On September 29. 2015 I had the pleasure of witnessing the performances of the USA Symphony Band conducted by Michael Phillips and the USA Wind Ensemble conducted by William H. Petersen. The set list consisted exclusively from the composers of late 19th and, predominantly, 20th century. The symphony band featured...
1. What is the chief acoustic cue for a source feature?The chief acoustic cue for a source feature comes from the presence of what is called phonation energy that will show up as a low frequency voice bar when observed on a spectrogram. The energy of the frication noise is...
Chinese Opera has been around for generations, dating back to the eleventh century. It was quite popular in the Qing Dynasty Court where tea-houses would often also serve as a theatre. Changes and variations have taken place through the years and Chinese Opera has spread throughout the country, reaching broader...
With the recent theater release of the biopic film, Straight Outta Compton (2015), which details the formation, epic rise to fame and eventual dissolution of the 1980’s “gangsta” rap quartet, N.W.A, West Coast hip hop has once again found itself in the spotlight. Many observers and hip-hop aficionados would contend...
The effects of listening to music are known to many people because the effects range from relaxation to excitement. However, the effects upon the brain development of performing musicians is not as common of a phenomenon simply because there are less musicians than there are listeners of music. This essay...
Although singer-songwriter Bruno Mars perpetuates many stereotypes about women and money in his music videos, he also challenges traditional views with pro-social messages. Both Mars’s perpetuation of sexual and financial stereotypes and his way of breaking with tradition can be seen particularly clearly in the song 24k Magic.Background Keys writes,...
The social issue that I chose to examine is domestic violence. I am interested in studying this problem because it is highly prevalent in the United States. It has affected millions of women, children, and men for decades. I want to know how different artists understand and deal with this...
During the first three weeks of the semester, I listened to Your Eyes CD nonstop. I understand that there are seven tracks total. There is one specific track that I don’t really care for and I have a few of my favorite tracks. When I first started listening to the...
I spoke with my Aunt Laura, whose brother is my father. She lives in Vermont so we rarely see her except at family events every few years. She is in her late 60s and is a retired professor of piano, having taught at various colleges in New England throughout her...
