Abdul Ahad Memon

301243960
Final Exam
EDUC 469

Videos:

The Nature of Music: In this documentary, there was a lot of new and interesting information
provided in this documentary. Some of the important ideas are seeing how music is defined
differently in every culture. The Indonesian people of Bali use music for religious rituals and
events. It was really interesting to see and compare that how in western societies music is mostly
for entertainment and business purposes while in Asia especially in developing countries music
has a whole different meaning. It is used for communication and music is what brings them
together. Music is even used for healing purposes and furthermore in Japan the mastery of some
instruments is a real achievement. Seeing how music is differently practiced throughout the
world is really interesting to see. Also, the fact that as humans we are able to trace the roots of
the music from North America. Who knew one of the coldest and least populated places on earth
are the roots to music dating back thousands of years. The indigenous people in Arctic Canada
have some musical chants that are more than thousands of years old and these chants aren’t just
made up these are the sounds of nature. Another important idea that I found in the documentary
was that all human sounds have some origin from the sounds of the animal. This could be true as
today we could see that sea animal like dolphins and whales communicate with sound and from
great distances.

La boheme: For me, La boheme was like a masterpiece work. A simple love story of two
ordinary people that with its great musical score speaks to audience emotionally. The characters
were great and well developed; their singing was great. An important thing I felt was that the
music was suited to every mood, sometimes happy while at times it was sorrowful. This
emotionally compelling music gives a vivid representation of the thoughts and emotions of the
characters to which the audience can easily resonate to. No doubt that La boheme is one of the
best operas ever made, any piece of art to which the viewer can relate to and is emotionally
gripping can easily win the hearts of the audience. Everything from the characters to the music to
the sets and the use of props was all very smooth and mesmerizing to watch. The linear storyline
and the great performances from the actors is just amazing. This opera also provides a great
lesson of love and jealousy. There is a very thin line between them and at times jealousy can
destroy a relationship. Just like we see in La boheme jealousy has destroyed the relationship of
Rodolfo and Mimi. Then near the end when Mimi is about to die Rodolfo realizes the grave
mistake he made of letting her love go just because of his jealousy. This provided a great moral
lesson for the audience about love and relationship.

Amadeus: A movie on the life of the greatest composers ever, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Personally, I felt as this was the best video of all the 3. I really loved this movie; I had always
heard about the greatest composer that ever lived but never got to watch his biography which
inclined me to do further research on Mozart. The movie had some of his best scores which were
really a master piece. I think the important ideas that this movie displays are the fact that how
much talented and god-gifted was Mozart. He never wished for all of this, it just came to him
naturally and being born to a father who was already a composer really helped Mozart’s musical
talent to grow from a young age. Unlike his rival Mozart, Salieri, Mozart had a bit of advantage
since a young age but still it was amazing to see how much talented and hardworking Mozart
was. He always worked and was dedicated to his composing which led to him to produce a great
amounts of music in his short life. Making several musical scores and all so great that till today
Mozart is regarded as the best composer. Though it was really sad to see that how Mozart drank
himself to death. His drinking problem in the movie really highlighted that even till the end all
Mozart wanted was to make great music and he knew he was the best at it; all he ever wanted
was recognition. Mozart did have a lot of fame and recognition in his lifetime but being careless
with his expenses Mozart wasn’t able to take care of himself and so in the end he dies alone.
When his wife comes back, it is too late and Mozart was taking his final breaths at that time.

The Artist in Crisis:

Implications of Anxiety: I think the important idea here are about being confident and
overcoming your fears. The fear of live performance or stage freight is something very common
and most of us experience it every day. Many of us start experiencing them in our academic
careers for performances of presentations. Over time it’s just being confident and practicing a lot
which helps overcome one fears of public performance or speech. Though here we witness an
important thing which very few will ever experience that the author was still in his teens and has
to perform in front of a large audience at an esteemed place, Toronto’s Massey Hall. The fear of
such a performance can really be overwhelming and the author talks about that experience. Like
having nightmares of what if the performance goes horribly wrong or if he forgets his notes.
Waking up in the middle of the night sweating profusely in fear of the first ever debut
performance going wrong can be a great pressure. A debut performance and in front of a large
audience can definitely have an individual overcome their fear of live performance.

