Vera Miles

Humans have an inherent desire to be a part of a group. Belonging to something greater than themselves activates a sense of being of more than just a person. The need to belong is a major source of human motivation. Humans need to participate in a group just as a group needs people to participate. In order to be in a group, the members are required to have the same ideas, interests, beliefs for a successful society. Religions create a common moral understanding for all participants to be able to…

Exam 1 In this essay I will be referring to the article, The Negro Church in America written by E. Franklin Frazier. I will be comparing the evolution and function of the Black Church in America with Emile Durkheim’s and Marx’s Theories of religion. I will do this by first providing the background of the African slaves that led to their loss of cultural identity. I will also describe both Emile Durkheim’s and Karl Marx’s theories of religion individually. After this I will describe the…

For this essay I chose to write about Emile Durkheim. He was born in Epinal, France on April 15, 1858. His family was long line of French Jews. Even though he did not believe in God. He started going to rabbinical school at a young age, but later he switched schools, and realized that he wanted to study religion from an agnostic point of view. In 1879 he entered the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. He had a job in Boreaux and was married with two children. Before he reached forty years old, he…

Miles Dew Davis was an Iconic figure and trumpeter of the twentieth century in America, born in Alton, Illinois on May 26, 1926. Davis’ compositions changed the evolution of Jazz with masterpieces, such as, Kind of Blue in 1959, Sketches of Spain in 1960, and the Bitches Brew in 1969. Kind of Blue won the bestselling album of the year, and is one of the most sought-after recordings as late as 1998. It was the first Jazz album to reach double-platinum, in addition to being a Masterpiece, Kind of…

It is well known that the contributions Henri Hubert and Marcel Mauss made to the advancement of the study of sacrifice are groundbreaking and foundational. Whether or not later theorists have agreed with the concepts Hubert and Mauss have proposed, they cannot deny the influence that their Sacrifice: Its Nature and Function had. One commendable aspect about Hubert and Mauss is that they were self-reflective in their writing, stating that they “do not think of presenting [their theory] save as a…

The topic I chose for my science fair project is: Which Saxophone Reeds are the Loudest? I chose this project because my cousin did this project a couple years ago and it inspired me to try for myself. I did not ever hear his final result about which reeds ended up being the loudest. I did hear some of the different materials and strengths of the reeds that he used and I chose more strengths of reeds than he did. There are three important facts about reeds. First, reeds can be altered as…

Lead by jazz director Marko Marcinko, with Jazz being one of my favorite forms of music, it was an honor to listen to Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble. Unfortunately, since I didn’t get the chance to listen to it live, I made sure to wear my beats headphones so I can hear every last instrument clearly. Instantaneously when the band started to play, I felt like I was in a 1920’s New Orleans club. The harmony was very upbeat and dance like, I began to tap my foot to the three beat tempo. The band…

Duke Ellington was born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29, 1899. The name “Duke” was a nickname given to him because of his choice of clothing. Duke’s parent both worked to live a decent life his mother a domestic and his father a butler who had a part-time catering business. Duke studied piano since the age of seven and was influences by pianist, James Johnson and Willie the Lion Smith. He wrote his first song “The Soda Fountain Rag”, at the age of seventeen. This title was influenced by a…

Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, vocalist, soloist, film star and humorist. Considered a standout amongst the most powerful specialists in jazz history, he is known for melodies like "Star Dust," "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World." Louis Armstrong was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist who was a standout amongst the most powerful figures in jazz music. Well known for his inventive strategies for playing the trumpet and cornet, he was additionally an exceedingly…

Count Basie, an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer, was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey as William Basie. He is considered one of the best bandleaders of all time and changed the entire jazz landscape. He also shaped the mid 20th century pop music and earned the title “King of Swing”. Both of his parents, Harvey and Lillian Basie, were musicians. He started piano at a very early age with his mother giving him his first lessons and played the drums in his…