Private Lesson Teachers

            Private lesson teachers are costly, but effective.   To become better in music, it is almost necessary to invest in it.  Private lesson teachers are like coaches that keep track of how much you do and what you need to do to improve in music.  While it may seem like a waste of time (which sometimes it can be), it is needed to for even the best musicians that want to become better. 
            Private lesson teachers hold you accountable and can tell if you have practiced or not, they are like a weight scale when someone is on a diet.  If you step on the scale and the number goes up, the results would show that you haven’t truly put much effort into it.  It you step on the scale and the number goes down, it would show improvement and that practice or in this case exercise has been used to help a person get better.
            Private lesson teachers can be like your best friends and always chatty about the latest gossip during a lesson or they can be strict and always focused on music during the lesson.  I prefer in-between, but that type of person is hard to find.  Private lesson teachers can seem to be the most critical on you, but they are paid to tell you what you need to do to improve.  The truth can hurt sometimes, but often it is needed.  For a person to be a private lesson teacher, they would have to be musically qualified and better than the person they are teaching (otherwise both people are clueless).  Private lesson teachers can also encourage and support a person when they are going to do a competition or a performance. 
           During practice they may ask you to play scales, solos, or individual warm-ups.  A lesson is only as good as the person who is paying for it makes it to be.  If no time is put in between lessons, then the lesson would only focus on a particular thing until it gets better, and it would take more time for the lesson to progress onto other things.  Private lesson teachers are amazing and help each individual person become a better player.  It is definitely worth the investment and time.

Just Dance

                Just Dance is a fun game to play by yourself or with friends.  With many different types of Just Dance, there are plenty of songs to choose from that each person will like.  Just Dance is similar to Zumba, but is focused more on having fun and dancing to popular songs, rather than dancing just for exercise.  There is an option of Just Sweat that can be considered an exercise program that calculates how much a person sweats and the amount of calories burned.  On the screen there is normally an animated person showing the dance moves and a bar on the bottom that shows the type of move before the person does it. 
                Just Dance can be competitive and just like any other game, there are points to be earned and things to be unlocked.  Depending on how well a person does during a song, points would be added up and contribute to the overall level that a person is on.  The better a person does, the more points they get.  If a person doesn’t do the dance move correctly or at all, the person would get an x for that move.  If they do the move the next grading would be based on how well it was performed. There is ok, good, and then PERFECT.
                Just Dance can have up to four players competing with each other.  It can depend on the gaming system and the song that is being played for how many players can actually do it.  With the Wii, a person would hold the controller and dance with it for the gaming system to register how well they performed.  I have Just Dance on the Wii and can honestly say that it is easy to cheat on it.  With the Wii remote only in a person’s hand, the device wouldn’t be able to register if a person is moving the whole body the dance move or not.  I also have Just Dance for the Xbox 360 Kinect and it is hard to cheat on it.  The device has an actual camera that register the dance move and can see if the move is being completely done correctly.  Both ways are fun, the only thing that really matters is winning while dancing and singing.  There are also lyrics displayed in the lower left hand corner and if a person chooses to, they can sing and dance along to the song which is always fun. 
                Just Dance is just another great music device that allows people to compete with each other while listening to music and dancing.  With so many different songs, there are endless hours of fun and laughing with friends.  I would highly recommend that anyone and everyone try it.  For more background information on Just Dance, click on the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Dance_(video_game)

