The Sound of Music and its societal message

I have really tried to think about different plays that I am familiar with (the number is regretably small) and one that pops up in my head is The Sound of Music. This was set during the time when Hitler was coming into power and the world was preparing for war. It is a beautiful love story where a young nun is given a job as governess for a military widower. She falls in love with him and the children. He has to let go of his dedication to the miltary which becomes part of the Nazi party and they leave everything to escape. In the process, the family becomes a singing sensation. It is of course famous for the movie version, but the theatrical portrayal is touring all over the world. The website for the tour is http://www.soundofmusiclondon.com/favoritethings.php

Short stories into films

A few weeks ago, I caught the television rendention of the Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry . I have read this story several times and think that it is just absolultely moving in telling the true emotions of its characters. This movie starred P. Diddy, John Stamos, Phyllicia Rashad (the mother off of the Cosby Show), and many other talented actors. This story tells the saga that African Americans felt in the midst of the twentieth century while trying to get ahead and move into "white neighborhoods". The social pulls and limitations that are given to them are addressed, too. I would suggest it to anyone although the play format can be hard to read and the movie was very well done.

Short stories into films

A few weeks ago, I caught the television rendention of the Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry . I have read this story several times and think that it is just absolultely moving in telling the true emotions of its characters. This movie starred P. Diddy, John Stamos, Phyllicia Rashad (the mother off of the Cosby Show), and many other talented actors. This story tells the saga that African Americans felt in the midst of the twentieth century while trying to get ahead and move into "white neighborhoods". The social pulls and limitations that are given to them are addressed, too. I would suggest it to anyone although the play format can be hard to read and the movie was very well done.

Vulgarity in Art

Vulgarity is a word attached to so many contraversies. Who is to say something is vulgar? What institute should watchdog vulgarity including profanity and explicit images?I am one of those people that usually do not get anything funny out of vulgarity. I do not like Beavis and Butthead, the Crankyankers, or the cartoon where Kenny dies every week (I don't even remember what it is called). It sort of makes me wonder what people see in it and if my IQ lowered 10 points. However, that does not mean that I think it should be banned or whatever. Censorship is such a huge question in my head b/c I have a small child. I do not allow my daughter to see inappropriate things including vulgarity. I think it is a parent's job to monitor what children see and hear, not the government. However, this is currently not working-Parents are not doing their part in a lot of different aspects. I do think that it is harder to get the point across without the use of profanity. Old classic movies did not have the millioin dollar budgets or use a lot of cusswords, but they were awesome. I kind of miss the creative way that things were conveyed and hate hearing and seeing all the filth. It is one of the reasons that I am so glad to see the classic cartoons coming back; they have positive messages and are not realistic or vulgar.

Michael Jackson-Thriller (the dance)-Criticial Analysis

When I think of a distinct and historically significant piece of dance, I think of the Thriller video. Michael Jackson and the world recently celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of this event which freaked me out as a youngster. The song was part of the album Thriller which was originally released November 30, 1982 (michaeljackson.com). It also included other top forty hits such as Billie Jean and Beat It. It is the only album that has stayed number one two years running. Michael Jackson is known as a dance icon because he introduced the world to this dance as well as what two other eighty phenomenon?
Another reason that I chose to focus on this video and dance style was because of a conversation my husband and I just had. This dance is being featured for a sports drink with Naomi Campbell dancing with lizards. It is amazing that twenty-five years later it is still be sought after. It is also featured in a cute little movie that was recently shown on television called Thirteen Going on Thirty. It features the dance.
This video is fourteen minutes long. Michael Jackson and John Landis wrote the storyline. It cost $800,000 to make, which made it the most expensive video for its time. It is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most successful music video as it has sold over one million units. It was also choreographed by Paula Abdul. This dance is so well received that there are contests for the most people doing the dance and doing the dance the longest. People have done this dance in weddings, prisons, and with legos with examples on youtube.com (http://www.thrilltheworld.com). There are many parodies of the video, too. The video features Michael in his trademark red leather jacket walking with his girlfriend after leaving a scary movie at the theatre. In the spooky nature of the dance and video, the couple passes a dark cemetery with fog appearing. Zombies come from everywhere and surround the couple when much to the girlfriend’s surprise; Michael turns into a zombie, too. The voice of Vincent Price makes the scary nature of the dance and video more interesting. All of theses elements successfully come together to successfully form a storyline. The dance part of the video starts with Michael and approximately forty backup dancers. This part of the video lasts about three minutes. It features movements that resemble zombies moving as well as claps and jumps to the rhythm. The choreographers are successful in corresponding the spooky aspect of the video while keeping the dance upbeat and sexy. The dancers are formed in lines that form a triangle with Michael is in the center front of the rest of the zombies. The dance itself repeats itself several times and goes with the pop beat of the music. The dancers go forward, side-to-side, and turn around in the dance.
There are many interesting facts about this dance. The dancers nearly walked off of the video because of the costumes. The masks were really hard to breath in which is a the reason Michael’s character change back in the middle of the sequences. The shoes chosen are very hard to dance in and caused some of the dancers to injury themselves.
Michael, who is a Jehovah’s Witness, was sure to include a message about this video being simply for creative purposes and not supporting any cults. The disclaimer read, “Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult” (michaeljackson.com).
Michael is truly an icon as he is known for many positive and negative aspects of his character and career. He is known for wearing one glove, a leather Jackson, and his trademark glasses. His signature dances also include the robot and the moonwalk (michaeljackson.com). Regardless of his personal and financial issues, Michael is an artist to be respected and revered as one of the greatest of his times. It is really interesting to google and youtube Michael and see all of the different sites and ideas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CzxK5BPNCA

