Wedding

I was a groomsman in a wedding of an old friend.  It was interesting and fun weekend away at Block Island.  Kurt plays in a lot of weddings and it was interesting to hear the group he hired.  Real pros.  Must be interesting playing a wedding where you know 1/2 the people could sit in for you.

It was a nice reunion of old band instructors.  Here is Jack and Keith and I at the lighthouse.  Lots of time spent on the field with these guys.

Misogyny and Hip Hop

Today in Hip Hop we will get deeper into the really explicit lyrics.  Not something we normally do.  Much of this assignment is taken from the PBS Guide from Beyond the Beats.

I keep all of our class notes in an Evernote folder that the class shares.  Here is the assignment note:

This is the final day for this unit.  Our test will be on Friday.  Your test will include one summary essay (see below) and answers from the previous three classes.

Once again please put all of your answers in your evernote answer note.  Be sure to draw a line between Day 3 and Day 4 work.

Take the time to read Wikipedia's entry on misogyny in hip hop culture.

1. Watch the video for Pimp Juice by Nelly.  Reference the lyrics using this link.  I choose not to show you the video from Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't S..t".  You can reference the lyrics from The Chronic here.  These lyrics are clearly offensive and we include them to make the comparative analysis.  Nelly's lyrics are perhaps less explicit, but may be as offensive.

2. Watch the video for Queen Latifah U.N.I.T.Y.  Reference the lyrics using this link. 

• Is this song is a response to Dr. Dre?
• How does Queen Latifah combat the misogyny in hip hop lyrics?  

3. Need to clear your head after all these lyrics?  Watch the Muppets sing Danny Boy.

4. Analyze the Dr. Dre track using the following guide questions (choose two questions to answer):

• In the first verse, Dr. Dre refers to his former partner, Eazy E, as a woman. What is his point?

• In the second verse, Snoop Dogg describes an episode that ends in him exacting violence against a woman. What is his justification for that act of violence?

• Jewell, a female rapper, raps the last verse. How does she position herself toward other women and

toward men?

• How does this song relate to Michael Eric Dyson’s analysis in the film that men bond with each other by using sex and their domination of women “at the expense of their heterosexual alliances with women”?

5. Analyze the Queen Latifah song using the following guide questions (choose two questions to answer):

• What is the hook? Is it catchy? What is the message of the hook?

• In the first verse, whom is Queen Latifah addressing? What is her message to them?

• In the last verse, Queen Latifah speaks directly to women. What is her message to them?

• This song was very popular when it came out. Would a song like this be equally appealing and commercially viable now? Why or why not?

6. Read about Dr. Dre in the news.   Dr. Dre has clearly been very successful.  

Want a head start on your main essay question for the test on Friday?

Assignment: Compare and Contrast Essay

Write an essay comparing the lyrics and messages of the Dr. Dre and Queen Latifah songs or two songs of your choice that represent perspectives on women similar to the Dr. Dre and Queen Latifah songs. You should include specific lines as examples and present an opinion on how the songs impact listeners and consumers.

Smartmusic for iPad

Some thoughts about the release of Smartmusic for iPad.

1. I still can't figure out the cost structure.
2. I'm worried this will be a space hog on the iPad as students download files.
3. If we implement I anticipate either providing some students with subscription and/or loaning the iPads out for home use.
4. I see this as a digital library where I can "try out" a band piece with my group.  We are 1-1 iPads in my band (1-2 in choir).  If it works I'm not sure why I would buy paper copies of music.
5. This encourages me to go all digital next year.  Each student in band would be assigned an iPad and choir students would be iPad buddies.  I went half way this year with digital folders.
6. It would be nice if you could "sync" smartmusic ala garageband jam session so multiple kids could be assessed during rehearsal.

Hip Hop iPad Assignments

This is a "kind of" fun day where I want you to explore some new things, either on youtube or apps on the iPad.  Some of this stuff is music knowledge we need to gain and start practicing.

Some of your iPads might be missing an app.  Let me know if that is the case.

1. Watch this new animation of a Beastie Boys interview Its kind of cool.

2. Can you clean your iPad out?  Look for junk in the photos, or garageband or other apps.  Delete old stuff you made.  Be careful not to delete other students work.  Have you logged out of everything you ahve been using?  If dirty use the special cloth to polish screen.  Use the windex on the back.

3. Play the Dust Buster piano app.  Try to learn one song that you can then play on the real piano.  You want to play the touch piano and then the Germ Attack game.  If you want to switch use the "real piano" option.  Start with the simplest tunes.