Headphones

               Headphones can be necessary for listening to music while in a place occupied by other people.  There are several different types of headphones meant for different types of listening and different people.  When purchasing a set of headphones, a person would want to consider how comfortable they would be and how the style would fit the individual person.  Headphones can vary greatly in price depending on the brand and the style or form that the headphones make.  Beats by Dre can cost more than a hundred dollars just for one pair, while some headphones can cost as much as one dollar. 
                The headphones that aren’t connected from a bar going across the top of a person’s head are convenient when wanting to listen to something with a friend.  The person on the left would put in the right headphone and listen while the person on the right would put in the left headphone and listen.  Headphones that are connected with a bar going across the top of a person’s head are convenient when a person just wants to listen to something alone and not have too much outside noise sneak in.  There are also the headphones that have voice speakers in them for talking into when on the phone.  With so many different types of headphones, each type would fit a different person depending on how they decide to use them. 
                If you get headphones that go inside the ear, they can be hard plastic that just stay in the opening of the ear or there can be the squishy rubber that can be more comfortable and inserted deeper in the ear.  Some people have sensitive ears and don’t like having things go inside them, so it all depends on what works best for you.  Some headphone can even curl around the ear and create less stress on the inner ear. 
                While headphones may be convenient when wanting to listen to music and not disturb other people, they can also be harmful because it would be up close sound going directly into the ear that could cause damage.  Along with causing damage, the headphones can get disgusting if they are not cleaned or if a person does not clean their ears.  Earwax can cling to the headphones and be spread from person to person if the headphones are shared and not cleaned regularly after each use. 
                Headphones are essential and needed by every music lover on the go.  They provide music to each person individually while not upsetting other people around them by playing certain music (unless of course the person is playing it so loud that the people around them can hear it also). 

Music and Stress

            To some people, music can be a stress reliever and a great way to relax, but to others it just causes more stress.  To the music players it can be enjoyable to play an instrument for fun, but when competition comes or the music is significant, it can be hectic and  a contributor to more stress.  Being stressed out because of music is not fun because it takes away the freedom and enjoyment that music provides people.  Playing music can make people get lost in the moment and forget about all of the struggles in the world, music provides entertainment and entertainment should help relax people. 

            People normally stress out about music because there is an important event or because there is something more that needs to be done.  A thing to consider would be the people producing music and everyone involved in the process of making music happen.  Music for those people can be extremely stressful because there is an expectation that has to be met, but when the expectation is met and everything is done, the stress is relieved and music once again relaxes people. 

            Watching a person get lost in the moment by playing music is amazing.  Most people sway back and forth and many play like music lives inside of them.  From experience I can say that playing music is a way of life and when a piece of music is mastered it is an accomplishment that is a great stress reliever. 
            Listening and dancing to music can also be a stress reliever because lyrics speak to each person and can bring a person back to simpler times by distracting them from current thoughts.  There is the music that instantly brings a smile to a persons’ face because of a memory that is tied to the music, and smiling is naturally a common stress reliever by releasing endorphins and hormones that make a person feel better. 
            Music is just an amazing thing and can both beneficial and harmful.  Please leave any comments below and share how music relieves or causes stress for you.

Clinicians

                Clinicians can be helpful and annoying at the same time.  Clinicians usually come into a musical group or even a sport to provide insight on what they think needs to be improved and ways that they can be better.  In band, clinicians are critical for how good a band is.  If a director is the only one that hears the band, then he or she might not know how to make it better.  Clinicians are usually paid because their service was needed and their help was prominent in making the group better than it was before. 
                During a clinic, the clinician initially hears or sees what the band or group has to offer.  Then after that, the real stuff happens. The clinician gets picky and it can be the most repetitive and exhausting practice ever.  At the end though, the results are worth all the work. 
                Clinicians are like the grandparents in the family.  The students are the children who are doing the activity.   The parents would then be the band directors that need help and consulting from the grandparents.  The clinicians are wise and for the most part know what they are talking about.  Clinicians normally aren’t appreciated by the students and are taken advantage of.  I have realized how important they are and how much better a group is if they have clinicians come in and provide tips on making the group better.  A big thank you goes out to all the clinicians out there that make teams and groups better.

