"Uninvited"

One of Alanis Morissette's title songs is "Uninvited." It's a strange, eerie piece. She is telling someone that he is uninvited. My show choir performed this song last year, but I think her version is much more cool. First of all, I really enjoy the tune of the song. I could sing it all day. Of course, it sounds very odd when the soloist is not a female voice. Nonetheless, the song is very unique and appeals to the thinker. I also really like how the song is almost like a poem with music. Using lots of simile and metaphor, the words make you think. For example, "Must be strangely exciting to watch the stoic squirm." What does this mean? In context of the song, I think it means that it must be thrilling for her lover to watch her surrender and struggle against his love. In my mind, the song is about a struggle. The singer is trying to escape the love of someone. In this phrase, she was the stoic and the man took pleasure in making her struggle
She is telling the man that he is "uninvited" to her. He's not allowed to love her. And it's unfortunate that this had to happen. She loved him and was attracted to him- like any hot-blooded woman she's wanted an object to crave.

I really like the orchestral part of this song as well. It's almost poetic by itself. It's very strong, and it is nearly all minor until the very last chord when she begins to sing again. Also, the song is based off of the simple four note repetition first heard at the very beginning of the song.

Alanis Morissette promotes another discussion all by herself. Now I'm not a big Alanis Morissette fan, but in this song she does a great job. She gets the audience to feel her innocence and desires. Her body language and her voice inflection both promote her vulnerability and weakness to love. I do not think that what she does in this song with her voice and her body would be acceptable for any other song. "Uninvited" calls for a profound harshness, but it also calls for softness. It is about a contradiction of feelings, and I really like it.

A Tribute to Tom Jones

One of Tom Jones' best songs is "She's a Lady." It's not only catchy, but the lyrics I think are also very creative and true. Tom Jones is talking about how this girl of his is a "lady." She's the kind of woman that all guys want. You can take her out for a fancy dinner and yet you can love her at the same time. She's not prude, but proud. She's a natural beauty.



Tom Jones has one of those voices that seems like every note is effortless. When you listen to him sing and then try to sing the notes yourself, you find that the notes are way higher, or are held out to long, or something. Tom Jones voice is like a baritone in a tenor range. He's a great singer, and will be remembered for many great songs.

Not only does he perform upbeat songs, but many of his songs are pop ballads. One song is called "I Who Have Nothing." The song is about pure love- and he's saying that this guy who seems to have everything does not have the love that he does.



When Tom Jones sings, it seems like every note is his last one. Every note is given appropriate emphasis, and he often graces over notes with such ease and fluidity. The only thing that I wish was different about Tom Jones is his range. You see, I am a baritone myself, and it is really frustrating when I can't sing along with Tom Jones. His songs are so great and captivating that I just want to sing along. Unfortunately, I often have to drop the octave and it doesn't sound very good at all. As much as I enjoy being a baritone, I would appreciate becoming a tenor for the soul purpose of being able to sing along with Tom Jones.

The Power of Music II

Although music has a strong effect on a single person, music has a different purpose when many people are making it or listening to it. This weekend, my school is putting on A Chorus Line, and I am a part of the cast. The cast is very talented, and I am very glad to be a part of such a wonderful group. Last night, we were all talking about this together in a circle during rehearsal. We all focused on one person, and we raised our hands to talk about that one person. Well it finally got to Paige Hauer. She is a senior, and when she was a sophomore she became very close friends with my brother through the spring musical, and subsequently I got to know her as well. We are pretty good friends today- after co-starring in the fall musical, participating in two speech team events together, performing in show choir together for two years, and being in A Chorus Line together. Through all of the work that she has done with me, she has really changed me and bettered me as a person. She has a lot of street smarts, and she often has the solution to everyday situations which I may be troubled with. I think I've learned a lot from her. Music has truly made this friendship possible. If I hadn't gotten involved with theatre or show choir at Kennedy, I would've had no way of knowing her, and I feel that I would've been a much different person.

