Blog post 10:
Last blog of the summer! Hard to believe the program is already coming to an end for this summer.
General thoughts:
This class definitely challenged me to be a better writer. One thing I thought a lot more about was giving proper credit to writers in citations and being more careful not to plagiarize original ideas. I will always remember to try to make my writing more concise, as Strunk and White advised in our reading for the very first blog!
Resources I will use over the next school year (teaching):
1. My annotated bibliography! I'm going to be starting a violin ensemble for the first time (in the past two years of starting a music program at my school, I've put together lessons but not an ensemble component) that will include instruction in jazz. The annotated bibliography was a good way for me to look at the resources that are out there for teaching jazz to string players and consider what would be the best approach for my program.
I'm also going to be starting an Afro-Cuban percussion ensemble at my school, which brings me to more resources I will need...
2. I've already been doing a lot of listening on Naxos and Smithsonian Global Sound to try to familiarize myself with Afro-Cuban genres (samba, bossa nova, salsa, bachata, son, etc), which I have a very limited knowledge about. I will continue to use these great listening sources.
3. I will also need lots of books about teaching Afro-Cuban percussion. I will probably be using the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library a lot. Now that I have knowledge of how to search efficiently, and should be able to find what I need faster!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Blog post 9:
Watt: The part on the quote that might be mis-attributed seemed relevant because I know that many quotes online are wrongly attributed. Also, many photos are posted online with incorrect historical information/ misleading information. The point about the scholar using old texts that were digitized was also interesting: I have found the same experience with finding digital materials to be easier to use. Watt makes an interesting point that students seeing their professors in the library and vice versa allows us to draw parallels between the tasks of research and studying.
The video on Harry Potter was relevant to me because my boyfriend is a sound engineer and does a lot of composing for video, mostly advertisements and documentaries. I thought it was interesting how the composers had to create music that worked for different types of scenes in the game: combat (interactive), cut scenes (linear) and then some other scenes like"the flight to the Burrow" that were also somewhat linear. I could really see how the music enhanced the sense of drama in the game. The contra-bass trombone was especially cool!
Watt: The part on the quote that might be mis-attributed seemed relevant because I know that many quotes online are wrongly attributed. Also, many photos are posted online with incorrect historical information/ misleading information. The point about the scholar using old texts that were digitized was also interesting: I have found the same experience with finding digital materials to be easier to use. Watt makes an interesting point that students seeing their professors in the library and vice versa allows us to draw parallels between the tasks of research and studying.
The video on Harry Potter was relevant to me because my boyfriend is a sound engineer and does a lot of composing for video, mostly advertisements and documentaries. I thought it was interesting how the composers had to create music that worked for different types of scenes in the game: combat (interactive), cut scenes (linear) and then some other scenes like"the flight to the Burrow" that were also somewhat linear. I could really see how the music enhanced the sense of drama in the game. The contra-bass trombone was especially cool!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Blog 8
The Sampsel plagiarism entry was helpful to me because it provided some examples of how to refer to an author's original ideas without plagiarizing.
The On the Media clip brought up some interesting points. In this day and age, should remixing be considered on the same creative level as creating? I thought that Goldsmith's assignment to rip off a paper from an online paper mill and have to present it as your own was a good idea, because using internet sources and "owning" the material is a skill that we as scholars need to have. (However, we would cite our sources...)
I enjoyed the poem featured at the end of the segment because it borrowed rhythms and themes from everyday life, just as a hip-hop artist samples tracks and weaves them into a whole.
The Sampsel plagiarism entry was helpful to me because it provided some examples of how to refer to an author's original ideas without plagiarizing.
The On the Media clip brought up some interesting points. In this day and age, should remixing be considered on the same creative level as creating? I thought that Goldsmith's assignment to rip off a paper from an online paper mill and have to present it as your own was a good idea, because using internet sources and "owning" the material is a skill that we as scholars need to have. (However, we would cite our sources...)
I enjoyed the poem featured at the end of the segment because it borrowed rhythms and themes from everyday life, just as a hip-hop artist samples tracks and weaves them into a whole.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Blog 8
I found the entry on analysis interesting because I have never thought about how many different types of musical analysis there are. Also, as part of the History comps, I read about ETA Hoffmann's essay on Beethoven's Fifth, so it was neat to see that in there.
In the piece on criticism, the end of the second paragraph "Nevertheless Hanslick is still highly readable" made me want to read something by Hanslick, and see if I think it's readable!
Gioia makes an interesting point that many music reviews don't actually say much about the music. I always find it frustrating to read pop music reviews because I find it hard to get any idea of what the music actually sounds like. It seems like our culture is obsessed with appearance and gossip about recording artists, rather than caring about them primarily as musicians.
Seitz: I don't know if I usually read film reviews with the thinking about whether the critic is writing about the filmmaking or other aspects. I will definitely consider it the next time I read a film review.
I found the entry on analysis interesting because I have never thought about how many different types of musical analysis there are. Also, as part of the History comps, I read about ETA Hoffmann's essay on Beethoven's Fifth, so it was neat to see that in there.
In the piece on criticism, the end of the second paragraph "Nevertheless Hanslick is still highly readable" made me want to read something by Hanslick, and see if I think it's readable!
Gioia makes an interesting point that many music reviews don't actually say much about the music. I always find it frustrating to read pop music reviews because I find it hard to get any idea of what the music actually sounds like. It seems like our culture is obsessed with appearance and gossip about recording artists, rather than caring about them primarily as musicians.
