Category: Uncategorized

Final Project- Music Inspires Us

How many times have you been in a bad mood and blasted a certain song to help you feel better? Have you ever made a playlist where all the songs make you feel the same type of emotion? Music has many purposes, but it’s undeniable that music inspires people. A song with an encouraging, positive message can be the spark that changes someones life. Countless songs have been written to inspire and give the listener confidence in following their dreams or encouraging them to always keep a positive attitude.

We Weren’t Born to Follow, Bon Jovi, 2009, U.S.A.

We Weren’t Born to Follow by Bon Jovi is a song meant to inspire listeners to keep going in the face of adversity and follow your goals no matter what. Throughout the music video, clips are shown of various people who made a change through action or achieved something. The lyrics contain “When life is a bitter pill to swallow, you gotta hold on to what you believe.” The dynamics of the song change a bit between the verses and the chorus to fit the theme of the song. The verses are calmer, while Jon Bon Jovi calls out to the audience, listing many types of people before the louder chorus hits with encouraging messages. The fast tempo of the song is a common trait in songs meant to ‘pump up’ the listener.

Don’t Stop Believin’, Journey, 1981, U.S.A.

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey is referred to as an ‘anthem,’ with entire stadiums belting along since the songs release decades ago. The song inspires listeners to stay strong and never give up on themselves or their dreams. This song was founded in its own idealogy, as the inspiration for the song came from advice from the band’s keyboard player’s father. When discouraged by his lack of success in the music industry, he called his father for advice, and his father said, “No, no, don’t come home. Stick to your guns. Don’t stop believin’ (Huffpost, 2018).

The structure of the song is quite unique, with the section considered to be the chorus only played once at the end of the song, at 3:20 in the linked video. This is when “don’t stop believin” is heard in the song for the first time. The singer really projects many of the lines in the song, giving a sense of passion and determination to the encouraging words. I really enjoy the instrumentation in this song as well, especially the keyboards. The keyboard riff is very recognizable and serves really well to build up to the stronger guitar riffs that interject throughout the song.

Think about the next time you listen to a specific song before taking a big test, doing a presentation or interview, or hitting the gym. Why did you choose that song? What about it made you feel inspired and confident? Whether it’s through encouraging lyrics or an energizing beat, music is extremely effective at bringing out the best in people, inspring them to change their own lives or the entire world around them.

Course Journey

In this course I have learned that there’s always a lot more to music than it seems! I’ve always been interested in both playing and listening to music, and this course allowed me to take a deeper look into the music I listen to every day. The biggest impact this course has had on me is the way I examine songs more often in terms of individual musical elements instead of only as a whole package. Knowing about all the elements that come together in a single song gives a lot more appreciation to music as an art form. I also really enjoyed reading classmates perspectives on the topics discussed in the class as well as listening to their song selections. I heard a lot of types of music throughout this course that I don’t think I would have ever heard otherwise!

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Continued Explorations: Another Incredible Performer- Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, known as the “King of Pop,” is regarded as one of, if not the greatest performer of all time. From his many chart-topping hits to his captivating dances, he is considered a performance icon.

Born in 1958 as the eighth child of the Jackson family, he began his music career at the early age of 6, forming a group with his older brothers as the Jackson 5. Along with his siblings, he was extemely pressured by his parents to become a performer, spending countless hours practicing and improving, as well as being subjected to harsh scrutiny and punishment for imperfections. He begun his solo career at age 23, quickly rising to mega-stardom with hit after hit, including Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean. The music videos for his songs are credited with breaking racial barriers as well as bringing the concept of the music video to popularity, leading to the rise of MTV. He continuously broke and set music records, with the album “Bad” being the first album to produce 5 US Billboard number-one singles, as well as “Thriller” being the best selling album of all time, with a total of 66 million copies sold (Adamczyk, 2015). Through his live and music video performances, Jackson was known for his dancing, naming and popularizing moves such as the robot and the moonwalk. His music and performance transended race, age, and time, as he was the first artist to have a top 10 single in the Billboard Hot 100 across five different decades (Huey). Prior to his death in 2009, his music releases and performances gained him worldwide fame and adoration as an entertainer.

Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson, 1987, U.S.A.

Michael Jackson can’t be discussed as a performer without mentioning dance. Dance is a powerful tool for a performer to give extra life and dimension to music, and Michael Jackson was an extremely talented dancer. As seen in Smooth Criminal, the dancing is the highlight of the performance, even over the music itself. Jackson is known for individual moves such as the moonwalk, his signature spin, and his toe-stand, as well as an overall style, including his incredible technique with isolation, moving only one part of his body at a time. His dance style can be attributed to ‘popping’, originating with West Coast street dancers (Catton, 2018).

Beat It, Michael Jackson, 1982, U.S.A.

Michael Jackson had impressive vocal ability, coming from both raw talent and hard work, including rigorous practice from a young age. He had a very powerful as well as versatile voice, described as “original and utterly distinctive” (McCormick, 2009). Classified as a tenor, Jackson had a wide vocal range with a unique style. He is known for his use of falsetto, often used in his frequently impersonated additions (heard around 4:00 in Beat It), which are a trademark of his vocal performances. He also added dimension and intensity to his songs using dynamics, including stacatto and non-verbal sounds, such as gasps and grunts. His vocal strength and versatility come from his ability to use different timbres depending on the type of song, as well as his stability, with little to no pitch change in sustained notes.

I think that no one more than Michael Jackson truly encompasses the meaning of a performer, as he made music more focused on visual aspects than ever before through the popularization of music videos and dance performances. He was the first true ‘pop star’, expanding the title of musician to include an entire package of performance.

Michael Jackson was truly the whole package when it comes to being an entertainer. He had great singing and dancing skills, as well as a one-of-a-kind stage presence that made him a captivating entertainer as well as a timeless musical icon.

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Music and the Fictive Dream: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

With the theme of this post being ‘Music and the Fictive Dream’, I figured there was no better selection than the ballet The Nutcracker, as the plot of the ballet revolves around a young girls’ Christmas dream. The Nutcracker is my favorite ballet, and I have seen it performed multiple times. The score for the ballet was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who has many well known ballets, though The Nutcracker tops the list. Although it applies to the entire performance, there is no score of the ballet that has a dream-like feel as much as the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. This performance is always a highlight for me, and I am not alone, as this song is the most recognizable song from the ballet.

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1892, Russia

The choreographer wanted the music for this section of the ballet to sound like “drops of water shooting from a fountain”, and Tchaikovsky achieved this sound through the use of the newly invented instrument known as the celesta, a piano-like instrument that sounded like bells. Although the instrument is used in other parts of the ballet, it is most recognizable in Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Brown, 1991). The soft and light tinkling sounds of the celesta, widely described as having a ‘heavenly’ sound, define the ethereal tone of the piece, which many listeners associate with the spirit of Christmas time.

Although the section at 0:20 is the most notable melody of the song, my favorite part is the section of arpeggios at 1:30 that gradually get higher. I enjoy this section because I feel that it really emphasizes the dream-like sound the most. Another notable element of the song is the use of dynamics, as heard after 1:17. The sudden loudness contrasts with the overall softness of the piece, adding really nice variability.

The universal love for the Sugar Plum Fairy caused many people to ask the question: “What exactly is a sugar plum fairy?” The character of the Sugar Plum Fairy was not present in either of the original Nutcracker stories, so where did she come from? During the time of the production of the ballet, the term ‘sugar plum’ not only referred to a specific sweet, but was also used as “the universal signifier for everything sweet and delectable and lovely,” (Kawash, 2010). The Sugar Plum Fairy was added into the ballet to showcase the talents of a lead ballerina, and her name fits well with the sweets-themed setting of the dreamworld, in which she gives the finale performance. The sugar plum itself has become heavily associated with the holidays, largely due to its presence in The Nutcracker as well as the famous poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. The character of the Sugar Plum Fairy has become an icon not only in The Nutcracker, but in the world of ballet as well. For many children, The Nutcracker is the first ballet they see, and many are inspired to become ballerinas. Many aspiring ballerinas have a dream to one day portray the Sugar Plum Fairy, and many established ballerinas have cited the Sugar Plum Fairy as one of their first roles as a young ballerina.

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is the climax of the dream of the little girl in the story, and I think it does so perfectly. After a day in the dream world, the final performance by the sugar plum fairy shows the wonder of the dream world through the soft and graceful dance that pairs so well with the song. With its magical sound, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy transports listeners to a dream world, especially around the holidays.

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Role of the Performer- Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley is known as “The King of Rock” and a top cultural icon as a singer and most importantly a performer. Elvis was born in Mississippi, but relocated to Memphis, Tennessee at 13 years old. He began his music career at age 19, despite never recieving any formal music training and not being able to read music. Elvis is still the best selling solo artist in the history of music.

Elvis is known for pioneering the branch of rock n’ roll known as rockabilly, which is classified as an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and R&B. This ‘new genre’ made it difficult for Elvis’s songs to get initial airplay, because radio DJ’s were unsure of where it would fit in. His music was classified as ‘bridging the gap between races’, as his music appealed to both a black and white audience, which was significant during the transformative era in race relations that was currently taking place.

Elvis did his own rendition of many already established songs, which were very well recieved, due to his unique style of singing and performing them. His renditions stood out largely because he chose to make the guitar, instead of the piano, the main instrument, which led to more upbeat songs.

Although his voice is very unique and recognizable due to his unique vocal tone and syle, his status as a musical and cultural icon came from his role as a performer. Elvis was known for his at the time provacative dance and performance style, which made him successful as well as controversial, leading a newspaper to publish a warning that “Presley is a definite danger to the security of the United States. … [His] actions and motions were such as to rouse the sexual passions of teenaged youth.” (Fensch, 2001). In the modern day, most people would find these criticisms laughable, and I think it’s very interesting to see how what is considered by the mainstream to be ‘too provacative’ has changed over time. I think Elvis’s performance style had a huge impact on how future artists chose to use sexual appeal in their performances.

Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley, 1957, U.S.A.

In Jailhouse Rock, Elvis’ trademark dance style can be seen, leading to his nickname “Elvis the Pelvis.” This dance style made Elvis a memorable and iconic performer, bringing his songs to life with performance. Elvis’s dance performances and stage presence are my favorite part of his artistry. He is extremely entertaining to watch, and his on-stage charisma is a high standard that many artists struggle to emulate. His recognizable vocal color can be heard in this song as well, with his warm toned voice and unique use of vibrato.

Blue Suede Shoes, Elvis Presley, originally by Carl Perkins, 1956, U.S.A.

In Blue Suede Shoes, his very active performance style can once again be seen. He always looks like he is really feeling the music, not only playing it. Blue Suede Shoes was originally written and performed by Carl Perkins, initially a country song. Elvis’s rendition is far more upbeat, blending elements of other genres in as well, with the upbeat catchiness of pop as well as the swing and smoothness of R&B. Although incorporating these other elements, the song retains its original country flair with the acoustic guitar sound and melody. This song topped the charts of many genres, encluding country, pop, and R&B, proving that Elvis’s music had true versatility and a unique sound that could be enjoyed by fans of many genres.

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Innovations and Evolutions- The Soul-less Drum Machine

Over time, music has evolved to be created more predominantly with a computer, using synthetic sounds and samples as well as heavy digital altering to instrument recordings. In much of modern music production, full songs can be computer-generated, without hiring a single musician to record, as beats and instrument tracks can be created using digital programs. A specific and notable example of this is the drum machine.