Anyways, so I started to talk about her during the circle time, and what I said is paraphrased above. After saying I began to cry. Not only did I cry, but I couldn't stop crying for about five minutes. Well, by that time I was laughing and crying because I couldn't believe I was crying. I mean, I can't remember the last time I cried, so when it happened I just thought it was so pitiful or something. I couldn't believe I was so emotional, and I guess I just started chuckling. Before that moment, I didn't think that I would cry over another person (except if something really tragic happened), but not having some friends around next year isn't considered tragic by most people. I felt so sad though, unbearably sad. The only time that I had ever gotten that emotional over leaving my friends was when I was in fifth grade at the end of The Music Man. I remember that day so very clearly. The last show was over and we all got out of costume. We all hugged each other in the lobby-like area backstage, and I began to cry as I gave a hug to Tara Jeanne Vallee. Besides the funeral of Papa and hearing the news of Bubbie's death, it was the saddest day of my life. Everything was coming to an end. I think I've always had a fear of things coming to an end. Perhaps that's part of the music and theatre business.

You see, performing in a show is great, and it makes me feel very happy. However, every show comes to an end. I don't remember specifically, but I think that subconsciously I am afraid of endings for this purpose. I think somewhere in my childhood I became very good friends with people and then I never spoke to them again. I know that's what happened with The Music Man, but it also happened with Tommy, the Paramount's Follies, The Sound of Music, Cinderella, Seussical, and many other shows that I've been in. It's sad to think that many of the relationships you make in a show are erased the day the show ends. I think that this loss is a big part of who I am. I am not a guy who has a best friend, I just have a lot of good and okay friends (I've also never had a girlfriend). I think there may be a part of me that is afraid of the former kind of friendship, because I am afraid that it will end and I'll never talk to that person again. No worries though, I'm happy with what I've got.

I guess I have gone off on a tangent, but not really. You see, I am changed as a person as a result of the power of music. In my first post on the Power of Music, I talked about how great music can change a person. But more fully, music has the potential to unite people, move people, change people. Music has shaped my life, and I cannot think about what my life would be like without it.

The Seven Daughters of Eve- Read It!

I am really interested in biology and genetics, so recently I've read a book about the connection between all humans. It's titled the Seven Daughters of Eve, and it's written by Bryan Sykes. It's a compelling book discussing the genetic relationships between all human beings. The main point of the book is to prove that every single person that is living or has lived can trace their family history back to one of seven women, the “seven daughters of Eve.” Bryan Sykes proves this idea throughout the book, but lays foundation in the beginning chapters. Bryan Sykes is a professor of genetics at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, and has made paramount discoveries concerning the identification of ancient anthropological DNA and the properties of mitochondrial DNA that link us all together. Of course, Sykes made his conclusions with the help of former biologists and geneticists.

The book lays a stable base for Sykes’ theory, and he begins by explaining DNA. He explains its purpose in living things, and tells us that DNA codes for proteins, which essentially provide everything in the organism. He then explains how just by changing the sequence of the bases (A, T, G, and C) does the DNA code for a different protein.

In the next chapter, Sykes describes how several individuals within the same population are actually more related to people within another population. Regarding this, he displays two evolutionary trees. Evolutionary trees are representations of how different peoples are connected through common ancestors and when these common ancestors lived. These particular trees were created by comparing and contrasting several genes found in the DNA of the groups or individuals. A man named Anthony Edwards made the first in 1965, and Allan Wilson, Rebecca Cann, and Mark Stoneking made the second in 1987. The former provides a connection of populations in different regions. However, it fails to realize, as Sykes said, that when groups separate from their last common ancestor that they still interact with each other. The second evolutionary tree shows individual people instead of groups. This diagram also shows that even though somebody is European, for example, he or she may be more related to an African rather than a European.

The next chapter describes the function of mitochondrial DNA. It tells us that the mitochondrial DNA in a person is only their mother’s mitochondrial DNA, and that person has none of his or her father’s mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA also provides a section called the control region that is not prone to many mutations. Thus, crosschecking mitochondrial DNA with others can identify a genetic relation or not. The book goes on to talk about Sykes’ techniques into copying the DNA of ancient organisms, and Sykes uses this knowledge to unlock the mystery of the Romanov family (the last imperial family of Russia) murder. Lastly, Sykes tells us about his trip to Rarotonga, an island in the Pacific Ocean. Immediately upon arrival, he wonders how the original Polynesians arrived there: from the Americas or Southeast Asia? He collected mitochondrial DNA samples from the hospital there and returned to Oxford. There, he found three different variants among the DNA, and the odd one out interestingly matched the sequence of an odd Hawaiian mitochondrial DNA sequence. Sykes has yet to find out the importance of this odd match.

