Have you ever wondered why one movie musical receives critical acclaim and maybe even an Academy Award and another movie based on an equally good Broadway musical ends up on a studio shelf, rarely seen after its initial release? There are several key factors that lead to a quality movie musical. These factors include a strong story line and well-written screenplay, quality music, great casting, and effective direction. Great choreography is often a plus but a movie musical, unlike a Broadway musical, can be a quality movie without elaborate dances. In this article, I compare two movie musicals based on successful Lerner and Loewe Broadway musicals — “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot” — and I discuss why “My Fair Lady” was an acclaimed, award-winning movie that is still viewed and loved by millions of people and why “Camelot” has become a mostly forgotten film.
Both plays were successes on Broadway, although “My Fair Lady” did receive more praises than “Camelot” and it ran for a significantly longer time. Nevertheless, “Camelot” had a healthy initial Broadway run and both plays have had three short-run revivals on Broadway. Also, both plays earned Tony awards for their male leads and Tony nominations for Julie Andrews, the leading female star in both plays. Yet, the movies based on the plays had vastly different outcomes, with “My Fair Lady” garnering eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and Camelot earning only three minor awards. So, where did “Camelot,” the movie, go wrong?
Plot and Screenplay
Both plays and movies were based on good works of literature — “My Fair Lady” on the play “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw, and “Camelot” on the book “The Once and Future King” by T. H. White. The screenplays were both authored by an experienced and award-winning author, Alan Jay Lerner, who also wrote the lyrics for the songs in both works. Therefore, the story lines and screenplays do not seem to be where the differences lie. In fact, the plot of “Camelot,” with its historic setting, romantic entanglements and scenes of chivalry and war, made it a better vehicle for film than “My Fair Lady” with its dialog-filled, actionless scenes.
Quality Music
The scores from “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot,” both written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner, are wonderful, with a good blend of beautiful melodies and sometimes poignant and other times humorous lyrics. Both shows had one major hit romantic ballad — “On the Street Where You Live” for “My Fair Lady” and “If Ever I Would Leave You” for “Camelot” — and both songs were dubbed in the movies by professional singers. The songs for the male lead are more melodious in “Camelot” and, at least in the movie version, the male lead, Richard Harris, had a better singing voice than Rex Harrison had in “My Fair Lady.” With basically equivalent scores, it seems that it is not the music that distinguishes the two works.
Casting
Although Richard Harris was the perfect King Arthur, casting is one major area where the movie version of “Camelot” fell short of its potential. Both plays starred Julie Andrews and her beautiful voice added much to the already great scores, but, unfortunately, she was not cast as the female lead in either film. However, the producers of the movie version of “My Fair Lady” had the good sense to hire Audrey Hepburn who was perfectly cast as Eliza Doolittle. She had the innocence and fragility needed for the role with just enough fire in her to finally rebel against Henry Higgins, while still leaving the audience sympathetic to her. On the other hand, the female lead in “Camelot,” Vanessa Redgrave, although an extremely gifted actress, was miscast as Guenevere. She presents the character as a cold, selfish woman who is indifferent to the tragedy she brings to her husband and his empire. Unfortunately, she was permitted to do her own singing with the result of a lessening of the impact of some of the songs in “Camelot.” On the other hand, Audrey Hepburn’s singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, a singer with a beautiful, trained voice.
The casting of the third lead character in each film also differed in quality. In “My Fair Lady,” Colonel Pickering was played by a distinguished English actor, Wilfrid Hyde-White, whose acting was excellent. Unfortunately, the key role of Lancelot in “Camelot” was played by a novice Italian actor, Franco Nero, with limited command of English. Although he certainly fit the role physically, with his exceptional good looks, his acting was stiff and his delivery of lines was almost robotic.
The male leads in both films were perfect. In fact, the casting of Richard Harris probably saved “Camelot” from being a disaster. He was so well-cast as King Arthur that after the film, he became associated with the role and played it in several major productions, including one on Broadway and one in London.
Direction
Both movies had well-known and well-respected directors, but their approaches to directing the films were vastly different. George Cukor, the director of “My Fair Lady,” let the story and music give the movie its strength and character. There were no special effects used and no unique filming techniques, but, rather, just good direction of excellent actors and actresses performing on studio lots. Cukor used the strong screenplay and beautiful music of “My Fair Lady” to guide his direction.
On the other hand, Joshua Logan, the director of “Camelot,” used far too many close-ups that had the audience focused on the leads’ make-up rather than on the strong plot and music. In some scenes, instead of presenting a natural context for appreciating the songs or dialog, Logan chose to fill the large screen with the actors’ faces, resulting in a distracting rather than enhancing effect.
Conclusion
Although both “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot” had the potential to be great films, “Camelot” lacked two of the four factors necessary for a quality movie musical. These factors, strong story line and well-written screenplay, quality music, great casting, and effective direction, could be used to compare other movie musicals, for example, “Gigi” and “Brigadoon” or “Oklahoma” and “South Pacific,” and the results would be similar. A movie musical that is deficient in even one of the four factors could make the difference between a film that lives on for generations or one that gets lost on a shelf.
Copyright 2008 Claire J Rottenberg, All rights reserved
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About the Author
Claire J Rottenberg writes and publishes ebooks on Mac OS X. In addition, she writes tips and tutorials for her company’s website: www.cjrtools.com/ebooks. Claire enjoys developing new websites and she has created one filled with information on movie musicals: www.musicals-info.com/movies.