Jazz Band

                Jazz band can be fun, but is very difficult compared to full band practice.  First off, there are way less people in jazz band compared to a normal size band (normal size is 30+).  Some people may consider that a positive thing because a smaller group could make for a more effective rehearsal, but I consider it to be stressful because there is more time to focus on individual people rather than a section at a time.  For a normal jazz band, there is one person covering each part.  Example would be that there would be one trombone one, one trombone two, and one trombone three part.  Each person in the band would then have to play out and make sure that their sound is blended in the group.  With that being said, that is one reason why there aren’t as many people in jazz band.  There also aren’t as many people in jazz band because not all instruments are considered to be jazz instruments.  The different instruments also depend on the type of jazz that is being played. Below is a link of the types of jazz instruments expected to be in a jazz band. 
http://www.easystreetband.org/typical-jazz-instruments.htm
                Of course there can always be added instruments and added parts in jazz, but sometimes adding more parts just covers up the harmony of the original parts in a song.  I am currently in jazz band and have been for several years now.  Just recently my jazz band added three flutes to the ensemble.  I don’t agree with this decision, but my band director wants to give everyone an opportunity at jazz.  Surprisingly enough there were flute parts, but none of the parts include the melody because flutes aren’t normally thought to be a jazz instrument.  Rarely in a jazz performance have I seen a flute player, and when I did it was only for a little solo part and that was all that they played. Being a brass player, I already didn’t like screechy woodwinds, but having flutes in my jazz band just adds to my distaste of woodwinds.
                The style of jazz is also very different compared to full band music.  There are many different styles of jazz that can change the way a note is played.  For me, that is the hardest part about jazz band.  A quarter note in full band is not a quarter note in jazz band.  The notes can be held longer or shorter for more emphasis and there are many different ways to play a song.  For more information regarding jazz and its history, please click on the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz
                In jazz music the main styles are rock, swing, and the blues.  All are played a different way and create a diverse atmosphere.  With jazz there is also improvisation.  The blues scale is normally used in improvisation and different rhythms go along with each song.  Improvisation is playing notes that aren’t prepared or written down.  Many people struggle with improvisation because playing random notes and rhythms at the top of the heads’ is difficult and requires creativity and freedom.  Many people worry about playing the wrong rhythm in improvising, but really there is no wrong rhythm because whoever is improvising is making it up as they go along.  There can be really wrong notes though, that is why people need to stick to the blues scale.  The blues scale is just a scale of notes that can match a song, and not be in the wrong key.  Even playing the blues scale note by note can be considered improvisation, if a person wasn’t experienced and didn’t want to mess up on notes and rhythms.  Improvisation can be the scariest thing, but not everyone is meant to be perfect at improvising.  Jazz is a wonderful type of music and isn’t as popular as it used to be, but still has a lasting effect in music today.

Music can be Harmful

              While music is a wonderful thing to listen too, it can be harmful at extreme volumes.  It can also be rather annoying if it is the music that you don’t like and other people are playing it really loud and making a scene.
                Have you ever had an ear ache after listening to music for so long or by listening to music that was way too loud?  Hearing loss can occur after a one time exposure to extreme volume or it can be resulted from listening to music a high volumes over a longer period of time.  If you have a smartphone, a common feature is volume safety when listening to music with headphones or earbuds.  When turning up the music to a louder volume that can cause safety concerns, a message pops up with a warning about listening to music at this volume can cause hearing loss and other possible health conditions.  While many people ignore that little message and continue to turn up the volume, I would advise that next time you do that, think of the possible hearing loss that you will be causing in the future.
                Many older people have to wear a hearing aid because of hearing loss.  Although listening to music a loud volumes may not be the only cause, it is still a contributing factor.  Ear protection is encouraged when there is a planned loud event (gun firing or tractor pulls).  As I have been to both, I would highly recommend each person to invest in a good pair of ear plugs because the volume produced by those events is so loud that sometimes ear plugs still let in the loud volume. 
                Not only is loud music harmful, it can also be obnoxious and annoying.  Going to a party with loud music may be fun, but what about talking to your friends?  A person has to scream in their friends’ ear if they even want to be heard.  Music is wonderful at a safe volume and it is important to protect your ears from possible harmful sounds.  Please consider this blog post the next time you listen to music or anything that may end the possibility of having good hearing at an older age.
                Below this is a link that scientifically discusses what causes hearing loss and the type of frequency at which things are normally heard. 
 http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/noise-induced-hearing-loss/

