Concerts

One  of my favorite things that fall under the wide subject of music is concerts.  They are an amazing experience that I believe everybody should have at least once in their life, preferably more.  I personally have been to about 12 concerts at various ages, and have never been disappointed.

Every artist or band does it differently.  Some like to mix up their songs, others do it just as they sound on the radio.  Some artists bring guests to join them on songs, others like to perform solo the whole time.  When you go to a concert, you never know what you are going to get.  This is what I like, because you never see the same show twice.  For performers, everything is live, so you can't go back and do it again.  You have to work with what you have, and put on a good show for the people that came to see you.

For performers, they feed off of the energy of the crowd.  If the crowd is having fun, the artist will do more to make them have a good time, and be amazing for them especially.  If everyone is just sitting and watching them, it's not going to be as good of a show.  You control your experience, so make it a good one.  

I will admit that some people put on a better show than others.  Some artist are gifted with ways of getting a crowd going, and some artists make their shows feel really scripted, and you can feel that. The energy isn't as high, and it just feels fake.  Other artists will come out and just have conversations with the crowd.  They make it feel more personal, and an over all more down to earth show overall.

The most annoying thing that a performer can do at a concert though, is lip sync their whole show.  This just makes the show less real, and more scripted.  It's pretty much then just listening to amped up louder versions of the album, so what's the point?  A performer should be able to perform.  This would be like a teacher showing up and telling their class to learn themselves by reading the textbook.

Concerts are some of the best memories I have made, and make the album music come alive.  Once you see a song performed live in concert, you can imagine that show every time you hear it after, and it makes it that much more special.  Try to get to at least one concert, you won't regret it.

Ways to Get Music on the Go

There are many different ways to listen to music on the go.   The most common is the radio, as most people listen to it in the car every day, multiple times.  This is a good, free way of getting the music that you like.  There are many different stations, and it's easy to change the station to match the type of music you want to hear.  The downfall of this is that a lot of radio stations are local, so if you go on a road trip or travel far away, it is hard to find new radio stations.  The nice thing about this is that with the music, you can also catch up on celebrity gossip if you like that, hear about local happenings, and other topics of discussions.

Another common way of listening to music is Youtube.  People listen to video playlists and choose what songs they want to hear.  A good thing about this is that you are in control of what you want to hear, but you have to keep the app open to listen to them.  This can kill your battery on your phone quickly.  Another struggle is that often internet might be running too slow for videos to load.  I personally do not like it because you have to pick a new song when one ends, or cannot find songs that I want to hear.

One of my favorite ways of listening to music on my phone is using Pandora.  This is an app that is free, or can be purchased.  The only difference is that the free version has ads sometimes, and personally, I don't mind them.  On Pandora, you create your own stations, and then they play songs that it thinks you would like.  This is nice because it opens me up to new music, I can have as many stations as I want, and my favorite part is that I can ban songs that I don't like.  There are only two flaws that I see with this form of music on the go.  The first is that Pandora uses internet.  This makes it hard, as if internet is slow, the music will freeze, and I use all of my phone data, and then my parents get angry... The other issue that I find is that you cannot restart a song, and you can only skip a few songs in a certain amount of time.  Sometimes I have a part that I want to hear again, and want to skip a lot of songs, because they are over played or not what I want to hear at that time.

Similar to Pandora, but not as good in my opinion is Spotify.  This is another free app, that you can also purchase to get rid of ads, and requires internet.  This one is different in the way that you create playlists that you want to hear, or find pre-made playlists, or playlists made by others.  The thing I don't like about this as much is the fact that it doesn't make you hear new music.  you can listen to the same songs for days on end.  I like that this way, I can make a playlist of songs that I want to hear at specific times, and have those saved.  You can also save songs that you would otherwise have to purchase.  This is a good way to save money if you aren't sure you like the song or album yet.

Another awesome way to get music on the go is to download songs and albums to your phone.  This is simple and easy because it doesn't take internet to listen to listen to music, and it's a one time purchase.  You can buy one song, or a whole album.  You can download it from the internet, or but the album and import it to your phone.  The only downfall to this is time.  For me, it takes time to download music, and I never sit down and do it.  When I do, I take an hour or more and add a lot of music.  I then take a lot of time and take old music that I don't want any more and clear it out.

