Music education

Consequently, at the time when we were given a choice for Play #5, I was also lucky enough to receive an opportunity to see the “The Great Comet of 1812” with my residence hall. Since the tickets were significantly discounted and right at my disposal, of course I took the opportunity to go. When the show was announced, I was very excited as I had heard a lot of buzz about the musical. First of all, it stars Josh Groban in his debut on Broadway, which obviously would direct a lot of attention…

Carnegie Hall Concert Finally, the wait was over on Friday May 6 I was excited to finally visit a place I never experienced before, Carnegie Hall. I ordered two tickets online one for my girlfriend and one for myself to watch The Cecilia Chorus of New York with Orchestra preform Beethoven Missa solemnis, Op. 123. It took a lot of convincing but with some bribery I was able to drag my girlfriend along with me. We left about two hours early from Queens expecting to reach one hour early to…

Romanticism was a period that started in the early 19th century, primarily in England and Germany. At first Romanticism influenced the literature world, but by 1820s musicians started to adopt the style in their music as well. Hector Berlioz was a French composer during the Early Romantics period in the 1830s. He is most famously known for his piece “Symphony Fantastique” 5th Movement composed in 1830, where he tells about his own personal love for an Irish Actress, Harriet Smithson. Hector…

Aaron Copland illustrates the difference between songs and music in his essay, “How We Listen.” There are certain songs and music that will mean the same thing every time someone listens to the songs or music, which will eventually become “dull music”; however, there are also other songs and music whose “meaning is slightly different with each hearing, [which will have] a greater chance of remaining alive” (Copland 2). Songs that become dull with each hearing are often the ones that are…

major role in the Jazz Age, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties. He helped this time period move forward with this type of jazz. Louis and his group, the Oliver band, brought “swing” to this time period. Louis Armstrong helped start a significant music period (“Louis Armstrong”). Armstrong was born in New Orleans, on the fourth of August in 1901 and died on the sixth of July in 1971 in New York, New York. Louis grew up in extreme poverty. He had to work many strange jobs to get money for…

after, by the age of 12 he had taught himself to play the trumpet and trombone. After listening to his idol Roy Eldridge on the radio he instantly wanted to play jazz and become a musician. He became such a great musician in a matter of years he got a music scholarship to Laurinburg Institute for two years but eventually dropped out of the school to look for work as a musician as he had grown up in poverty. At the young age of 18 he participated in his first ever professional job with the Frank…

Throughout the last century, music has transformed drastically in numerous ways. For example, in the 1950’s, songs were almost entirely acoustic and incredibly organic. Artists in the industry did not have access to the technology available today, which made them rely on their talents alone. Today, individuals are able to autotune their vocals and they have tools such as metronomes, drum machines, etc. that can enhance their songs. At the same time, their are several similarities in the style of…

The first real jazz concert that I saw was a Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola. Now this may not be one of the most ideal spots to listen to jazz but it’s still an experience I will never forget. I attended one of the late night sessions which began around 11pm. The featured musician that was going to play was Josh Bruneau. After some research I found that Josh Bruneau is a fairly new jazz musician. Although he has been playing jazz for a long time he wasn’t recognized until the release of his…

involved in music at a young age. At one of Ira's piano lessons George began to play, with no prior lessons, and his parents discovered his love and natural talent for music they put him in lessons. His first mentor and teacher, Charles Hambitzer, early on had realized George's exceptional talent with the piano so he denied charging the Gershwin family because he knew he had the privilege of teaching a future phenomenon. He was only eleven at the time of his humble beginnings with music, by 15…

Marching band showed me one of the most important parts of my life. Marching band teaches people. With Mr. Beach as a director, one learns more than just how to march and play an instrument. It all started three years ago with five people in a loose section. To preface this story, I need to explain instruments. I found myself playing mellophone in marching band. The mellophone resembled a bigger trumpet and used by French horn players. Flugelhorns also look like trumpets, but they share the…