The Development of Classical music along the Period (II)
Music in XVIII century (1600-1825)
There were two times in this century. The first era was called the baroque era. This era was around 1600 to 1750. Baroque was the beginning of modern music because it has experienced the revolution from both theory and technique of its cultivating.
The key characteristics of this era included the merger of major and minor scales, many dissonan tones, the development of the orchestra, and the regular structures, but monotony. They also included the use of violin, harpsichord, organ, and flute.
In this era, people also knew basso continuo technique, namely the bass accompaniment that brought harmony. There was repetition in the structure of music.
Composers who lived in this era were Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Claudio Monteverdi, and Henry Purcell.
The second era was called the classical era. Sonatas and chamber music grew with more dynamic melodies. All of the classical era rules were applied intelligently by the composers.
The key characteristics of this era were the development of musical harmony, a very strong element of the dynamics that colored the composition, and a dynamic atmosphere that was expressed through the tempo, melody, and harmony. In this era, people also knew the pattern of ‘question and answer’. Piano, with its ability to create dynamic, became a very important instrument.
The popular composers in this era were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, and John Gay.
Transition period of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
This period represented the transition time from classical music to romantic music that was initiated by Beethoven. He brought a dynamic element by using wider harmonies and more emotional techniques of music cultivating.
This period was called as transitional because there were some principles of classical era that were violated by Beethoven. For example: the use of the intro was considered to be the outside of the classical composition theory. However, it was precisely a characteristic of romantic music. Through his works, Beethoven influenced the transition of classical to romantic music greatly.
The term “art appreciation” is one that is heard quite often, and most colleges and universities offer a course or a series of courses under that name. But how does one “appreciate” art? For that matter, how does one appreciate opera or classical music? Most people would be able to recognize the inherent beauty of these art forms even if they lacked an in-depth knowledge of them. But with greater understanding of these subjects, the more your enjoyment of these art forms can increase, and fine art is no different.
To explain how one can enjoy a greater familiarity with art, I’m going to take a different approach than I usually do: I shall teach by example, using a painting that is well known to everyone, Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” or “La Gioconda,” as the painting is known to the Italians. I have had the rare fortune of seeing Leonardo’s famous painting in the Louvre Museum in Paris; it is arguably the most renowned work of art in the world.
When introduced to the Mona Lisa at the age of eighteen, I have to admit that I was not as impressed by it as I should have been; after having viewed the Baroque spectacle of the Rubens Room, with its huge tumultuous canvases, Leonardo’s small, quiet panel was something of a disappointment to me. Perhaps I can be excused for this, given my youth and the fact that this painting has suffered from considerable overexposure in modern times. Fortunately my opinion of Leonardo’s painting improved over the years as I learned more about art in general and Leonardo’s work in particular. And this is a fine example of how deepening my understanding of art allowed me to revise my attitude about this remarkable painting.
The Mona Lisa is a small easel painting, approximately 18 inches by 24 inches, done in oil paint on a wooden panel. Commissioned by the sitter’s husband, a Florentine merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, the artist worked on the portrait from 1503 to 1506, taking it with him from Italy when he traveled to France to join the court of King Francis I. Like most of Leonardo’s work, it remains unfinished.
When I look at reproductions of the Mona Lisa today, the first thing that I notice is the soft and gentle rendering of the forms, created by Leonardo’s “sfumato,” an Italian term that refers to the gentle transition between light and dark. This effect was made possible by the use of oil paint, still relatively new at the time, rather than the more traditional tempera. This, along with the muted color scheme and the strange landscape in the background, gives the composition an air of mystery and subtle drama.
The figure of the woman is characterized by obvious grace and beauty, and the gentle melancholy of her eyes is reinforced by the famous “smile that doesn’t smile.” One side of her mouth is higher than the other, giving an ambiguous expression. This is also found in the face of St. Anne in Leonardo’s “The Virgin and Child with St. Anne,” also in the Louvre. In fact, St. Anne bears a noticeable resemblance to Mona Lisa, suggesting that the artist was painting an archetypal female, rather than a portrait of a specific individual. This may have been why the portrait was rejected by the lady’s husband.
The landscape in the background seems less realistic than one would expect from Leonardo, considering that his scientific study of the natural world combined with his artistic sensibility made him a master of landscape. This is instead a dream world, with winding roads overshadowed by dark cliffs and a sense of foreboding, a world both graceful and turbulent. Along with its atmosphere of mystery, it is also a land that is devoid of human beings; we see evidence of Man’s activity, such as the roads and the aqueduct, but not Man himself. A welcoming world this is not; contemporary accounts describe Leonardo as reserved and secretive, and undoubtedly the cold world that Mona Lisa inhabits reflects the wariness that the artist felt towards his own society. And as every work that an artist undertakes is a portrait of his own psyche, the contrast between the serenity and elegance of the woman with the ominous background may reflect the duality of Leonardo’s soul; the reserved and dignified exterior, concealing the turmoil within.
The Mona Lisa represents Leonardo’s mature style, and was imitated by many of his pupils and later artists; none of these efforts could equal that of the master himself. Perhaps only Raphael, with his unsurpassed ability to absorb the influence of other artists, realized the grace and refinement of Leonardo’s style without resorting to mere imitation. For five hundred years the Mona Lisa has been seen as a consummate example of the power of the painter’s craft; its ability to engage and enthrall generations of admirers is unequaled, and the mystique that surrounds this painting is matched only by the brilliance of the man who conceived it.
As you can see, the previous six paragraphs constitute a critical appraisal of the Mona Lisa, and it will be evident that my perceptions of this painting are highly personal. Each individual will be affected differently by this marvelous painting, and this is the way it should be. Every work of art is a personal experience; a way for the viewer to find his own answers to the questions that the artist poses. The viewer is not a passive participant; the viewer is as much a part of the artist’s work as any element on the canvas itself. To this end, the artist should never make his message too explicit: it is left to the viewer to complete the painting.
One can also make a more technical assessment of an artwork, taking into consideration such things as design, composition, technique, color and medium, and how the artist used these to convey his idea to the viewer. To evaluate a work of art in this manner requires a familiarity with those subjects, and I have written about some of these topics in previous articles. It is also helpful to know something about the life and personality of the artist, as well as the time period and the society in which he lived. These factors have a major impact on the artist’s style, subject matter and technique; understanding these considerations gives us a sense of how the artist viewed the world around him, and perhaps how he viewed himself.
No single work of art exists in isolation: it must always be viewed along with the rest of the artist’s body of work, and within the broader history of art itself. An acquaintance with other examples of the artist’s work allows us to see how his ideas and style evolved over time; also by gaining an insight into one work by the artist we may better understand another. We also need to see how the artist’s work fits into the larger context of art: how he was influenced by his contemporaries; how his work was influenced by earlier artists; and how subsequent artists were themselves influenced by his art.
The impact that the artist’s work makes on the viewer validates the efforts of the artist; a painting that has no effect on anyone is a failure. As a teenager, standing before Leonardo’s small painting, I could appreciate its obvious greatness. Nonetheless, my ignorance allowed me to miss a great deal of what it had to offer. As I expanded my knowledge and familiarity with art, I was able to correct that unfortunate situation and to see the Mona Lisa for the treasure that it is. I hope that my experience with this legendary painting will help you to undergo that same transformation, not only in regard to the Mona Lisa, but with the whole of the world’s legacy of fine art.
About the Author
Charles Griffith’s interest in art began in childhood, and was encouraged by his family. Later, while serving in the U.S. military in Europe, he was inspired by seeing firsthand some of the treasures of European art. Today his art focuses on traditional realism, often with elements of Expressionism and Surrealism.
Hi I have to run a paper MLA format research and control I wanted to do it on the rifle. The choice I have are Animal law, curfews, dress codes, education, environment, music censorship, stem cells, war on drugs. If I can choose weapons control someone help me with issues like this I was able to elaborate. Thanks
Some things you would want to cover in your paper arms control research: – The U.S. Constitution the right to bear arms, which means, at least in part, the right to have weapons. – People may want weapons to defend themselves. – Some people want guns from the wrong reasons, so how can they commit crimes (murder, armed robbery, etc.). – Who should not be allowed a weapon? Not children. Not mentally ill or mentally disabled people. How can they decide who is fit, have a weapon and who is not? – People with children sometimes have guns, and the kids get hold of them and kills themselves or each other to "play" with the gun. Should be their restrictions on it? What? Should there be sanctions for parents who do not hold the to achieve their guns from their children? – There are laws in force, the gun people need to buy an application, and then wait so many days before they have it can. Are the laws the same in the U.S.? Do some Member States have different laws? – A type of law makes people wait longer, for days or for the gun . Get One reason for this is that it prevents people, buying one in the heat of anger, for example, when someone learns that his spouse has her / him, or if any of a job, fired or otherwise cheated feels unfairly treated. How long is long enough? – People who are not legal weapons back (or do not want a gun to her) able to get them illegally on the black market. What should be the punishment for it? Should it be made easier to prevent by legal means and guns? – Now then the police will hold a drive to turn the people in their illegal weapons without penalty. The people know it, but how effective are these drives?
Technology in and for the Instrumental music Classroom
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Music education, in some form, goes back as far as education itself. While sometimes struggling for legitimacy, it nonetheless has had its champions. More recently, as technology has flourished within education, technological applications designed specifically for the teaching of music have been developed. While much of this technology is designed primarily for the classroom there are programs designed for the student to utilize in the home, albeit limited to those students with a home computer and internet access.
The teaching of music in the American educational setting dates back 1838 when Lowell Mason introduced singing classes to Boston grammar schools. Instrumental music appeared in fits and starts over the next fifty years but was never included during the school day; rather, it was relegated to the ranks of extracurricular activities. Around the turn of the century, instrumental music began to see some acceptance into the classroom, though often was taught by those untrained in the area of music education. Moreover, little if any standardization of the instrumentation or music literature existed. (Rhodes, 2007)
Near the conclusion of World War I the quality of school music began to increase. This was due primarily to veterans who, after having been musically trained in the various service branches, began to fill music teaching positions in the schools. Band, however, was still regarded as an extracurricular activity. (Ibid)
In 1907, the Music Supervisors National Conference or MSNC, (now known as the Music Educators National Conference or MENC) was organized to support school music. In 1912 a proposal was made to include, as accredited subjects, a number of music activities including choruses and general music. Band was included – but at a much lower priority. Later, however, at the Cleveland MSNC conference in 1923, Edgar B. Gordon stated,
The high school band is no longer an incidental school enterprise prompted largely by the volunteer services of a high school teacher who happens to have had some band experience, but rather an undertaking which is assigned to a definite place in the school schedule with a daily class period under a trained instructor and with credit allowed for satisfactory work done. (Ibid)
In the same year, and likely due to the increase in both acceptance and importance, Carl Greenleaf (then head of C. G. Conn Ltd.) helped organize the first National Band Contest in Chicago. Later, in 1928, he directed the Conn company to contribute to the founding of the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan and later supported publications designed to support band directors. While these endeavors may have appeared somewhat self-serving in light of his position with Conn, they nonetheless helped establish school band as a significant part of school curriculum. (Banks, 1997)
Despite a gradual, while still limited, acceptance of instrumental music within the school curriculum, budget cuts have often curtailed or even eliminated these programs. Further, with the recent increased emphasis upon “teaching to the test†due to the pressures of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and similar state requirements, support for the inclusion of music in schools has begun to wane. Michelle R. Davis, in “Education Week,†stated “The federal No Child Left Behind Act is prompting many schools to cut back on subjects such as social studies, music, and art to make more time for reading and mathematics…†(Davis, 2006) This is most unfortunate considering that the study of music, especially instrumental music, has proved to be beneficial for all students – even increasing their ability to reason and problem-solve.
Many theorists have contributed to the elevation of music as central to education, or at the very least, demonstrated that limiting the school environment to the “Three R’s†is short-sighted. Howard Gardner postulated his “Multiple Intelligences†theory with the understanding that children do not possess identical propensities for learning. Not only do they have differing capacities for learning but have differing capacities for learning in many areas. These areas, as he explained, are the varying intelligences of which he speaks. Originally describing seven intelligences (of which music is highlighted) he identified two specifically (linguistic and logical-mathematical) as “the ones that have typically been valued in school.†(Gardner, 1999, p41) Obviously, Gardner recognized that the educational system was not reaching all students – only those that could “do school†well. Gardner did not limit his study, of course, to the mere existence of multiple intelligences but demonstrated that a given person can be strong in more than one, enabling those intelligences to interact one with the other. He explained that, “there are other ways in which different intelligences can affect each other…one intelligence can mediate and constrain the others; one intelligence can compensate for another; and one intelligence can catalyze another.†(Gardner 2, 2006, p219) He further extolled the advantages of a musical intelligence by explaining that “…a strong musical intelligence may lead a person engaged in a linguistic task to be more sensitive to the rhythmic properties of language as well as its meaning.†(Ibid, p223)
While many may assume that music and the study thereof is associated primarily to that which is heard, it is also related quite closely to mathematics. Dahlhaus, reflecting Rameau stated that “music had its origins in the Pythagorean proportions; (i.e., music is a mathematics).†(Gargarian, 1996, p137, 138) Regardless of whether or not one agrees with the theory that music is mathematical in toto, there should be little dispute as to the relativity of music notation to mathematics. Indeed, introducing the coordinate, or Cartesian, plane appears to aid the new music student in understanding the horizontal (x), and vertical (y) axes of music notation. Simply stated, the horizontal (x) axis on the music staff relates to duration while the vertical (y) axis relates to pitch. This, of course is a reflection upon Gardner’s aforementioned theory of intelligence interaction.
There is further evidence that instrumental music study is advantageous for the student. In 1995, Gottfried Schlaug, et al, published a study, “Increased Corpus Callosum Size in Musicians†wherein they described an increase in neural fibers across the Corpus Callosum (CC), contributing to its enlargement. They further were able to determine that this increase in fibers/CC size was attributable to instrumental music study. (Schlaug, et al, 1995) Obviously, the supposition can easily be made that, if there is greater cross-talk between the two hemispheres of the brain (specifically, the left – thought to be the analytical, and the right – thought to be the creative) the result would be a person with a greater, more creative, problem-solving ability.
Reflecting upon Gardner’s theories, as well as those of Schlaug, et al, it should surprise no one that others have confirmed links between music and other skills. Bahr and Christiansen in their article “Inter-Domain Transfer Between Mathematical Skill and Musicianship†published findings demonstrating that students who had studied music demonstrated superior performance on mathematical tasks provided there was some structural overlap with music. (Bahr, Christiansen, 2000) This “structural overlap†could be nearly anything, including the relationship of dividing measures or notes into fractions, relating pitch to frequency, or, as aforementioned, establishing the link between the coordinate (Cartesian) plane and the music staff.
With this enhanced problem-solving ability; this increased awareness of mathematical concepts, it would not be a grand leap to assume that music students might perform well with classroom technology. Indeed, music students should be expected to do at least as well as other students with regard to technology. If that is true, then the next step would be to assume that they would do especially well with technology geared especially to them.
Somewhat recently, technologists, recognizing a dearth of technologically-based music applications began to develop computer programs for music education. Music theory websites began to appear, many having been produced by, and linked to, symphonic organizations. Others have been produced by teachers and graduate students either as part of coursework or perhaps for their own use (and anyone wishing to utilize the application). A quick search of the internet reveals that there are quite a number of available technological tools produced and published for the music student. There are interactive music games, in-class keyboard music theory applications, countless online pitch and rhythm websites, and, perhaps most powerful, applications known as “computer assisted instruction†(CAI)†specifically for the music classroom and student. In January 2005, Steven Estrella published the findings of a study demonstrating how music teachers in the U.S. used music technology. Among his findings, he discovered that approximately twenty percent of the survey participants used some form of CAI as part of their instruction. The survey further discovered that the predominant software application was “SmartMusic.†(Estrella, 2005)
SmartMusic is a teacher/student interactive application allowing students to practice, at home, with a synthesized band or orchestral accompaniment. The program can also, with an included microphone, record the student’s efforts and grade them using rhythm and pitch data. The student can immediately see their results and can retry if they wish. The recording and the accompanying grade are then emailed to the student’s teacher/director and automatically entered into the teacher’s database grade book. The program includes accompaniments for around thirty-thousand compositions including band and orchestra method book pieces. (Nagel, 2007) While early reviews of the program were mixed, the company that produces SmartMusic, “MakeMusic,†was apparently responsive to teacher/consumer complaints and suggestions. The program requires that the home version be installed on the students own computer and, in earlier versions, installation, setup, and microphone placement were problematic. In the latest version, SmartMusic 11, many of these issues were addressed either by simplifying the process or with enhanced user guides. (Whaley, 2008)
For the classroom, SmartMusic holds a wealth of applications. The most basic functions of the program include a displayed tuner and metronome. (A music classroom with an interactive whiteboard can make excellent use of SmartMusic’s utilities.) The teacher can then play a pre-recorded version of a piece to be studied and, while the students are playing along, can instantly record them independent of the pre-recording for later playback. The program also includes fingering charts for all instruments so a quick check for the students perhaps needing additional instruction is easily accomplished. Keys and tempi can be changed easily, if necessary, and if a single performer wishes to play with a pre-recorded accompaniment, that accompaniment, “listening†to the performer via a microphone, can follow the performer’s changes in tempo – not unlike what the conductor of a symphony orchestra would do in a live performance.
As important and powerful as SmartMusic is in the classroom, its most powerful application – and the primary purpose for which it was intended – is that of a home practice and assessment tool. There are literally thousands of accompaniments and scales included in the software as well as thousands of music titles. Once the students have subscribed, downloaded (or installed from a CD), and set up the home version of the program, the teacher can design playing assignments which the student then accesses at home on their own computer.
Playing through a microphone to the program’s accompaniment gives an instant visual and aural response; while the recording of the student’s performance is played, their correct notes are displayed in green while mistakes are displayed in red. The student can decide upon and set their own tempo, then practice with the computer-generated accompaniment as many times as they wish prior to recording for a grade. In short, the student is in control while at home. Students having access to broadband internet and a reasonably up-to-date computer can fully realize the potential of the program – as well as their own. (Rudolph, 2006)
But what of those students not fortunate enough to have a computer at home – let alone internet access?
Obviously, the power of SmartMusic would be largely lost on those students without a home computer or internet access. The cost of the home version is small, and some districts have even provided the subscription free of charge for their students. (Nagel, 2007) However, can districts provide a workable computer and internet access or all of its students?
David Thomas stated that schools have made great progress in the introduction of computer and internet access. However, that access, for disadvantaged students, remains at school. (Thomas, 2003) Thomas further quoted then U. S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige:
We need to address the limited access to technology that many students have outside of school. There is much more we can do. Closing the digital divide will also help close the achievement gap that exists within our schools. (Thomas, 2003)
A 2007 study in New York revealed that between seventy and eighty percent of students have computers at home. (Traber, 2007) One might suggest that the real numbers cross-country are actually much lower.
There are many music students dependant upon school-provided instruments, method books, and even instrument supplies such as reeds and valve oil (usually provided out the teacher’s own pocket). These students are already behind their more affluent counterparts and cannot afford private lessons, let alone a workable computer and internet access. These are the students who could benefit most from a program such SmartMusic. However, as useful and powerful as SmartMusic is, it cannot by itself bridge this “digital divide†that still exists.
Educational technology holds great promise for the student musician but until a method for equitable access is discovered, disproportionate achievement will persist.
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References
Bahr, N. & Christensen C.A. (2000). Inter-Domain Transfer Between Mathematical Skill and Musicianship. In Journal of Structural Learning & Intelligent Systems (Vol. 14(3), 2000, pp. 187 – 197). US: Gordon & Breach Science Publishers
Banks, Margaret Downie (1997). A Brief History of the Conn Company (1874-present). The National Music Museum.
Davis, Michelle R. (2006, April). Study: NCLB Leads to Cuts for Some Subjects. Education Week.
Estrella, Steven (2005). Survey of Music Educators and Music Technology. Shearspire.
Gardner, Howard (1999). Intelligence Reframed, Multiple Intelligences for the Twenty First Century. Basic Books/Perseus Books Group: New York
Gardner, Howard (2006). Multiple Intelligences – New Horizons. Basic Books/Perseus Books Group: New York
Gargarian, Gregory (1996). The Art of Design. In Kafai, Y., & Resnick, M. (Eds.). Constructionism in practice: designing, thinking, and learning in a digital world. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Nagel, Dave (2007, August). Tucson USD Gives SmartMusic Subscriptions to Students, THE Journal.
