# data[].attributes.body
Bob Marley

Why I Chose This Piece
the song I am choosing to use the song “one love” by Bob Marley. There are a few reasons why I am deciding to use this song but first and foremost is because I am half Jamaican and this was a song that was played throughout my house as well as all of his other music on a consistent basis. Bob Marley, before he passed away was a worldwide beloved singer and songwriter who has made great music that touched people all over despite his music being reggae, a music genre that was originated from Jamaica and carried on throughout the Caribbean. The reason why I chose this specific song because it promotes positivity, peace, and unity which I feel like we as a people all need especially during these times in our country. There is a lot of tension between people of different races and religions in our society right now and we need some positivity during these times, and this song represents that.
Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood  the mood of this song would be peaceful and assembling. The reason why I chose these two words is because not only does the lyrics push for these two moods bet even the feeling of the song and smooth and soothing instrumental does as well and this mood carries on from the beginning of this song to the end.

2) Form the form of this song starts off with and intro (0:00-0:15) then it leads into the chorus (0:15-0:44) after the chorus it then leads into the first verse (0:44-1:10) after that it leads back into the chorus (1:10-1:38) and after that it leads into the second verse (1:38-2:03) and back to the chorus to finish out the song

3) Instruments  the instruments used were drums, percussion, keyboards, and different variations of guitars as well.

4) Timbre The overall music timbre of this song is Warm, has a pretty mellow timbre and is also resonant as well.

5) Textural Layers  in “one love” there are four musical layers in this song. The drums on every other layer, the piano and guitar are being playing on each of the layers and the percussion on a separate layer. The same instruments are being played throughout the melody layers as the harmony layers. The overall music texture of this piece is polyphonic with riffs.

6) Rhythm and Meter  the rhythm of this song stays pretty consistent and doesn’t really speed up or slow down during the verses but does speed up a bit during the chorus. There are a couple of riffs which are the background singer’s vocals. The overall meter of this song is it has quadruple meters.

7) Dynamics the dynamics of the song is it during the verses the dynamic is mezzo forte and increases to forte during the chorus

8) Favorite Thing my favorite thing was actually having to dissect the song as a whole because if it wasn’t for this assignment I probably never would have done this and it will allow me to look at music and other songs differently now as I continue to listen to them

9) New Observations and Comparison   new observations I made during this piece was not so apparent to me before is things such as the musical texture and layers that I have not prior payed attention to and there being thins such as riffs that I wouldn’t have noticed.

10) Self-Discovery  i have now discovered that as I listen to music now I am doing things like trying to catch different riffs and how many layers the song may have and trying to figure out which instruments are being played during certain layers.

Add your piece by  using the + sign below. This is how you should add your YouTube video or mp3 file.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NgsJrrAyM

Description: In the song Alive, Sia sings about having a rough start and facing every battle and making every mistake throughout her life. However, the main message is that she’s still alive. I can relate this song to my life and my personal culture in many ways. While I have not had a rough start to life, I can still relate this song to myself in many ways. It’s about being full of perseverance and optimism, which are two traits that are vital to my being. I consider my personal culture to be how I was raised, and I attribute all of that credit to my parents and how they raised me. They taught me that to be successful, you need to face difficulties head on. Be optimistic and persevere through your trying time, because at the end of the day you are alive and that’s a lot to be thankful for. I believe this song embodies who I am. I am an optimist. I persevere. When trying times hit me, I realize that things could be worse and am just thankful for what I have. Even tonight, I called my mom about an issue that was bringing me down and her response was, “Well, people have it much worse, be thankful for the life you have.” If you look at the lyrics of the song Alive, by Sia, you can see that it is truly about being an optimist. She begins the song by saying she had to play alone and was always envious of other people, but by the end of the song she’s belting out, “I’m alive.”  I chose this song because the message that optimism and perseverance are the best way to tackle any obstacles in life embodies me and my personal culture.

1. Mood: For this exercise I found an instrumental version of this song, and I was shocked at how different the song sounds without lyrics. In the beginning the mood is calm, but as the tempo increases the mood becomes more mysterious and urgent. Once the song goes to the first chorus (at 0:27) it’s on a pretty steady beat and the mood is dismal, it’s not necessarily sad, but it’s dark and you can tell that it’s not a happy song. It sounds tough like someone has had a hard life but isn’t all too upset about it. At (1:08) the chorus comes in and there’s more ornamentation in the music; there are some techno sounds brought in that sound triumphant. From then on the song sounds more positive and less eerie. At (3:04) the mood changes from triumphant to pensive, like someone is thinking things through, as the tempo slows down a little bit. At 3:27 the tempo starts picking back and becomes triumphant sounding again and ending on this powerful note. The musical mood fits pretty well with the lyrics and message of this song.

2. Form:
→ Introduction: 0:00-0:12

→ First Verse: 0:13-0:49

→ Pre Chorus: 0:50-1:07

→ Chorus: 1:08-1:37

→ Second Verse: 1:38-1:55

→ Pre Chorus: 1:56-2:13

→ Chorus: 2:14-2:44

→ Instrumental Break w/ some vocals: 2:45-3:02

→ Bridge: 3:03-3:25

→ Chorus: 3:26-4:14

→ Outro: 4:15- 4:23

3. Instruments: The song begins with just the piano (chordophone) playing three simple          notes, then that part is repeated. Then, at 0:10 the guitar (chordophone) joins in. At 0:30, the drum (membranophone) beat begins. These instruments continue through and at 0:50 seconds a tambourine (percussion) shakes once at the beginning of the pre chorus. At 1:57 there is a violin (chordophone) that comes into the song for the second pre-chorus and appears in many different spots throughout the song. In this song the piano and the drums are the most prominent instruments, with a tambourine occurring mainly during the pre chorus and the chorus, and the violin becoming a more important instrument towards the middle and end of the song.

4.Timbre:  In the beginning of the song the timbre is cold as the music is quiet and the vocals are also cold and dark. As more instruments are introduced (the drums specifically) the timbre gets stronger and warmer. Once the chorus hits the timbre is more full and brighter as all the instruments are now playing and Sia is belting out the lyrics. Sia’s voice’s timbre could be described as brassy and somewhat breathe-y because her voice is so strong and but has moments of weakness. She has a very powerful voice. Overall the song’s timbre is best described as vibrant because it is strong and full, but it is neither bright nor dark. I think vibrant best describes the song because it can describe something that is bright or dark, vibrant just means that is full of energy, which the song definitely is.

5. Textural Layers: I would describe the textural layers as heterophonic. They are two layers in this song: the melody that the instruments play and the melody that Sia sings. The piano and the guitar play the same melody on repeat throughout the song while the drums are non metrical.  In the second pre chorus a violin is added and continues to play the same melody as the piano and guitar. Layered over the instruments is the vocal melody which is different from the instrumental melody. Layered together they create one heterophonic texture.

6. Rhythm & Meter: In the beginning of the song, the rhythm moves quickly, but then at 0:30 it begins to slow down and turns into a more steady rhythm that it follows for the rest of the song. During the chorus the tempo of the rhythm speeds up slightly, but it continues to get slower and more steady during both of the verses. The overall meter of the song is quadruple meter.

7. Dynamics: At the beginning of the song it is mezzo piano, this continues throughout the first verse of the song. The instruments and her voice are slightly quieter. At 0:30 the instruments become mezzo forte while Sia’s voice remains the same. At the start of the chorus (1:07) there is a crescendo as the music gets louder; Sia’s voice comes in forte and the instruments do the same. Then she decrescendos back to singing the second verse in mezzo forte and the instruments follow suit. The song follows this pattern of verses in mezzo forte and the chorus in forte. Then comes the beginning of the instrumental with some vocals, where the instruments are forte and Sia’s voice is mezzo forte. During the bridge the instruments are mezzo forte and the vocals are forte and there is a crescendo into the final chorus as the music gets louder. Sia’s voice ends on a powerful mezzo forte while the instruments decrescendo out. The mix between loudness and softness makes you feel how powerful the chorus was intended to be along with the lyrics of her singing “I’m alive.” It makes the song much more interesting and intriguing.

8. Favorite Thing: My favorite thing about this piece is the vocals. The lyrics are empowering and beautiful, but more so than that, they are sung beautifully. I love the brassy timbre of Sia’s voice, it is so unique and special. Her ability to sing in forte without sounding like she is screaming is really beautiful and unique to hear.

9. New Observation & Comparison: I never noticed the dynamics of the song before analyzing it. I obviously heard her singing softer and louder at points, but I never recognized what it actually adds to the song. It makes it so much more interesting to listen to, especially with the lyrics. Analyzing this song made me realize the importance of adding crescendos and decrescendos in music, because without them a song would be so boring.

10. Self Discovery: Through completing this assignment I realized that there are so many things that I love about music but I never knew why I loved them. I now can understand the form of a song and why it is set up in the way that it is. I now understand how the instrumental melody can affect the mood of the song; not only the lyrics are important. Most importantly, I learned that music can affect you in more ways than one. I’ve always been someone who listens to music mainly for lyrics, but after completing this assignment I realize how important the instruments are in a song. They both work together to create one cohesive piece of art. I have a lot more respect for music and musicians after completing this project.

# data[].attributes.headline
To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

# data[].attributes.subject
To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this song, because it reminds me of home. Not just home as a house, but rather where I come from. It represents to me one of the best friendships I could have ever asked for, the sadness of life but the perseverance to do everything in your power to build something to protect yourself from all of these unfortunate events. The song represents relationships from all walks of life, be it romantic love, family, or friendships; it describes how time eventually wears on all of these relationships, people die and move apart leaving nothing but memories and remnants of what once were. The song places me in a state of remembrance. While it may have a haunting and eerie sound with a depressive message, part of me feels a light of hope, for something new. The hope of still being young and having the opportunity to create all of these great relationships that are worth building something for and worth remembering, something to look back on and smile because you recognize all the great times along with the bad have made you into the person you are today. To me, a life well lived is a life worth remembering. This song completely encapsulates that, and expresses that remembrance of the good experiences throughout life.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of this song is one of sadness brought on by the low and repetitive piano that slowly crescendos to a climax and fades leaving a haunting silence. The tone of the singer’s voice also aids in this as well as the extremely deep strings that can be faintly heard. The slow pace that is set throughout also aids to this overall mood.
2) Form
Introduction (0:00 – 0:22)

Verse 1 (0:22 – 1:04)

Pre-Chorus (1:04 – 1:28)

Chorus (1:28 – 2:20)

Bridge (2:20 – 2:42)

Verse 2 (2:42 – 3:15)

Verse 3 (3:15 – 3:58)

Pre-Chorus(3:58 – 4:18)

Chorus(4:18 – 5:12)

Bridge (5:12 – 6:08)
3) Instruments

Piano

Bass

Violin

Viola
4) Timbre
The timbre of the song can be described as eerie, haunting, strong, full, clear, breathy
5) Textural Layers
The textural layer of the song can be described as homophonic throughout. The singer, Patrick Watson is tasked with the melody while the piano and strings are supporting him with a harmony. The absence of strings in some parts also affects the layers of music, giving it depth in certain parts. Even with the absence of these strings the music doesn’t lose its full qualities.
6) Rhythm and Meter
This song is played in quadruple meter, although it may sound as if it becomes non metrical at some points but that is due to the changing chord structure. It is played in block chords as well as broken chords giving it this effect. Overall the song is very slowly paced making it difficult to judge the music as well.
7) Dynamics
Crescendo’s are used throughout the song leading up to the chorus and then dropped in the verses. The introduction are at piano level while the crescendos lead to a forte chorus and then back to the piano verses
8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this piece are all of the different emotions it instills as you listen. I thoroughly enjoy how it starts slow, then builds to the chorus thus heightening this sense of emotion and dropping back to piano to create the emptiness. I also enjoy how the song is sung in mostly a lower register until these crescendos where the singer transitions to a higher register.
9) New Observations and Comparison
Before truly examining this song, I didn’t realize there were so many strings being used. I could clearly hear the bass and some of the violin but the higher pitched viola and cello aren’t totally clear until I listened multiple times very closely.
10) Self-Discovery

As I listened to this song repeatedly, I started revisiting all of those old memories and hopes for the future. It has helped to teach me to not forget about where you once were as a person but to keep moving forward, and that when needed those memories will always be there even if the people who helped to create them are gone. This assignment proved to be difficult in finding a song that I felt truly expressed who I am as a person. I took this assignment to value my ideals. I wanted to be able to express my ideals as well as show some hope for the future and I believe this song can do just that.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra (Lyrics)

# data[].attributes.headline
Culpa al Corazon (Blame the Heart) – Prince Royce

# data[].attributes.subject
Culpa al Corazon (Blame the Heart) – Prince Royce

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece

I chose this piece because it is in touch with my Latin roots. As a Puerto Rican and Guatemalan American, I love Latin music and dancing, especially to bachata. As a second generation immigrant (from the Guatemalan side), I find it important to keep in touch with my roots as I adapt American pop culture. This song is purely bachata but it is a very modern form.

I come from a very musical family. My dad, siblings, and I all play instruments—bass guitar, drums, guitar, piano, saxophone, and our voices. We usually play songs in Spanish. This song, though it is already about a year old, makes me want to dance every time. The lyrics are fairly easy and catchy, meanwhile the rhythm created by the percussion and the guitar are fascinating to listen too.

“Culpa al Corazon” reflects my personality well; although it is a more relaxed song, it inspires a spirited mood. I am a quieter, laid-back person, but I love to dance and have fun. I do so, just in a subtler way—as is the form of this song.

Link to translation: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/culpa-al-corazon-blame-heart.html

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

Affectionate – This song feels like a love song; you don’t need to know any Spanish to get that impression. This mood is created because of Prince Royce’s soothing voice, along with the pretty guitar highlighting the chord progression throughout the song. The rhythm is also very relaxed, allowing for passion and emotion to flow easily.

2) Form

1.    Intro: 0:00 – 0:15

2.    Verse: 0:15 – 0:30

3.    Pre-Chorus: 0:31 – 0:45

4.    Chorus: 0:46 – 1:20

5.    Verse: 1:21 – 1:35

6.    Pre-Chorus 1:36 - 1:50

7.    Chorus: 1:51 – 2:09

8.    Instrumental: 2:10 – 2:31

9.    Chorus: 2:32 – 3:19

10. Outro: 3:20 – 3:40

3) Instruments

Guitar (multiple) – chordophone

Bass guitar – chordophone

Bongos – membranophone

Guira – idiophone (introduced at 0:16; the guira is a percussion instrument; it's that scratchy sound)

Congo – membranophone

4) Timbre

The timbre is best described as bright (in the introduction especially when you focus on Prince Roe's voice), nasally (lead guitar throughout piece), romantic (improvisation of the guitar), vibrant (guitars), and brassy (bass guitar).

5) Textural Layers

This song has multiple layers and melodies moving at the same time, therefore it is homophonic. The main melody is covered by the singer. Meanwhile, harmony includes the lead guitar, the bass guitar, and an additional guitar doing improvisation throughout the piece (I believe this type of guitar is called the cuatro). Finally, there is the percussion covering the rhythmic layer. The guitars also add to the rhythm with the patterns they make.

6) Rhythm and Meter

This song has a quadruple meter. The lead guitar (playing individual notes instead of chords) is moving quickly. This guitar plays a riff throughout the song. You can count it as 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2, 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2. Usually, a guitar plays a chord. However, this particular technique plays the notes, that would typically form a chord, individually and quickly in a series to get that holistic harmonious sound without actually holding down all the notes at the same time. It creates a broken chord, known as arpeggio.

Meanwhile, the bass guitar is moving much slower, in half notes. The percussion is moving quickly, especially the guida which goes up to the 16th beat.

7) Dynamics

The introduction starts piano, then it gets a bit louder as the verse develops. Dynamics remain at the same level until in the pre-chorus and chorus, where the music plays forte.  The song ends with a decrescendo. The changes in dynamics are best heard through singer’s voice and lead guitar.

8) Favorite Thing

I really enjoy the pause/break between the pre-chorus and chorus. All instruments freeze for 4 beats and enter in unison for the chorus. It is especially fun when your dancing. If you know the song well enough, you know when the pauses happen and you can improvise with your dancing.

9) New Observations and Comparison

Most bachata songs are very simple with its bass instrument. However, in this piece, the bass is much more modern. It has many slides and lots of ornamentation. I also like that it has an irregular rhythmic pattern in comparison to the other instruments. The bass guitar compliments the lead guitar very well rhythm wise. Sometimes they are in unison, other times they play off of and in between each other.

10) Self-Discovery

This assignment better made me aware of my musical personality. Once I hear bachata, I immediately have to move to the music. I am deeply attracted to the sappy, lovey lyrics and how smooth the music sounds, even though there are several moving parts. It reflects me perfectly. I am a very busy person and have lots to manage, but each different experience blends together and makes up who I am.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prince Royce - Culpa al Corazón (Cover Audio)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Culpa al Corazón" Prince Royce Cover Audio Video "Culpa al Corazón" available on iTunes here: http://smarturl.it/CulpaAlCorazon "Culpa al Corazón" also available on these digital platforms: Spotify: http://smarturl.it/CulpaAlCorazonSp Google Play: http://smarturl.it/CulpaAlCorazonGP Amazon: http://smarturl.it/CulpaAlCorazonAm Follow Prince Royce: http://www.princeroyce.com http://www.facebook.com/princeroyce http://www.twitter.com/princeroyce http://www.instagram.com/princeroyce Official cover audio video by Prince Royce performing "Culpa al Corazón."