Dance

I do believe that dance and music in general are important innate parts of our being. Spiritually, I think that it is good for our soul and can give us a higher perspective on our life and choices whether it is screaming with Coal Chamber, listening to a ballet, or hearing your favorite hymn. Early people would have taken part in this activity at an early part of development as it surely developed into higher forms with society and human culture.
I am not sure what exactly would constitute the first dance to modern day standards, but the emotional and social significance is probably the telling factor. People dance to communicate a feeling, emotion, or event to their audience. It is also a very powerful feeling to be the dancer and feel perfectly aligned with the music or emotion that you’re displaying. Cave people probably took part in a primitive form of what we consider dance today.
Babies respond to music. In fact, in neonatal units, they play classical music. It has a healing power that has not been explained yet. I played music to my daughter when I was pregnant and even read to her because the power of nonverbal and verbal communication is so important. My daughter would move to music when she was a newborn. If you think about it, lullabies help babies go to sleep which is another expression of music’s power. I was involved with dance when I was younger. I took tap, ballet, and clogged (yes, I am a redneck) until I thirteen. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have done. I was also in flag corps in high school where we did a lot of dance; including my favorite which was to music by Chicago. This was really one of my fondest memories of high school. Dance puts you in a different state of mind mentally and physically.

Critical Analysis Two

The Moonlight Sonata is a piece of work that really grabs all of your attention and can somehow relate to whatever is going on in life. It was composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was immensely popular when it was released in 1802. It is a 6 minute long piano sonata with three main parts. It is one of the most popular piano sonatas that Beethoven completed. Many people may not know who wrote it, but have heard it through their lifetime. The title and beginning of the sonata give the impression that it is a love story, but is this the real story behind this work?
It was originally called Quasi una fantasia which means almost a fantasy. It is the Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor. It was not until 1832 when a music critic, Ludwig Prellstab, compared the work to a beautiful moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.
The composition of this sonata is interesting because it does not follow the traditional sonata pattern where the first movement is in regular sonata form. Usually a sonata has three or four movements that follow the pattern, “fast, slow, fast, and slow”.
The first part is in Adagio Sostenuto. It creates a calm, meditative state of mind. The musician has to play this part with great delicacy and without dampers since it is marked, “si deve suonare tutto pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino”. It is played mostly with the right hand with a triplet rhythm accompanying it on the left hand. The musical theme of the first part may have been borrowed from a German ballad. It has been called, “one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify”.
The second part is in Allegretto. This part of the sonnet is very small. It has been suggested that it was thought up as a bridge between the first and third part. It is denser in consistency. It fades away and prepares the listener for the tumultuous third part.
The third part is in Presto Agitato. It is twice as long as the other two parts. It is representation of a storm. Beethoven evokes a lot of passion and emotion into this part of the sonnet. It may be representative of the struggle Beethoven is feeling himself because of his internal struggles.
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most well known and renowned musicians and composers of all time. He wrote over eight hundred different works. Interestingly enough, there are hundreds of his works that have never been recorded. He was also an expert with chord progression and used these skills to his advantage to communicate to his listeners.
This piece has a very interesting background. Beethoven was visiting the Burnsick family when he wrote this piece. He had fallen in love with one of his students. The seventeen year old Countess Guilietta Guciardi was also in love with Ludwig. However, they were not allowed to marry because of her parents’ forbiddance. This was a significant blow to Beethoven who dedicated this sonata to her. Critics have stated that this is really not the reflection of a romantic moon lit night as some suggest, but a funeral hymn showing his hurt feelings in a way only Beethoven could.