The Seven Daughters of Eve is probably the best nonfiction book I’ve ever read. It gives a clear knowledge of genetics, and it teaches me knowledge about DNA in an interesting manor. The book also reinforces my knowledge of DNA already taught to me in school. In fact, many of the ideas in the book have already been taught to me in school, such as mitochondrial DNA’s origins and the structure-function relation in DNA.

Perhaps most interesting about this book is the fact that every single person on this earth is definitely related to either Helena, Jasmine, Katrine, Tara, Ursula, Velda, or Xenia. It’s odd for me to think that I may have a great, great, great, … great grandmother’s great, great, great…great grandson may be my “unrelated” neighbor. This knowledge affects all of us. It connects us all to each other, and it gives us a sense of identity in a way. This book also affects society and scientific society. It tells us that we all originated in Europe-Eurasia 150,000 years ago. The book also provides migrations of all of these people. Thus, a person in any place can understand how they are there and why.

However, the book has not gone into great detail about this information, and has focused more on the discovery of DNA and its purpose. Discovering DNA and using mitochondrial DNA is important to everyone. One example is its use in the Romanov family’s death. The last of the Russian tsar’s family was killed in their cellar and then taken to a pit on the outskirts of Ekaterinburg and buried. However, when the bones were recovered in 1991, only nine out of the eleven bodies were found. It was impossible to decipher by look to see who they were, so biologists were called to the scene to run tests. It was proven that five out of the four were related by using forensic fingerprints and nuclear DNA. However, mitochondrial DNA was used to make sure that the family was really the Romanovs. After meticulous investigation, they proved to be the Russian family. In the future, mitochondrial DNA may be used to identify relationships between people and ancient peoples, including those who go back thousands of years. Mitochondrial DNA may also help understand the history of long-lost people by comparing their mitochondrial DNA with the seven daughters of Eve.

As a conclusion, The Seven Daughters of Eve is a well-based theory concerning the origins of humans, which should be relevant to all. Having the ability to examine a tiny piece of mitochondrial DNA and then finding everything out about that individual is astonishing. If we can use this information it will advance our understanding about our individual history, and thus better our knowledge of humans as a whole.

China: the Pollution Problem

Upon doing research for my trip to China, I encountered arguments that were against the Olympics occurring in Beijing. I am planning on going to Beijing while I'm in China, and hopefully we'll get to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. But I don't think we'll get to go inside them.

Perhaps one of the strongest points to argue against the Olympics in Beijing is the air pollution. Some believe that the athletes should’ve been concerned, but many others just proclaim that it was fog. Some athletes, in fact, had visited neighboring countries, such as South Korea and Japan, prior to the games to avoid Beijing’s poor air conditions for as long as they could. Although these are extreme cases, they are cautious cases.

In any case, two weeks prior to the opening ceremony in Beijing there was a shroud of smog covering the city, which made athletes and coaches very worried. Some environmentalists from Beijing based this off of the lack of air to blow away the pollution from the city, but the more logical reason, brought up by scientists from Greenpeace, is that the pollution is a combination of poor living methods. There are 3.3 million cars in Beijing, and all of these cars partake in the air pollution. So to fix the air pollution, the government took drastic measures, which included pulling half of the cars off the roads, closing down factories around the city that emitted toxic gases and smog, and stopping most construction.

The air pollution is a great problem to this day. It’s polluting the skies in a gray haze. The types of air pollution include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen monoxide, and carbon dioxide. However, although these toxins were in Beijing’s skies, the Olympic board did not say that the Beijing Olympics contributed to the toxins at all as a result of the Olympics using a great deal of solar energy. In the end, the air pollution problem did not stop a great Olympic event that will go down in history books, but on the other hand, anti-pollution encouragements need to be established.