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this song to represent myself because it embodies the spirit of what I strive to be. The whole song is a metaphor for how life is like a walk down the beach, we are always searching for happiness and every step we take is just a moment of the journey. This song forces me to put all the little stressors of college and life in perspective, and to just know that as long as I keep striving toward happiness, I need to just enjoy the journey as it happens around me. Chad Van Herk does this by having an incredibly simple chordal structure and melody that allow the listener to get the message of the piece, while at the same time encouraging the listener to day dream and relate the song to their own life.
I also believe that this song reflects my personality. I am not a complex person, and I always like to be straightforward with everyone and get my message across clearly, just as the song does. However this song is not just some blank copy of any other acoustic song. The whistled melody is fairly uncommon and has a different feel that stands out to the audience, and I like to think that I, as and individual has qualities like that as well.
Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of this piece is optimistic and thoughtful. The simple rhythm and resonant chord structure gives the listener a sense of peace while listening and the lyrics are light and positive. The softness of Chad Van Herk's voice and the simpleness of the background music are almost lullaby-like and that has a calming effect on the listener.
2) Form
Hook/chorus-  0-1:08
Instrumental- 1:08-1:15
Verse- 1:15-1:50
Chorus- 1:50-2:19
Instrumental- 2:19-2:40
Verse- 2:40-3:06
Break- 3:06-3:14
Instrumental- 3:14-3:34
Chorus-3:34- end

3) Instruments
Guitar- Chordophone
Whistle- Aerophone
Vocals
4) Timbre
The timbre of the guitar is full and sharp due to the chord-only structure of the song. This is contrasted by the soft, hollow timbre of the vocals.
5) Textural Layers
The musical texture of this piece is homophonic. The melody line switches between vocals and a whistle and the guitar has a steady, repeating harmony line.
6) Rhythm and Meter
The song is in quadruple meter at a walking speed pace until the 3:06 mark in the attached video where there is a brief moment of free-meter. Then at the 3:34 mark the quadruple meter returns at a slower tempo.
7) Dynamics
Most of the song is at the same, mezzo-forte dynamic level, except for the whistle breaks. The whistling is at a forte and is substantially louder than the vocals. At the end of the song, there is a gradual decrescendo into nothing.
8) Favorite Thing
My favorite part of the song is the way I feel when I listen to it. I have always been a fan of stripped down vocals and guitar and this song is just that, an easy listening piece that I am able to emulate on guitar and sing along to.
9) New Observations and Comparison
Before listening to the song on repeat, I never really payed attention to how simple of a song it really is. The whole song is performed by one guy and a guitar, and the guitar part and chordal structure repeat through the whole song. Yet, because it is so easy to listen to and is so calming, the repetitive nature of the song does not bore the listener, it allows the audience to relax and know what is coming next, making the listening experience more pleasant.
10) Self-Discovery
As I assume was the intension of the song, I always gain a different perspective on life when I hear this song. College life is so focused and stressed that sometimes I need to take a step back and see that this is only part of the journey and that I need to take life as I go. There is no point in stressing about the past because as the metaphor in the song goes, memories are just like footprints being left behind me.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chad Van Herk - Leavin' Footprints Official Music Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In 2010 I received an email from Ken Woodall, a film student at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, the oldest and largest film school in the country. He mentioned that he had heard "Footprints" on Pandora and had a vision for a music video, and he asked me if he could produce such a video for the song.

# data[].attributes.body
My Song: Put One Foot in Front of the Other  - Sung by Mickey Rooney & Keenan Wynn (Music by Maury Laws, Lyrics by Jules Bass)

·         Link to Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu8UCrqMtwg

Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this piece because it has been one of my favorites ever since I was a young girl.  I have always loved Christmas. Every year at Christmas time one of my family traditions is that we watch the claymation movies together.  This one comes from the 1970 animated Christmas classic Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  In the movie, it is sung to help the evil Winter Warlock change from bad to good.  The song holds a lot of meaning, it sends the message to people that they can do anything that they set their mind to.  If you are thinking about doing something, do not hold back, just go for it. If you have been in a rut, you can get out of it because every day is a blank page. There are so many possibilities for everyone in this world, this song is all about not worrying and putting one foot in front of the other.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of the song is very uplifting, and positive.  The entire song uses duple meter which mimics a march, which like the song title suggests to keep marching forward to move on.  The lyrics themselves are very moving and encouraging.  Also, from 2:17 to 2:35 multiple people are singing together which is more supportive.

2) Form
Introduction: 0:07 – 1:40

Chorus: 1:40 – 1:58

Verse: 1:59 – 2:16

Chorus: 2:17 – 2:35

Verse: 2:36 – 2:53

Chorus: 2:54 – 3:12

Verse: 3:13 – 3:30

Chorus: 3:31 – 4:17

3) Instruments
The instruments used throughout this piece include:

Vocals

Flute (aerophone)

Bass (chordophone)

Trumpet (aerophone)

Tambourine (idiophone)

Violin (chordophone)

4) Timbre
The timbre of this song is full, melodious, warm, and bright.

5) Textural Layers
The song is heterophonic and that does not change anywhere in the song. The vocals carry the melody, and the other instruments like the trumpet, the violin, and background vocals provide the harmony.

6) Rhythm and Meter
The song is in duple meter, and the bass help keep it steady. At 2:09 he beat slows down but returns to normal at 2:32.

7) Dynamics
In the beginning of the song while it’s opening and Kris Kringle and the Winter Warlock are talking with each other, the melody plays on the flute in piano. Throughout the song Kris Kringle sings in mezzo forte, and the Winter Warlock sings in forte.

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this song is that it is timeless. No matter how old it is, it continues to be listened to and loved today.

9) New Observations and Comparison
I never realized that the actors that voice the characters in the movie also sing the songs for the characters. For some reason I always thought that they used playback singers, but I found out that they do not. Keenan Wynn voices the Winter Warlock, and Mickey Rooney voices Kris Kringle throughout the movie and songs.

10) Self-Discovery
This song is going to help me get through these last few weeks of this semester. I feel very overwhelmed with finals coming up and final essay deadlines approaching, but after listening to this song, I am reassured that if I put one foot in front of the other then I can do it because there is nothing I cannot do if I put my mind to it.

# data[].attributes.body
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs)

The song I feel that encompasses me and my personal culture is The Climb by Miley Cyrus. I chose this piece because I feel that the music and lyrics resonate with moments from my past, present, and even my future. I enjoy that this piece expresses a very powerful and universal message in simple language and with calm music. There have been many times in my life when I failed at something that I was very passionate about or worked very hard at and hearing this song reminds me that even though there have been setbacks in my journey, whether it be academically or with friends and family, I can always move past them and learn a new lesson along the way. Furthermore, this song reminds me that everything happens for a reason and if something that I had planned does not go the way I had originally pictured, it is okay.

1) Mood.

If the music of this piece were a character, they would be feeling mellow and apprehensive from the beginning of the song to the 0:42 mark. This is because the instruments are played very softly and only the piano and soft touches of the violin are played here. Here it seems as if the character is faced with a problem and is working up the courage to resolve it.  From 0:42-1:08, the character would be feeling peaceful and hopeful. The Electric and Acoustic guitars are added in this section and the piece becomes more upbeat. It seems as if it is the beginning of a journey for the character.  From 1:08-2:15 the character would be feeling determined and optimistic. Because the drums are added and the music is being played louder and more passionately, this feeling of determination is illustrated. The character would be feeling confident about the decisions they have made. From 2:15-2:37 the character feels empowered but has a slight relapse of confusion and doubt from 2:37-2:42, which is a typical feeling when on the journey of resolving a serious problem. From 2:42 to the end of the piece (3:47), the drums and electric guitar pick up the melody and the character is back to its empowered state.

2) Form.

0:00-0:07 Intro

0:07-0:31 Verse 1

0:31-0:44 Pre-Chorus

0:44-1:14 Chorus

1:14-1:38 Verse 2

1:38-1:49 Pre-Chorus

1:49-2:18 Chorus

2:18-2:38 Instrumental Break

2:38-3:12 Chorus

3:12-3:38 Bridge

3:38-3:48 Ending/Fade

3) Instruments.

Guitar-Chordophone

Electric Guitar-Chordophone

Piano- Chordophone

Violin-Chordophone

Drums-Membranophone

4) Timbre.

The overall timbre of this piece is soft, smooth, and pure.

5) Textural Layers

The overall texture of this piece is homophonic. There are two layers to this piece; the melody and the harmony. The melody is sung by Miley Cyrus and the harmony is played by the guitars, violin, and piano in the background.

6) Rhythm and Meter.

The rhythm of the verses and rhythm of the chorus has a pattern with the underlying beat.   The rhythm has a steady flow with the beat. There are no riffs in this piece. Quadruple is the meter of this piece.

7) Dynamics.

Most of this piece is mf. The song starts out as p and continues until the 0:45 mark where it becomes mp and continues until 1:15. At 1:15, the piece becomes mf. At 2:38 the piece has a quick decrescendo and then goes to crescendo again at 2:44. At 2:50 the song goes back to mf until the end. The piece in its entirety is crescendo.

8) Favorite Thing.

My favorite thing about this piece is the lyrics. I like that the song uplifts me when I’m feeling down and that it has a positive message while also using easy to understand language. Music truly has the power to move you and this song moves me every time, even after listening to it hundreds of times. I also appreciate the fact that this song tells a story of how to overcome your fears and motivates you to keep trying to reach your goals even if you fail the first few tries and to enjoy the journey on the way to your destination.

9) New Observations and Comparison.

Something I did not notice about this piece before was that the instrumental layer is not the same as the melody. When I first listened to this song, I thought there was at least one instrument that was following the lyrics of this piece but after listening to the instrumental I could hear that the instruments play a steady, soft pattern for most of the piece. Now that I have listened to the instrumental, when I listen to the original I hear the distinction between the melody and harmony.

10) Self-Discovery.

Something I learned while completing this assignment is that hearing the message this song has is a great reminder of how I should look at obstacles. When I am caught up with everything that’s going on around me, I sometimes forget to motivate myself. I forgot how much this song meant to me before completing this assignment and I am happy it’s back in my life!

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
The song that I believe represents me most is the Coldplay song “Yellow”.  The melody of the song conveys an emotion of bliss and happiness to me.  The lyrics seem to portray a love song that the narrator has written for a love of his.  However, he ends each verse with the world “yellow”, which is at first used to describe a color, but afterwards seems to be used to describe a mood of brightness and optimism.  I feel that the song represents me because I generally am a content and optimistic person, yet I struggle to convey my emotions and thoughts in a literal sense.  I tend to associate my emotions with visual stimuli such as color, and the color yellow for me represents nostalgia or longing, but not necessarily for the past, but for the present and future, a sort of hope, but not for anything in particular.    The song seems to convey this sort of hope that the present can last forever.  I don’t really want anything in particular out of life, I just hope to continue to live happily as I have for the past eighteen years.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of this song is very bright and hopeful.  If the music was a character, that character would be feeling a sense of bliss which is expressed through the consonance of the melody and the harmonic lines which make the song easy to listen to.  Chris Martin only begins to sing at 0:33, and his voice adds to the feeling of satisfaction and joy.  In the second chorus from 2:51 to 3:08, other voices, likely those of other band members, can be heard singing a harmony, adding to the sense of togetherness of the song that makes it so blissful.
2) Form
0:00-0:32 – Intro

0:33-1:28 – Verse 1

1:29-1:51 – Chorus 1

1:52-2:12 – Instrumental

2:13-2:52 – Verse 2

2:53-3:13 – Chorus 2

3:14-3:35 – Instrumental

3:36-4:08 – Bridge

4:09-4:26 – Outro

3) Instruments
The song begins with an acoustic guitar section, and electric guitar comes in as a harmonic instrument, followed by bass guitar and drum set.  The acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar are all chordophones, while the drum set contains drums which are membranophones and cymbals which are idiophones.  The bridge of the song seems to contain a tambourine as well, which would be a membranophone and an idiophone, as it contains a membrane as well as metal portions on the outside of the instrument that vibrate when the instrument is played.
4) Timbre
The timbre of the song is very full, and together, the instruments are very melodious.  The vocals are soft and clear, while the instruments sound mellow and smooth, almost velvety.
5) Textural Layers
The number of layers at one time changes throughout the song.  The acoustic guitar plays throughout the song, and the electric guitar and bass guitar play different harmonies.  The vocals serve as the sole melody, and during the choruses, the other three band members each vocally harmonize, creating up to seven different layers at once, excluding the drums as they have indefinite pitch and are not considered a musical layer.  Because the song only has one melody and multiple harmonic lines, the texture is considered homophonic, and it remains homophonic throughout the song.
6) Rhythm and Meter
The entire song is at a tempo of eighty-eight beats per minute, with no variation in the melody or any of the harmonic lines, except in the outro, where a ritardando occurs as the song slows down.  There is a riff played by the acoustic guitar that seems to be the center of the harmony, as it is played throughout the entire song.  The song is in quadruple meter.
7) Dynamics
The dynamics of the song begin at mezzopiano, with only the acoustic guitar and electric guitar playing, and with the entrance of the drums, the dynamics become mezzoforte.  At each chorus, the volume seems to increase slightly and then fall at the end back to mezzoforte.  The outro includes a slight decrescendo as well.
8) Favorite Thing
My favorite part about this song is how I feel the same way about it whether I’m listening to it intently or if I am using it as background noise.  Both times, I feel content, calm and in a state of bliss.  I especially like the guitar riff, which I find peaceful.
9) New Observations and Comparison
Before this class, I never noticed the layers of the song or its texture.  I gave little thought to the acoustic guitar riff which is now my favorite part of the song, and I didn’t even realize that there was a tambourine portion in the song.  Now that I’ve listened to this song a few dozen times in a row, I can probably remember where each instrument or voice comes in and what they play.
10) Self-Discovery
Through completing this assignment, I realized that in general, I don’t listen to many songs that represent me.  I like a lot of rap and hip-hop, and in many raps, the primary element is the lyrics which are an expression of the artist, and I listen to these songs to hear this self-expression, not necessarily because I sympathize with it.  There are also some songs that I listen to, such as the majority of music by Frank Ocean, which contains themes that are fairly depressing, but sound really good, and thus I listen to them.  These songs do not represent me, as I am a very happy and optimistic individual.  Out of my entire playlist of around 500 songs, this song was the only one to which I could actually relate.  I think that this is because I tend to listen to music to hear the ideas, both lyrical and musical, of other people, not to project my own emotions.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this song because I love everything about this piece. Not just the lyrics, but also the way the artist put them together on top of the instruments and rhythm. The lyrics itself, I feel as though the writer grabbed them straight from my mind and heart. Every word he says is the way I feel when I'm  in the talking stage with someone (especially at this point of my life) I just want to vibe with that person, then build on top of that. Being a 19 year old college student, it's hard to get past the talking stage. This piece is extremely relevant to my culture, "so don't take advantage, don't leave my heart damaged". I'm an African American born and raised in Philadelphia, my generation does not know how to take things, such as relationship nor friendships seriously, though I was raised the opposite way.
Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of this piece is definitely affectionate, he is singing about a potential relationship and showing all of the ways that both can progress.

2) Form
instrumental 0:00-0:13
Chorus 0:14- 0:38
Verse: 0:39-1:00
Chorus: 1:01-1:23
Verse: 1:24-1:49
Chorus: 1:50-2:39
Instrumental 2:40-3:41

3) Instruments
Piano (chordophone)
Vocals
Drum (membranophone)
Guitar (chordophone)
Bass (Chordophone)
clapping

4) Timbre
The Timbre of this song is lite, soft, and airy

5) Textural Layers
This song is homophonic, it's the same voice/vocals moving along with the melody.

6) Rhythm and Meter
From the beginning the meter is duple or quadruple meter. (1-2-1,2-1,2)
in the end (2:40) it becomes a free meter.

7) Dynamics
Throughout the entire song the dynamics has been mezzo-piano, only certain times such as during the verses and at the end would it change to mezzo-forte, then would go back to mezzo-piano

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this song is the way the melody mimic the artist and the fact that the song is soft. Not super loud and not too low.

9) New Observations and Comparison
When I first heard this piece I was automatically attracted to it because of the lyrics and the artists voice, now that i have dissected the song I love it more than before. simply because I understand the  way this piece was made.

10) Self-Discovery
I am a sucker for love songs and Khalid may be added to my favorite artists list.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Location - Khalid (LYRICS ON SCREEN) no copyright intended Thanks to Khalid for creating this song. I do not own any copyrights, all goes to the owners. I'm open for requests! So if you've got any requests for a new song, let me know!

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece

I still remember the first time I listened to this song and fell in love with it in a Banana Republic fitting room in middle school while waiting for my mom to try on clothes. This is when my love for Adele began. My best friend and I would listen to it on our walks home from school and we thought it was funny because we had to walk up a huge hill and we would always debate on taking a break under a tree on the way home, so the lyrics sort of fit our situation. This song makes me happy because it is nostalgic, even though it may not be the happiest of songs. The indecision that is described in the lyrics describes my own personal inability to make quick decisions on many occasions. I like to see the complexities in situations and I tend to be a neutral person, so I feel as if I have trouble making certain decisions. This song also makes me feel motivated to go after the things I want “even if they lead nowhere”. Overall, the emotionality of the whole song is just easy for me to connect to, adding to the reasons why I love it.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

The instrumental version of this song starts off subtle and cycles from that subtle sound and transitions into an upbeat and uplifting part. During the verses the mood is calm, which is created by the constance of pitch of the notes that are played. The mood transitions from subtle during the verses to empowering and uplifting in the choruses. The mood of the chorus is created by crescendos and lower pitched tones working there way up to higher pitches progressively, During the bridge the mood transitions into a soothing, more mellow beat until the chorus starts back up and invigorates the mood again. The final closing chorus slows down and creates a peaceful conclusion.

2) Form
Verse 1 ( 0:12)

Pre-Chorus (0:52)

Verse 2 (1:26)

Chorus (1:44)

Bridge (2:19)

Chorus (2:55)

3) Instruments

Drums (membranophone)

Guitar (chordophone)

Piano (chordophone)

Violin(chordophone)

4) Timbre

The timbre is light and soft at times, but during the choruses becomes strong and bright

5) Textural Layers

The texture in this peace is overall homophonic with harmony being played by the guitar, piano, and drums, with a monophonic beginning and ending being played by just the guitar. Ornamentation of the harmony is added with the sound of the violin coming in during the upbeats of the chorus creates an additional layer. The artist sings the melody.

6) Rhythm and Meter
The rhythm of this song flows in a constant matter, remaining consistent throughout the whole song.The overall meter is a quadruple meter, the beat can be counted in a four beat count .

7) Dynamics

The song begins in a piano or mezzo piano dynamic and crescendos into the chorus, gradually building up to a mezzo forte/forte chorus and then decrescendos back into mezzo piano during the verses. The dynamics flow in this cyclical manner until the ending of the song that closes with a crescendo going from mezzo piano to fortissimo and then decrescendos back to piano as the song comes to a close.

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite thing about the song is the way the dynamics transition with crescendos and decrescendos. This reminds me of an ongoing rollercoaster that could be representative of the emotional rollercoaster that is described by the song.

9) New Observations and Comparison

I never really noticed how complex the song was until I had to break it up and analyze the different aspects of the piece. A lot of the time I overlook the actual instrumentals that accompany the vocals and the lyrics, but as I paid more attention to the details i recognized complexity of the song and music in general. I have a whole new appreciation for the song because now I hear Adele’s beautiful voice and lyrics as well as the instrumentals that are played in a dynamic that fits the theme of the song.

10) Self-Discovery

Through completing this assignment I have realized that sometimes you overlook things more than you think and that you can still learn new things about something you already know well.

I have realized, about myself, that I am guilty of overlooking details sometimes and that I could learn a lot more through analyzing things multiple times, and in different ways.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Adele - Chasing Pavements (Official Music Video)

# data[].attributes.headline
Taare Zameen Par - Shankar Mahadevan, Dominique Cerejo, and Vivienne Pocha

# data[].attributes.subject
Taare Zameen Par - Shankar Mahadevan, Dominique Cerejo, and Vivienne Pocha

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece-                                                                                                        There are many reasons why I chose this song. The movie which it is from was about a kid who had dyslexia, and his father would abuse him because he thought his child was not smart and doing bad in school for other reasons. Then the father found out about his child’s condition through a new art teacher at the school who with patience and compassion got to know the kid a little better. The song has impacted me because the way the lyrics are written, it gives a new perspective on the world and the children of the future. It relates kids to being stars, and says these stars should not be lost on this earth. Stars are a wave of hope, dawn filled with optimism, and are a canal of happiness. Kids everyday in India commit suicide because they have too much pressure from their parents to do well in studies, and with the population at the worlds second largest, it causes students to all come into one big race, and those who are “left behind” are trampled upon. Obviously a life without hard work is impossible, however it is important that people look at the optimistic side in hard times. Kids should always have faith and hope for a better tomorrow and this will make the world a better place. If intelligent and innovative kids are committing suicide, it does no good for both the world and their loved ones. It relates to me because my parents have made so many sacrifices for me to get to where I am and in return I now want to do something for them to put a smile on their faces that all the suffering they did for me was worth it.

