs are ones I picked about being yourself and being positive about it. They talk about how to be brave and embrace who you are. About not letting mean things that people say affect you. About liking and embracing how you look, because you are beautiful.

P!nk - Stupid Girls

Colbie Caillat - Try

Sara Bareilles - Brave

Beyonce - Pretty Hurts

Christina Perri - Human

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Meghan Trainor - All About that Bass

The Effect of Music on Childrens Intelligence

I bet we have all heard at least once in our life that listening to a certain type of music when your younger or even during teenage years will enhance your intellect. But have you ever heard proof? Seen statistics or evidence? Of course not, people thought "You can't handle the truth". But I think you can so I'm here to tell you. On one website I found that they had looked at a lot of different studies that had been done to show you all the substantial evidence there is for this assertion that learning to play a musical instrument will make you smarter. They say it increased language development, improved school grades, and even bettered their social interactions.
The evidence behind this was quite large. 1. High school music students scored higher on the math and verbal portion of SAT, compared to their peers (Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators Conference, 2001). 2. Piano students can understand mathematical and scientific concepts more readily.  Children who received piano training performed 34 percent higher on tests measuring proportional reasoning – ratios, fractions, proportions, and thinking in space and time (Neurological Research, 1997). 3. Music students received more academic honors and awards than non-music students.  These music students also have more A and B grades compared to non-music students (National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 First Follow-Up, U.S. Department of Education). You can tell from the dates on some of these that this has been quite a struggle for some time now. There were many more facts but I think you would just end up falling asleep if I listed them.
Their reasoning behind all of this is that musical experiences integrate these different skills simultaneously which develops multiple brain neural connections. They also say since music learning involves appreciating the length of notes in proportion to others, when a child plays music they exercise the part of their brain that processes proportional thinking. Keeping all that in mind I also looked at a few other sites that supported the same conclusion except there were some sites, such as the Harvard Gazette, that said otherwise.
 They made the assertion that contrary to popular belief the fact that music improves children's intelligence is false and just a myth. Dr. Samuel Mehr said " More than 80 percent of American adults think that music improves children’s grades or intelligence, Even in the scientific community, there’s a general belief that music is important for these extrinsic reasons. But there is very little evidence supporting the idea that music classes enhance children’s cognitive development.” Their research shows that when studies are done claiming that piano lessons improved students I.Q it is only a very small increase. They found only that only five studies used a randomized trial and of the five, only one showed a positive effect, and it was so small, just a 2.7 point increase in IQ after a year of music lessons which is barely enough to be statistically significant.
So in the end from looking at everything I researched, there is a surplus of studies done on this topic with majority of them saying it does help but there are a few that say they don't and provide evidence for this assertion. Overall music is just a super fun thing and playing instruments is something all kids should do, but if they are only doing it because they believe it will make them smarter they probably shouldn't rely on that. Thank you guys for following and more posts to come.

Reuell, Peter. "Muting the Mozart Effect". Harvard Gazette. 11 December 2013. Web. 10 April 2014

"The effect of Music on Childrens Intelligence". Raise Smart Kid. n.d. Web. 10 April 2014

Like a True Natures Child

You may be asking yourself right now, why would Autumn be reminding us to recycle on a music blog??? That is a good question and the answer is for inspiration. My teacher recently sent all of us outside running around with our phones and told us to take inspirational sensory detail pictures for 15 minutes, normally no big deal except it was raining. So as I'm running around I came up with a theme which was to be green. The backstory and thought process of that was the fact that we had been in a drought so the rain was much welcomed, I got pictures of bikes that people had ridden to school and then the full parking lot of cars that created who knows how many CO2 emissions, the fact there was one prius, and then the above picture. I know you are all waiting to find out how this ties into music. Music has to be about something, therefore inspired by something and of course love is the most well known but what about the love of our planet? Well there was a time when music was inspired by that and we know it as the hippie era. The highlight of this era was 1967 to 1973 and it continued after that a bit but that was mostly when hippies came to be. Personally I like this era it teahces a lot about caring for our planet and caring for each other. So I went through and developed a playlist of 'hippie' songs and artists and I think its pretty groovy. Feel free to check it out.
1 John Lennon- Imagine
2 Santana- evil ways
3 The Byrds- Mr.Tambourine man
4 Jimi Hendrix- Purple Haze
5 Crosby Still and Nash-woodstock
6 The doors- Hello I Love You
7 Bob Marley- One love
8 Grateful Dead - Truckin  and  Sugar Magnolia
9 Pink Floyd - Time  and  Breathe
10 Beatles - Lucy in the sky with diamonds
11 Bob Dylan - like a rolling stone
12 Led Zeppelin - stairway to heaven
13 Janice Joplin - Bobby McGee
Peace out guys. I hope you enjoy my hippie playlist and remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle!