This week in my music classes I learned about the importance of connecting with a performance. As a musician, when you perform it is imperative that you give a show to the audience. You have to perform every song like it’s the last time you will ever play it. After reading this article and watching the video, I can honestly say this performance by Prince is one of the most inspiring and moving performances I’ve seen in a long time. Watching this video and keeping in mind the things I learned in my classes, I have come to discover that the key to performing well is to simply love what you’re playing. If you aren’t moved by the things you’re playing, there’s no way you can ever move anyone else.
When I created the draft of my analysis paper, I began by thinking to myself and sort of internally brainstorming. I thought about what I wished to reflect upon. After forming a sort of thesis for my topic, I decided to do a bit of free writing. I remember feeling very excited about writing this paper because it was a topic I am passionate about. Being excited about and enjoying the source material for my papers makes them extremely easier.
One tough spot for me in writing this paper was figuring out how I wanted to relay the message to my audience. I had to make specific rhetorical choices, such as including things about the emotions tied in to politics. Using the right strategy helped make my paper much more cohesive and effective.
Writing the problem/solution argument essay was a challenge. I began my writing process by finding a topic that interested me. After I found my topic, I began to search the internet for articles relating to my topic. This proved to be much more challenging than I had expected. It took me quite some time to find articles I could use to help my argument. I realized this probably meant my argument was too narrow. I then decided to expand my topic a bit in order to help find more materials to use. This helped me find more sources that supported my argument, and helped my paper deliver a stronger message.
My audience for this paper was an academic, well-educated audience that was interested in my topic. I chose to write in a way that helped my paper seem more credible and convincing, in order to help “convince” my audience. I made specific rhetorical choices while writing to help increase the attractiveness of my solution. This helped make my paper seem more credible and interesting.
Balancing this paper with my other course work was extremely difficult. However, it did not have to be. The professor gave us plenty of time to do this project. It would be extremely beneficial to use all of the given time wisely. I failed to do this. This resulted in me having to write a paper in the middle of one of the busiest weeks in my semester. My advice would be to use all of your time wisely so that you do not have to cram to do this project. Allow yourself plenty of time to find a topic that you can write about clearly and effectively. Do not be afraid to change topics if you are not finding the information you want.
I much prefer to write a reflection as homework instead of as a timed writing. Writing at home allows me to take time to organize my thoughts and give an accurate reflection of how I feel about an assignment or a topic. When I do a reflection as a timed writing in class, I feel rushed, and I feel as if I am not expressing myself clearly. I absolutely believe my reflections I write as homework are stronger than the ones that I write in class. I like the homework ones much more. The only positive about in class timed reflections is that they force me to think on me feet and my response is normally much more straight forward and descriptive.
I enjoyed participating in the gallery walk. We walked around the class room and inspected each others websites and answered questions about the websites. I enjoyed this because seeing other people’s websites because it gave me new ideas to use for my website. The questions people answered about my website will also help me to improve my website. This exercise helped make my website better.
Learning new technology is extremely beneficial. Learning new technology makes you competitive when searching for a job, it helps you be more connected to more people, and it helps you do things in your life way easier.
In my personal life, I learned photoshop so I could do some small graphic design jobs. Because I learned photoshop, I met more people, and made more money. I was able to promote local bands in the Memphis area and their shows. Here is an album cover I designed for a local band called Ecclesiast:
In my academic and work life, I had to learn how to use a software called finale in order to compose music. I began learning finale in 2011, and have been continually getting better and better. It helps me write different pieces for the different ensembles I participate in.
I am writing my problem/solution argument essay on the lack of funding in primary public schools in the state of Mississippi. This argument matters because education is one of the most important resources that a state provides to its citizens. Education has the highest return of interest of any government subsidized institution. Education also helps to create new culture for the country, which benefits all citizens. People should care about the quality and funding of the education children receive because of how great an impact education has on everyone’s life. An educated populace is much safer than a non-educated one. An educated population is also much more productive and progressive in their respective communities. Everyone would benefit from an increase to public school funding.
During this spring break, I spent most of my time resting and relaxing, as most students do. I did, however, find time to think about the wonderful world of Writing 101 and the glorious tool that is rhetoric. I began reading a book titled A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin. The book is a fiction novel, but it is filled with brilliant writing. Martin’s style and word choice create an extremely gorgeous style. His language choice helps to create different tones and moods that make me as a reader feel as if I’m a part of the story. He does an amazing job of describing places, weather, people, and the actions people make. His writing paints a picture so easily it makes it difficult to put down the book. The things we’ve been learning in Writ101 have helped me to better recognize and appreciate the tools Martin uses to create such a wonderful story.
Earlier this week in my Music classes we talked about the significance of George Gershwin and his compositions. Gershwin is seen as one of the most influential early American composers. His jazzy, lyrical works have been cemented in American musical culture for the past 70 years. This article talks about how in one of Gershwin’s most famous works, “An American in Paris,” the composer calls for a “french taxi horn” part. This is obviously not a standard musical instrument used in classical music. The article claims that for the past 70 years, performers have been using notes that are incorrect to what Gershwin would have actually intended. This article is connected to my studies as a music major because it shows that we are still learning and discovering new things about music. This suggests to me that my education at Ole Miss is important because soon it will be my responsibility as well as my peer’s to continue the study of music. We will be responsible for interpreting new meanings behind music, as well as continuing to teach about the culture provided by modern American music.
This week in WRIT 101 we learned about rhetorical strategies in writing. We learned about the benefits of using ethos, logos, and pathos in order to help your writing better influence your readers. It is memorable because it is something useful in all styles of writing, as well as being an important skill. Last week we talked about the importance of understanding your target audience. I think knowing your target audience will greatly influence what kind of rhetorical strategies you will use in your writing. This connection made me realize that it is important to use techniques that are effective in influencing and moving your target audience.