Lyrics w/ Translation- http://www.bollymeaning.com/2011/08/kho-na-jaayen-ye-taare-zameen-par.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwYUSjSFtRc

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood-
The mood of the music is very soft calming. The song has a lifting mood, becoming louder as the song goes on. The mood is almost as if a story is being told. At 1:58, the the sound gets noticeable more powerful and moving.
2) Form

3) Instruments
Right in the beginning, there is a twinkling sound, with a soft piano behind it. There are many synthetic instruments used to give the soothing sound. The use of a guitar, sitar, and tabla is what gives the music such a strong beat. Guitar, sitar, and piano can all fall under the chordophone section of instruments, and the tabla would be under membranophone.
4) Timbre
The timbre is soothing and mellow, however the lyrics gives a lifting and reassuring feel. The sounds of the instruments and lyrics are intertwined in a way which makes you want to keep listening to the song because of how light and open it feels.
5) Textural Layers

6) Rhythm and Meter

7) Dynamics
In the entire song, the dynamics bounce back and forth between piano and mezzo-piano, and during one section of the piece the dynamics becomes mezzo-forte.
8) Favorite Thing
In my personal opinion, my favorite part about this piece it how the lyrics played such an important part in bringing the movie to life. It is such an inspirational movie showing the struggles of a child with a simple dyslexia problem, but it is blown completely out of proportion by the parents and no one understands him.
9) New Observations and Comparison
When going through this process, I learned how the piece actually had more instruments involved then I first thought. I used to feel as though only a few
10) Self-Discovery

# data[].attributes.headline
"Chak De India" by Sukhwinder Singh (C'mon, Do It India!)

# data[].attributes.subject
"Chak De India" by Sukhwinder Singh (C'mon, Do It India!)

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
The piece I believe best represents me and who I am is “Chak De India!”. It represents me well because it represents my roots. I am from India and was raised in a very cultured household. I was brought up in an American fashion, but was taught to always stayed rooted in Indian beliefs and culture. The song talks about Indian pride and being proud of where you come from. I can relate to those qualities as I am also proud to be an Indian. It is patriotic and I know I can always listen to stay connected with my roots.

The song is upbeat and creates a sense of motivation. Taking a stand, no matter where you are and pulling through anything are the two biggest messages I take away from the song. Those are qualities I like to think I have. I never give up at anything I do no matter what is thrown at me. I will keep grinding to the finish to get whatever task I have done. The song puts me in a good mood and gets me motivated. Also, I am confident in all my actions. I will never let anyone dictate my actions. The song talks about being poised and not budging an inch no matter what anyone says. The song also serves as an anthem that I can unite under to cheer on my country.

Link for Lyric Translation: http://www.bollynook.com/en/lyrics/11769/chak-de/

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of the song is hopeful and motivational. The beginning
is upbeat and inspirational. No lyrics are sung 0:28 so the listener can be inspired by the music. The inspirational mood of the song would encourage listeners to get up off their feet and get a task done. From 1:40 to 2:30, the music slows down and creates a sense of anticipation but then comes in on a powerful and exuberant note.
2) Form
Introduction- 0:00-0:28
Verse 1- 0:28-0:47
Pre-Chorus 1- 0:47-0:55
Chorus 1- 0:55-1:22
Instrumental Break 1- 1:22-1:41
Verse 2- 1:41-1:59
Pre-Chorus 2- 1:59-2:31
Chorus 2- 2:31-3:00
Instrumental Break 2-3:00-3:18
Bridge- 3:18-3:52
Chorus 3- 3:52-4:26
Outro- 4:26-4:40
3) Instruments
The song has many synthetic instruments used to give the upbeat and motivational nature of the sing. The sarangi is used in the beginning as well which is a chordophone. The tabla is used before the chorus to build up the pre-chorus and is a membranophone. The guitar is also used during the chorus. The guitar is chordophone.
4) Timbre
The timbre is uplifting and motivational. It encourages listeners to get up of their feet and do something. Also, the song is exuberant and pleases listeners. The sound of the instruments is loud and and the beat is optimistic. The sound is bright and rich.
5) Textural Layers
The synthetic sounds play the melody which is sung by the artist. The guitar and sarangi are all part of the harmony. The harmony accompanies the melody and is played during the instrumental section. The majority of the song is monophonic, but when the chorus hits, the song becomes is homophonic.
6) Rhythm and Meter
There is a riff within this song. The catchy repeating pattern is after every chorus where there is an instrumental section. The times include 1:23-1:41 and 3:03-3:16. The pattern is catch and easily recognizable. It is played the guitar. The meter is quadruple. The rhythm of the harmony is quicker than the rhythm of the melody.
7) Dynamics
This song contains mostly two dynamics. Mezzo-forte and forte. The song is mezzo forte in the sections leading up to the chorus, then it is forte. After each chorus, the dynamics of the song go back to -mezzo-forte.
8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this piece is the inspiration and pride it creates. The piece is very moving and has united many people in India. It has been compared to the national anthem and people in India take pride in singing this song. It was even sung during the Cricket world cup when India won. Anytime I listen to it, it creates an important sense of nationality that I can be rooted within.
9) New Observations and Comparison
Before listening and analyzing this song, I did not realize the importance of dynamics. The important change in dynamics affects how the listener interprets the sound. The song becomes enjoyable with the forte section and also pleasurable after the mezzo-forte buildup.
10) Self-Discovery
After listening to this song one more time, I learned how important my Indian culture is to me and how many different Indian values I live my life off of. I discovered that many of the Indian values my parents have taught me are different from values my friends have. Some of those values are very important to me and I realized all this from this song. Also, I figured out how much motivational music inspires me. It motivates me to get all my work done and get any task accomplished. It is one category of music that I will always enjoy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chak De! India [English Translation] Lyrics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Song: Chak De! India Movie: Chak De! India Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Salim Merchant, Marianne D'Cruz

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece

I chose the song Imagine by John Lennon because it is a very profound, thought-provoking piece despite being rather simple in composition. It is a meaningful song written in the heart of the Vietnam War, which of course was a time of great conflict and civil strife in the U.S. and abroad. As a finance major in the Fox School of Business, I often find myself grounded in the realities of capitalism. As I approach graduation (which is nearing because I am a senior), I find myself thinking a lot about the demanding nature of my career and the complex state of global affairs right now. This song has always been a favorite of mine because John Lennon encourages his audience to picture a more peaceful and collaborative version of mankind – one that is not shackled or brainwashed by wars, governments, businesses, and religions, but instead focused on peaceful existence with one another. Although the lyrics and message are simple, the delivery is flawless. Lennon’s voice accompanied by a piano makes for a very pleasant sound, and the message is powerful.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

Imagine by John Lennon is a thoughtful and reflective song with a dreamy, feel-good vibe. John Lennon actually describes himself as a “dreamer” in the song, and the rhythm and meter fit that mood perfectly. The lyrics are hopelessly hopeful in that they urge the listener to picture a utopian socialist society where people live to care for one another. While unrealistic, the lyrics are beautiful. Imagine is written in a very basic and common key, C Major.

2) Form

Verse 1 … 0:00 to 1:34

Chorus … 1:35 to 1:59

Verse 2 … 2:00 to 2:39

Chorus … 2:40 to 3:06

3) Instruments

Piano – Chordophone

Drums – Membranophone (Comes in at about 0:38)

4) Timbre

I would describe the timbre of Imagine as mellow, which reflects the reflective mood of the song. Lennon’s voice accompanied by only a piano creates a rather sweet but empty timbre. It’s appropriate given the yearning lyrics of the song, which encourage the listener to imagine a simpler and more peaceful existence.

5) Textural Layers

Imagine is homophonic. There is just one melody, the piano, accompanied by Lennon’s voice.

6) Rhythm and Meter

The meter is 4/4, or quadruple meter. The song is very steady and consistent throughout.

7) Dynamics

The entire song (rhythm and lyrics) is mostly piano (soft). Just before each chorus, John Lennon’s voice reaches a slight crescendo with the last word in the line, then decrescendos as he says “yoohoo, oooh.” The chorus follows: “You may say I’m a dreamer…”

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite aspect of the song is the simplistic rhythm and meter played by the piano. The tune alone, without the lyrics, is catchy and peaceful. Somehow, the tune also leaves something to be desired, which is perfect given John Lennon’s words. His lyrics are longing.

9) New Observations and Comparison

Before taking this class, I never noticed the dynamics, textural layers, or musical form of this song (or any song for that matter). This class has taught me to recognize and appreciate the more subtle aspects of musical composition. It has helped me identify some of the musical features of songs I like. I’ve learned how to understand and define various musical terms like pitch, tone, and tonic. With this song in particular, I’ve recognized some of the musical elements that make the song so appealing to me, like its dynamics, rhythm, meter, and timbre. I’ve also recognized the cultural importance of the song through this assignment. John Lennon’s Imagine epitomizes the era in which the song was written. The 1960s was a time of rebellion against societal conventions and authority (government, capitalism, etc.), as well as internal exploration largely through drugs and music. Furthermore, I hadn’t realized before completing this assignment that the song was written during the Vietnam War, which many Americans were protesting. The “hippie” subculture in the 1960s hopelessly wished for peace among mankind, just as this song hopelessly wishes for peace.

10) Self-Discovery

Listening to this song over and over again as I completed this assignment, I came to further appreciate its message, as well as the elements of its composition. This assignment, as well as this class as a whole, helped me appreciate the complexities that go into the synthesis of music. I’ve learned how different musical production categories can influence the timbre of a piece. I’ve learned how tonic is important in creating a sense of closure at the end of a scale. And I’ve learned how dynamics may be used to provoke emotion or alter mood. Overall, this assignment and this class have given me a stronger understanding and appreciation for the elements of a musical composition and the cultural significance of many songs and artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUGSYDKUxU

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
Young the Giant is one of my favorite alternative/indie rock bands and I have been a fan of them ever since 2004, when the band was first formed. I heard this song on the radio and I was immediately hooked. Jungle Youth is my favorite song by this band because the lyrics are very uplifting and inspirational. In this song, Sameer Gadhia, the lead singer of Young the Giant, really sets an empowering mood to allow the music to resonate throughout the listener’s body. This is my go to song when I am feeling down or not motivated to do work. The song talks about how when you believe in something, you should believe in it whole-heartedly, and do not let anyone tell you other wise. My interpretation of this song is that I need to believe in myself and work hard enough to accomplish my goals.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The song starts off with a bang. In the first few seconds of the song it is really quiet and then all of a sudden the guitars and drums come in at the same time. This very loud and in your face beat is repeated throughout the song, especially when the chorus is sung.

2) Form

Intro - 0:00 - 0:20

Verse - 0:21 -  0:57

Chorus - 0:58 - 1:24

Instrumental - 1:25 - 1:28

Verse - 1:29 - 1:52

Chorus - 1:53 - 2:19

Instrumental - 2:20 - 2:30

Verse - 2:31 - 2:42

Chorus - 2:43 - 3:07

Instrumental - 3:08 - 3:40

3) Instruments

Electric Guitar - Chordophone

Bass Guitar - Chordophone

Drums - Membranophone

4) Timbre

The timbre is very rugged and rough, while also being very uplifting and empowering.

5) Textural Layers

This is a homophonic piece. The guitars and drums are playing the harmony, while the voice sings the melody. This piece is homophonic because the melody and the harmony are played at the same time throughout the song, especially when the chorus is sung.

6) Rhythm and Meter

Every time the chorus is sung, there is a riff when the guitars and drums are played. This riff occurs every time the chorus comes on. The meter is quadruple.

7) Dynamics

The first 8 seconds of this song is quiet(piano), but then the instrumental comes in and the dynamics change into a mezzo forte, and then into a forte as the chorus comes on. Then the song continues in a pattern of mezzo forte and forte until the song is over.

8) Favorite Thing

The lyrics and beats of this song are my favorite part. The upbeat and empowering lyrics make me energized when I am not motivated to do work. The guitars and drums give  an amazing beat that really resonates in the listener's ears.

9) New Observations and Comparison

Prior to taking this course, I would have never noticed important aspects of this song, like the fact that there is a instrumental riff when the chorus is sung.

10) Self-Discovery

After completing this assignment, I realized that there is more to this song than just the empowering lyrics. I noticed how unique the musical timbre, rhythm, and dynamics are for this song. This course made me realize that I should start paying more attention to the instruments that are played in the background, instead of just focusing on the lyrics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young the Giant: Jungle Youth (Official Visualizer)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Young the Giant's official visualizer for 'Jungle Youth' from their new album Home Of The Strange - available now on Fueled By Ramen. Download Home Of The Strange on...

# data[].attributes.headline
Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 - Frédéric Chopin 

# data[].attributes.subject
Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 - Frédéric Chopin 

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 to represent my life. The word “nocturne” translates to “night.” To me, this specific nocturne is Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” in musical form. It is soft and dreamy in some parts, stormy and tumultuous in others, colorful in its wide range of notes, and beautiful in its blue aura sprinkled with bursts of golden sparks.

Chopin is my favorite musical composer, and the Romantic Period is my favorite musical era. I played Nocturne in E Flat Major to pass the final level of Certificate of Merit (a piano exam), which was a special moment in my life. This nocturne is a representation of the valuable lessons I have learned from playing piano, which also apply to life in general. It affects the mindset I have in my everyday life and thus the way I view the world. Piano enlightened me with three powerful tools I use to solve problems: patience, discipline, and dedication. These are the personality traits I value most in myself and others. With time, I have learned to offset the stormy tumult of anger with patience, counteract the cool blue aura of indolence with discipline, and face the golden sparks of distraction with dedication, not only as a student of music, but also as a student of life. This piece gives me hope that there is always room for growth.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
Mood is the emotion that the music evokes. In most parts, Nocturne in E Flat Major is serene like the night, with a dreamy, nostalgic, and slightly somber mood. This is due to the soft, smooth melody that repeats throughout the song at a rather slow tempo. Towards the end of the piece, starting at 3:30, the mood shifts from serenity to passionate anger. This is because all of the notes are played in octaves, meaning that they are eight notes apart but played simultaneously. Additionally, the notes are pounded very forcefully (marked fortissimo and con forza), making this section the loudest and most powerful part. At 3:45, the mood also becomes more anxious and suspenseful due to the dissonance of four repeated notes that are clustered together and the high pitches of these notes, which are more shrill than most other parts of the piece. This dissonance creates a dramatic effect that is ultimately resolved with the tonic starting at 3:58, when the piece once again becomes calmer with softer dynamics and harmonious notes. Overall, this nocturne is packed with emotion.

2) Form
A  0:00-0:31

A’ 0:32-0:57

B  0:58-1:25

A’ 1:26-1:53

B  1:54- 2:21

A’ 2:22-2:50

C  2:51-4:18

This nocturne is organized in rounded binary form, which can be expressed as A A’ B A’ B A’ C (Berry). The first section, referred to as A, goes from 0:00-0:31. Following the A section is the similar but slightly modified A’ section, from 0:32-0:57. A new section, B, is introduced subsequently, going from 0:58-1:25. Then the piece goes back to A’ from 1:26-1:53. This section is almost identical to the previous A’ section, but it is more ornamented, for instance, starting at 1:46 when there are more notes added in (chromatic scale) compared to the analogous phrase beginning at 0:50. After the A’ section, another B section happens from 1:54- 2:21. Then it shifts back to A’ again from 2:22-2:50. To finish off the piece, there is the unique C section, the coda (finish), from 2:51-4:18. Each time an A or B section repeats, the notes become increasingly elaborate and ornamented. This effect is accomplished through the addition of notes in chromatic scales, mordents, turns, trills, or grace notes. As a result, the melody becomes more interesting as the music progresses and this creates a wave of anticipation for the ending.

3) Instruments
Because this nocturne is an instrumental piece, the only instrument heard is the piano. Since the piano has strings on the inside, its sound production category is the chordophone.

4) Timbre
Timbre is the tone color or quality of a sound. It is the reason that different instruments sound distinct when playing the same notes. Throughout the piece, the timbre of the piano is mellow and full. Because this piece uses the damper pedal throughout, the notes blend together smoothly and give it a resonant timbre that can be considered romantic. When holding down the damper pedal (on the right), the dampers inside the piano are lifted off the strings, allowing continued vibration and thus sound production, even though the pianist is no longer holding down the key. As a result, the strings can act sympathetically and create the rich timbre. In order to prevent muddy timbre, the pedal is held down for a few notes and released at appropriate times to clear the sound before the next phrase begins (Hoffman).

5) Textural Layers
This nocturne has homophonic texture, which means that it contains a melody with an accompanying harmony. When playing this piece, the right hand has the melody, while the left hand has the harmony. The left hand accompaniment throughout almost the entire piece is a note followed by two chords or some variation of that, such as an octave followed by two chords. Chords are multiple pitches played at once. Most of the chords stay in key, but some are outside the key. The harmony is subtle enough that it does not overpower the melody, but it plays a key role in the flow of the piece. The format of the harmony (note-chord-chord) helps to establish the groupings in the meter.

6) Rhythm and Meter
There is a lot of rhythmic freedom in this nocturne, as indicated by the term rubato, which means no strict tempo. Therefore, it is up to the pianist to speed up or slow down certain parts as seen fit. In this version of the piece, the pianist tends to speed up and slow down throughout the entire piece. For example, the music speeds up temporarily from 0:19-0:23 and slows down from 0:26-0:29. This makes the music sound more expressive and emotional. There are also certain parts marked poco ritardando or poco rallentando, like from 1:21-1:27, which means that the surrounding notes are played with a gradually slower tempo. Additionally, the coda at around 3:30 goes a bit faster than other parts, but ultimately, the piece eases to an slow end.

Another factor affecting rhythm is the heavy ornamentation, because the rhythm must be flexible in order to accommodate more notes in one beat, like in the case of a mordant, turn, or grace note. At times, it seems as though the ornaments may swing or sway the musical rhythm a bit, causing small delays or rushes in certain rhythms of the piece. Also, there is a notable polyrhythm from 2:00-2:03, in which the right hand plays a grouping of four notes while the left hand simultaneously plays three. This creates a staggered effect.

Meter is the term describing the organization of beat patterns. This nocturne has a compound quadruple meter. The time signature is 12/8 (twelve beats per measure, eighth note gets one beat). The twelve beats in each measure are subdivided into four groups of three eighth notes each. The groups can be heard clearly in the left hand accompaniment, which comes in waltz-like groups of three, showing that the meter is compound rather than simple (Shaffer).

7) Dynamics
The majority of the piece is soft, or piano. In the coda from 3:34-3:45, the octaves are played very loudly (fortissimo) to make up the most intense part of the piece. The higher the pitch of the note, the more shrill it tends to sound, which grabs the listener’s attention. The softest part of the piece (pianississimo) happens at the very end of the piece, from 4:04-4:18.

Additionally, various notes have accents, which means only that note gets emphasis since it is played with stress. From 1:33-1:36, the notes are grouped in sets of two due to an accent on the first note of each two-note phrase. There is also a crescendo (gradual increase in volume) since the phrases together build upwards, giving it a suspenseful effect. The crescendo is followed by an immediate decrescendo (gradual decrease in volume) from 1:37-1:39. Another apparent crescendo occurs in the trill-like passage of the coda from to 3:46-3:48 followed by a decrescendo from 3:49-3:51. Throughout the piece, there are other sets of coupled crescendos and decrescendos, especially where sixteenth or thirty-second notes are played.

8) Favorite Thing
The most interesting part of this piece is the elaborate ornamentation – the turns, trills, mordants, and grace notes. It seems like Chopin wrote bursts of ornamentation at every chance. Each form of ornamentation decorates an already beautiful melody. In the beginning of the piece alone, there is a turn at 0:14, mordants at 0:34 and 0:37, a trill at 0:45, and a grace note at 0:54. There is something very satisfying about a turn, especially in resolving the tension created by the slight delay leading up to the main note. The mordants and grace notes have the effect of disturbing the rhythm ever so slightly that the listener is forced to pay more attention. Additionally, there is a light, liberating quality in a trill that conjures up a sense of hope for me.

9) New Observations and Comparison
I never noticed how much the tempo fluctuated in this piece. I had the idea that it all just flowed naturally, and I hadn’t given much thought to what pace felt suitable for what moment. When listening to it carefully multiple times for analysis rather than just enjoyment, I realized that there was such a wide range of tempos within the piece. Sometimes eighth notes were played quickly like sixteenth notes, for instance from 0:19-0:23. Other times, eighth notes were exaggerated so much that they seemed more like quarter notes, for example from 1:21-1:26. I always knew that quite a bit of rhythmic freedom was granted, but listening to the piece played by someone else highlighted that freedom. This new observation gave me a newfound appreciation for the emotional impact that the piece as a whole delivers, and finesse it takes to make it all sound natural.

10) Self-Discovery

Through completing this assignment, I discovered that there is always more to learn, whether that means analyzing something you already know about in a different way or hearing a fresh perspective. Because I have played this piece in the past, I was not sure how doing this project would change the way I see it. I thought that I would not change my mind about certain impressions that I already have of it because it takes a lot of time and effort to learn a piece, memorize it, and make it your own. However, listening to someone else play it on YouTube and using the new analysis strategies I have gathered from this class helped me see that alternate perspectives can give a deeper meaning to something that is already familiar.

Works Cited:

Berry, Wallace. Form in music. Vol. 1. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1966.

Hoffman, Joseph. "What Are Piano Pedals For?" Hoffman Academy. N.p., 19 May 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Shaffer, Kris. "Meter and Time Signatures – Open Music Theory." Open Music Theory. Ed. Robin Wharton. Hybrid Pedagogy Publishing, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Frédéric Chopin Nocturne Eb major Op. 9 2C No.2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Frédéric Chopin Nocturne Eb major Op. 9 2C No.2 Performed by Martha Goldstein

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece – The Seven Deadly Sins by Flogging Molly

The Seven Deadly Sins is an energetic Irish drinking song that one might hear at a local pub on St. Patty’s Day. I chose this song to have my scholastic career come full circle because one of my very first projects and one of my very last projects will be focused on Ireland. In third grade I had a project about finding my heritage, so my maternal grandparents told me all about Ireland including food, dancing, music, and culture. In class I dressed up in traditional Irish garb, wearing a kilt and flowing button-down shirt and gave a presentation about my family’s Irish heritage. I was so proud to be Irish! Then further down the line in high school, I learned that my mother was adopted at birth and I may not even be Irish at all. But that doesn’t matter because I grew up thinking I was Irish and fully embrace my (possibly) Irish heritage. The band Flogging Molly is one of my favorite contemporary Irish punk rock bands. And being newly 21 years old, The Seven Deadly Sins is one of my favorite songs to kick back and sip a pint to. The energetic vibe has themes of comradery and I love listening to this song with friends, so I wanted to share it with all of my new friends in this music class! So here is a link to the song with lyrics included, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmAqwsla47E

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood – Energetic, Rowdy, Rebellious, Rambunctious, Raucous

I chose these five words to describe the mood of The Seven Deadly Sins because the song is very fast-paced and makes the listener want to get up and dance around recklessly. Many of Flogging Molly’s songs have a similar feel, with themes centered on drinking and being with friends. The drums start off the mood in the first 12 seconds of the song and by the time the song is at 15 seconds there are 7 different instruments playing, all fast-paced and energetic. The punk rock styling of the song provide an aura of rebellion and rowdiness, needless to say this song is very exciting.

2) Form – The Seven Deadly Sins is comprised of five individual verses and five choruses all in 2 minutes and 50 seconds arranged to look like:

Chorus – 0:00-0:12

Verse 1 – 0:18-0:30

Verse 2 – 0:30-0:42

Chorus – 0:42-0:57

Verse 3 – 1:03-1:15

Chorus – 1:15-1:30

Verse 4 – 1:42-1:54

Verse 5 – 2:06-2:18

Chorus – 2:18-2:30

Chorus -2:30-2:50

3) Instruments – There are seven members in the band Flogging Molly and each member plays an individual instrument. For the first 12 seconds of the song, the only instrument playing is the drums and then all seven come into play for the remainder of the song. The violin is the key to introducing each chorus, so for about 3 seconds before each chorus plays, the other instruments die down and the violin is the center piece. Other than that, the whole remainder of the song is a nice mixture of the seven instruments listed below:

Acoustic Guitar- Chordophone

Drums- Membranophone

Violin- Chordophone

Bass Guitar- Chordophone

Electric Guitar- Chordophone

Banjo- Chordophone

Accordion/Keyboard- Aerophone/Electrophone

For a better look at each instrument, follow this link to watch a live performance of The Seven Deadly Sins by Flogging Molly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKzyhA-lrqM

4) Timbre – Loud, Strong, Piercing, Heavy, Full

I chose these five words to describe the timbre of The Seven Deadly Sins because each member of the band is truly playing their hardest and the culmination of all instruments together with vocals added is a full experience. The quality of sound is very loud, so much so that it may be piercing to the listener.

5) Texture – The Seven Deadly sins has a heterophonic texture, similar to a lot of Irish music. There are seven different band members each playing a different instrument, but they all follow the same melody. When there are so many different sounds all simultaneously following the same melody, the texture is heterophonic. It is very impressive to me that all seven band members can be so on point with each other and have such close variations of the same melody all at the same time to produce this exciting heterophonic texture.

6) Rhythm & Meter – The rhythm of The Seven Deadly sins is very fast, meaning that the ordering of pitches in time are very close and there is not much length of pitch in relation to other pitches. The song begins with just drums for the first 12 seconds to establish the rhythm and speeds up further in accelerando when the rest of the instruments are introduced and the rhythm does not slow down at any point in the song. The meter of the song is compound quadruple meter. Compound quadruple means that the beats are in groups of four and divide into threes. This song is compound meter just like a lot of classic Irish music.

7) Dynamics – The volume of the pitch in The Seven Deadly Sins is forte. This is a very high amplitude song with larger soundwaves because it is a very energetic song that requires a very loud noise to achieve the rowdy and raucous overall mood of the song.

8) Favorite Thing – In my opinion, the best part of The Seven Deadly sins is the fun themes that the song is about including hanging out with friends and overall comradery. This energetic drinking song is all I hope to hear on St. Patty’s Day at a local Irish Pub with my friends. It is fun to listen to the chorus where the singer exclaims, “We’re seven drunken pirates. We’re the seven deadly sins.” Because it shows that everyone in the band Flogging Molly has such close relationships and they all make up a great musical team. Each band member has their individual specialty in instruments and they compare themselves to “drunken pirates” and “deadly sins” because without one of them the band would not be the same at all.

9) New Observations & Comparison – Something about the piece that I didn’t notice or appreciate when I first listened to the song was how many instruments were being played all together to create the exciting heterophonic texture that this song uses. When looking into what instruments were being used for section three I watched the live performance (link included above) to get a better grasp of how Flogging Molly used instruments simultaneously. It took watching the live performance for me to truly appreciate the musical coordination and perfection of timing that each member of Flogging Molly has meticulously practiced to get it perfect for listeners.

10) Self-Discovery – I grew up my entire life thinking I was of Irish decent because of the project I did in third grade and spoke about in the “Why I Chose This Piece” section, but finally now realize it doesn’t matter exactly what my genetic material consists of. I am a fan of Irish music and Irish culture in general, and even if I am not Irish by blood I consider myself Irish. I will embrace this culture and love Irish culture no matter what, especially on St. Patty’s Day. It was a great experience to choose this song while we learned about Irish music in class because it helped me identify some of the more subtle characteristics of Irish music including compound meter and heterophonic textures. To conclude, I discovered that I don’t have to be of Irish decent to enjoy and respect the culture of Ireland.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece:

There are a lot of songs which I enjoy listening to, however, this song Renegades by X-ambassadors is a song that I can’t never stop listening to. The reason I enjoy listening to this song is because everything about this song is very satisfying for me. This song gives me hope and will for people who are different in various ways.  Aside from the sound, tone and the melody of this song, the meaning behind is very connected to one of my family members, Who happens to have autism but  it never stops her from doing things  she really enjoys and love. I really like this song, because it isn’t a song that you listen to dance around its happy song that you listen to feel grateful and feel happy to see people who are different do great things. For instance, my family member who has autism is very brave and hardworking girl and she never backs down from anything she enjoys doing. Also, being a person with an Autism, she also doesn't want anyone to look down on her, which is something I really admire about her the most.  This song really has a deep meaning for me because I personally get to see the meaning of this song real life every day and just to see that connection between them is a great pleasure for me and it makes me happy as well.

Mood: The mood of this song is very relaxed, uplifting and inspirational.  As the song progress, the more moods are being created. Especially, from 1:07, that’s when the guitar starts playing and the mood is calm and relaxed, but when it gets to 1:44 it becomes a more uplifting song because more instruments are being added and songs become more enjoyable to listen to.  I think the beginning of the song, it’s just one mode, but as the song progressed it became more positive, uplifting and empowering. Also, one thing that caught my attention when listening to music is that even though the lyrics tell us the mood, but sometimes they don’t perfectly match the musical mood.

FORM

Intro -  0:00- 1:22

Verse – 1:22- 1:44

Chorus- 1:44- 2:06

Verse -2:06- 2:27

Chorus- 2:28-2:49

Chorus- 2:50- 3:43

Instrumental-  3:44-4:16

Musical Instruments

Acoustic guitar – Chordophones

Drum sets- Membranophone

Synthesizers- Chordophones

Electric guitar- Chordophones

Timbre

The beginning of this song has Acoustic feeling to it, but as the song continues to progress it becomes more rustic and little bit ambient.

Textural Layers

The musical textural layer of the song is homophonic from the beginning, but as the song starts to transit forward its changes to heterophonic as more instruments are being played one after another. The acoustic guitar, Synthesizers, Electric guitar, lead vocals all has melody layers. The instruments that play harmony layers are acoustic guitar and background vocals.

Rhythm and Meter

The song starts with rhythm moving fast, but later it starts to slow down. The layers that are moving faster would be the guitar and the synthesizers, and when I was listening to the song, I thought the progression of the music is slow. There are riffs in the song and that is the guitar, which is played from the beginning of the song. The overall meter of this song is a quadruple meter.

Dynamics

The beginning of the song is pianissimo as the acoustic guitar starts playing, this continues until the end the end of the first verse. After the first verse, the song becomes mezzo forte as the lead singer starts to get a little louder while the instruments are being played in the background. The midway of the song is when it becomes forte as the instrument are being played loud. Then the song becomes crescendo when it gets to the end.

Favorite thing

There are many songs with unique and interesting meaning behind them, however, this song Renegades by X- Ambassadors are an excellent piece art in my opinion.  My favorite thing about this song is its meaning and vocals. The song also has a lot of personal connection with me as well. It’s a song that I can truly relate to and listen to when I feel empty sometimes. Even though there is a lot music that I don’t listen to too many times, but, for me this music is different because of its meaning behind it.

New Observation and Comparison

When I listen to music I usually listen to lyric Version, when I was listening to this song I kind of knew what the message is, but after watching the Official music video I was kind of surprised because it wasn’t something that I translated in my mind. After watching the music video I became more attached to this song and I don’t even know how many times I listen to this song. Everything about this song is great and especially the vocals of this music, it’s just great.

Self- Discovery

I usually thought music was something we all listen to kill time, but after completing this assignment, I learned that for some of us it’s more than that. The meaning behind any music is something that anyone can relate to. This assignment has taught me all those meaning and what it takes a song to become great. Even before taking this class, aside from listening to music on Spotify, I had zero knowledge about musical timbre, rhythm, and dynamics. But after taking completing this assignment, I realized there so much in music aside from the lyrics. I also learned a valuable lesson which is to focus or pay more attention to the instruments that are playing the background instead of just focusing on the music lyric like I usually do most of the time.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XFfUt7HQWM

Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this song because throughout my childhood my family (mom, dad, and two sisters) would always listen to this genre of music together. We would always listen to The Beatles or music made by the individual members, especially on long car rides and vacations.  This type of music reminds me of my childhood and my family. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic set of parents and siblings, so I always have an optimistic view of my childhood. This song has the ability to provoke so many amazing memories from my life and I think that is due to the mood and the timbre. Over the summer my oldest sister got married and this was the song that played when her and her husband walked down the aisle. As a family that was one of the most important days in our lives’ so this song makes me instantly think of that day. The song is about love and it reminds me that I have a family that unconditionally loves me, and that I love in return of course.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
I think there are two different moods in this piece. I think the choruses have a very bright and pleasurable feel because of the timbre of the trumpets. When I listened to just an instrumental version of this song I still felt a sense of love and happiness when the chorus came on even though there were no lyrics to explicitly say it is a love song. I think there is a slightly different mood during the verses because the electric guitar is the dominant instrument heard and it has a lower pitch. The verses do not contain the same amount of excitement as the choruses, so I would describe them as content. I think they still have a happy feel but they are not as intense as the choruses.

2) Form
Introduction: 0:00-0:24
Verse: 0:25-0:55
Chorus: 0:55-1:13
Verse: 1:13-1:42
Chorus (x2): 1:42- 2:18
Instrumental Break: 2:18-2:44
Verse: 2:44-3:13
Chorus: 3:13-4:07
Fade: 4:07-4:19
3) Instruments
Electric guitar (chordophone)
Bass guitar (chordophone)
Drums (membranophone)
Trumpet (aerophone)
Piano (chordophone)
4) Timbre
The timbre of the electric guitar is loud and strong. The bass guitar has a soft and heavy timbre. The drums have a rhythmic and warm timbre. The trumpet has a brassy, bright, and melodious timbre.
5) Textural Layers
The overall texture of this piece is homophonic. There is a monophonic texture in the beginning of the introduction from 0:00-0:08 with the two guitars playing the melody. It switches to homophonic at 0:12 when the trumpet and piano play the melody and now the guitars are playing the harmony. The verses are homophonic. The voice does the melody and the two guitars and piano play the harmony. The choruses are also homophonic and the voice and the trumpet play the melody and the guitars play the harmony. The last layer is the played by the drums and they play neither the melody nor the harmony because they have an indefinite pitch.
6) Rhythm and Meter
The overall meter of the piece is quadruple. There is a riff played by the electric and bass guitars. It is the descending sequence of notes heard in the very beginning (0:00-0:04) and it repeats very often throughout the song. The rhythm of the melody is slower than the rhythm of the harmony.
7) Dynamics
The choruses are forte and the verses are mezzoforte. The riffs are a decrescendo.
8) Favorite Thing
My favorite part of the song is the beginning of the instrumental break in the middle of the song (2:19) when only the guitar plays. It almost feels like the song restarts, it just feels dramatic to me, and I love the riff played.
9) New Observations and Comparison
My new observation is the amount of instruments used in this piece. Whenever I listened to this song prior to this project I only focused on the trumpet and guitar section, but now after listening closer there are three additional instruments (bass guitar, piano, and drums) that I didn't really appreciate before.
10) Self-Discovery
In completing this assignment I learned that when I listen to music I definitely do not appreciate every aspect of it. My favorite genre is rap and when I listen I mainly focus on just the lyrics and occasionally the rhythm in the background, but after this project I learned that there are usually so many more layers in music. My second favorite genre is classic rock because I grew up listening to it with my dad, and I have noticed so many more layers in those songs that I never picked up on when I was younger. Now I feel I can fully appreciate every aspect of what makes up a song instead of just lyrics or the simple melody in the background.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece

I chose this piece by Tori Kelly because I do not think there is any other song that I agree with more. Not only do I agree with the lyrics, but I agree with the music. This song, “Unbreakable Smile” is a song that explains how other people can have their own opinions about you but you are truly the only one that makes you happy. I would consider myself an optimist in just about every situation, and I think life is not spent well if the majority of it is spent with a negative outlook on everything. As cheesy as it sounds, I find it very difficult for other people to bring me down and force my smile off of my face. I just recently learned that in order to be happy with other people, I must be happy with myself first. If I want to be content with myself I must concentrate on myself, and that is exactly what Tori Kelly explains in this song.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
This piece of music definitely creates a happy, cheerful, and optimistic mood. The positive lyrics add to the mood being so optimistic. There are fast beats and rhythms which makes the piece seem happy and upbeat.

2) Form

Introduction: 0:00 – 0:21

Verse: 0:21-1:02

Chorus: 1:02-1:23

Verse: 1:23-2:05

Chorus: 2:05-2:25

Vocal Runs: 2:25-2:46

Chorus: 2:46-3:07

Outro: 3:07-3:48 (end)

3) Instruments
The instruments used in this piece are:

Drums – Membranophone

Electric guitar – Chordophone

Piano - Chordophone

Violin - Chordophone

4) Timbre
The timbre of this piece can be described as clear, resonant, and oddly enough, it sounds piercing and light at the same time. I believe it can be described as piercing and light at the same time because when it is not piercing with the sounds from the drums, the background singing sounds very light. The resonance comes from the same piano chords that play throughout the whole song.

5) Textural Layers
The textural layers in this song start off as monophonic because it is only the piano being played with no drums. The rest of the song being the majority, is homophonic with the movement of accompanying parts in the same rhythm as the melody.

