Composing Music

This past week, I went to a camp where we learned how to compose music. Unfortunately, I was only able to stay 4 out of the 5 days the camp took place. Even more unfortunately, it was the last day where everyone throws a celebration and shares what they learned and created. However, I still got to learn a lot.

When I first arrived, I was a little wary of how this whole class would be taught. Soon enough, I felt comfortable with everyone else. They passed out sheets of blank music paper for us to start composing. The instructor teached us how to compose and how to use different scales and chords. By the third day, we were all using a program called Finale Notepad to create our official pieces. We worked day 3 and day 4 composing and rehearsing for the final day (day 5). Like I said, I was unable to go to the final day because I'm currently on vacation.

You may be wondering, how did I write my piece? Well, I took four chords from a song I know, "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green which I had figured out on my own piano at home a while back. The rest just came to me. My piece turned out really great for my first time. It was written for piano and was finished in one day, with a couple minor boo-boos fixed by the next day.

Here is a picture of some of the song:

If you would like to listen to my song, click here to download Finale Notepad. When you get on Finale, click here to download the song, titled "Skies of Colors" (please tell me if the link does not work). Don't worry, there are no viruses on the song. To play it, open Finale Notepad and click "file," then "open." Locate where you saved the song I composed and open it. Press the play button and listen to my song. Be warned, the way I have it written in Finale isn't exactly how I wanted it to sound, for example I added a repeat and it does not repeat.

My question for the week is...

What do you think of my song, "Skies of Colors?"

The Phantom of the Opera

This week, my grandmother and I traveled to New York to see the longest running Broadway musical that is STILL playing, The Phantom of the Opera. This musical was created by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I recognized the name from my jazz band; he was the one that wrote most of our music! After I heard that, I knew the music would be fantastic. The first showing of this play was in 1986, but it is based on a book in French by Gaston Leroux which was writting in 1910.

It was hard to make out what the plot was because almost everything is sung. Despite this play's "hard to understand" storyline, I really enjoyed listening to the loud music. I now understand why this play is still running strong on Broadway. I couldn't get the music out of my head after seeing the play! Here is the theme song of the Phantom of the Opera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5z_l6NE3qs

Pretty catchy, right? I have to admit, this musical does not compare to the Lion King which is another Broadway musical I saw last year around this time. It is a kid-friendly Broadway musical and is a classic Disney movie. I guess because I knew the Lion King better than the Phantom of the Opera before I saw it made it more enjoyable for me.

My question for the week is...

Have you been on Broadway, and if so what musical(s) have you seen?

P.S. Towards the end of the musical, the people are located in a sewer. As a sound effect, you could hear running water from the sewer. I don't realize they were in a sewer, which made me believe there was rain outside. I finally convinced myself that it was part of the play. The ironic thing is that when my grandmother and I stepped outside, it was pouring rain in New York City - not a good thing! So my grandmother and I were soaked by the time we got to the bus terminal. Oh, the irony!

Do You Feel Comfortable in the Ocean?

This past Wednesday and Thursday, My parents and I went on a mini vacation to the beach. Our skin was kissed by the sun while we relaxed in the sun and we shorely had fun dodging the waves in the water (pun intended). I used to be one of those kids that would want to go into the ocean for every second of the day, but this year, I've changed and I have allowed myself some time to rest and relax on the sand.

At a point when I was in the ocean, I was wondering to myself how many thing could be lurking beneath the waters of the sea; sharks, turtles, fish, octopuses, jellyfish, and many more. Some are dangerous and can threaten to sting, bite, strangle, or kill you. Scary thought right? Good thing we can't always sea them (yes, pun intended again). The reason we can't see them? Humans.

It's hard to see in the ocean because of all the junk that ends up in it. This ranges from pollutants such as oil to the urine of some uncontrollable people. Have you ever stopped to think of how much pee you're probably swimming in when you're in the ocean? Here's a way to check how much pee is in the water; when you get out and take a look at the edge of where the water hits, there may be a thin line of yellow. That's urine alright. Truly disgusting, but no one seems to care. Also, no one can help getting that salty water in their mouth or on their lips, so what ends up happening is spit flying out of mouths everywhere. So, to sum it up, the ocean is 15% water, 30% pee, 30% saliva, and 25% salt.

Sorry for putting that disturbing mental picture in your head, but on another note, my parents and I went out for dinner to a restaurant with very large portions and excellent food. When we were trying to find a parking spot, we found a car parked with a sign in front of it. Here is the picture:

If you can't see it, it says "Don't Even Think of Parking Here." What. The. Heck. It gave us a laugh and we knew we had to take a picture of it. After we took the picture, a guy that was cooking food in the restaurant shouted out the window, "are you guys taking a picture of the sign?" and we said yes. The next thing he said was "everyone has seen that before!"

So back to the ocean. My question for the week is...

Do you feel comfortable in the ocean?

ALSO DONT PARK HERE

Independence Day

What does Independence Day mean to you? Does it mean staying up late watching fireworks? Having a neighborhood barbecue? Viewing a parade? Or does it mean understanding the history of this historical holiday? It upsets me that not many people do not know the history behind the holiday, so I am going to give you a quick lesson on Independence Day.

http://fg-a.com/july4.htm

To begin, we should all know that Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, is the celebration of our country, (or most of my blog viewers' country,) the United States of America, adopting the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our country. Now that everyone knows that, we can read on...

On July 2nd, 1776, the thirteen colonies (the first thirteen states of the United States along the east coast) was seperated by Great Britian. This happened during the American Revolution, which was a historical event where the thirteen colonies tried to break free from Great Britian's rule. A committe called the Second Continental Congress voted on the idea brought up by a person by the name of Richard Henry Lee that proposed a resolution for independence. This congress voted that they should further the explanation of the resolution by creating the Declaration of Independence.

John Adams, one of the past presidents and one of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, sent a note to his wife explaining what has happened and that he believed that July 2nd would be a historical day in history. His prediction was off by two days, because Americans decided to celebrate on the 4th of July, the day that most of the copies of the Declaration of Independence were published in, and not the 2nd of July when the idea for the resolution was approved.

Now you know a little bit of background behind the holiday that happened last week, Independence Day. My family celebrated Independence Day by hosting a barbecue for our neighbors and going swimming.

So my question for the week is...


How did you celebrate Independence Day?

http://www.bestanimations.com/Holidays/Fireworks/Fireworks.html