The Artist and the Public: What I found really important here is how the author talks about this
that how from being a normal child one grew up to be a great artist. While young we don’t think
of this because our thoughts don’t go that far and one can never know what to expect. While very
few and fortunate one find their talent and passion early on in life and that is great because they
knew what they wanted and worked for it. While some struggle till late in life and not sure what
their passion is as they have might have not experienced new things or are too afraid to change.
There can be many other reasons also. Also, Kierkegaard has some great theories for an
‘individual’ especially an artist. That how one should have control and power over himself and
be confident in his work and performances. Then another notion that really stood out for me was
of the press. Here I will like to talk about the press as media; for me, this is great topic for
interest as a communication students. The media crates meaning for understanding the
communities we live in and it has great power over the thoughts and actions of a society. By
negatively portraying some artist who didn’t deserve it can be really damaging to ones future and
image. While to some the media has been grateful in garnering immense success and fame.
The Relation and Differentiation of the Sexes: This chapter raise a great that in recent years
has gained a lot of popularity and is something that should be talked about more. The inclusion
of women in our societies is really important. Women should be equally treated and be included
in nations economy. Women can be a driving force to many nations and it has been especially
since the last few decades where women have greatly participated in the work force and
education. Men shouldn’t be the only one to have a higher education and work for the whole
household; this stereotype has to be debunked and the inclusion of women is important. Women
are separate than men and they can equally do and perform all the duties or actions a man can do
even be a great artist and musician. A women can equally play great piano; at times better than a
man. The stereotype of women are only good for housework and taking care of children has to be
abolished and they should be given equal opportunities. Girls should be brought up like boys in
terms of providing them with equal educational and career opportunities. There is a difference
that I think that men are emotionally stronger and at times can suppress their emotions while
women are more vulnerable to emotions. Hence, they are more passionate and make decisions by
listening to their heart. This can also be the reason that a woman prays more and talks with her
heart; the love of a women as a wife, a daughter and mother are far greater than of man. With her
love a women can bring peace and harmony in times of conflict.

The Aesthetic Stage of Existence: The aesthetics of an artist or musicians is what defines him
and his art. Talen is also related, but how you harness and use that talent is the real aesthetic of a
musician. This talent could be anywhere from live performance to making great music. Where
one has talent it is easier to that task while others can be hard; but here comes practice and
aesthetics. How you tackles each and every task or work of art is the real aesthetic of an artist.
The aesthetic quality of a person should be kept in high regard; I think those set of rules and
principles define a person and his work. An individual’s personality, their work, their talents and
even everyday actions are defined by aesthetics. The relation to aesthetics and sensuality to
performing music can be seen as important factor. By experiencing sensuality one can perform
live music by playing from his heart. Aesthetics can help one perfect his work and put a great
live performance. Aesthetics is not solely related or can be defined by religion; it is how one
chooses to be. Religion can and does play a part but performing live has to be done with passion
and commitment and only then can one express his true work of art and the aesthetics behind it. I
would like to end with the notion of the teacher student relationship; a relationship where
enhancing a student’s talents and helping with his goals is really important. A teacher from his
experience should teach his students and help them such that the student can stand on his own
and can put a great performance for his art.

Making Sense of Music:

Chapter 1: The musical curriculum is important in schools especially in primary education. That
is where young pupils can really discover and explore their interests and talents. Also, having an
educated teacher in music and music performance is really important for students to get a good
idea of music. While with some music background also one can teach but the more educated in a
subject an individual is the more likely he can teach it better. A higher educated person will have
more experience in the subject matter and can pass it on to others. Furthermore, music education
is fundamental aspect in a youth’s intellectual, emotional and cultural growth.
Chapter 2: Composing music is a great tool for someone to experience the ways music is
written and produced. Sadly, today many young pupils are consumers of music but very few
actually know the process and struggles the artist has to go through. With music education
composing should also be emphasized and thought so a student can really know how such great
tunes are given life and what makes them great. Composing can also help with the aesthetics and
creative sides in music education.