6) Rhythm and Meter
In the beginning of the song until 0:10, there is a free meter because of the lack of rhythm. Then for the rest of the song, there is a steady syncopated rhythm.The meter in this piece can be described as either a quadruple meter or a duple meter because they both sound the same. The beat can either “Strong – Weak” or “Strong – Weak – Strong – Weak”

7) Dynamics
In this piece, from 2:30-2:45 there is a variety of crescendos in her vocals. The dynamics of this song shift when it comes to the chorus and the verses. The verses are mezzo piano and the chorus is mezzo forte. The introduction and the outro are both mezzo piano.

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this song is definitely the message it sends. I know this applies more to fame and the music industry, but I enjoy how she explains that she will not conform to the “social norm” to sell herself. I think this can be applied to normal people like me too because even when you are not famous it is hard not to conform to what society thinks is the norm.

9) New Observations and Comparison
An observation and comparison I noticed while listening to this piece was the alap-like introduction. The introduction consists of just the piano playing with no rhythm and it sounds like what an alap would sound like before the gat came in.

10) Self-Discovery

This song made me realize that I can be happy on my own. In the past, I have struggled with creating my own happiness but I am slowly realizing that I can only be truly happy if I love myself. This song has definitely influenced the confidence I have in myself. I also realized that I am not going to conform to society to make others happy because I need to make myself happy before anyone else.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tori Kelly- Unbreakable Smile (Lyric Video)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Off Tori Kelly's upcoming debut album entitled 'Unbreakable Smile'. (Lyrics are also posted below~) I hope you enjoy! & remember to smile, beautiful people! :D [No Copyright intended; I do not own anything!! All rights go to Tori Kelly, UMG & Respective Owners] Follow Tori's IG: torikelly & mine!

# data[].attributes.body
Description:
I choose the song Where is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas because as millennials I feel as though we have grown up in a world where there is a strong desire for power and filled with hate. Growing up, as a country we have been victims to war, terrorism, gun violence, rape, racism and animosity towards minorities and whether or not you have been a victim to one of these issues I think this song speaks to everyone. I think this song emphasizes the need to fix these issues. I believe acceptance of others is important and that people should focus their energy on bettering the community and themselves, rather than discriminating each other and making enemies with one another. I like how this song touches on many issues that are relevant to today. This song personally touches me because I have family who have served in the military and have fought in the war and this song specifically mentions the war on terrorism.

1) Mood:
The mood of this piece is passionate. The violins and orchestra playing in the beginning of the song creates a dominant atmosphere. The mood can also be described as hopeful because they are singing this message in hopes of a better future.

2) Form:
Instrumental introduction 0:00 – 0:21
Verse 0:21—1:01
Chorus 1:01 – 1:31
Verse 1:31 – 2:13
Chorus 2:13 – 2:54
Instrumental 2:54 – 3:03
Verse 3:03 – 3:46
Chorus 3:46 – 4:27
Ending 4:27 – end

3) Instruments:
Drums- membranophones
Violin- chordophone
String Bass- chordophone
Piano- chordophone

4) Timbre:
The timbre of this piece can be described as rich, strong and powerful. There is a full and vibrant timbre to this piece as well. The timbre of the violins in the orchestra specifically can be described as full.

5) Textural Layers:
The textural layer of this song can be described as homophonic. The singers are accompanied by the violins in the orchestra.

6) Rhythm and Meter:
Where is the Love is played in a quadruple meter because the beat is strong, weak, strong, weak. This song keeps a steady rhythm throughout the entire song.

7) Dynamics:
The beginning of the song starts off very soft with just the string bass playing. The crescendo occurs during the instrumental introduction because there is a gradual increase in volume. The orchestra joins in and the dynamics gradually get louder. Once the first verse comes in, the dynamics shift to mezzo forte. When the first chorus begins the dynamics shift back to mezzo piano because the song gets softer. The pattern continues throughout the rest of the song.

8) Favorite Thing:
My favorite thing about the song Where is the Love is the message it conveys. I think this song evokes certain emotions and touches on specific topics that most songs do not touch on. This song brings out a sadder feeling because it emphasizes the troubles in the world and I think it is important for people to realize that there are many issues in the United States and around the world.

9) New Observation:
Before examining this song, I never really realized how many issues this song addresses. The song begins by touching the topic of terrorism followed by the issue of racism and discrimination. The song continues to bring up the war in Iraq and other acts of violence here in the United States.

10) Self-Discovery:
As I listened to this song one more time, I realized that the lyrics are really important to grasp and understand. It is important to love one another, respect each other’s beliefs and to help guide each other to happiness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FotCW5OIFZc

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this piece because it reflects my hobbies and interests. What does a song, “Stand by Me”, originally written by Ben E. King, have to do with hobbies? This song, sung by Florence + The Machine, was featured in Final Fantasy XV, a game that came out last week. Ever since I was a little kid, video games have been my passion. The storytelling, animation, and graphics are captivating and stimulating. This piece shows how much of a huge change video game music went through - how much of a difference it is now compared to what it was when it was originally introduced. From what we’ve learned in class, early video game music were looped, lacked lyrics, and had limited texture. Fast forward to the present, and you have video game music being more involved in the media industry. Video game soundtrack from Journey received a Grammy nomination. Well-known artists and composers are playing a huge role in video game music, like CHVRCHES, Florence + The Machine, Joe Hisaishi, and Hans Zimmer. Music for video games have been recorded and played by orchestras like the London Philharmonic Orchestra and The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. The line between video game music and “music” will continue blend and mesh more in the near future.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
Immediately in the beginning, you hear the harp and the violin. It sets the mood as somber and sadness, a feeling of not letting someone go – to stand by me. Once the second verse kicks in (1:15), the mood becomes slightly lighter and brighter, more intense. There’s a feeling of hopefulness and desperation from the start of the second chorus (2:42).

2) Form
Probably the most appealing about the form of this piece is that the chorus is repeated multiple times near the end of the song. Each time the chorus is sung again, the singer adds melisma and strengthening the song. The song also ends with the chorus, with a little runoff at the end.

Intro: (0:05–0:21)

Verse: (0:21-0:55)

Chorus: (0:55-1:15)

Verse 2: (1:15-1:48)

Chorus: (1:48-2:08)

Instrumental break: (2:08-2:27)

Bridge: (2:27-2:43)

Chorus: (2:43-3:00)

Chorus: (3:00-3:17)

Chorus: (3:17-3:35)

Chorus: (3:35-3:55)

Ending: (3:55-4:03)

3) Instruments

Harp (Chordophone)

Drum (Membranophone)

Violin (Chordophone)

Triangle (Idiophone)

Cello (Chordophone)

4) Timbre
The timbre starting from the first verse (0:21) is pretty dark and gloomy. The timbre lightens up near the end (starting from the instrumental break 2:08) as bright and warm.

Textual Layers:

The texture is homophonic, a melody with an accompanying harmony. The melody in this piece is the voice with lead singer Florence Welch, and the harmony are the instruments (harp, drum, violin, triangle, cello) and the background choir.

5) Textural Layers
The texture is homophonic, a melody with an accompanying harmony. The melody in this piece is the voice with lead singer Florence Welch, and the harmony are the instruments (harp, drum, violin, triangle, cello) and the background choir.

6) Rhythm and Meter
The meter is quadruple meter. The song is played at a relatively slow tempo and pace. The singer is singing slightly slower than the harmony near the end. There are no riffs.

7) Dynamics
This piece has three main dynamics: piano, forte, and mezzo forte. The intro and verse is piano (0:05-0:55). The dynamics shift to forte with the start of the chorus and second verse (0:55-1:48). The piece maintains this dynamic till the bridge is over. The piece is then mezzo forte to the very end (2:43-3:55).

8) Favorite Thing
The most favorite thing about this song is the background choir. The lead singer is great and I love her, but the background choir gives the song an extra finish/touch. It really improves the harmonic layer of the song.

9) New Observations and Comparison
When I first listened to the song, I never really dissected and paid attention to the amount of instruments that make up the harmony. From the violin to the harp, each instrument brings its own flavor and texture to the song.

10) Self-Discovery
As I listen to this song again, I realize just how much video game music plays a huge part in my life and leisure. I’ve never fully appreciated music as a key element in video games. As a kid, I’ve cared mostly about the graphics and the controls. Looking back, video game music has been memorable and quite catchy, like super Mario brothers and pokemon. I’m sure I’ll remember and treasure this song as well.

# data[].attributes.body
I have chosen this song because I believe no matter what life throws at me I try to hold onto hope that everything will work out. Even though it is about gaining a man's love, I can relate to it because I do not give up on those I love and care for. Blondie sings that she will wait her turn and I am also very patient in life and always put others first. I relate to Debbie Harry because she is a blonde, American woman trying to prove herself in a man's world, just as I am. Debbie Harry paved the way for women and I hope to continue her work when I grow up. This song is very mellow and calm just as I try to live my life. Whenever I am feeling down or need a boost of confidence, I always play this song to remind me to keep my head up.
1. Mood: The mood of this song, in my opinion, is very simple, blissful, and calming. Debbie Harry sings with reassurance in her voice as the band members play repeat same peaceful notes. The mood becomes more jubilant when Blondie sings "I'm not the kind... just like that," at (0:42).
2. Form:
Introduction: (0:00-0:31)
Chorus: (0:32-0:52)
First Verse: (0:52-1:12)
Chorus: (1:13-1:27)
Bridge: (1:28-1:31)
Second Verse: (1:32- 1:50)
Chorus: (1:51-2:11)
Instrumental: (2:12-2:32)
Third  Verse: (2:33-2:52)
Chorus: (2:53- repeats until fade out)
3. Instruments: Violin, horn, drums, guitar, and piano.
4. Timbre: The timbre for this song is soft, light, mellow, and warm.
5. Textual Layers: I would describe this textual layer as homophonic. The instruments play the same melody that Debbie Harry sings.
6. Rhythm and Meter: The rhythm is a steady rock with a hint of rising beats that give it reggae characteristics. This song is duple meter because of the two beat count. It is interesting that the instrumental break has bursts of descending notes.
7. Dynamics: I would consider the whole piece to be mezzo piano.
8. Favorite Thing: My favorite part of this song is that it sounds so simple and so easy to bounce along to. I believe it is a song everyone can relate to and remember. It is a true classic.
9. New Observation: I did not notice that it was reggae or performed originally by another band. I enjoy it more hearing the different versions and having more knowledge about the song in general.
10. Self-Discovery: Through completing this assignment, I have learned that things that seem simple have very unique characteristics, such as Debbie's voice giving it a more romantic feel. It is interesting that a song with such short verses and majority of the song being the chorus can have a huge impact and become a number one hit song.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose In My Home by Young the Giant because I have been listening to this band's music for many years now and have always enjoyed their lyrics. When I was looking for a song for this assignment this one really stood out to me because it sends a message of wanting to go out and find yourself and find where you belong and I really relate to that. The line that says "We are not lost/We're just searching" was one of the lines that stood out to me the most because I have felt lost in the sense where I don't know what I want to do with my life, so I am on a continuous search to find the path I belong on.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The mood of this song is joyful and adventurous. The song has a sense of wanderlust that makes you want to go out and adventure. The uplifting beat and exciting cords used help the listener become enveloped in the music. The music in the beginning of the song is more fast paced but the tempo slows down at the bridge, signifying how exciting the artist's life is going, but then he has to slow down and take in his surroundings and figure out where he's going and if he should go with the flow of life or not.

2) Form
(Introduction): 0:00-0:15
(Verse 1): 0:15-0:48
(Chorus): 0:48-1:05
(Verse 2): 1:05-1:39
(Chorus): 1:39-1:56
(Verse 3): 1:56-2:11
(Bridge): 2:11-2:51
(Verse 4): 2:51-3:15
(Outro): 3:15-3:35

3) Instruments
In this song I can hear a drum kit and guitars. The instruments used in this song help make you feel what the musicians feel when they play the music and sing the song. The drums are considered membranophones and the guitars are cordophones.

4) Timbre
The timbre, or tone color, of this song changes depending on the instrument you focus in one while listening. The cymbals from the drum kit have a light, brassy sound. The guitars have a more intense, full sound. The drums have a deeper sound compared to the cymbals and guitars. The timbral effects make the song sound like it flows and I like the noises produced.

5) Textural Layers
The melody in this song is sung by the lead singer of the band and the harmony is played by the guitar.  The sound of the guitar accompanies the singing to form the song's texture. This song has a homophonic texture and it stays consistent throughout.

6) Rhythm and Meter
This song has three layers: the vocals, the guitars, and the drums. The drums keep the beat and the guitars keep a rhythm with the vocals. The vocal layer moves a little bit slower than the guitar and drum layers. There are notable guitar rifts The guitar and drums are very fast when the tempo picks up. The song is also in quadruple meter and this is usually more notable in songs with less layers.

7) Dynamics
I believe that this song is mezzo forte, because it has soft part but for the most part it is loud. The dynamics of this song vary throughout the song. There's a crescendo at 0:08 and then once the speed picks up it stays constant for a while. The song has a major decrescendo at 2:15 and then goes into a crescendo again at 2:44 and then stays upbeat until the decrescendo at 3:21 when the song starts to end and get softer.

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this piece is how it kind of tells a story and it sounds like a journey, and it makes sense because he is singing about sleeping in cars from home, so it's like he's taking a road trip. The listener can follow along with the song. The whole song seems to be about self discovery and it really relates to anyone who's still dreaming about what they want out of life.

9) New Observations and Comparison
After listening to this song over and over again I have thought of many meanings for it. First I thought of it as a song about self discovery. Then I realized I could be about how it was his dream to start a band and go on tour and when he sings about how every night he dreamt of this and he knew he was born for this, it just all makes sense that the song could be about Young the Giant's successful music career coming about.  Realizing that the song could be about this makes me really happy that their dream came true and they are living and doing what they love because that's what everyone strives to do in life.

10) Self-Discovery
After listening to the same song over and over again for this assignment, I learned that I have to be a lot more aware of songs while I'm listening to them in order to get the full effect. I never would have thought deeper into the meaning of this particular song if it wasn't for this project and I'm glad I came across it in my library while searching for the perfect match to this assignment. I can deeply relate to the musician when he sings the line "we are always, always searching for home". I relate to this one line so much because I currently feel like I don't have a permanent home right now, and I don't think the concept of a home is to find a permanent place to reside in, but being a college student living off campus, away from the town I grew up in, I just feel a little lost. In regards to the concept of home being or not being a physical place, I think home can also be a person. Home can be your best friend since 6th grade, home can be your mom, home can be the love of your life, or home can be the area you feel most accepted and comfortable in. I think a lot people in their late teens and early twenties deeply struggle with finding a place in the world where they feel like they belong, and this feeling can even extend into later ages. Life is always changing and evolving and it is difficult to try to always do what's best for you. A good friend of mine once told me that everything is temporary, and that is now the mindset I hold when I am struggling with anything. If something isn't going your way, don't worry because it will pass or you can change directions and make the best out of every moment. Home is what you make of it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young the Giant - In My Home (Official Audio)

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece:

I chose this song, because it is my alarm to wake me up. It starts my day and puts me into a good mood as I get ready for classes. It also represents and describes who I am, which is a happy person. I am usually in a great mood and not many things can ruin the way I feel. This song is upbeat, fun, and the lyrics are very true. You can tell me bad new, but I would still be happy. I do not like to dwell on bad news or the past. I just think this song is very uplifting and can easily out anyone in a good mood. It is also catchy and fun to sing along with. Honestly, nowadays it is hard to happy all the time without people bringing you down. Therefore, people should learn to not let simple things bring them down. I think song brings out the best in people and myself.

1) Mood:
The mood of "Happy" is definitely bright and positive.
The song sounds so effortless, but the lyrics are meaningful. It is a type of song that makes you want to dance starting at (0:37), which is the chorus. The rhythm is upbeat, which is why it is catchy.

2) Form:
Introduction: (0:00-0:13)
Verse: (0:13-0:34)
Chorus: (0:34-1:00)
Verse 2: (1:00-1:23)
Chorus: (1:23-1:48)
Bridge: (1:48-2:12)
Chorus: (2:12-3:02)
Bridge: (3:02-3:12)
End Chorus: (3:12-4:06)

3) Instruments:
Drums
Keyboard
Guitar
Bass
Clapping

4) Timbre:
The timbre of "Happy" is uplifting, full and joyful. If I am hearing correctly, the same instruments play throughout the song, which makes the song feel bright and warm.

5) Textural Layers:

“Happy” is a homophonic texture in the beginning. It is homophonic in the beginning because along with a melody it has a harmony in the background. Pharrell Williams is singing the melody and the harmony was played by background people clapping the synthesizer and also the drums.  However, during the chorus, I find that it is polyphonic. This is because with the melody and the harmony there is also a singing voice singing or saying “because I’m happy” the whole time.

6) Rhythm and Meter:
The song is in a quadruple meter because there are four beats per bar. The meter stays the same throughout the song. The beat that carries on the throughout "Happy" would be the clapping that is heard in the background throughout the song. Therefore the rhythm is steady like a heartbeat.

7) Dynamics:
Throughout the song, the dynamics has a mezzo-forte. It stays that way the entire time.

8) Favorite Thing:
My favorite thing about “Happy” is that it is easy to sing along with. I could listen to this song once and the beat would be stuck in my head for several hours. Not only that, but it always puts me in a jolly mood.

9) New Observations and Comparison:
I never realized all the instruments at first or the dynamics and beats of the song. I actually did not know anything about the song until I broke it down and listened to the piece carefully. This class taught me several things and for some reason now whenever I hear I song I somewhat start breaking it down in my mind. Now I understand the importance of music and how difficult it is to figure these things out.

Self Discovery:
After completing this project, I learned to appreciate music more. It is more than just lyrics and beats. "Happy" is a great song and can easily put me in a good mood. I never carefully listened to the lyrics but breaking it down and listening to it repeatedly gave me a better understanding. He says nothing can bring his happy mood down, not even bad news. In other words, we should not dwell on things that bother us. I had zero knowledge of what actually has to happen in order to create a beautiful piece. This assignment and the class itself has taught me a lot.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video)

# data[].attributes.body
I chose Note to Self by Ben Rector because I felt that it really exemplifies my life at this moment. As college students we are all extremely busy and can relate to not having enough time. This song helps me remember to make time for the people I care about, even when it seems inconvenient. With lyrics like, “And one more thing, call your mother back/Talk for too long, it's probably half of/What she'd like, she's the only mother that you have”, the song reminds you to stay grounded to who you are. It reminds you to be kind and always try to better yourself. The song itself has sentimental value for me, because my best friend and I would listen to this in my hometown, where we grew up together. This aspect of the song always helps me to remember my roots. Further, I find that anybody can relate to being stressed, and then in turn, acting selfishly. This song is like a wake up call when I’ve too been self-involved.

Focus Areas

1) Mood

The song’s mood is contemplative because of the slow pace. The instruments used are pretty simple, and create a serious, yet humble atmosphere. The instrumentals have a calming effect while still remaining upbeat and joyful.

2) Form

Verse 1:  0:00-0:28

Refrain: 0:29-0:54

Verse 2: 1:03-1:22

Refrain: 1:23-1:49

Bridge 1:53-2:09

Refrain part: 2:10-2:21

End: 2:22-3:06

3) Instrument

The instruments used are a guitar (chordophone),organ (chordophone)

Drums (Membranophone), and bass (chordophone)

4) Timbre

Light and layered. The instrumentals for this song are not heavy, they aren’t deep sounds. The guitar creates a light atmosphere, that allows for the contemplation the lyrics ask for.