Think of the songs that make you unable to tune them out while they’re playing and instead reach for anything to hit along to the rhythm. Have you ever had your own drum solo on your desk or steering wheel? The drums can be considered the backbone of a song, as they drive the beat of the music. Drums have been called the ‘universal instrument’, as throughout human history, cultures across the world that have had no contact with one another have all made music using some form of drum. However, this instrument is of the easiest to digitally replicate. Starting in the 1970’s and picking up in the 1980’s, drums were recorded and then digitally looped or modified, but over time the drum machine has evolved to completely erase the need for drum recording altogether, as drum tracks can be completely computer generated.

In modern drum recording, drummers are frequently asked to play just one ‘loop’ of the drum beat, which will then be copied and pasted throughout the span of the song, which is used to prevent variation, dynamic, and embellishment. However, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Drummer James Gadson says that when he listens to his clips used in a song, it doesn’t sound like him, as the process removes the ‘soul’ from the music (Quartz, 2017).

The Ocean, Led Zeppelin, 1973, England.

I agree with critics of this process, as for many songs, the variation and dynamics within a repeating drum beat are an important component of the song, adding a layer of character and feeling through the drummer. As heard above in The Ocean by Led Zeppelin, so much of the character of the song is felt through the drums. Although the beat is consistent throughout sections of the song, the natural variation and dynamic changes prevent the song from sounding repetitive although there are numerous repeating elements.

Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist, says that this subtle variation makes music much more enjoyable on a scientific level as well, stating “Music that’s inventive excites neural circuits in the prefrontal cortex. It’s the job of the composer to bring us pleasure through choices we didn’t expect.” (Quartz, 2017). Other critics say that the drum machine trains listeners to be used to a heavily uniform sound, therefore making genuine dynamic variety sound strange. Many tracks are created entirely digitally without even utilizing a studio drummer, leading to a drum track that is “suspiciously perfect” (Forbes, 2014).

Happy, Pharrel Williams, 2013, U.S.A.

Notice above in Happy that the drum beat in the background is very obviously looped, as it sounds identical in every measure, most apparent in the snare. This is not to demean the song, as the purpose of Happy was to create a catchy radio-friendly song. In this case, the drum machine can be beneficial, as the exactitude of the loop creates an even more uniform music track. This can make the song catchier and more likely to get stuck in your head. Having a simplified beat track using a drum machine can also help to bring more attention to other more varied elements of the song.

Many music producers have welcomed the use of a drum machine, as well as prefer it. They say that automating drum tracks is cheaper, easier, and even allows for more creativity, as the sounds can be extensively modified to reflect many different types of drums and sounds rather than only the physical kit in a studio, similar to how a digital keyboard can mimic the sound of many other types of instruments.

Overall, I feel that the use of a drum machine is not a completely bad thing, and it certainly has its advantages in music production. Much of the music I enjoy utilizes a drum machine. But I think that the authenticity and impact of a skilled and passionate drummer in a song cannot be replaced by a computer generated loop.

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Musical Analysis #2

Song 2 – Blur

Written by Blur, Produced by Stephen Street, England, April 1997

In 1997 the ‘Britpop’ band released a song unlike any of their others. This is Song 2, and although it was quickly and lazily thrown together as a joke by the band, it’s their only song to ever become a huge hit overseas in the US. I think this is a great song because the simplicity but effectiveness of the elements throughout it come together to form a classic 90’s grunge sound that’s hard to not dance along with.

Lyrics- As this song was created as a parody to the grunge genre taking off in the US at the time, everything was thoughtlessly thrown together, especially the lyrics. The lyrics are nonsensical on purpose as they were initially made up to be the guide vocal, but the band ended up going with them anyway. However, most notably of the lyrics is the “Woo hoo,” with many people knowing this song as ‘the Woohoo song’ but not knowing the actual name of the song or the band. The memorability of the ‘Woohoo’ has led this song to be played in sports arenas across the globe for decades. (Vice Sports, 2017.)

Articulation- As the song is meant to be an overload on the ‘grungy’ sound, there is a ton of distortion and reverb throughout the song, especially on the bass guitar, which has been layered to be distorted even more. There is also a constant ring of the guitar throughout the choruses. These distortions make the sound heavier and hard-hitting for fans of the genre.