Chapter 3: The art of performance and performing music can be really hard to master. Though
there are some amazing performances done especially by young and not much trained
individuals that has left many surprised and shocked. Some music performance can be associated
with evets, weddings and funerals but the best ones that really show someone’s talent are the live
performances that happen for the sole purpose of listening music. The important idea here and
with which I agree is that genuine music performance is one done by real experts and musicians
in front of large audiences that only come to enjoy the performance. The audience and the
performer are separated and all attention is paid to the performer.

Chapter 4: For many music is essentially singing. Singing is something natural that comes to
all; to some a lot better than others. Many use it for religious purposes in worships and prayers
while some others in TV, radio and live performances. Though what I think is that music based
solely on tunes and instruments has also great significance. Music is defined differently by
various groups. Some might say music is only singing while some might associate it with only
instruments and many which seems to be more popular today associate music with a mixture of
instrumental tunes and vocals. While in education one should experience both and see where
their talents lie whether they are a great singer or performer.

Chapter 5: Teaching someone to sing or better develop their singing and vocal performance
should be done in a manner of exploring different sounds, songs and recordings. The teacher
should preferably have some knowledge in music and singing. A student can start from basic
simple children songs and then make his way to more complex vocals. Different instruments and
materials can be incorporated to better judge vocal sounds and how they should be executed. The
teacher should always try to improve the students’ performance by either critiquing or giving
feedback. Eventually, the student himself can then also evaluate his learning and will find ways
to improve himself.

Chapter 6: Naturally, humans are designed to observe and respond to different actions. In
music, humans listen to sounds and end up liking those that they feel are best. Hence, opinion,
tastes and likes can vary in every individual. As I express before we cannot generalize taste.
While appraising is the quality to judge and assess the value of something. In musical terms
appraising can be linked to actively listening to great variety of songs, music, performances and
recordings. After having wide range of experience with music then can one really judge and
assess the quality of music. Therefore, teachers should also play an important role in teaching
students how to appraise music. All music teaching is related to listening, composing, singing
and appraisal. Through appraisal students can how music works and how it can invoke emotions
and only then can students really appreciate the significance of music in their everyday lives.
Chapter 7: Since the dawn of humans, music has been present in our environment. Humans only
got to explore and learn the art of music making by listening to the sounds of their environment.
The sounds of nature; this is also explained in the documentary, The Nature of Music, that music
can be dated back to the sounds of nature and animals. Music is made up of sounds and sounds
originate from nature; the sound of wind, the sound of ocean waves and the sounds of burning
fire. This can also be really important in educating young children that from where do sounds
and music has originated and how it has come to what we see today.

Chapter 8: Opera can be defined as the simultaneous performance of music and drama. Opera is
the inclusion of music in storytelling. Like we see in La boheme, the simple love story when told
through the music can be really amazing to watch and experience. With such drama and music
one can really feel the emotional connection in the story. Hence, that’s why opera is not easy to
perform or teach but it should be practiced in children education especially at a basic level. For
example like school plays that include music and drama. The dramatization of a story and telling
it through music can be challenging hard to master.

Chapter 9: The inclusion of words in music has been a practiced by mankind since a very long
time. From religious praises to gods and kings is an old practice. The use of words and music to
express emotions like love, hate, jealousy and lust have long existed. Then there is also the use of
words and music to express life, death, and even wars. From ancient musical chants to pop
songs; music and the use of words with have come a long way. Words are the inspiration for
many artists to express their emotions and talents. With the use of words music can be used to
describe any kind of state or emotions.