Rhodes, Stephen L. (2007). A History of the Wind Band – The American School Band Movement. Lipscomb University.
Rudolph, Tom (2006, February). The Wide World of SmartMusic. Music Education Technology.
Schlaug, Gottfried; Lutz, Jäncke; Huang, Yanxiong; Staiger, Jochen F., Steinmetz, Helmuth, (1995). Increased Corpus Callosum Size in Musicians. Neuropsychologia, Vol. 33, No. 8, pp. 1047-1055.
Thomas, David (2003). Internet Access Soars in Schools, But “Digital Divide†Still Exists at Home for Minority and Poor Students. U. S. Department of Education.
Traber, Chris (2007, September). Poor Students Struggle In Class. YorkRegion.com News.
Whaley, Roger (2008, September 10). SmartMusic 11! – MakeMusic has released SmartMusic 11!. The Band Ed Tool Shed (Weblog).
About the Author
Tom Crawford is a middle school instrumental music educator currently finishing a graduate degree in Education Technology. He can be reached at tom.crawford@tusd1.org Website: http://edweb.tusd1.org/maxwell/band
A recent survey of 707 families with a child conducted by a group of American researchers and published in the journal "Science" has proven that time is spent in the Internet television closely with the later in connection with aggressive behavior, particularly for the age group interval of 16 and 22 years. Similar remarks are made in France by Kriegel report that there are effects of Internet Television Violence on children, adolescents and adults. This effect is proportional to the time online. You can often read press release that a teenager hanged himself after a Model seen on the Internet, a 13-year-old boy fatally stabbed his little sister, 6 years old after watching a horror movie online.
Another teenager attack a service station following instructions from the Internet. Furthermore, rape a 18-year-old boy a 7-year-old girl, and then he explained that he was innocent one similar scene saw on the Internet TV. If a child only watches violent programs, they are pathologically him to switch from the normal. Therefore, Internet-television owners, which have to do in the situation, so many improvements in order to obtain success, to do some magic, and to prohibit such programs when children or people who are not from the mental Term stable access to them.
If you really want to live in a healthy world, before the release of a new Internet TV, you have to think the target audience very well, can lead to no adverse consequences that you regret your initiative. After all, the Internet television owners are people too!
Internet television, researchers have from the fundamental hypothesis that winning online TV viewers can run more than the newspapers' readers. To see a new video, the people up to other activities in connection with family, church, school, friends or books. Internet TV is now the most active Modeler of attitudes and mentalities.
Most people not read any newspapers and online television for them the only source of information. To continue, 95% of high school students to watch Internet TV every day, and from them only 8.7% read something every day. Therefore has the Internet television is a virtual monopoly on the modeling of the spirit of a very important part of the population. Moreover, if We highlight the variety of entertainment programs and contents, we can say that sometimes relevant Internet television removed information that is necessary is for every adult. Actually, statistics, and result, after which young people on average spend 175 minutes in front of the screen provided per day, while adults 240 minutes, only for entertainment purposes. Under such circumstances, the people must, in general, not only boys, advice on Internet-TV programs.
The bad news is that in prime time violence covers 90% of the programs. On the other hand, if there was no violence, sometimes people are cheap humor and music, low quality made available. Statistics also close to that this music is very low quality appreciated by 40% of the students. Such music can be be mixed as a rhythm with sexual connotations described. Therefore it is high time, Internet TV idea of quality first, and then the profit.
About the Author
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The youtube Davos Debates: “Redesigning an important cause” Full Panel Session
Professional Courses in music Music Arts School â € "in Los Angeles
Music is the way of life. Music is a form of art that all boundaries and prejudices overcome the related class, culture and religion. All other languages have the coordination of sensory skills such as aural, oral, visual and Gesture for freedom of expression, but the music has only a grateful ear. Music has the power to melt Stonehearted person.
Music LA is the pioneering music and Art is the leading School of Music in Los Angeles. The school was founded in the late 70s for the sole purpose of teaching the art of music for those who studying the finer nuances of the harmonic music want. The Institute provides quality education through music is a wide range of courses covering all areas, with the learning Music linked. The students are free to choose their subject of interest from the extensive curriculum offerings.
Many of the aspirants are initiated, no idea how and who is responsible for obtaining quality music have coaching approach. Many schools provide excellent training in music, but their fees may be beyond the reach of every pocket. Learners must not lose hope. Music Los Angeles, the modern school of music groundbreaking, personalized instruction in vocal and instrumental music, in addition to courses in audio recording. The following list gives an overview about some of the most important and popular music courses are available at the best LA music school.
Vocal music Classes at this college of music for people with distinctive voices who will want it to her singing talents to use to build their career in singing.
Guitar course, this kind of music, art school includes essential training in a variety of guitars, including acoustic, electric and bass guitars.
Music Los Angeles is also an opportunity for those interested in developing their careers in music production and music industry. This finest Recording Arts School offers a complete Music recording program, including the digital sound recordings.
The overview on only gives an idea about some of the courses can be found at LA Music. The list is not exhaustive. For complete information on the major genres the music, visit www.musicschoolla.com.
About the Author
The author of this article has been contributing valuable and useful articles on music, musicians, artistes, singers, musical performances, music colleges and music training in the USA. His well-researched articles provide up-to-date insight into the people connected with the music industry.
music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?
How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes?