Dynamics- A staple of the grunge genre, this song is structured around the loud/soft/loud/soft dynamic, with the quiet, simple verses leading to loud, thrashing choruses. This pattern is common in grunge music, as it invokes the ‘angst’ of the genre, having the listener experience a bit of an emotional rollercoaster that goes along with these contrasting dynamics of the song.

Instrumentation- The instrumentation of this song is quite simple, and the more complex sounds within the song are due to the same instrument being layered twice. The instrumentation consists of two drum kits layered together, an electric guitar, and a bass guitar. In the chorus, the bass has been layered twice, one layer more distorted than the other. The instrumentation has a similar effect to the dynamics, as the transition of the simple instrumentation of the verses tot he heavy layered instrumentation of the chorus invokes the rollercoaster effect on the listener. The distortion and layering are my favorite part of the song, as it shows how only three instruments can be transformed into a complex and heavy sound.

Form- The form of this song is very simple, as the band was poking fun at the simplicity of the grunge genre. The song consists of 2 verses, 2 choruses, and a hook, notably with no prechorus or bridge. With the song being only 2 minutes long, this simple structure works, as it doesn’t allow time for the listener to get bored of the repitition. Because the chorus is so catchy and the song is so short, I want to replay the song after listeining to it once.

Overall, although the song was created as a parody of the grunge genre, it came to be a perfect example of the genre, with the angst-ensuing dynamics and loud, thrashing sounds. As Stereogum says, “Who cares if it’s satire when it functions so spectacularly as the genuine article?” (Stereogum, 2017). I definitely agree.

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Musical Analysis #1

We Appreciate Power– Grimes

Produced/composed by Grimes/HANA, Released 11/28/18, U.S.A

Recognized quickly by the listener, this song can be decribed as chilling and ominous, which really makes me enjoy it. The intensity and contrasts in the song make me feel like I’m part of an action filled sci-fi movie while listening.

Musical Elements

  1. Articulation: A lot of reverb and distortion is used on both the vocals and instrumentation to intensify the ominous sci-fi vibe of the song. The constant echo of the song elements add an extra layer of eeriness. A review recognizes this effect, referred to as “an onslaught of mutilated noise”, by stating that these effects throughout the song “conjure fear” (Pitchfork, 2018).
  2. Melody (specifically repetition): There is a lot of repetition in this song, both in lyrics and instrumentation. As the topic of the song references the voluntary submission of humanity to advanced artificial intelligence, the word “submit” is repeated many times at the end of the song, as well as the phrase “we appreciate power” repeated many times throughout the song. These repetitions give a very robotic feel, fitting the theme.
  3. Dynamics: Reviews have classified the genre of this song as “industrial” and the tone as “aggressive” (Rolling Stone, 2018). These characteristics likely come from the harsh dynamics of the song, including the very loud and hard-hitting repeated guitar riff, as well as the loud echoing screams throughout the song. However, to keep the ominous and eerie vibe of the song, quiet and whispered vocals are used to balance the loud and intense synth and guitar riffs. This oscillation between soft and intense sounds really make the song for me.

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First Post

Hello! I’m Taylor, a senior in Geological Engineering here at UAF. I’m from North Carolina, but decided living in Alaska for a few years would be a fun thing to do, and I figured college is a great opportunity to try living somewhere new. I’m a full time student, but over the summer I teach dance and fitness classes at my gym back home. I like learning languages, dancing, and drinking coffee. Here’s a picture of my dog. He turns 13 this year.


For music, I had piano lessons for a couple years when I was younger, and did band in middle school. It’s been a long time since I’ve played any instruments, but I am still very interested in music and spend a ton of time listening to music every day. I love going to concerts whenever I get the chance to see a band I like, and enjoy going to the symphony back home with my mom. I enjoy music from almost every genre I can think of, but the majority of the music I listen to most often would fall into the alternative rock/r&b categories. Some of my favorite artists are Grimes, MGMT, The Weeknd, Crush, Dean, and Vampire Weekend.