Chapter 10: Assessment in the education of Arts serves a great purpose in learning and the
creation of an artist. With genuine assessment can one know his true talents and learn about his
mistakes. As teachers are the one to assess and students being the one who are assessed; the
teacher should be informed on the subject and have some experience in that topic. Feedback
should be given to the student and more information should be provided if asked by the pupil.
Assessments can vary from topic to topic; hence a learned person on that specific topic should be
the one to conduct the assessment. The teacher should have a good understanding of the
concepts, skills and knowledge of the particular topic at hand. In music it can be assessed as the
use and performance of the instruments. The proper use of sounds, singing and words should
accounted for. While another very important aspect is that there should be the encouragement of
developing interest in music and enjoying it while performing.

Other Readings:

How Music Moves by Peter Kivy: Here the author talks about this very old conflict between
emotivists and cognitivists. The important ideas here is that both approaches are to the
expression of music are justified. I personally think that both sides of a coin should be looked at
before judging the topic at hand. The cognitivists position states that music can express emotions
but cannot induce those emotions in the listeners. While emotivist position is that by listening to
music one can not only recognize the emotions but also feel them in real life; natural emotional
responses that are similar to the ones expressed by the music. The other important theme here is
that there are many different kinds of music out there and each individual has different responses
and desires to each music. We cannot generalize anything when it comes to music. Instead what
can be said is that music shouldn’t require an explanation of any kind whether we feel emotions
or not and no music should be judge on the notion of emotional feelings. Music is really common
in all aspects of life and in every culture; hence it has different meanings for all just like we see
in the documentary of The Nature of Music. Yes music has come a long way and so music
belonging from different periods of different styles can invoke emotions in people. While many
popular music these days is not very much likely to invoke emotions in an individual. Although,
once again I would like to conclude this that music and its relation to invoking emotions cannot
be generalized. To some people even popular music can help invoke emotions.

Song and Music Drama by Jerrold Levinson: The relation of songs and music in drama has
long been present in the performance of music. Opera by delimitation is the inclusion of songs
and music in a drama; like telling story with the use of music and songs. It can be said that songs
and the use of words in music is essential especially to invoke emotion and drama.

Music as Philosophy by Philip Alperson: Music can be called a philosophical art; music is
linked to philosophy. Music’s association with the praising kings and gods and now in the use of
education can be linked to philosophy. Historically, music has played an important role in the
development of philosophy. We can still think and safely assume that music can still have some
philosophical importance.

Music as a Representational Art by Jenefer Robinson: Music as a representational art means

Music and History by Martin Donougho: Music has played an important role in human history
in the development of societies, arts and culture. Even more than that music has helped mankind
in many aspects of life and still does. Music brings people together at religious rituals and events.
It is also important to say here that music has changed a lot in the past few decades; from
classical musical performances to pop songs and electronic music concerts; raves. Some might
see this as a negative thing that music has been destroyed but I see this as innovation and
discovering of new talent and new sounds.

Performance and Obligation by Morris Grossman: Performing live music is the real
aesthetics of musical performance and learning. Musical learning comes with an obligation to
perform it especially in front of large audiences who can either appreciate or critique works of
art. One cannot just assume his work his best by not having others opinions and feedback. As an
artist, one has an obligation to perform and showcase his work; only then can one be called to a
true performer and artist. By the appraisal of others an artist can make his work better and
perform it even better.

Popular Music and the Intolerant Classroom: Many critics of music believe that popular
music is a disgraced form of music and it should not be practiced and or introduced in school
curriculum. Musical philosophers have developed this notion that popular modes of music are
inferior and should not be tolerated. The author here argues and with which I agree that all kinds
of music should be allowed and practiced and without understanding or listening to popular
music one cannot judge it just on the basis of it being categorized as a popular form of art. Every
individual chooses to express different forms of music and many resonate with the popular forms
of music. Hence we should not judge or exclude any forms of music. Exclusion on the basis on
some ones opinion cannot be justified. Everyone has different tastes in music and no choice of
music should judged or critiqued upon.