These are not the only ways of getting music on the go.  These are just my favorite, and the most popular.  There are thousands of ways to do so, you just have to look and find one that works for you. I suggest Pandora or downloading music, but I, and many other authorities and musicians, ask that you don't pirate music.  This is just not right, and really does hurt people.  Happy Listening!!

Memories Come Flooding Back

Recently, I was driving home from bowling practice, listening to the radio.  Out of nowhere, I got this overwhelming sense that I should be going to combo practice that I was a part of the last two years.  Or that I was supposed to be going to a place that I used to go after practice a lot last year to study.  The weird thing about it was that the place that I used to go has been closed since March, and I'm not in combo anymore.  I was trying to figure out why I had that feeling, knowing that I had nothing to do.  I was trying to think if I had something that I had to do, or someplace that I had to be.

That's when I realized that I was singing along to the song "Counting Stars" by One Republic.  I hadn't heard this song in a long time, but I used to hear it almost daily, mostly when I was driving home from bowling practice.  I realized that I was back into my old routine, and it felt no different than before, even after a year of time had passed.  I then got to thinking, and this made me realize that this happens to ma a lot.  I hear a song that I used to hear in an old routine, or that I used to listen to all the time, and suddenly I'm back in that time of my life.

It also makes me remember things that happened in those time.  I was recently cleaning my room, and I had my phone connected to speakers, listening to music while I worked.  I will admit to having a lot of really old music on my phone, and I'm not even going to try to make up an excuse.  I do have moods that I will enjoy listening to old Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, groups form my childhood.  Some of these songs were playing, and I was reminded of so many different times and memories of when I was young.

I feel as though this happens to everyone.  Some odd sense of Deja Vu, or randomly being reminded of memories of childhood.  As I have discussed before, music creates memory hooks.  But sometimes the memory hooks just jump back at us.  We feel like we are back in a time, and we go back to that routine, or try to.  This could be a good thing, or a bad thing, and sometimes just simply strange.  Personally, I like when this happens.  It shows me how far I have come in life, and that I still have places to go.

The Time Has Come

CHRISTMAS MUSIC! Who doesn't love Christmas music during the holidays? It's so festive and pretty and sets the mood for what the holidays should be. And the best thing is that, at least in my experience, is that I can listen to it all season and not get tired of it, because there are so many different versions of songs. And, who could forget? "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" --Buddy the Elf

There are a few that are classics, like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reigndeer and Jingle Bells. I have loved these since I was a kid, and get so excited to sing along to them. There are also ones like Drummer Boy and Away in a Manger, that are more true to the Christmas story, and bore biblical. These are beautiful too.  I hear carolers singing these and I have to stop and listen, whether I'm in the grocery store, the mall, or out in the street. I feel compelled to appreciate what they are doing by spreadin Christmas cheer. No, I'll admit, I'm not a religious person, but remembering the true meaning of Christmas is important to me. 

There are a few songs, however, that I don't quite like called Christmas music. I think they are more love songs that want to be Christmas music. These are songs like "Last Christmas" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You."  The only thing really festive about them is the music behind it that might have jingle bells and twinkly sounding instruments, and the word Christmas. Yes, I do still appreciate these, but that's not what I choose to listen to all the time. 

I love hearing the same song over and over, but listening to different artists' versions of it.  Every time, it sounds like a different song. Some are better than otbers, but it's still fun to hear.  Some of it is slow and calm, and super peaceful. Others make songs be really upbeat and fast and make you want to dance. I like this mix, because I get something different every time. I also like hearing older Christmas music, versions from the 50's. These are just odd and unique and different from what I hear the rest of the year. 

Christmas music is what makes me jolly. There isn't anything better that driving around town, Christmas music playing, Santa hat on, buying presents for friends and family. Donating toys to Toys for Tots, or an angel tree, spreading joy to everyone around me. So this year, channel your inner Elf, and remember, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing lobs for all to hear." Santa's sleigh will appreciate it! 

Scores

Have you ever watched a scary movie without the score? Or an action movie? Or a romance movie? Music adds so much effect to a movie and really put the viewer into it. This is vital to the success of a movie. 