5) Textural Layers

The song is homophonic. The guitar plays melody layers and harmony layers to accompany the singer, while the organ and other vocalist harmonize with the guitar and singer. During the refrain, other singers harmonize with the singer to create a thicker timbre. The bridge uses the organ and bass to harmonize with the singer. The drums and bass are used to add extra layers throughout the song, usually in the bridge and the verses.

6) Rhythm and Meter

There is a repeated riff from the guitar that occurs when the singer is not singing. The organ plays a slower rhythm, while the guitar plays the fastest rhythm in the whole song. The song is a triple meter.

7) Dynamics

The verses are softer, and then at the refrain comes a forte in the singer's voice, as well as the music to match it.The beginning and end of the  refrain uses crescendos with the bass or organ, as it switches by the second verse. The bridge has a mezzo-forte with the combination of the singer and the music becoming louder. At the end of the bridge there is a decrescendo connecting it to the beginning few words of the refrain until it switches to an ending. The ending itself is a mezzo-piano, where it becomes softer and ends the song.

8) Favorite Thing

My personal favorite is the lyrics, but also the refrain and bridge’s forte. It makes the song cohesive and gives the song more depth than just the verses give. The harmonic layering of the organ with his voice is lovely. The drums play a minor role but adds layering to the piece as well.

9) New Observations and Comparison

I hadn’t noticed that the bridge uses forte, that it has a stronger quality to it than the other parts of the song. I had noticed it stuck out but never realized why that was. My perception has changed in the sense I now notice all the littler layering throughout the song.

10) Self-Discovery

My last listen of this song, makes me realize that lyrics play a big part of the song, but they do not make up the whole song. There are so many other aspects that go into creating a song that sounds cohesive, through the use of harmonies with different instruments. I also realized how relevant this song actually is, it just gives little reminders on how to better yourself and be more selfless.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
lyrics: note to self clean the living room do the things you don't wanna do maybe fold that week old pile of clothes note to self get some exercise feels bad and you have to try but as far as I can tell that's how life goes and note to

# data[].attributes.body
Why I choose this piece

I choose this piece because I often find myself thinking about my legacy and purpose for living. “I am Here” by Beyoncé best describes the lifestyle I wish to fulfill. Although the world is amazingly huge and I’ll realistically never be as known as Beyoncé, I still have the ability touch people and help better their lives. I want to be remembered as the person who changed someone’s life or to hear someone say “I couldn’t have done this without you.” I strive to leave positive marks on everyone I meet. I work part time as an advocate with troubled youth to help guide them into the right direction to adulthood. I live for the improvement and gratitude I witness with the youth I work with.

The song reminds me to live everyday as if it were my last. I think of the times I worked with the elderly and many of them shared stories of remorse. I often heard people wishing they tried something or done something differently. I hope to never feel that as I age. So I’m always open to new opportunities and I believe in taking risk. I try to put my all into everything I do, whether it is a person, school, job or hobby. Every time I hear this song I am reminded of my life goals and how I want to remembered once I die.

1) Mood

The mood of the song is best described as empowering. It offers the listener a sense of hope and encouragement to do good in the world.

2) Form

Intro - 0:00 - 0:14

Verse 1 - 0:15 - 0:39

Chorus - 0:40 - 1:13

Verse 2 - 1:14 - 1:37

Chorus - 1:38 - 2:33

Bridge - 2:34 - 2:49

Chorus -  2:50 - 3:25

Outro - 3:26 -3:52

3) Instruments

Chordophones - Piano, cello, guitar, violin

Idiophone - Xylophone

Vocals

4) Timbre

The timbre can be described as soft, breathy, eerie, smooth, and mellow.

5) Textural Layers

The texture of the song is homophonic. There is a single melody sung by Beyoncé and accompanied by the violin and xylophone that make up the harmony.

6) Rhythm and Meter

The overall meter of this song is compound duple.

7) Dynamics

The verses alternate between mezzo-piano and mezzo-forte. There are times her voice is medium soft and medium high. However, each time she sings the chorus there is a crescendo in volume and pitch (crescendo).

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite part of the song is when Beyoncé has an authoritative tone during the last chorus section and the outro.  I can feel the power of her vocals through my body and it gives me chills every time I hear it.

9) New Observations and Comparison

After listening to the on repeat I noticed a watery shimmer ornamentation in the background before the chorus starts. I also noticed the song is a ballad, a sentimental narrative of the legacy she wishes to leave behind.

10) Self-Discovery

After listening to this song one last time, I realized there’s more to the song than the lyrics. I’m the type of person that find interest in a song based on the lyrics. However, this time I appreciated the instruments used and how they interacted with the vocals to create the timbre of the song. You can feel the message of the song without listen to the lyrics.  I still enjoy the song and hope to touch as many lives as possible.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I picked this song:
I picked Kau Ilhamku by ManBai, which is a famous artist in Malaysia back in the 90’s. Kau Ilhamku means You’re My Inspiration and it was composed by Asmin Mudin and sung by ManBai in 1993. The song is still popular in Malaysia where recently ManBai and new artists collaborated to sing different versions of the song. The reason I picked Kau Ilhamku is because this I my go to song whenever I am missing home, thinking of a certain someone or feeling nostalgic of the past. I started listening to this song religiously after my best friend left my primary school. I would put ManBai’s cassette in my dad’s car and listen to this song on repeat every day on my way to school. Nowadays whenever I miss home or feeling nostalgic, I would put on this song, ironically to make myself feel more nostalgic.
Kau Ilhamku/You’re My Inspiration – ManBai

Translation:

Thousands of stars in the sky

were fading

in the darkness, I was losing my way

was waning

and my inspiration was lost, to nowhere

But in a moment I saw you

in my mind

There was a spark; there was a shine

was that a star; or was that a moon?

All I can say is: Thank You

Allow me to think of you for a moment

Allow me to dream of you for a moment

Oh forgive me

If this song

would disturb the peacefulness of your life

Oh please smile

just for a memory

while we are together here

You're my inspiration

You're my inspiration

Mood
The mood of the music is nostalgic and sentimental and probably more so since it is played in minor key. The mood is introduced early in the song through the guitar plucking from start to 0:13 before the vocal comes in. From there, the emotion builds up through various musical textures add sequentially. For example, from 0:36 we can hear finger snapping sounds that plays until the song ends but with breaks in the middle to give way for the guitar solo at 1:52 before joining again at 2:05.

Form
Intro (0:00 – 0:12)
Verse (0:12 – 0:58)
Pre-Chorus (0:58 – 01:18)
Chorus (1:18 – 2:00)
Instrumental Break (2:00 – 2:30)
Pre- Chorus (2:30 – 2:50)
Chorus (2:50 – 3:25)
Ending (3:25 – end)

Instruments
Guitar, chordophone
Finger plucking, Idiophone

Timbre
The overall timbre heard is more of a sombre and dark color as it matches with the song’s general motive. This is achieved through the guitar plucking and the melancholic lyric accompanying the instrument.

Textural layers
Monophonic (0:00 – 0:12)
Homophonic (0:12 – 0:30)
Polyphonic (0:30-0:35)
Homophonic (0:35 – 1:00)
Polyphonic (1:00 – 2:00)
Homophonic (2:00 – 2:50)
Polyphonic (2:50 – end)

The song stars with a monophonic texture with a guitar playing the melody. The overall texture of this song is a balance between polyphonic and homophonic texture, where most of the melodic layer is from the vocal while the harmony is played by the guitar. It starts become mostly polyphonic from 1:00 where the guitar would play its own melody on top of the vocal’s melody and another guitar’s harmony. The texture interchanged accordingly to the part of the song, where the polyphonic part is mostly when the chorus is played. A few brief vocal harmonies can also be heard at times during the pre-chorus and chorus.

Rhythm and meter
Steady quadruple beats which is steadily controlled by the finger snapping sound.

Dynamic
The overall dynamic of this song is mezzo piano which is medium soft, but it gradually increases to mezzo forte when approaching the chorus. It gets louder(crescendo) as it approaches the chorus and slowly fades away (decrescendo) as the song ends after the last chorus

Favorite Thing
My favorite part is how this song can easily be played on the guitar because it uses basic chords. Sometimes if I’m bored I would just pick up the guitar and play the song while humming the melody.

New Observation
I realized how playing with textures can add the gradual texture introduction adds a gradual complexity in the emotion felt, while the break adds a short period to let the emotion sinks in and finally the crescendo brings you back to the present slowly, and gracefully. Now, I am appreciating not just the lyrics, but also other musical elements present in the song.

Self-Discovery
Playing this song over and over again while actively listening made me notice the subtle texture the composer put that I did not realize. Even though subtle, it adds complexity and emphasizes the main melody for the listener to truly appreciate the post. If not for this assignment, I would not have appreciated the minor details of this song that made it truly special. I guess I often overlooked something that may seem insignificant, but in fact plays a big part in influencing everything that surrounds me.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kau Ilham Ku - Man Bai (Full HD,Karaoke,HiFi Dual Audio)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uploaded by Karaoke Studios on 2012-10-20.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCB_MbYyCYQ

Why I Chose This Piece

I chose “Happy” by Marina and the Diamonds because the overall meaning of the song struck home a lot for me. Growing up, I was never happy with anything about myself, mostly because I was not comfortable with who I was. Throughout my grade school years, I was always having my sexuality questioned. At the time, I was not ready to admit my sexuality to myself, let alone other people. Middle school was the worst with the constant questioning by my peers. Kids are too young at that age to realize that what they're saying really can hurt people, and people really hurt me. In high school, I finally came to terms with my sexuality and looked for comfort in my boyfriend at the time. I figured dating someone could help me come to terms with everything, but it really just made everything worse. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship, and I didn't realize the reason I was so miserable in my life was because of him, not my sexuality. When I finally got out of my relationship, I realized that I didn't need a boyfriend to be happy. I realized that in order to be happy, I need to focus on loving myself and all my flaws first, and I did just that. This song means a lot to me because it focuses on how you have to find your happiness in yourself, not others, and I did just that.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

The beginning of the song starts with just a piano in the background, creating a mood that feels emotional,personal, and sad. At 0:33, more piano comes in to make a more emotional build up. This stays the same until 1:25, where bass and percussion begin to play. To me, this reminds me up when the sun is starting to come after a pretty rainy and harsh day. The mood feels like things are starting to look up, and happiness is starting to come into the piece. At 2:11 is where the mood of the piece really begins to pick up. More percussions comes in, creating a more upbeat, cheery mood that makes you feel like things are finally working out. It makes you feel hopeful, happy, and excited to what life is going to bring to you now. This same instrumental follows until the end of the song.

2) Form

Happy follows a pretty standard pop-style form. It starts right into the first verse, with no musical introduction. At 0:33, the pre-chorus begins. At 0:58, the first chorus begins. 1:23, the second verse begins.1:47, the pre-chorus begins again. At 2:10, the chorus comes back in. 2:58, the bridge begins. At 3:20, the final chorus beings, and lasts until the end of the song.

3) Instruments

Right in the beginning, piano is the only instrument that is playing. Piano is the only instrument playing until 1:24, where a bass guitar, snare drum, and a tambourine come in. 2:11 is where more percussion instruments come in like a cymbal. The piano and bass guitar are chordophones, the drums are membranophones, and the tambourine is either a membranophone or an idiophone.

4) Timbre

In the beginning, the timbre is very soothing and calming, while also bringing you to an emotional state of mind. During the first chorus, I felt very emotionally stimulated, especially by her tone of voice. It really had me in my feels, and made me pretty emotional. When the next verse comes in along with the bass, the timbre changes to an enlightening sound, and made me feel like things were starting to get better. When the next chorus starts is where the timbre starts to be empowering and cheery, and changes the timbre of the song dramatically until the end of the song.

5) Textural Layers

The vocals are performing the melody layer of the piece. The piano,bass, and backup vocals are the harmony layer of the piece. The texture of the song is homophonic, because there are only the melody and harmony layers of the piece.

6) Rhythm and Meter

The percussion layer of the rhythm is moving much faster than the rest of the layers. The piano and vocals are roughly around the same, with the bass line being the slowest layer of rhythm. The meter of the song is at 4/4.

7) Dynamics

The dynamics pretty much stay constant throughout the entire song. In the beginning, I would describe the dynamics at around a mezzo forte. When the other instruments come in at 1:24, I would say that is where the dynamics go to forte, and stay there.

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite part of this song will always be the beginning verse. As this song opens to the album it is featured on, it creates such a different mood for me than any other song had done in my life. Marina has such a different sounding voice than most artists I’ve listened to, and her voice has such a soothing quality to it, that also in a way to me is haunting.

9) New Observations and Comparison

Something I had not noticed before is how much the instruments add to the song. Usually what most of us listen for in songs are the lyrics. Having to listen for just the instruments as a part of this assignment, I’ve come to appreciate what the instruments add to the overall timbre of the piece.

10) Self-Discovery

This assignment and listening to this song so many times made me think about all the hardships I’ve had in my life. I realized that no matter how hard things got, I always got through them. It made me realize that no matter how hard things get, I’ll always come out on the other side.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
One Republic has always been one of my favorite bands. I've loved them from the first time I heard one of their songs. This song especially is my favorite song of theirs. The lead singer in this song talks about how lucky he has been in life to be able to do the things he has done and travel the places he has been. Even though I have not done those same things, I think the meaning behind the song is what made me fall in love with it. Even if there's a bad day or something doesn't happen to go the way I had expected, this song is a good reminder to constantly remember all the good that is in my life, rather than focus on the negatives. it has always been my favorite song to play during times where it is extremely hectic; the lyrics always make me put things into perspective and to make sure to look at things from a positive side and be happy for what I have done and/or accomplished.
Immersive Listening Focus Areas
1) Mood
This mood of this song is inspirational and relaxing. The music is very calming and blissful, yet the lyrics are very positive and optimistic. The introduction of the song (0:00-0:25) creates the very relaxed and calm feeling with the instrumentals all coming in, and the mood changes to more positive and blissful when the first verse starts at 0:26 because the lyrics can be catchy and fun to sing along to.

2) Form
Introduction: 0:00-0:25
Verse 1: 0:26-0:35
Verse 2: 0:35-0:45
Chorus:  0:45-1:05
Instrumental: 1:05-1:15
Verse 3:  1:16-1:26
Verse 4: 1:27- 1:36
Bridge: 1:37-1:45
Chorus: 1:46- 2:06
Vocal Runs: 2:07-2:25
Bridge: 2:26- 2:46
Chorus: 2:47-3:06
Refrain: 3:07-3:25
Verse 5: 3:26- 3:37
Verse 6: 3:38-3:47
Outro: 3:48- 4:00

3) Instruments
Drums (Membranophone)
Piano (Chordophone)
Guitar (Chordophone)

4) Timbre
The timbre, or tone, of this piece can be seen as rich and full. The songs starts off very warm and cool, yet becomes very full and bright towards the ending.

5)Textural Layers
The song starts off monophonic, but then becomes homophonic as it was one melody with accompanying harmony. The drums, piano, and guitar play the harmony while there is a vocal melody.

6)  Rhythm and Meter
The meter is a quadruple meter where there are two accented and two unaccented beats in the form of strong-weak-strong-weak. The rhythm is segmented where parts of the song have a faster rhythm than the rest. The chorus has a slower rhythm, along with the bridges and refrain, while the rhythm picks up during the verses.

7)Dynamics
The song starts off piano with the introduction of instrumentals and the first two verses. As soon as the chorus is sung the song becomes mezzo-forte. This patterns continue throughout the song. There is also a crescendo from piano to mezzo-forte seen in the second bridge of the song, and another crescendo during the last verse of the song.

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing about this song is that it is more of a relaxed song, yet it can still set a good and upbeat mood through its rhythm and lyrics.

9) New Observations
While listening to this song multiple times, I think it made me more aware about how intricate songs can be, yet still be able to come together. This song has many different parts to it--multiple verses, bridges, refrains--yet it is still one concise song that is able to have a deduced mood and meaning.

10) Self Discovery
Through completing this assignment, I think I have more of an appreciation for this song than I ever had before. By listening and trying to find the focus areas, I realize how many layers this song has to it and how complicated it can be. I have more of an appreciation for music, as it takes so much thought and reasoning behind the choices musicians make during a song (i.e. what instruments, what beat, what chord to play the song in). Going forward I believe that this might change how I view music. Even songs I may or may not like, I can still have an appreciation for, which is something I don't think I fully had.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
OneRepublic - Good Life (Official Music Video)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weV9iqdHVS4

Why I Chose This Piece:  I chose this piece because I feel it embodies every aspect of my culture and who I am as a Dominican. I am from the Dominican Republic, an island known as La Hispaniola; we currently share this island with Haiti. Since the discovery of the island, African slaves were brought to work on the sugar plantation, they along with native Tainos and the colonizers created a mixture of a culture that today is known a Dominicans. This song I feel like in matters of minutes exhibits years of history, and it displays the diversity of the country. In the first 20 seconds of the song, the song begins by highlighting the African influences not only in our music but also in our belief. This type of music is played in religious ceremonies, especially in ceremonies that praised the lives of saints and deities. Where I am from, every year we celebrate the saints by dancing and listening to this type of music during the entire month of September. The song later incorporates western melodies and instruments while still maintaining the drums and human voice as the most recognizable instruments. The most important instruments of this song represent each of the culture, the tambura represents the African slaves, the guira represents the tainos while the accordion represents the colonizers. This song describes me because I am the product of that combination.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1.     Mood: exuberance, I feel like this song brings energy to people as it encourages them to get up and dance and be involved.  The tamboras invoke involuntary movement and so although its kind of a religious ceremonial type of song, it still has the ability to encourage dancing.

2.     Form: Intro: (0-21) verse: (37-1:33) pre chorus: (1:35- 2:01) chorus: (2:39-3:10) instrumental break (3:10- 3:35) chorus: (4:01-4:40)

3.     Instruments: Tamboras; different sizes. Guira, which is a metal scrapper. The voice, trumpets, piano, bass and the saxophone. Sound production: membranophones, aerophone, and metal idiophone.

4.     Timbre: I think the best way to describe the timber of this song is as warm because I feel like is a song that welcomes people to our culture and our beliefs. It invites them to become part of a culture that is significantly diverse.

5.     Textural Layers: I think that the first 20 seconds of the song exhibit three layers throughout the song. Two of the layers of the song show a visible call and response while the third layer brings rhythm. The piano, voice, the bass, trumpets, and saxophone are playing the harmonic layer. The melodic layer is being played by the congas, guira,tamboura. The overall texture of the segment is homophonic.

6.     Rhythm and Meter:  The instrument layer is faster than the other layers. The layer of the voice of the lead singer is moving slower. Yes there are riffs in this segment; the saxophone, piano, conga and guira seemed to be playing the repeated pattern. The overall meter of the musical piece is quadruple.