Death of Michael Jackson

            With the death of many famous musicians, Michael Jackson’s death will never be forgotten. As a young kid I had no idea who he was until I heard that he died and then everything about him went public and was always on the news. Musicians make a great contribution to society and many people love and become attached to musicians or other famous people.
            Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and singer, but many people remember him by his skin color.  Michael Jackson was born African American and later in life he had an appearance of a Caucasian person.  There were and are still many rumors about what happened to his skin and whether or not he purposely did it to himself.  Just like any other musician, their personal life is put out so the public can see it and criticize it. 
            Michael Jackson started his career out as being part of the Jackson 5 and he later broke off from the group and become an award-winning solo pop singer.  His career ended when he suddenly died in 2009. On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing and with a weak pulse. A call was placed to the police and paramedics arrived at the scene and later on Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at the Ronal Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Los Angeles County Coroner concluded that his death was a homicide and Michael Jackson’s personal physician was convicted on involuntary manslaughter in 2011 and served a two-year prison sentence. Jackson’s death triggered an outpouring of grief around the U.S. and the rest of the world. It caused the selling of his music and songs from the Jackson 5 to increase dramatically. A public memorial service for Michael Jackson was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The service was broadcasted live around the world and Jackson’s death ranked number one on VH1/VH1 Classic’s list of 100 Most Shocking Moments in Music.
            It is amazing to have one person make such a dent in music history.  Just like a family being separated from a relative, the nation lost a treasured person who will never be forgotten.  For more information and a biography about Michael Jackson, please click on the link below.
http://www.biography.com/#!/people/michael-jackson-38211#synopsis 

Music in Stores

                I am not talking about the music that is being sold in stores, but the music that is being played in stores while customers shop.  Music is also normally being played when a person goes into any building that is providing a service to people.
                Music is selected to be played in a store by the type of audience that shops there and the type of products being sold.  It would be weird if the blues was being played in a store that was selling clothing to young teenagers that would prefer to listen to pop music.  Why is it that stores play music?  I often ask myself that and never truly understand why.  It could be to entertain the workers and keep them awake so they don’t fall asleep on the job, or it could be to entertain the customers and provide a warming environment that would encourage them to buy more stuff.
                I came to more conclusions and did some research online and found out that background music being played in a store can cause several different customer reactions.  Louder music (loud enough to be heard, but not ear-piercing loud) causes customers to go through a supermarket faster and doesn’t reduce the amount of product being sold.  I personally have never noticed that, but I also don’t pay too much attention to the volume of music.  Low-tempo music causes customers to mover slower, which in return causes them to buy more products.  Also the style of music affect the quality of product being bought.  Classical music versus pop music at a wine store leads customers to buy more expensive products and increases the volume of product being sold.
                Music seems to always make time go by faster and by playing music when callers are on hold, it has been proven that is it more likely for the customer to stay on hold longer before hanging up.  I would definitely agree with this because I would much rather listen to music than hear a static sound or no sound on the other line.
                Pasted below is a link that discusses an experiment that was done to prove that the style of music affects what is being bought and how much of a product is being purchased.  A study was done over the type of music in a wine store.  It was French versus German music and if French music was being played, then French wine would be bought and vice versa.
http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7467

Zumba

         Let’s get ready to ZUMBA!  Zumba is a fun dancing program that combines music and dance to create a vigorous workout.  While Zumba may seem a bit intimidating at first because of all the different dance moves, it is really fun once you learn what to do and find a style of dance that fits you.  Zumba is so much fun that you don’t even realize that it is actual exercise.  It is dancing to the beat and energizes each person who does it. 
          Zumba has different styles of dance that make up different programs.  A common dance type is Latin based and it is very upbeat.  I prefer the Pop music style because it includes songs that I know and can sing along to.  The dance moves that a person learns from Zumba can be applied to regular dancing and make a person more active when they are not specifically doing Zumba, but when they are listening to music and dancing.  Ricardo Marmite, a representative of Zumba, said “It is not a dance class, it is a party! No one is judging you by your dance abilities, just have fun and feel the music.”  He is correct in saying that; Zumba is not a dance competition, it is meant to be fun and get people to dance to the music.
          Many people are curious about how people know how to dance to the songs, but through repetition, memorizing the dance moves becomes easy.  There is always a person who is leading the group in a class or demonstrating the dance moves if it was to be done individually in a home through a CD.  Dancing gets easier the more you do it and the more into it a person gets.  Dancing with Zumba is fun because the music is in sync with the dance moves and it creates a fun musical experience. 
         Zumba is made into many forms.  Zumba can be purchased at a store through a gaming device, done in a class, or even watched through a DVD.  I currently have Zumba for the XBOX 360 and enjoy it.  While there are many different programs for Zumba, they all give the benefit of making a person feel more toned and invigorated.
        To find out more about Zumba, click on the link below and it will take you directly to the official Zumba website that has information on classes and every other thing a person would want to know about Zumba.
http://www.zumba.com/en-US