Seitz: I don't know if I usually read film reviews with the thinking about whether the critic is writing about the filmmaking or other aspects. I will definitely consider it the next time I read a film review.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Blog 6: July 24
Seife: I found ithilarious that "bacon enthusiast" as part of a Twitter bio could be a good indicator if a profile is fake or not. But it makes sense that someone would set up a computer program to include things like bacon and alcohol, which are undeniably popular.
The other funny aspect of reading this article was that I read an article online 10 minutes before starting blog reading for Bib that was about how a lot of the profiles on the dating site Tinder are actually bots.
I enjoyed the radio clip because I like listening to Science Friday. Seife had a good point that nowadays, anyone can publish their own books, whereas in the past, publishing was a barrier to dissemination. Also, the term "sock puppet" seems useful to describe a fake commenter.
As a regular user of IMSLP, the most important thing for me to remember is that the editions available are not the most recent or the most scholarly editions. It is worth going to the library and looking at a newer edition to compare it with whatever is available on IMSLP. Also, the search features can be hard to use, so as the author suggested, it's best to just go to the composer page.
Seife: I found ithilarious that "bacon enthusiast" as part of a Twitter bio could be a good indicator if a profile is fake or not. But it makes sense that someone would set up a computer program to include things like bacon and alcohol, which are undeniably popular.
The other funny aspect of reading this article was that I read an article online 10 minutes before starting blog reading for Bib that was about how a lot of the profiles on the dating site Tinder are actually bots.
I enjoyed the radio clip because I like listening to Science Friday. Seife had a good point that nowadays, anyone can publish their own books, whereas in the past, publishing was a barrier to dissemination. Also, the term "sock puppet" seems useful to describe a fake commenter.
As a regular user of IMSLP, the most important thing for me to remember is that the editions available are not the most recent or the most scholarly editions. It is worth going to the library and looking at a newer edition to compare it with whatever is available on IMSLP. Also, the search features can be hard to use, so as the author suggested, it's best to just go to the composer page.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Blog 5: July 21, 2014
Observations:
I have never used Grove before, and based on this interaction with it, really like it. It’s helpful to have definitions for a word like “autograph” from a musical perspective, instead of having a general definition of the word and inferring what it means in a musical context.
Some insights:
— Looking at an author’s holographs to see how working as a scribe affected his compositional style seems like an interesting way to study a composer.
— I was surprised to learn that Beethoven’s sketches excited interest during his lifetime.
Notes about the Declaration of Independence article:
This is an interesting point, considering how often the “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” line is quoted and brought up. What if the founders did really mean that all of those rights were constrained within governmental powers?
In response to the question:
This is a question I have given some thought to, since as a violinist, I have studied some older works, such as the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. The Bach solo works certainly have been recorded in many different styles. I believe that both historical and modern performance practice can have value, and enjoy recordings of Bach in both styles. To me, an interpretation should be judged “good” if the violinist has looked carefully at the score and tried to bring it to life, no matter if the performer chose to perform it using modern styles of playing or older ones. I certainly enjoy looking at the facsimile of Bach’s solo violin works (there is one facsimile that is widely published) and trying to mine the secrets in the notation.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Blog post 4:
Enserink:
It definitely seems like the academic community needs to do more to crack down on shady publishing companies. I found it interesting that the degree of transparency on the journal's website about audience, scope, mission, etc was directly correlated to how legitimate that journal was.
Colquhoun:
The quote that Colquhoun referenced that researchers were pressured to publish 3 papers a year at one academic institution was pretty astounding to me. How would academia change if department heads told professors, "publish when something really important comes up in your research"? Colquhoun also brought up the phenomenon that popular periodicals can latch onto one isolated study (like the acupuncture study) regardless of whether that study is valid or reproducible.
Goldacre: I found it disturbing that pharmaceutical companies can find ways to distort the trial process itself , such as comparing the correct dosage of a new drug to a higher dosage of the old drug, then claiming that the new drug has fewer side effects. It was also surprising that a study as flawed as the fish-oil study (no control group!) could capture as much media attention as it did. Perhaps there isn't enough pressure on science reporters to carefully read the research before they make a claim about it.
After reading these and the last few articles (plus video), it's clear that authors in particular must be very careful in where they choose to publish. They need to consult Beall's list before submitting a paper to a lesser-known journal. As researchers, we have to not take everything at face value, and carefully sift through data.
Enserink:
It definitely seems like the academic community needs to do more to crack down on shady publishing companies. I found it interesting that the degree of transparency on the journal's website about audience, scope, mission, etc was directly correlated to how legitimate that journal was.
Colquhoun:
The quote that Colquhoun referenced that researchers were pressured to publish 3 papers a year at one academic institution was pretty astounding to me. How would academia change if department heads told professors, "publish when something really important comes up in your research"? Colquhoun also brought up the phenomenon that popular periodicals can latch onto one isolated study (like the acupuncture study) regardless of whether that study is valid or reproducible.
Goldacre: I found it disturbing that pharmaceutical companies can find ways to distort the trial process itself , such as comparing the correct dosage of a new drug to a higher dosage of the old drug, then claiming that the new drug has fewer side effects. It was also surprising that a study as flawed as the fish-oil study (no control group!) could capture as much media attention as it did. Perhaps there isn't enough pressure on science reporters to carefully read the research before they make a claim about it.
After reading these and the last few articles (plus video), it's clear that authors in particular must be very careful in where they choose to publish. They need to consult Beall's list before submitting a paper to a lesser-known journal. As researchers, we have to not take everything at face value, and carefully sift through data.
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