7.     Dynamics: The song stars mezzo forte, medium loud. But as the song progresses, it seems to increase to forte. In the hook of the song, the music increase and lead into crescendo. In the last measure of the piece, the vocals diminuendo as the song ends.

8.     Favorite Thing: I think the unique part of this song is how it starts highlighting the influence and impact that African Music had in Dominican Music while also still   exhibiting the most popular genre of Dominican music, which is merengue. My favorite part of the song is definitely the intro verse because it's heavily influenced by an African style.

9.     New Observations and Comparison: Before taking this class, I never realized how music from western African had influence this musical style.  I have been listening to this music style throughout my life yet fail to recognize how call and response is one of the most important aspect of the song.

10.  Self-Discovery: When I heard merengue the Palo before taking this class, I often thought that because we share an island with Haiti, the musical style cross borders to the Dominican Republic. However, after taking this call I realized that colonization and slavery basically set the structure for what later became all the musical styles that emerge in the island.

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/kinito-mendez-suero-de-amor-lyrics.html

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
I chose this piece because it always reminds me of my dad and my childhood. My dad would always play this song on the guitar and sing it to me, and the song was fitting for our relationship because when I was younger we couldn't spend much time together because of his job as an airline pilot. The song has always made me feel calm, and the lyrics do hold great meaning to me. I had always wished my dad could be around for things like Christmas, New Years, my birthday, Thanksgiving, etc. but I realized that was not the reality of the career he chose, and could find comfort in the fact that we could both just listen to this song and feel a little bit better as it perfectly encapsulates the complex emotions of absence and longing.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

The mood of "Wish You Were Here" is rather sad. The entire song's focus is on absence and the longing for someone's presence who is detached. Despite the sad tones of the song, it stirs happy memories in me. The song has a calming effect with the slow guitar riffs which progress and develop throughout the song. The overall mood of the song, however, is quite sad. The lyrics, tone, and tempo all contribute to the sad vibes.

2) Form

There is an intro and three verses that make up Wish You Were Here. They are broken down as follows:
Intro: (0:00-1:18)
Verse 1: (1:19-1:47)
Verse 2: (1:47-2:22)
Instrumental Break: (2:22-2:59)
Verse 3: (3:00-3:30)
Outro: (3:30-5:19)

3) Instruments

The only instruments featured in Wish You Were Here are:
2 different acoustic guitars, a bass guitar, piano, and drums.

4) Timbre

The timbre at the beginning of the song, while relaxing, calming and soothing is very somber and depressing. It sounds hauntingly lonely, but in a beautiful kind of way. As the song progresses, it sounds a bit warmer, but still sad and lonely undertones dominate the piece and leave you longing for something or someone who you may be missing.

5) Textural Layers

The melody is comprised of both guitars, both acoustic and bass, and the drums lay down the slow tempo.

6) Rhythm and Meter

The meter of the song is 4/4 and the rhythm is produced by the guitars, both the acoustic and bass guitars. The tempo is set to 60 beats per minute.

7) Dynamics

The song begins and it is very piano, but when the guitar enters the piece crescendos. The overall dynamic of the piece is more piano, but there are swells in dynamics, crescendos and decrescendos.

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite thing about this piece is the beginning and how it sounds like a radio broadcast and then slowly that fades out and the guitar riff enters. Those first few guitar riffs make me so emotional, as they're so recognizable and and familiar and sound like home to me. My favorite lyric of the whole song is "We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year/running over the same old ground/what have you found/the same old fears/I wish you were here"

9) New Observations and Comparison

I honestly never realized that there was a piano in this song until really deeply analyzing it because I think the piano has always been overshadowed by the strong guitar presence in my mind. Now that I pay attention to the piano, it does add a great deal to the tone color and helps to brighten up the song a bit.

10) Self-Discovery

This song always makes me very nostalgic and think about all the times I've missed out on with my dad. However, this song also symbolizes a lot of hope for me and makes me feel forever connected to my father. I can still hear him playing it on his guitar and singing along with me. I think I'll always be a lost soul swimming in a fishbowl year after year, but I've learned that that's okay. I don't think any song could better encapsulate how it feels to miss the way that something used to be, how you could wish so desperately for someone or something to revert back to the way it was. The instrumentals help to stage the lonely feeling that this song leaves me with, but it's a good kind of loneliness.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DMF0U6xV78
Why I chose:
I chose this musical piece because all throughout my life and educational career this song has resonated within me. It has been that one piece I’ve listened to over and over, whether it be just the instrumental or the entire song. The instrumental to this song used to be my alarm all throughout high school because it resounded throughout my entire body and mind. Not only did I love and relate to the lyrics of this song, but I also have a personal connection to it. This song means a lot to me because I watched the movie that this song is from with my grandfather and he explained to me the true meaning behind this song. From just this one song my grandfather taught me about dedication, motivation, hard work, and resiliency. Every time I’ve faced a great obstacle in life or challenge, I remember this songs melody and the lessons of my grandfather. Many songs can resonate and make an individual feel a certain type of way, but there is always that one melody or tune that is just right every time. I’m a very ambitious and goal-oriented individual, so when I sing this song I pour my heart into every verse. This song is that just right melody that “gets me in my zone.” Every aspect of this lyrical and musical masterpiece, is one I can relate to or find myself in.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood:

The overall mood of this song is very uplifting and driving. The melody and rhythm both get me very hype when I listen to it. I use this song to workout.

2) Form

Intro: ( 0:11)

Chorus (0:12)

Verse 1 (1:08)

Chorus (1:44)

Verse 2 (1:51)

Chorus (2:30)

*Repeat same pattern

3) Instruments

Trumpets (aerophone), Drums (membranophone), Guitar (chordophone), Tambourine (idiophone), Symbols, Bagpipes

4) Timbre

Strong, Resonant, Brassy, Strident

5) Textural Layers

The overall texture of this piece is homophonic. There are two layers in this song, melody and harmony. The melody is sung by Shankar Mahadevan and harmony is played by the various instruments we hear in the background, this is pretty much uniform throughout the duration of the song, maintaining the same texture.

6) Rhythm and Meter

The overall meter is free. The rhythm is consistent all throughout the song.

7) Dynamics

The initial dynamics of this song is mezza-piano. But as the song starts to develop it begins to get forte. There’s a strong sense of intensity that is added to the song as the harmony and rhythm get louder.

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite thing about this song is how iconic the rhythm is. This rhythm can be used for several different purposes. It can be used for a national theme background, workout background, or even hard work back ground. It represents such a great system of ethic from the lyrics all the way to its flow.

9) New Observations and Comparison

Listening to this song over and over made me realize how deep it’s meaning and connection with the country is. It is highly recognized as a very patriotic song in the country of India. Another aspect of this song that I discovered is the intricateness hidden behind its simplicity.

10) Self-Discovery

Every time I listen to this song it moves me. It’s so motivational and engaging. Listening and analyzing this song, made me understand life is all about having goals. Once you have your goals, you do whatever it takes to pursue them. It’s all about ambition and drive. Life will get tough, but you’ll get through it.

# data[].attributes.headline
Georges Bizet- Symphony No. 1. I.  Allegro Vivo

# data[].attributes.subject
Georges Bizet- Symphony No. 1. I.  Allegro Vivo

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8H8ng6djyw

Why I Choose This Piece:
I choose this song because I feel like there are a lot of times in my life where I’m trying to rush through things or just get through the day, so this helps me just push through, because it is has a fast tempo.  I also really like classical music and this song describes where I’m at right now, especially with finals, I just need to get through it so I can have those calm periods and relax, but then get back to work.  The structure of this song is similar to how most of my days go.  On the week days I have long days from either 9am-8pm in which I am either at class, doing work, at internship, EMT class and I just feel so overwhelmed, but between traveling and walking or getting to where I need to be are those little moments where I have time to myself.  This song has a lot of loud and fast paced sections followed by soft short segments and those short segments crescendo up to a loud part.  That mirrors how my day goes and at the end of this piece, the song ends on a strong set of notes and it’s like “yes I got through the day”.  Also since this is part 1 of the whole movement, there is more to do, whether it be tomorrow, next week, or next year.
1.Mood:
The mood of this piece changes a lot. In the beginning of the piece, it starts as something stately and exciting, like you're getting ready for something. Then at 0:40, for example, it drops off to a somewhat calm mood then at 0:57, it goes back to excitement. Parts of the song sound aggressive, yet uplifting, like at 1:46.
2.Form:
0:00-3:02 Exposition
3:03-6:05 Exposition Repeat
6:07-7:42 Development
7:43-10:21 Recapitulation
Exposition- strong theme heard in the beginning, followed by a harmony, then a softer second theme.  This is then repeated so that the melody is exposed to the audience and drilled in their head.
Development- comes after repeat, develops two themes with variation.
Recapitulation/Recap- main melodies and ideas reintroduced in the same order as the beginning.  Might be restated slightly different, but still recognized.
3.Instruments:
This piece of music contains chordophones such as violins, violas, cellos, and a string bass.  It also has areophones such as french horns, trumpets, trombones, the oboe, and the clarinet.  There is also an idiophone, the timpani.
4.Timbre:
The timbre of the music is light and airy.  Not airy in the sense of wind instruments or hearing air, but it flows and is lofty.
5.Textural Layers:
This song contains polyphonic and homophonic parts.  Polyphonic can be heard in the beginning from 0:24-0:30 and throughout the piece.  When the violins are all playing the same melody together like from 1:42-1:46 that is homophonic.
6.  Rhythm and Meter
The string instruments feel like they are moving faster, because they are playing more notes in a shorter period of time than the wind instruments.  There are parts where the melody shifts and then the rhythm moves in the winds, while the strings have the harmony.
7.  Dynamics
0:00-0:06 is one giant Crescendo
0:06 is a fortepiano where the dynamics drop all of the sudden
5:42 is where a big forte dynamic occurs.
Overall there is not one constant dynamic, because it is changing very rapidly. There are some parts that are mezzo, but it either goes from a crescendo to forte, then a forte piano, followed by another crescendo.
8.  Favorite Thing
My favorite things about this piece is how much it changes. As well as the type of music this is. This is a Romantic piece of music.  In the Romantic period, music became more expressive and emotional.  Because our emotions change and we change, this song is not just good for one emotion or mood of the day, I can listen to it if I'm happy, excited, or angry.
9.  New Observation or Comparison
I never realized how much the dynamics of this piece change throughout the whole song.  I also did not realize the form/structure of classical music.
10.  Self-Discovery
With this song constantly changing its dynamics, the melody and what goes on, it is very similar to people and how they change and develop over the course of time.  There were parts at the end of the song similar to the beginning and that can relate back to the life and personality of a person and how they behave.  Like music, people change and I change as well, but it might not be as different from where I first started.

# data[].attributes.body
Davis Warren

Description:

John Lennon went on to create powerful and original work after the Beatles’ break-up. Off of his first solo album, Plastic Ono Band, the track God struck me as the perfect song to analyze. This wasn’t my first time listening to this song, yet it was one of the more profound listening experiences. In what I find to be the heaviest song off of Lennon’s first album post Beatles, Plastic Ono Band, he speaks about leaving behind all of the religion, societal, and cultural ties he held on to from the past to focus on his own voice. I aspire to reach this point of self-reliance. In one of the final verses, Lennon sings, “The dream is over…” referring to his experience as a world famous pop icon coming to its end. This album production was very different from any work of The Beatles. The vocal and instrumental tracks are raw and overflowing with emotion. Lennon isn’t hiding behind the politically correct, love ballads that he became so famous for.

Focus Areas:

Mood:

God has a somber yet hopeful mood. The production is natural and without many effects at all. The melody has a beautiful descent played by two pianos. Themes of change are represented in Ringo Starr’s drum fills in between each verse. If you listen closely, he never repeats himself. John’s voice has a painful and emotional tone throughout. The final verses of the song feature a serene tone from the vocals that portray finality. They have a powerfully ethereal aura. A sense of completion comes forward with John’s final vocal line where he descends through his falsetto range.

Form:             IM= Instrument Melody    VM= Vocal Melody

| Time | Section | IM | VM
| (0:00-0:11) | Intro | A | N/A
| (0:12-1:01) | Chorus | A | A
| (1:02-2:35) | Verses 1-15 | B | B
| (2:36-2:49) | Bridge | A | C
| (2:50-4:12) | Chorus | A | D

Instruments:

There are three instruments used for the song: two pianos, that are chordophones, playing in unison, an electric bass, also a chordophone or electrophone, and a drum kit, which is a membranophone. Lennon is playing one piano, while Billy Preston plays the other. Klaus Voormann, a friend of Lennon’s since the Beatles’ early days in Germany and designer for the cover art of Revolver, plays bass. Starr is playing the drums. The beauty of using two pianos comes from the different styles of playing Lennon and Preston had. Preston grew up playing and singing music in church, while Lennon taught himself a more rock and roll influenced, honky sound. The short fills between the opening and closing verses are where the difference in sound presents itself.

Timbre:

During the Introduction, all of the instruments enter together on the first beat. The pianos resonate and the clear, lighter fills of Preston’s playing are distinguished. The piano Lennon plays has more resonance but less clarity. The chords sound metallic, almost reminiscent of a harpsichord with a bigger presence of low frequencies. Lennon’s voice guides the different colors and textures, sometimes following piano and bass motifs. During the verses, the vocal melodies are aggressive and sung nearly yelling, compared to the softer more melodic choruses. During the bridge, the deep tone of Lennon’s speaking voice is softly above the sweet, crisp embellishments provided by the pianos.

Textural Layers:

For the most part, the bass and two pianos are playing the same melodies. With some ornamentation from Preston and Lennon in between chord changes, the few differences arise between the pianos. The two distinct layers they create are a minor in their dissimilarities; yet hold great importance to the overall timbre of the song. The textures change during the verses. The dynamics of the song are noticeable here. The verses create a very gradual crescendo. Then with the second chorus, the texture resembles that of the first as well as the introduction.

Rhythm and Meter:

The instruments have a slow rhythm during the A melodies over the songs triple meter. With the B melody during the verses, the pianos and bass play a descending riff with a quicker rhythm. This slows back to the beginning rhythm with the return to the A melody. Lennon’s vocals have a slow rhythmic drive in the first chorus. During the verses, his rhythm picks up in pace as he sings over the riff. He even creates his own riff with the repetitive verse structure. The vocal rhythm slows again for the bridge and second chorus.

Dynamics:

The verses have the greatest dynamic changes. The intensity in which the pianos are struck and the strength Starr uses creates the greatest effect upon this. Lennon’s vocals support this and increase in volume and shift to a gravelly timbre. In the sections leading up until and after the verses, the dynamics decrease. A few piano fills present the biggest shift in these sections.

Favorite Thing:

I find the most interesting part of the song to be the production itself. The fact that Ringo Starr plays a unique fill in between every verse so seamlessly that most people can’t even tell they’re changing. It makes me truly respect the musicianship Ringo Starr possesses.

New Observations:

While listening to the song, pausing to mark the different sections, I noticed that there was a lot difference between the vocal melodies throughout the second chorus to the end of the song. The form of this song is unique while using standard meter and rhythms for the most part. John Lennon crafted a beautifully powerful piece that is just as original as him-self.

Self Discovery:

I’ve owned and loved this album for years. I’ve seen the documentary about its recording process with interviews from Klaus Voorman, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono. I’ve listened to the songs countless times, and God will always be my favorite song. The message Lennon sings about is timelessly important. For the time it was written, it was progressive and borderline offensive to hear John Lennon, a former Beatle, sing about disbelief in religion or beloved political and entertainment icons. I believe the idea of self confidence and love are portrayed here as well as a detachment from materialistic or unreasonable ideals. As a tool for introspection, this song has done a lot to help me think freely and understand how to exist on this Earth, and more specifically in this country.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Song : God Album : Plastic Ono Band (Remastered 2010)

# data[].attributes.body
I chose this piece because Beyonce is one of my favorite artist and has a great impact on my life as a black woman. Her platform is to empower girls and women around the world and the song I picked is create example of her work. Though she does have the song “Girls run the world” I feel like “Grown Woman” mostly applies to me for the matureness of the lyrics and rhythm. This is due to me recently becoming a “grown woman” in college and figuring out who I am as a women. She portrays women as being sexy while also being independent and as she says “I know what I want”. Another aspect on why I picked this song is because it brings two very important aspects of my life together. These aspects are my African culture and American living. She features the Guinea’s artist Ismael “Bonfils” Kouyate who sings in his native tongue. Overall, I picked this song because no matter how many times I listen to it I am still able to get excited.

1) Mood

The mood for most of the song was empowering and upbeat. This is due to the rhythm and beat of the song being consistently forte with harmonies. Everytime I listen to Grown Woman it makes me want to dance and have a good time. It motivates me to do whatever ever task I am doing at the time because of the lyrics and the way the are sung.

2) Form

Intro: 0:00-0:17

1st verse: 0:17-0:33

pre chorus: 0:33-0:47

Hook: 0:48- 1:03

2nd verse: 1:03-1:19

Hook/Chorus: 1:19-1:51

Bridge: 1:51-2:25

Break: 2:25-3:07

Instrumental/outro: 3:07-4:24

3) Instruments

Technology modified cow bells/Gankougi (Electrophones/Idiophones)

Axatse (Idiophones)

Bass guitar (Chordophones)

voice vocals

steal drums (Idiophones)

Saxophone (Aerophones)

Trombone or Trumpet (Aerophones)

Flute (Aerophones)

4) Timbre

The song starts off feeling very colorful and cheerful.Then it transitions to becoming bold around the hook . Though the verses are spoken in a very soft town there is a sense of toughness. There are parts of the song that sound very sultry while also installing empowerment.

5) Textural Layers

The texture of the song is predominantly homophonic with harmonies in the background. The harmonies are heard in the chorus accompanying the end of each verse. But in the break it become heterophonic with Beyonce singing the chorus and the feature artist singing in another language.

6) Rhythm and Meter

Grown Women is in a quadruple meter because it starts strong, then proceeded to weak in the verses, and then goes back to strong in the chorus and hook. In relation  the rhythm is pretty steady though at the break it switches to conform the sample Beyonce used. At the outro  of the song the Rhythm just modified to the sample until the end.

7) Dynamics

Amplitude: Forte The song is mostly in a forte except during the verses and outro. This is due to the portraying the fierceness and softness of women.

8) Favorite Thing

My favorite thing about the song is the way Beyonce sings and formats the words to evoke a feeling of “girl power”. Like said before she sings the song in a way that is soft but assertive and grabs your attention. I also like that she samples african beats and artist. The addition of drums and exchange of language is important to me because I am from Africa and also a Black American it is nice to see a African American artist sample their “roots”.

9) New Observations and Comparison

My new observation to the song is how complicated identifying the instruments were. Other than the Gankougi, I couldn’t really make out what the other instruments were until the end. I can compare it to Kanye West and his work in where the instruments he uses is actually voices imitating instruments which is interesting.