This song represents life to me in a strange way. It starts of calm and happy with discord in the background. It has a lot of tempo and rhythm changes that are intertwined with the main melody. It tells the story as it gets more exciting or dynamic. In the end, you have to make peace with yourself and your faith to go on. It is really like a movie for your ears and mind because everyone can enjoy and relate to the theme of the music.
An activity that I would like to do when I am teaching again involves songs like this. I will not only try to introduce music like this to my students, but show them how this type of music can be used and enjoyed in their life. An interesting activity may be for them to listen to this song and then come up with a story to go with it. It would be interesting to see all the different perspectives and ideas students may come up.
I played this sonata to my daughter when I was pregnant and it was on her mobile and lullaby CD, as well. It is such a moving, emotional piece that I wanted to share it with her as early as possible. I think it is one of the moving pieces of music made.
This piece of music is one of the most famous in all of classical music. It is known for its power and personal relationship given from the composer to the listener. It is one of the rationales that I have for believing music is one of the most profound languages. There are not language or dialectic barriers. Anyone can hear this music and feel strongly about it.
The link I choose fort this music was a youtube video that showed works of art depicting Beethoven. I thought it was neat to intertwine the physical art with the music. It gives a dynamic point-of-view.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vQVeaIHWWck

Why music is important

There are several reasons why I think music’s role in our lives cannot be overrated. Music is an art form that is involved in every aspect of a culture. It is emphasized to children at a very young age and aids in learning basic skills. The calming and stress reducing effect of music has been show to benefit many people including babies in utero and can stimulate healing with the sick. Music can be beneficial as a form of therapy for many different ailments including behavioral and psychological conditions and can help patients have increased response to radiation treatments. It has even proven to help houseplants grow. These are astonishing fetes that very few phenomenons can claim.
The spirituality of music is evident in everyday life. Social context is very important in the creation, performance, significance, and even definition of what music is. The music realm has widened incredibly since the mid-twentieth century to include genres that may have once been considered noise or unacceptable.
A culture may be reflected in music or it may be innovative. It can give an outsider perspective of historic periods and society’s lifestyle and religion. The words in songs, use of flow, and overall “picture painted” or story told in music provides insight into what a person is feeling on a level that may not be possible verbally.
Songs are involved in our everyday life today. There are songs that have been passed down through time, as song was a story telling mechanism since literacy and reading materials were sparse and extremely expensive. Songs and quilting were extremely important in the Underground Railroad alone. It provided hope and freedom to many people searching for anyway to make their life better.
Music is part of our celebrations and ceremonies from graduation, birthday parties, weddings, funerals, and religious traditions. It can be as simple as tapping your foot and as complex as an orchestra depending on the situation and level of aptitude. It is part of whom we are and can be a reflection of how we feel about our lives and it can just be entertaining. Someone may enjoy listening to classical music to help them feel inspired while paining or relaxing while another person may wish to listen to screaming hard rock on the way home from a hard days work. It is even used to by coaches to help their players get excited and focused about their upcoming match.
Melodies are another form of praying and preaching since some people may not know the Bible or other religious text, but they can recite a song word for word. It may help them feel closer to their GOD and reinforce their beliefs. It can be a religious tool to help encourage people to involve their religious in their daily life or tell an important story.

These are apple dolls my group did for Art In The Curriculum with Linda Bauer this semester. Apple dolls are a signficant cultural activity for Appalachian children. We then wrote a story about four friends, Kasey the pig, Lucy Goosey, Hope, and Sammie the Wiener Dog using as many descriptive words as possible. It was really fun!

