Blog Post 3 - Faculty Concert

I attended the Music Faculty Concert (40th Anniversary) on Friday, January 29th at 8pm in the Conference Center at UTD. I would like to begin by saying that I thought it was a very well run event and I had a lot of fun listening to the different pieces. In my discussion, I am going to talk about the 4 different elements of music; the music, performers, audience, and time and space of Part II How Insensitive and Lamento by Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994).
The music consisted of a piano, electric guitar, cello, and drums. I chose this piece out of the rest because I was more familiar with these types of instruments. The music had a somewhat jazzy or cultural latin rhythm to it. The piece began slow but then picked up pace as it continued. I found it very enjoyable to listen to this type of music. Some of the other pieces seemed more relaxing but this piece was more inspiring. The drums provided a constant rhythm which I could go back to if I got lost in the melody of the song.
The performers, especially the drummer and guitarist seemed to be very into the piece and really provided a spark to it. I would say they were the life blood of the piece. Every one of the performers were dressed eloquently which different from the majority of the crowd which were casual. Some of the audience however, dressed more similar to the performers. During the piece, the crowd remained silent throughout but were very appreciative at the end with their applause.
The majority of the Conference Center was full. I would say that the stage was a bit overcrowded and it seemed that the performers didn’t always have the space they needed. I would give the overall performance an A.

Blog Post 2 - Music Ethnography

I have chosen to do the radio UTD music culture. They run their showing from the UTD campus in the Student Union building on the 1st floor. There are several people involved in the production of this music including interim station manager, programming director, music director, promotions manager, system administrator, and advisor. In addition to those admin positions, there are numerous programmers that are allocated different time slots throughout the weak and you can tune in to hear the latest of what they have to offer.
http://radio.utdallas.edu/

They have a very relaxed environment in order to conduct their operations. It seems like an occupation in which they greatly enjoy their time and provides them with time to just sit back, relax and listen to some music. They offer streaming music 24/7.

I plan on attending possibly several show times in the studio but I have already spoken with one of the programmer's Sean Jordan who runs the air every Tuesday from 2pm - 4pm. His program list is filled with "Rockin' it Old School."
http://radio.utdallas.edu/programs/?id=1843

Post 1 Music-Culture

It is very hard to pinpoint one music culture that has had the most influence on me. There has been so many different music phases that I have gone through since childhood. Of course, I began with children's music which definitely had a major role in my education, from learning the abc's to grammar. Next, being that I was partially raised by my grandparents in the country, country music had a very influential impact on my life. Then I began listening to alternative music because I wanted to fit in more with my peers. Kids at school would sing songs together so it was natural for me to change my preferences to adapt to more of a city lifestyle. At the time, I completely despised metal and rock because to me it seemed like there was just too much yelling and I couldn't understand their lyrics. Little did I know, it would become my most influential type of music culture (Rock). I would never say that it was a necessity but being raised playing several different sports, I used music to prepare myself for every game, practice, or scrimmage. Later music would help pump me up for things less physically demanding but equally as mentally challenging such as video games. Linkin park would be one of the more influential music groups in my life. Their songs are upbeat, and you might describe it as more of a rap/rock tempo. Every time I would listen, there was that perfect pulse that would get my heart pumping and adrenaline roaring. Probably the song that really got my blood flowing was Linkin Park’s Figure.09 on their Meteora cd.

Several other rock/rap have provided me with the edge I needed before a game but Linkin Park seems to be the most common for me in relation to the rest of my peers. Unfortunately I am more of a passive listener to music (a trait that I am working on fixing) so it is somewhat difficult for me to describe how the lyrics of Linkin Park have changed my life. I would say that the sounds they create to form their music and the ways that they piece their songs together is what attracted me the most.