4. Play with some of the groove apps like Beatwave, Groovemaker, Melodica Free, or Electrobeats.  Show teacher your best groove.

5. Play with DJay Lite.  We used this a bit at the beginning of the course.  Most of the iPad music is in "the cloud".  You may need to listen to the music in the iPod Music part and download songs you want to the iPad.  I haven't quite figured this out.  Remember, samplers take music from non-hip hop type music.  You can sample from Bach, James Brown, John Coltrane, etc...

6. Work on your ear training with APS Trainer.  Start to figure out when notes are flat or sharp.  Ask me if you need help.

7. Create a youtube playlist called "Hip Hop How to Videos".  Add this video to your list  Find two other dance how to videos that you think are good and would like to work on.

8. Try the DragonBox game.  Its kind of about algebra.

9. Play with some of the Rap apps.  Rap to the Beats or Rap Wars.  Are there better apps out there?  Do some research and write me an evernote note why I should add it.

Program Selection

I did an activity in my grad class last night.  I brought in a set of ten different scores and asked the group to rank them in order of difficulty.  They next selected five of the songs to work for a concert program.

Some things I noticed:

• There are differences of opinion on what is hard or easy.
• Everyone selects different programs.  It is important to know why (conductor skills, interest, patience for hard music, etc...).

I wonder if any districts have meetings where they select the repertoire for the following year in a group.  I know English teachers don't bring a new book in without discussing it first.  Should we use the benefit of the crowd more?

Hip Hop Assignments

Required:

1. Creating a youTube "Favorites" playlist.

• Sign in to youtube using your google/youtube account.  If you do not have an account (most of you do) then create one.  Remember to sign out at end of class!!!!
• Create a playlist called "Hip-Hop Favorites".  To create a new playlist click the share button on the video and "Create New Playlist".  Once you create playlist you will use same button to just add videos to it.
• You can only include TEN videos in playlist.  These will be your TEN FAVORITE hip hop songs.  Not nine, not eight, not eleven.  Ten.
• Try to include songs that are creative enough that they aren't one long swear word marathon.
• Sign out of youtube!!

2. Create a flow chart of one of the following classic hip-hop tunes.  Most of you will use pencil/paper to do this.  Some of these are LONG.  You don't have to flow chart the entire song.  Check with me as you create.

• "Rapper's Delight" - Sugar Hill Gang
• "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• "Wild Wild West" - Kool Moe Dee
• "Fight for Your Rght" - Beastie Boys
• "Can I Kick It?" - A Tribe Called Quest
• "King of Rock" - Run DMC

3. Watch one of the following hip hop movies.  Please realize there are some "bad words" in these movies.

• "Style Wars".  This is a very important documentary.  You will see a lot of important artists when they were very young.  It was made in 1982 so the styles are different.  You will learn a lot about teenagers and their music.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ynCdOL5cEE
• "Scratch". Documentary about early hip hop history and DJing.  Some of these people became very famous, some are "behind the scenes".  Hip hop started with DJs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj1r6u8zLPo&list=PLF402F5CD509B806E&index=1 
• "The Art of the 16 Bars".  This movie is more for the hard core.  It is easy to follow but they go deep into the art of the rhyme and analysis of the MC.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY1AGiTERG0 

Optional/Choice (must do at least one):

1. Add a rhyme to your soundcloud account.  

2. Create a graffiti tag portfolio using the iPad and your evernote account.

3. Make a "how to" video to post to youtube of one of the following:

• Hip hop dance moves.
• How to draw your name hip hop style.
• How to use garageband to create a recording.

4. Create something (hip-hop style) really cool and share it with the class.

NAfME All-Eastern

I recently returned from the NAfME All-Eastern conference where I presented "Creative Uses for the iPad in Music Class".  I was lucky to have a full session.  I'm not sure I did too good, however.  I tried to include student examples.

A few observations:
1. It would be great if the BOCJ groups were at the conference and you didn't have to take a bus to go see them.  It is much more fun to stop in at rehearsal between sessions.
2.  Almost nobody was at the 8am session with Tom Duffy.  People should have been there.  One of the best things I have seen in awhile.
3. It was neat to meet up with some twitter colleagues.
4. There is almost no social media presence (or internet presence) by the conference or the attendees.  I'm almost certain this will be the only blog post.  Not sure why there is so little reflection and advocacy from this group.
5. Its really helpful when the convention center offers the wifi in the hallway and has the concession stand open.