It Takes Two!

This week we are looking at duets. Find your favorite vocal or instrumental duet and share a link to the video in your blog post. Please write about the following in your post:
1. Why you like the video
2. Why you chose the singers/instrumentalists
3. What makes the duet better than just singing alone
4. Any musical elements that add to the greatness of the piece
5. Any other items you want to comment on in your post

Make sure your post is at least one paragraph in length and that you check your spelling before posting. No duplicate posts allowed. All posts are due by Friday, December 2, 2016 11:59 pm.

Here is one of my favorite duets: Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing "Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This"--voices are amazingly clear.

At The Movies!

This is the final week before we leave for Thanksgiving. There have been a lot of movies that have come out and have soundtracks with some impressive songs selections. For this post, you need to pick your favorite song from your favorite movie (or one that you like) soundtrack. One song that comes to mind is from "Titanic"--"My Heart Will Go On" performed by Celine Dion. Discuss the song and include the lyrics to the song in the post. Tell what movie it comes from as well. Write a paragraph about why you like the song and include as many musical elements as possible. Also include a link to the video. All posts are due by Friday, November 18, 11:59 pm. No duplicate posts will be accepted.

When I was little....

This week, you need to find a video of a song that came out during the month you were born and in the same year. This means that you will need to do a little research. List the song, the date it came out, and who sang the song. Then, describe what musical things are in the song. You can talk about instruments used, the voice parts, any unique harmonies, or any other musical elements you would like. Your post should be at least a paragraph in length. Check your grammar and spelling. Include the link to the video in your post as well as your name if you post anonymously. Your posts are due by Friday, November 11, 2016.

For instance, a post should look like this:
On February 9, 1991 (a fictional date when I was born), the group C+C Music Factory released a song called "Gonna Make You Sweat". I liked this song because it had a strong bass line that provided an even stronger beat to make you want to dance. It had strong vocals and the lead background singer practically screamed "Everybody Dance Now!" which made me want to dance. It is characteristic of music from this era that had inflections of pop, hip hop, and late disco.dance tracks. Songs now do not possess the same energy and pizzazz. Even though the woman in the video was not the one singing the lick, it was still an energetic dance song.

Time Warp 1

Pick one song from the 80's that was a hit. It can be from any genre. Share the video in your post. Tell why it was a hit, why you chose it, and any other meaning it has to you. Make sure that you include the name of the artist and song so that there are no duplicate entries. All posts must be made by November 4, 2017 at 11:59 pm. Make sure write using complete sentences and all posts must be a minimum of 75 words. If want to include a picture do so as well. Even though you were not born in the 80's you still are familiar with some of the music from the period.

For instance, my video is by Culture Club, " Karma Chameleon". I particularly like this song because it has a strong bass line that creates an ostinato, which seems to propel the music forward. The use of instruments such as the harmonica add to the flair that the video itself presents. It is set (or appears to be set) in New Orleans or some similar place. Women have the dainty parasols while the men are dressed in petticoats. Musically, it is simple to catch and the melody is short using only simple motifs. I also appreciate that the group used some literary devices like alliteration and onomatopoeia.

Vocal Impersonations...That Are Good!

Watch the following videos and write a response about two of them. Are the impersonations precise or not? If you are unfamiliar with the songs or artists, search for them on YouTube and decide if the artists' impersonations were accurate. Your responses should be a paragraph for each video (so 2 paragraphs). This post is longer because of there being two videos. All posts are due by Friday, October 28, 2016.

Video 1:



Video 2:



Video 3:

Favorite Song

For this week's blog post, you are to share your favorite song. Find a YouTube video of your favorite singer or song and write a short paragraph about why you like the song or the singer. Post a link to your video in your comment. Any repeated videos will not receive credit. All posts are due by October 21 at 11:59 pm.

POPS Concert Reflection

In this week's blog post, you are to do the following: 1. Post a 100 word minimum discussion about your experiences with POPS concert. 2. Share a link to two (2) videos (YouTube, Vine, Instagram, etc) that reflect one good choral performance and one poor choral performance. The videos must be school appropriate. They should be of a song that you have sung or would like to sing. 3. Prior to posting your videos, please review your classmates' posts to make sure you are not posting a duplicate video. Any person(s) posting the same video(s) will not receive credit for their post. 4. Double check for spelling, grammar, and other writing errors prior to submitting. 5. All posts must be made by 11:59 pm Friday October 7, 2016.

This week we are looking at potential pieces for the spring semester. Good performances are created when all elements of music (tone quality, dynamics, pitch, duration) are in perfect harmony with each other. What makes this choir sound good? Is there anything can be better? Listen to this piece "Non Nobis Nomine" by Dr. Rosephanye Powell of Auburn University and write a paragraph about the following: use of dynamics, tone, balance between voices, overall performance. Your paragraph must be at least 5 sentences long, use complete sentences, correct grammar, and contribute to good discussion. No simple sentences such as "It sounded good" or " I liked the dynamics" will be acceptable. All posts must be made by 11:59 pm on Friday, 1/29/16. Form your own opinion and do not use other classmate's ideas in your writing. No late work will be accepted. Verify that your post actually posts before Friday and do not wait until Friday to write your post.