These are pictures of murals that are on the side of the floodwall by the Embassy Suites in Newport, Kentucky. They line the entire wall and all tell a story about the history of Kentucky, Ohio, and United States. There is a sidewalk there so that you can walk and look at all of them.

These are images from my hotel room of Cincinnati. I am a country girl so when I go to a big city, I am always amazed and excited by the architectural designs I see, especially as a group.

This is artwork completed by penguins at the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. I included the price list and pictures of the animals completing the work. This is very intesting...and very expensive. For five hundred dollars you can pick the colors and watch the penguins create your masterpiece. The money does go to a good cause though.

This is artwork from the new show at the art museum at URG. These are paintings that I really enjoyed. They were done by a professor at Ohio University. There are different elements of the seasons and holidays and it is done in bright, celebratory colors and adornments. I really liked the use of jewels and foil as well as 3D embellishments to help grab your attention. I enjoyed these pieces and really liked that they had a cheerful tone to them.

This is a flyer from a benefit for my nephews after their father died. John used to draw comic book type characters and this is one he did of himself. I really liked this and thought it was neat they included it on the flyer.

This is a picture that my brother-in-law John Holsinger did of himself. It is neat how he did an actual picture and then a different sense of reality of himelf (with the horns). He was such an awesome artist even though I was not always a fan of his subject matter. He was a tatto artist until he passed away in July.

On January 4^th, 2008, I purchased a calendar. It had different paintings of beautiful flowers such as petunias and lilies as the decorations. I did not know they were all by a particular artist until I started researching different painting styles for this assignment. I soon found that the artist that I really enjoyed and wanted to spotlight also completed all the paintings on my calendar.

The painting that I want to spotlight is called Petunia, 1925. It is actually the January picture in my calendar. It was created by an American artist named Georgia O’Keeffee. This painting is located in the Georgia O’Keeffer museum in New Mexico. It is one of the permanent exhibits in the museum.

Mrs. O’Keeffee was born November 25, 1887 immigrant farmers in Wisconsin. Female children in her family were well educated and received fine education for that time’s standards. She was quoted as saying she knew from an early age she was going to be an artist, but was not sure why. Her earliest memory was watching light on the walls of her crib as an infant. She may have been inspired by this natural wonder.

She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago (1904–05) and the Art Students League of New York (1907–08). She came into contact with modern developments in art and non-western traditions in her studies. She was unhappy with her progress so she got a job as a commercial artist. She then taught art at various schools and colleges in Texas and other Southern states from 1912 to 1916. She attended a workshop where Arthur Wesley Dow encouraged artists to examine the contrasts of light and dark. He had her examine a lot of oriental art and reexamining what she knew and “felt deep down” about art. Dow's teaching strongly influenced O'Keeffe's thinking about the process of making art and helped her restart her passion. She met her future husband at his gallery, who was her biggest supporter and advocate. When he saw her work, her future husband, Alfred Stieglitz, exclaimed, "At last! A woman on paper. ".

Georgia O’Keeffe is famous for her up-close charcoals, watercolors and pastels, with flowers, clouds, detailed landscapes, plant organs, shells, rocks, mountains, and animal bones, but she also kept sketchbooks, drew tiny line drawings, and completely abstract late watercolors. She also dabbled in pottery later in life. Some describe her earliest works have been described as imitative with her own style emerging quickly. She painted into her eighties. She passed away in New Mexico at the age of 99. Many people may wonder what her effect was on the art world.

At first glance, this painting just looks like a purple flower with a white background and it is. However, there are more profound ideas in it just being a flower. She has been quoted as saying that she wanted to make people stop and look at common objects such as flowers. One of Georgia’s friends, Anita Paulitzer, summed it up best in a letter stating, “,To live on paper what we're living in our hearts and heads and all the exquisite lines and good spaces and rippingly good colors are only a way of getting rid of these feelings and making them tangible.”