Think about that scene in a horror movie, when the killer is in the house, and the girl is walking around, looking for him, knife in her hand. You hear that tense music, you're on the edge of your seat, and bam!! The killer jumps out, you scream and throw your popcorn, and hide your eyes from the screen until you hear things calm down. Now imagine the same scene, but without the music. It just becomes a girl in a house with a knife. There is no tension built up. You wouldn't be scared at all. The movie would be awful. 

Now think about a scene in a movie, when there is a huge battle between the hero and the villain. There's really intense music, adding to the thrill of the fight. Or maybe somebody is being chased by the bad guys, with more fast music playing. This makes you want the good guy to do better. It makes you root harder for your favorite person. You feel drawn into the movie, and want a specific outcome that much more. 

In some cases, the score of a movie becomes wildly famous. Think of Rocky. You know the theme, that rings out as he's training, and runs up the steps in Philadelphia. This is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. Or when Darth Vader marches in as The Imperial March booms over the speakers around you. And who could forget Jaws? You here that familiar sound get faster and faster, and you know that somebody or something is about to be eaten. 

Scores are vital to movies, and tie it all together with a little bow right on top. I puts the final touches into it, to really set the mood and impact people the most. I challenge you to watch a movie, but without the score. It will be nowhere near as good, no matter what movie it is. 

It's Not a Competition

With the American Music Awards being on tonight, I feel it's a fitting time to discuss music being a competition. It's not. We have award shows for various categories, but that's not what it's about. 

Music is about spreading happiness, or feelings. It's about expressing yourself. It's about being together, and connecting with those around you. Artists all work hard, and put their hearts and souls into the music they make, no single artist works harder than another. 

This also holds true in high school bands and musical groups. They all work super hard to make a good show. Every group, from band to show choir, they all have a love for music, and they are all there to get better at what they love doing, and to be a team that works together. Yes, most groups go to competitions, whether they are invitationals or state competitions, and yes, they do get scores. Somebody ends up first, second, and so on, and unfortunately this means somebody is last.

But just because you got a higher s ore that another group or person doesn't mean that you beat them. It simply means that you were liked a bit better. And this is simply in the minds of the judges that were scoring you. It doesn't mean that every person played the music perfect, or hit the choreography perfect. It simply means that the judges didn't pick that stuff out too much. The next time you go to a competition , you could be last place, because they are not the same judges. As long as you work hard, and give it your all, everybody is a winner. 

I'm also not saying that award show are complete crap. Winning awards for artists are a big accomplishment. To them, I means that all the hard work they have oht into their newest song or album pays off, and that people liked what they did.  It makes them feel honored, and proud. It doesn't mean that they are the best around, it means that for that specific category or time in their career, they were liked better than the other artists nominated for that award. 

So the next time you go to a competition, don't boast that you "beat" another band. Tell all of the other groups that tbsy did a great job, because they did. They worked just as hard as you did. The judges were simply in your favor for that time. 

Music with Meaning

Things happen. You have your first kiss, you get married, you get in a car accident, things impact your life. One thing that always seems to be there, is music. It always seems to be a part of major life events. You remember them for your whole life, and you can usually tell what song was playing when it happened. Or the music playing made the thing so much better, or in some cases, much more awkward. 

I'm a student, so I obviously haven't gotten married. But the first dance at my parents' wedding was Almost Paradise from the movie Footloose. They hear this song and they start to tell stories of old times, their wedding, and memories from when they were young. After my first kiss with my boyfriend Scott, I got in my car and the song Cheerleader was playing. This has become our song, and now it seems like every time we are together, or every time we think about each other, it plays.  When I got in my first car accident not too long ago (nobody was hurt, just a bit of damage to my car), the song Where Are You Now was playing on the radio. 

I don't consciously think about these things, but when I hear these songs, the memories flood back to me. I can remember what I was doing, where I was, what I was wearing, almost everything about that moment. This happens to a lot of people. They just remember things because the memory is hooked to that song. I love it when this happens, because a lot of the memories make me happy. And if they don't, it means that I've learned something from those memories. It's an amazing feeling. 

Maybe this doesn't happen to everybody. Maybe it is just me, and I'm crazy. But this is yet another reason that I love music so much. It affects people in amazing ways, and just by hearing a song, they can remember things that happened years ago and be happy again. Just reminiscing in old times, thinking about memories that they will hold on to for the rest of their life. That's why music is beautiful.