10) Self-Discovery

My self discovery is the way Beyonce manipulates her voice to evoke a feeling. She does this by making her voice sound “sweet” and “innocent” while saying very powerful words. Which perfectly describes women in the sense that we look fragile but in reality we are resilient.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I chose this Piece
I first heard this song when I was a junior in high school. My buddy Kristian was obsessed with it and always requested we play this when we were driving around with our heads in the literal clouds and looking to cause some civilized havoc in the valley(the place where I grew up, in Lackawanna county, the Scranton/Wilkesbarre area). It would always be Kristian, Trevor and I riding around seeing who we wanted to chill with and what we wanted to do. We were all big in to listening to the best songs on our rides between destinations so we always put our heads together to put on the right song for every occasion. Usually all hip/hop songs, if we were going to a party we'd put on the most hype songs, if we were going to see girls we'd put on some more hype songs, but if we were just relaxing and really felt in the moment we'd put on low key mellow songs and vibe down the rode while having the least cares in the world. Kristian would always suggest Days in the East and we'd relax and time would stop and the song would take over. All we really cared about was girls cause what else was there to care about in high school so we really vibed with this song. The perfect song to vibe to, think about girls to, and still have us feeling like the man. Some of the best times of my life.

Immersion Listening Focus Area

1) Mood
This beat, mostly created by PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake's producer 40, has very smooth, flowing sounds to it almost as if someone is just sitting back and reminiscing about something for the first half of the song. The first half is complex and also a little hypnotic like being sucked into a vortex of your own mind. At 2:45 it switches up a bit. The sound turns a lot more relaxed and precise. It is a little more calm then the first half as if the the first half was disoriented and now the second half knows exactly what it's doing.
2) Form
Verse 1 - 0:00-1:00
Hook - 1:03-1:21
Verse 2 - 1:23-2:21
Hook - 2:24-2:42
Breakdown - 2:50-5:23
Fring - 5:23-5:53
3)Instruments
As this entire sound is created digitally besides drakes voice, the instruments reproduced are:
(produced by DAW) Drums and Cymbals - membranophones
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) - Electrophone
4)Timbre
The percussion in this song play along with the electronic synth very well in aiding drakes voice to create such a wonderful song. Drake's voice is very clear and can be heard while the deep but mellow sounds of the synth pulse with the crisp input of the 808's.
5)Textural Layers
This song is homophonic with one melody being accompanied by a harmony. The main melody in this piece is drakes voice and it is being accompanied by the electronic wave-like harmony you hear prevalent in the background.
6) Rhythm and Meter
This song is quadruple meter in both segments of the song when it basically switches up into the breakdown. The first section of the song has the same rhythm where it is at the same pace throughout the first 2 versus and chorus'. The rhythm switches a little bit in the first half when you can hear the cymbal type sound coming from the 808 drums speed up. In the second half of the song is non-metrical where the beat and rhythm seem to stop completely.
7) Dynamics
Since this particular song is basically segmented into 2 different songs(because drake likes to switch some of his songs up halfway through) the song starts at a mezzopiano and when the halfway point comes it switches to a straight piano.
8) Favorite Thing
I really like how drake switches up some of his songs halfway through, as if he is done feeling one type of way and changes his thinking to feel a similar type of way but it's still slightly different. I love the overall feel of this song, it conveys some really soothing vibes.
9) New Observation and Comparison
I feel like I've listened to this song so many times that the words and melodies are ingrained in my brain but I did notice that there is very little going on in this song, as in there is basically a melody and a harmony accompanied by the percussion hits every once in a while which makes it that much better.
10) Self-Discovery
I discovered that even when I'm not thinking about the past in my everyday life that it's still a huge part of me and it makes me who I am, this is just a song to some people, but it encompasses an entire period of my life.

# data[].attributes.body
Description.  Sufjan Stevens has been one of my favorite artists since the beginning of highschool. The way he’s able to orchestrate a song and incorporate multiple layers with a variety of traditional and non-traditional instruments still intrigues me, especially as a songwriter. I remember first hearing the song Chicago on a MySpace music player and thinking “I didn’t know that people could write songs like that!” Still new to songwriting, I had never considered the option of adding strings or horns or an absurd amount of vocals to a pop song and making it work. Though simple, the lyrics in Chicago are extraordinarily relatable, with the emotional climax resulting in the repetition of the lyrics “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.” I picked this song because it’s easily Sufjan’s most accessible song and provides a good representation of his songwriting style. Overall, Sufjan Stevens’ music has helped me grow as a songwriter and recording engineer, probably more than any other influence in my life.

1) Mood. The overall mood of Chicago is reflective. The verses could represent introspection as emphasized by a single singer whereas the multiple voices in the chorus could represent a sort of reassurance. The choir during the outro (5:00-6:05) also emphasizes this idea of reflection by providing a space for the listener to reflect on the lyrics of the song.

2) Form. This song sticks pretty close to the tradition pop song verse-chorus-verse formula:

Intro 0:00 - 0:23

Verse 0:23 - 0:54

Chorus 0:54 - 1:24

Verse 1:24 - 1:55

Chorus 1:55 - 2:26

Bridge / Solo 2:26 - 2:57

Verse 2:57 - 3:27

Double Chorus 3:27 - 4:29

Bridge / Solo 4:29 - 5:00

Outro 5:00 - 6:05

3) Instruments. Sufjan Stevens is known for creating very dense songs with a large variety of instrumentations. Overall, I was able to pick out the following instruments:

Vibraphone (Idiophone)

Glockenspiel (Idiophone)

Violin (Chordophone)

Viola (Chordophone)

Cello (Chordophone)

Electric Guitar (Chordophone)

Bass Guitar (Chordophone)

Drum set (Membranophone / Idiophone)

Rhodes Piano (Idiophone)

Vocals (Aerophone)

Tambourine (Idiophone)

Trumpet (Aerophone)

Sleigh Bells (Idiophone)

4) Timbre. The overall timbre of the song is on the softer side. The mixture between the vibraphone, rhodes piano, bass guitar, and the multiple voices in the chorus creates a round, almost bubbly sound. In contrast, the cymbals from the drum set and the strings offer a harsher, sharper sound. The clash between the two offers a well-rounded timbre that prevents the song from sounding too harsh or soft at any given moment.

5) Textural Layers. Chicago starts off monophonically with the glockenspiel and the vibraphone playing the main instrumental melody. Shortly after, when the rest of the instruments come in, the violin, viola, and cello accompany the melody. The rhodes piano, electric guitar, electric bass make up the harmony underneath, creating a homophonic texture. The homophonic texture continues into the first verse when the melody switches to the vocals and the harmony switches to just the rhodes piano. Shortly after, and throughout most of the song, the texture switches to polyphonic, with the vocals occupying one melody and pitched percussion/strings occupying another melody. During the bridge / solo section, the vocal melody drops out and is replaced with a trumpet. In the third verse, the texture switches back to homophonic, with the strings, pitched percussion, and backing vocals making up the harmony and the lead vocals making up the melody. This homophony continues until halfway into the ending double chorus, returning to a polyphonic texture. In the last chorus, a third melody is added by another voice singing the melody from the previous verse. The song ends with a homophonic texture between the choir and rhodes piano, with the choir occupying the melody and the rhodes piano occupying the harmony.

6) Rhythm and Meter.  The entire song is in quadruple 4/4 meter. The rhodes piano has the fastest rhythm, following the straight eighth notes whereas the strings/pitched percussion follow half notes for the majority of their melody, or riff. At the end of the riff, the instruments then switch to playing quarter notes, making it sound like it’s speeding up. The main percussive beat in the background splits the 4/4 beat up into a 4 + 2 + 2 division.

7) Dynamics. For the most part, Chicago is split up into two dynamic ranges: the verses are primarily mezzo piano and the choruses are primarily forte. The intro and the third verse are much quieter than the rest of the song and can be considered piano. The double chorus at the end starts off mezzo piano and quickly crescendos into forte with the addition of more instruments.

8) Favorite Thing. My favorite part of this song is the third verse where both the lyrics and the dynamics combined create a reflective tone that can’t be ignored. The contrast of the third verse puts more emphasis on the section itself, giving it more emotional power.

9) New Observations and Comparison. After listening to this song for years, I think the biggest thing I noticed while writing this was how seamlessly the instrumental melody is transferred between the vibraphone/glockenspiel to the strings throughout the different parts of the song. The riff is constantly keeping the song moving from one section to the next.

10) Self-Discovery. While listening to this song a million times, I think I realized how incredibly boring I find it is to have a song based on the same four chords, leaving the majority of the changes to the dynamical shifts.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece
The reason that I chose this song is because it was one of my favorite songs when I was in middle school. Feel Good inc. was one of my favorite alternative songs and was very memorable as a result of the unique animation style of the music video. Even though I don't listen to much alternative music anymore This is one of the songs that I always have on my playlists. When I was younger my family moved around the country several times and longest we ever stayed in one place was when I was in middle school. Listening to this song again brought back a lot of memories from my time in Illinois and friends that I have not talked to for years. While the song itself is not uplifting or upbeat the song always manages to put me in a better mood because of the memories that it brings back.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood
The Mood for the song is pretty dark and grim. The music video plays an important role in setting this mood by portraying a dystopian world, while the lyrics themselves talk of a broken system with maniacal laughter throughout the song. The chorus of the song is much lighter than the rest of the song but the overall mood is rather dark and grim.
2) Form
Intro - 0:00 - 0:34

Verse 1 - 0:34 - 1:04

Chorus - 1:04 - 1:34

Verse 2 - 1:34 - 2:04

Bridge - 2:04 - 2:38

Chorus - 2:38 - 3:08

Verse 3 - 3:08 - 3:24

Outro - 3:24 - 3:39

3) Instruments
Electric guitar (chordophone)

Acoustic guitar (chordophone)

Drums (membranophone)

Bass guitar (chordophone)

Synthesizer (Electrophone)

4) Timbre
The timbre of the song is dark and also contrasted by the much lighter chorus. It achieves this by the prominent use of the base guitar and electronic effects during the song while prominently using an acoustic guitar and drums during the chorus giving it a much warmer timbre.

5) Textural Layers
The song uses heterophonic and polyphonic musical textures

Polyphonic- 2:25 - 3:10

Heterophonic - 0:00 - 2:25, 3:10 - 3:39

6) Rhythm and Meter
The song is a steady quadruple beat throughout the song.
7) Dynamics
The dynamics of the song are mezzo-forte or medium load through most of the song and decrescendos or gets softer into a mezzo-piano or medium soft during the choruses

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite thing in the song would be the prominent use of a base guitar instead of using it as a background instrument like most songs.

9) New Observations and Comparison
I didn't remember how dramatically different the chorus was from the rest of the song as well everytime I listen to it I hear new subtle sounds from synthesizers that I previously had not noticed.
10) Self-Discovery
Listening to this song over and over again made me want to listen to the rest of the album as well Start to listen to alternative music again.

# data[].attributes.body
Why I chose this song:
I first heard this song just a few days ago but I felt that it did successfully what many pop songs try hard but ultimately fail at, and that is creating a song that is both emotionally profound yet wonderfully simple. Even before I took a look at the lyrics, I felt particularly attached to the song due to its ability to make me feel many different emotions simultaneously and interpret its meaning differently during and after each time I listened to it. This song's repetitive structure reminds me of the feelings that many of us get that our lives are monotonous and, to an extent, meaningless. But at  the same time, it gives me a sense of hope for things to come in the future. Even though you may be in a difficult place right now, the future can be a bright place. "Melancholy Hill," after hearing the song a few times, seems to me to be both a destination and a place of mind: if you are sad, you can either choose to stay on Melancholy Hill and wait for your life to get better, or you can take matters into your own hands. So, while this song is undoubtedly somber and sobering, it gives the proper dose of optimism and excitement for the future adventures to come in life.

1) Mood
The overall mood of the song remains the same due to the fact that the song's chord progression does not change between any parts of the song. This song has a mood that is hard to perfectly grasp, as the instrumentation creates a cocktail of sounds unfamiliar to me in pop music. The drumbeat, synthesizers and haunting backing vocals in the intro lay the groundwork for the rest of the song, and it maintains its momentum throughout the song at a steady pace. When the lead vocals come in, you get a sense of the subtle pain and longing in his voice. Despite this, the singer's voice and makes me feel like I trust him; this gives a more profound meaning to the actual lyrics and the points being made in the song. In conclusion, the poignant mood of the song emphasizes self-reflection and a desire to find more beauty in life.

2) Form
Intro: 0:00-0:39
Verse: 0:39-1:19, 1:39-1:59, 2:19-2:39
Chorus: 1:19-1:39, 1:59-2:19, 2:39-END

3) Instruments
Lead Vocals
Backing Vocals
Acoustic Guitar
Bass Guitar
Multiple synthesizers (melody for intro and chorus, arpeggios and elongated background notes during verse and chorus, what sounds like random ornamentation)
Eggs/maracas
Drum kit

4) Timbre
The intro of this song, which includes synthesizers playing a jumpy melody and elongated chords, creates a fuzzy timbre overall. The warm, soothing timbre of the lead vocals during the verse provides a good contrast with the lead synthesizer in the intro and chorus. The ocean of synthesizers combines with the rest of the instruments well, giving a very atmospheric feel to the tone color.

5) Textual layers
This song is homophonic for its entirety but switches the melody between the lead synthesizer (for the intro and chorus) and lead vocalist (for the verse). The bass guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals and other synthesizers provide the harmonies for the melody.

6) Rhythm and Meter
The tempo of this song is moderate and does not change at all during the song. The rhythm of the melody in the intro is identical to that of the chorus, but the rhythm of the verse is different from other parts of the song. The backing instruments which are meant to compliment the melody maintain a steady rhythm that is neither too fast nor too slow. This song uses a quadruple meter (4/4).

7) Dynamics
The dynamics of this song remain relatively constant during all parts of the song. The song begins with synthesizer chords played at about mezzo-piano and the melody comes in during the second half of the intro and during the chorus at mezzo-forte. During the verse, the singer is singing very softly, around mezzo-piano. While it is not very distinct, the subtle change in dynamics between the synthesizer and vocals provides a sufficient contrast for the song's purposes.

8) Favorite thing
I would have to say that my favorite thing about this song is the vocals (backing and lead). I felt that the singer's voice was absolutely perfect for and adds to the effectiveness of this song in terms of its ability to invoke many different emotions. What I found particularly interesting was that the backing vocals were independent of the lead ones (except for a few seconds near the end of the song): the backing vocals harmonized the synthesizer line, while the lead vocal was harmonized by other instruments. This was a deviation from what I know in pop music, which usually has multiple layers of voices working together all at the same time. Separating the vocals in this song really emphasized the importance of each and allowed the listener to focus on them to a greater degree.

9) New Observations and Comparison
I feel that every time I listen to this song, I hear new sounds coming from the various synthesizers being played but that are drowned out by the fuzziness of the song and difficult to detect. There are so many background sounds flying around, and the buzz of one of the synthesizers makes these sounds even harder to detect. This causes me to hear the song a bit differently every single time I hear it. The first few times I listened to this song, I focused primarily on the beat and lyrics and did not hone in on all the other sounds going on, but as I have listened to it more, I found that I have begun to focus more on the less obvious sounds floating around the more significant musical lines.

10) Self-Discovery
I have only known that this song has existed for a few days, but I feel deeply connected to it already and feel like I could never get sick of it. Somehow, this song does the job for me in the first minute or so but is still not long enough. I think that the reason that I am so attached to it is because it effectively represents some of the struggles that humans face (especially in the face of depression or just general sadness) but also what you can do to combat that sadness. The song helps me get in touch with my feelings and effectively self-reflect on why I feel a certain way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill (Official Video)

# data[].attributes.body
Why I Chose This Piece

When I am having a bad day I put this song on. There’s something empowering to hear about a woman that makes the hardest choice of her life in a second to start her life completely over. I love the part when it says that she has nothing to lose and she finally feels alive. This song helps you realize that you can always change your life around and that it is never too late. No matter what your life looks like, you can always change it. Most people are scared of change and would rather stay miserable and unhappy in their lives. This song always reminds me to optimistic about life and that things can be worse. It represents that life is hard and nothing will come easy and sometimes you have to make the hard decision of just getting into a fast car and changing your life completely. When you stop living life you need to make a drastic change.

Immersive Listening Focus Areas

1) Mood

The overall mood of the song is both emotional yet inspiring. It sparks a sense of inspiration and self-reflection. The first verse gives you a sense of appreciation of life and all that it has to offer. Tracy Chapman’s voice portrays a sense of empowerment and brilliance. The mood of this song makes me feel that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

2) Form

Introduction -(0:00-0:21)

Verse 1- (0:22-0:48)

Verse 2 (0:44-1:16)

Verse 3- (1:17-1:45)

Verse 4 - (1:46- 2:02)

Chorus – (2:03-2:33)

Verse 5- (2:34- 3:00)

Chorus- (3:01-3:24)

Verse 6- (3:25-3:56)

Chorus- (3:57-4:28)

Verse 7- (4:29-4:59)

3) Instruments
Guitar-chordophone

Shaker – shaken idiophone

Drums- membranophone

4) Timbre

This song has a rich, dark, and thick timbre. When the chorus hits the timbre is strong, full, and abrasive.
5) Textural Layers
The main texture of this song is homophonic. The vocal plays the main melody with the instruments having the harmonic auxiliary; drums don’t count in the texture. The over all texture throughout the song does not change.

6) Rhythm and Meter
The overall tempo is moderately slow and picks up once the chorus starts then resends back to a slower tempo, this is constant throughout the song. This song is a quadruple meter.
7) Dynamics

The song starts off with a mezzo piano instrumental introduction. Each verse in the song is mezzo piano (medium soft) leading up to a crescendo and mezzo forte chorus, this dynamic is constant throughout the entire song.

8) Favorite Thing
My favorite part of the song is both Tracey Chapman’s voice and the lyrics. This combination makes the song both inspiring and self-reflective. This song can put a smile on my face and always puts me in a good mood instantly and it also reminds me that life doesn’t have to be unhappy if I don’t want it to be. Being negative is a choice and I will always choose to get into a fast car and drive away .

9) New Observations and Comparison
What I observed when deconstructing this song is that Tracey’s voice makes the song inspirational. You can hear it in her voice the hardships she went through in her life. Her voice is very relatable and moving and each time I play this song I find a different meaning behind it.

10) Self-Discovery
While examining and critiquing this song, I have realized that there’s no excuse to not change your life around. It doesn’t have to be as drastic as changing your life completely, but making little changes each day to better yourself and live life to the fullest is something I always take away from this song.

# data[].attributes.body
Description

I chose this piece because it just hits home for me. There are so many songs that I like because I have been brought up performing and listening to music since a very young age. The virtual reality music video although not part of the music is a relative complement to this music that is futuristic and fantastical. This theme of progressiveness I believe is prominent throughout the song and video and the main reason I chose it; I am living in a time in my life that is constantly changing and pulling me to overcome new obstacles but at the same time letting those obstacles guide me. This merciful pull of innovation, mechanism and futurism is profound yet not intimidating

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FOALS - Mountain At My Gates [Official Music Video] (GoPro Spherical)