Music affects us all. But only in recent times have scientists sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains, and therefore our bodies, function.
It seems that the healing power of music, over body and spirit, is only just starting to be understood, even though music therapy is not new. For many years therapists have been advocating the use of music in both listening and study for the reduction of anxiety and stress, the relief of pain. And music has also been recommended as an aid for positive change in mood and emotional states.
Michael DeBakey, who in 1966 became the first surgeon to successfully implant an artificial heart, is on record saying: “Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients.”
Doctors now believe using music therapy in hospitals and nursing homes not only makes people feel better, but also makes them heal faster. And across the nation, medical experts are beginning to apply the new revelations about music’s impact on the brain to treating patients.
In one study, researcher Michael Thaut and his team detailed how victims of stroke, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease who worked to music took bigger, more balanced strides than those whose therapy had no accompaniment.
Other researchers have found the sound of drums may influence how bodies work. Quoted in a 2001 article in USA Today, Suzanne Hasner, chairwoman of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, says even those with dementia or head injuries retain musical ability.
The article reported results of an experiment in which researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pa., tracked 111 cancer patients who played drums for 30 minutes a day. They found strengthened immune systems and increased levels of cancer-fighting cells in many of the patients.
“Deep in our long-term memory is this rehearsed music,” Hasner says. “It is processed in the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here is where you remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them.”
The American Music Therapy Organization claims music therapy may allow for “emotional intimacy with families and caregivers, relaxation for the entire family, and meaningful time spent together in a positive, creative way”.
Scientists have been making progress in its exploration into why music should have this effect. In 2001 Dr. Anne Blood and Robert Zatorre of McGill University in Montreal, used positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to find out if particular brain structures were stimulated by music.
In their study, Blood and Zatorre asked 10 musicians, five men and five women, to choose stirring music. The subjects were then given PET scans as they listened to four types of audio stimuli – the selected music, other music, general noise or silence. Each sequence was repeated three times in random order.
Blood said when the subjects heard the music that gave them “chills,” the PET scans detected activity in the portions of the brain that are also stimulated by food and sex.
Just why humans developed such a biologically based appreciation of music is still not clear. The appreciation of food and the drive for sex evolved to help the survival of the species, but “music did not develop strictly for survival purposes,” Blood told Associated Press at the time.
She also believes that because music activates the parts of the brain that make us happy, this suggests it can benefit our physical and mental well being.
This is good news for patients undergoing surgical operations who experience anxiety in anticipation of those procedures.
Polish researcher, Zbigniew Kucharski, at the Medical Academy of Warsaw, studied the effect of acoustic therapy for fear management in dental patients. During the period from October 2001 to May 2002, 38 dental patients aged between 16 and 60 years were observed. The patients received variations of acoustic therapy, a practice where music is received via headphones and also vibrators.
Dr Kucharski discovered the negative feelings decreased five-fold for patients who received 30 minutes of acoustic therapy both before and after their dental procedure. For the group that heard and felt music only prior to the operation, the fearful feelings reduced by a factor of 1.6 only.
For the last group (the control), which received acoustic therapy only during the operation, there was no change in the degree of fear felt.
A 1992 study identified music listening and relaxation instruction as an effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in women undergoing painful gynecological procedures. And other studies have proved music can reduce other ‘negative’ human emotions like fear, distress and depression.
Sheri Robb and a team of researchers published a report in the Journal of Music Therapy in 1992, outlining their findings that music assisted relaxation procedures (music listening, deep breathing and other exercises) effectively reduced anxiety in pediatric surgical patients on a burn unit.
“Music,” says Esther Mok in the AORN Journal in February 2003, “is an easily administered, non-threatening, non-invasive, and inexpensive tool to calm preoperative anxiety.”
So far, according to the same report, researchers cannot be certain why music has a calming affect on many medical patients. One school of thought believes music may reduce stress because it can help patients to relax and also lower blood pressure. Another researcher claims music allows the body’s vibrations to synchronize with the rhythms of those around it. For instance, if an anxious patient with a racing heartbeat listens to slow music, his heart rate will slow down and synchronize with the music’s rhythm.
Such results are still something of a mystery. The incredible ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable, and yet still largely inexplicable.
Aside from brain activity, the affect of music on hormone levels in the human body can also be quantified, and there is definite evidence that music can lower levels of cortisol in the body (associated with arousal and stress), and raise levels of melatonin (which can induce sleep). It can also precipitate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller.
But how does music succeed in prompting emotions within us? And why are these emotions often so powerful? The simple answer is that no one knows yet. So far we can quantify some of the emotional responses caused by music, but we cannot yet explain them. But that’s OK. I don’t have to understand electricity to benefit from light when I switch on a lamp when I come into a room, and I don’t have to understand why music can make me feel better emotionally. It just does – our Creator made us that way.
What would be a good topic for my World History research paper?
I can pick a topic from any aspect of world history from 1600 AD to the present as long as it’s historical in nature. My assignment sheet suggests that it could be about an interesting culture, historical figure, time period, religion, or event.
Here are some things I’m interested in: religion, South America (esp. the jungle), tribes in the jungle, music, reading about famous criminals (like the Son of Sam, Jesse James, Bonnie & Clyde Al Capone, etc.), Native American culture, the Bible, Guyana (a country in South America), etc.