This painting is of a deep soft purple flower. It almost looks like it is made of velvet plum. There is a delicate nature to it, like it is fragile, but with a strong presence. It is very large for the white round vase that it sits in. The background is of a gathered white sheet with the right bottom corner exposing the light Russian blue stand or table beneath. The sheet drapes behind the vase making wrinkles and gathers. There are shadows and shading to show that there is some illumination on the flower. The blossom is fully open and vibrant; there are no signs of wilting or disease. It is placed in the middle of the painting to show its dominance and significance. It has a simplistic nature, but can be prolific to the beholder. It is easy for most people to identify with this flower and its beauty. Even people that have not seen a petunia can identify with the flower’s beauty.

The lines in this painting are soft and delicate. They are not meant to jump out at the beholder, but rather blend to exude a sense of femininity and grace. The color shading together with the shapes and soft lines creates a sense of elegance and purity. The use of color is obviously meaningful as the flower is accurately depicted and copies the beauty of an actual petunia. The flower seems to be the focal point, the flower by placing it in the center and duplicating the actual flower’s color explosion and shape by using the soft white and grey background and bright purple and blues. Her mysteriously suggestive images of bones and flowers in some of her paintings set against an n empty space have created allegations of erotic, psychological, and symbolic meanings. She did not respond to these allegations.

I find this picture appealing on a lot of levels. First of all, I like the simplistic nature of the subject. It is not too crowded or overbearing on the eye. Your eye is immediately drawn to the flower which has beautiful detailing and colors. It is part of nature’s beauty which is underappreciated. I think it is smoothing to look at objects that are not too overbearing to think about or examine. It is nice to look at something soothing and relaxing. This flower reminds me of my grandparents’ huge flower garden that I used to run through as a child. I would walk around with my grandparents and pick flowers to make a fresh bouquet for the kitchen table. It reminds me of the morning dew, how happy I was to walk in the squishy soil, and watch out for the bees that would often rest in the flowers. I would pick out the flowers that I liked which were often soft purple and pink much like the one in the painting and take my time arranging them perfectly in the vase. The power of art and the relationships that it has with people’s personalities and personal histories is amazing.

I chose this piece because of its appeal. I enjoy pictures of nature probably because I have lived in the country and enjoy natural beauty. It is important to appreciate the world around us and our daily blessings as much as possible. I think Georgia O’Keeffe felt the same way by examining her work, looking at her biography, and reading her quotes. She was a woman trying to help people examine their lives, the beauty around them, and stop to appreciate what was around them in their daily life.

She played an important role in American history. She was a major artist in a time when women were not usually educated or accepted as professionals. A lot of her work is signed OK instead of Georgia O’Keeffe. Her husband was impressed with her work as a lot of men did not think women were capable of the work she produced. She was a role model for many women. She was often very independent and a free thinker in the sense that she loved and lived with a married man and never had children when a time when this was highly frowned upon. Although I would not condone her behavior, it is not something I want my daughter to take part of, but her independent spirit and heart is impressive. One of my wishes for my daughter is for her to appreciate what GOD gave her and to stop and really look at the beauty around her. This is something that Georgia O’Keeffer can teach the future generations. I am glad that I have twelve pictures in my “personal collection” in my calendar to enjoy.

What is Art?

I think it is in the eye of the beholder just as beauty is......There are certain things most people would agree upon, but the grey area is what is interesting.I had a brother in law that just passed away that was a tattoo artist. He really thought all of his work (I agree some of it was) was art. To a kindergarten student's mom, the paper glued with macaroni is art because it bestows emotion and means something to them.I think art should really help people feel, think, and question their sense of reality. It can influene culture and society, being influences, or have nothing to do with anything going on currently. It is such a personal experience to share your intepretation of something that is special to you. If it does this with a group of people, then it is probably art.This question is so interesting and can conger up a lot of discussion but reminds me of the "chicken vs. the egg" question.

Who I am

Well, today I would say that I am a grieving OSU fan!!!
No, my name is Katy Holsinger. I have lived in Rio all of my life on a family farm. I have a two year old blessing named Haley Allison Grace who is absolutely the most amazing and intelligent child that GOD every created. My husband Jay and I are thinking she may win an Academy Award for most dramatic actress in a few years. I have been married for six years. I am a returning student (I am 29 for the first of many years) after receiving a Psychology degree several years ago. I am an Intervention Specialist degree candidate that hopes to graduate next year.
I am not very "artsy" so this class shall be an interesting adventure for me.