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.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
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
Thursday, April 10, 2014
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
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.
"The effect of Music on Childrens Intelligence". Raise Smart Kid. n.d. Web. 10 April 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Like a True Natures Child
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!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Someone(s) I think Is cool
So this post is all about a group I think is super cool but in particular my favorite video by them. I encourage you all to check out this video and others by them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExW80sXsHs
The video is called "Evolution of music" and its by one of my favorite A Capella groups, Pentatonix. For those of you who do not know, A Capella is basically just music without instrument accompaniment, so in A Capella songs it is just completely singing, making instrument noises or both (Ever watch the movie pitch perfect?). This video travels all the way back to 11th century and goes up into the 2010's. Throughout the video you experience 4 minutes of some of the best songs in all those era's. It is amazing to see how far music has come and how it got there. What most people do not realize is that pop music does not refer to all the bubblegum music playing right now but it refers to music that is popular in any generation and bubblegum just so happens to be it right now (That means you could technically call Mozart pop music) The songs are all pretty recognizable (unless you live under a rock in which case how did you make it to my blog?) They have lots of other covers of different songs but this is my favorite. I honestly love A Capella and wish that the groups got more cred and fame because to be in a group you HAVE to be a good singer. One thing just in particular about this video is if you watch closely you can see the color and quality of the video change as you progress through history. So check out this video, check out more of their songs and you should definitely subscribe, I did. Here's a list of all the songs:
11th century-
Salve Regina
1600s-
Canon in D - Pachelbel
1800s-
Symphony No. 5 - Beethoven
1910s-
Danny Boy - Frederic Weatherly
1920s-
Old Man River - Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II
1930s-
Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
1940s-
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrew Sisters
1950s-
I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
1960s-
Stand By Me - Ben E King
Barbara Ann - Beach Boys
I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Respect - Aretha Franklin
1970s-
ABC - Jackson 5
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
1980s-
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Thriller - Michael Jackson
1990s-
Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Say My Name - Destiny's Child
I Want It That Way - The Backstreet Boys
2000s
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Drop it Like Its Hot - Snoop Dogg
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Single Ladies - Beyoncé
I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
I Gotta Feelin - Black Eyed Peas
2010s-
Baby - Justin Bieber
We Found Love - Rihanna
Some Nights - Fun.
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Gangnam Style - Psy
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
*I am in no way affiliated or claiming to be with Pentatonix*
The video is called "Evolution of music" and its by one of my favorite A Capella groups, Pentatonix. For those of you who do not know, A Capella is basically just music without instrument accompaniment, so in A Capella songs it is just completely singing, making instrument noises or both (Ever watch the movie pitch perfect?). This video travels all the way back to 11th century and goes up into the 2010's. Throughout the video you experience 4 minutes of some of the best songs in all those era's. It is amazing to see how far music has come and how it got there. What most people do not realize is that pop music does not refer to all the bubblegum music playing right now but it refers to music that is popular in any generation and bubblegum just so happens to be it right now (That means you could technically call Mozart pop music) The songs are all pretty recognizable (unless you live under a rock in which case how did you make it to my blog?) They have lots of other covers of different songs but this is my favorite. I honestly love A Capella and wish that the groups got more cred and fame because to be in a group you HAVE to be a good singer. One thing just in particular about this video is if you watch closely you can see the color and quality of the video change as you progress through history. So check out this video, check out more of their songs and you should definitely subscribe, I did. Here's a list of all the songs:
11th century-
Salve Regina
1600s-
Canon in D - Pachelbel
1800s-
Symphony No. 5 - Beethoven
1910s-
Danny Boy - Frederic Weatherly
1920s-
Old Man River - Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II
1930s-
Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
1940s-
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrew Sisters
1950s-
I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
1960s-
Stand By Me - Ben E King
Barbara Ann - Beach Boys
I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Respect - Aretha Franklin
1970s-
ABC - Jackson 5
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
1980s-
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Thriller - Michael Jackson
1990s-
Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Say My Name - Destiny's Child
I Want It That Way - The Backstreet Boys
2000s
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Drop it Like Its Hot - Snoop Dogg
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Single Ladies - Beyoncé
I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
I Gotta Feelin - Black Eyed Peas
2010s-
Baby - Justin Bieber
We Found Love - Rihanna
Some Nights - Fun.
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Gangnam Style - Psy
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
*I am in no way affiliated or claiming to be with Pentatonix*
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Happy New Year
I would first like to say happy new year to everyone and I hope you had fun. Before we transition into the New Year there were a lot of albums released near the end of the year the #1(according to charts) being Beyonce’s surprise album, which is no surprise since Beyonce is...well she’s Beyonce! I have a feeling that 2014 will be good for the music industry. these albums are projected to hit the top charts. Here is a link that shows all the albums being released this year and when:
Let's talk about the 10 most popular songs of 2013 according to Time Entertainment:
10) Royals - Lorde. I like this song and I am impressed that she is only 16 and already getting a lot of fame so congratulations to her. Sounds even better if you turn the bass up and listen in a car.
9) Cups - Anna Kendrick. Who could forget the cup song? I loved it at first, hated it the second month, and after that it slowly crept back into my life and is permanently stuck in my head.
8) Love is lost - David bowie. The assumption is that because he is older his voice is not as good but quite the contrary his voice actually adds a cool new wrinkled element
7) We can't stop - Miley Cyrus. Sure she has changed a lot and looks different but her voice is still really nice. Personally I still like her and the song isn't half bad so haters need to shut it
6) Cut copy me - Petula Clark. Yah you are probably thinking what? she is 80 years old. well yes she is but she wrote this song a long time ago and just now released it so... I guess it did good
5) I got a boy - Girls generation. So this song is by a 9 girl group in south Korea. To me that is a lot of people to have in a band. It seems alright but I mean I have no idea what they are saying.
4) Ohm - Yo la tengo. So this song you have to listen really closely if you wanna hear the lyrics because the awesome chords are too loud. Reminds me of I am the Walrus but not as slow.
3) Control - Big Sean feat. Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electonica. Every top ten needs a rap song and this one was a good one this year, there were a few that were better but a lot that were worse
2) The wire - Haim. Ok this song is pretty cool, recently some mainstream music has turned somewhat indie and this is definitely one. Overall I am pretty happy with this song
1) Get lucky - Daft punk. This song was actually number one across different boards. I mean it was fine I just did not know it was #1 material but I mean its got a good beat.
Alright I hope this year turns out good for music and all of you reading this. More posts to follow this year :)
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