Since it’s WORLD history, and not AMERICAN history I’m thinking I should probably try to stay away from more American history stuff cuz I took that class last year. Also keep in mind it has to be something from 1600 AD to the present.
Any good ideas?!?! I want to make sure I pick a topic I’m interested in so I’ll have some fun writing my paper!
The White Rose is very interesting, it was a group of medical students in Germany during WWII that secretly sent out pamphlets denouncing the Nazi regime, their last pamphlet was dropped by allied airforces.
The Battle of Britain is another good WWII one. Winston Churchill describes as “never in the course of human conflict was so much owed by so many, to so few.”
If your interested in Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde. I find that of all the prohibition and Depression era criminals, John Dillinger is the most facinating, also the New York crime mafia of Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel.
The Spanish Inquisition is a interesting and disturbing religious topic. Same with the Salem Witch Trials.
the relationship between personal music conceptions, and other topics pt 2 of 2
I am working on an encyclopedia of great women in 20th music from all over the world and I just finished reading some books on Ms. Garland some with piss poor though, and initially I felt there was no reason to include her. Then my friends and others attacked me like rabid gerbils for it. So I am wondering what did Ms. Garland do for the advancement of women in music or for music in general? I understand the audience loved her despite her failings and sexual leanings and deviances and she loved her audience. And that at her peak she was an outstanding performer and singer, but well in the business of music and the field of music I really am having trouble seeing how she paved the way for women in music today. Why was she so great?
See, I want to find commonalty that ties these women together to create a sort of underlying theme for my book. Any ideas would be very helpful.
WHY! Are You Serious you don’t know why you should include her! There are TONS of reasons why she should be included. She has been called the world’s greatest entertainer, and done every venue of show business vaudeville, Broadway, Movies, TV, and the Concert Stage.
She started in show biz at the age of two while being pushed by her “Stage Mother” Ethel Gumm. And ever since she was two she never stopped. She had a group with her sisters called The Gumm Sisters, which then eventually changed from The Gumm Sisters to The Garland Sisters. Then eventually the name Frances Ethel Gumm, would be changed to Judy Garland.
Judy Garland got a contract with MGM at the age of 14, and was one of the hardest working teens ever. She had absolutely no childhood, or teen life. She never even had a prom. She barely even went to school,. she would film for three hours, then go to school for 45 minutes, then go back to filming, etc.
Once she started doing movies with MGM the public couldn’t get enough of her. Her salary was raised, but not for her. But for her Mother. Back in the 30s if you were a child star all of the money that you made went to your Mother, and you didn’t get any money for any of the work you did.
Eventually, MGM got to the point where that they wanted her to make four films a year. But nobody can have that much energy to do that many films a year, so the out her on prescription medication. They gave her sleeping pills to help her get some rest, and then when she would wake up she would be extremely tired, so they would give her a pep pill. Then she started to gain weight because of the pill’s side affects. So then they started to give her pills so she could maintain a weight balance of 95 pounds. So now she was on three perceptions of pills
Then the pills she started taking weren’t enough so they gave her higher dosage of each pills. Which over the years took their toll. As into her late twenties and thirties they had given her so many pills that she had no become addicted to these pills. And with having medical problems she became very unreliable for the studio. She would faint in rehearsal, get dehydrated and over the years she developed extremely bad liver problems, and in 1959 she came down with hepatitis.
And with Judy having all of these problems the studio didn’t give it the time of day. They could care less if she was nearly breaking, they just wanted to get their movies finished. Although Judy got so much done for someone with so many problems. But eventually her body just couldn’t take the stress of the pills, and the studio expecting her always to be in the spotlight and never get out of it, and never get a break.
She had eventually become unworkable. Her last film with MGM was in 1950 and it Summer Stock. After That she was hired to do Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire, but she could barely stand up. So she was fired from the film, and let go from the studio. She worked at MGM from 1935 to 1950. She had made thirty films for the studio.
She then after being released from MGM went on touring as a concert performer, and did a 2-a-day performances at the Palace Theater in New York City from 1951-1952. And then she was awarded a special Tony for her efforts at the Palace,
She then came back to movies in 1954 to make the re-rival if The Movie A Star Is Born. Judy was nominated for best actress, but she lost to Grace Kelly because Warner Bros had taken out the thirty minutes from the film that got her nominated. But the film became a major success for Garland and movie history.
She then for the next few years didn’t do as much. She toured the continent of USA but came down with serious health issue and almost died. She made her comeback concert ad album in 1961 at Carnegie Hall and it was Garland’s greatest success. The Album was on the charts as number for over a year and won five grammys, including best female vocalist of 1961.
Between the years of 1961 to 1963 Judy went back to films and even got another Academy Award Nomination in 1961 for best supporting actress sin the film: “Judgement At Nuremberg. She then in 1963 got her own TV Show. But it only lasted a year because it was on at the same time as already popular show Bonanza.
Garland for the rest of life from then wasn’t the greatest. She died in 1969 at the age of 47 because she just couldn’t take it anymore. She is one of the most remembered stars of the 20th century. And has maintained to be a popularly known entertainer still as of today 2007.
She even has gotten in the the top 100 most famous songs of the 20th century. Some examples are.
#1 of 100: Over The Rainbow
#11 of 100: The Man That Got Away
#66 of 100: Get Happy
And More. I hope this opened your eyes to why Judy deserves so much credit.