Chinese History- The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Since I'm going to China this summer, I've been doing a lot of research about China and it's history. One thing that I encountered was the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Not many people know about it, but it's one of the most important events in Chinese history. Still, there is an uncertainty of why it happened.

The Cultural Revolution occurred from 1966 to 1976, and occurred mainly because Mao Zedong wanted to show everyone that he was the all-powerful leader. To do this, Mao repressed people who he thought rejected him and his ideas, and he killed innumerable amounts of innocent people who he thought to be a threat. One of Mao’s theories is that a privileged class had risen in China, and these consisted of educated people. Mao thought that the working class, the proletariat, should have some power and should control society. Thus, Mao told his followers to start brutally murdering and injuring teachers, scientists, economists, and other educated people. Mao wanted to create a classless society, a society in which no class had more benefits than another.

After Mao declared his desire, two main groups were organized. The first was the Red Guard, which consisted of a bunch of students and youths who fought against educated people, often killing their own teachers. By doing this, it often sparked a cascade of wrath in which people started killing others for no good reason. Although the main function of the Red Guards was to teach people about Mao’s ideas, they became especially brutal to those who opposed Mao. Those students who opposed Mao in the end were not educated and China lost much of educated people through the Cultural Revolution.

One story during the Cultural Revolution deals with a little boy, and he describes China as turning from “black to white.” He said everything became chaotic. His father was sent away to the countryside to work, and the boy had to fend for himself. He explained that he grew up quite quickly because he had to understand what was going on to survive. However, stories of Chinese people during this time aren’t very numerous because the Chinese government does not encourage talk about this time period. Many Chinese do not want to remember.

Alegria- Cirque du Soleil

Some of the most powerful music can be found in the many shows of Cirque du Soleil. The music is modern, but has an ancient feel. It's some of my favorite music, and I know that its extraordinary feel adds a great deal to each show. My favorite of the Cirque du Soleil songs is the theme from Alegria.

Without Music

Yesterday at my voice lesson, my teacher told me about how he couldn't sing for a year and a half as a result of an operation he had on his throat or something. He loves to sing, and his whole career is based off of it (teaching voice lessons is a side job to his composing). He said that a part of him was gone when he couldn't sing. He also didn't know if he would ever sing again(and he did in the end), but it just got me thinking. What if I couldn't make music? What if I couldn't sing or play the piano? I would be a completely different person. I love music, and I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't a part of it. I would simply be devastating.

For example, when I'm at my home or in my car (and I'm there alone or with my family) all I do is sing. I sing choir songs, songs from the musical, songs from the radio, or any other song that pops into my head. I can't help but sing, and I know that must get annoying to my parents who are constantly in the presence of the singing. I really don't know what I'm going to do in college. I know I must not sing as much to keep my roommate sane, but I hope I can make it without singing as much.

Also, when I'm home I like to play on the piano and write music. Sometimes the music doesn't sound so good, but once again my parents tolerate it. Sometimes the music is very beautifully, and I am really proud of it- that's what really makes me want to play. I want to make beautiful music that can change people. Most of the time you don't succeed, but when you do it's really something special. It's a great feeling to know that what you've created has changed someone's life.

I couldn't imagine going through life without this feeling. I couldn't imagine going throughout life without a purpose. To me, music is a reason to live. It's not the only thing thatmakes life good, but it definitely makes life better. Although I do not plan on singing professionally ever, I want to make music that would inspire people. I want to change people not only through my future career, but also through music. It's such a powerful device, and I know I'd be a wreck without it.

Vocal Technique (I need some)

"Singing is a game of opposites," says my voice teacher Rob Nassif. You need energy, but your body needs to be relaxed. Your stomach muscles shoud not flex, except when you are in second gear. Second gear is just like a different tessatura than your regular voice, and although the listener doesn't hear a difference, the singer feels a whole lot different in second gear.

One thing that makes a voice wonderful is the vibrato. Somehow, it keeps the tone up and hleps the singer commit to a longer phrase. Vibrato is an essential key to ligit singing. Another essential tool is having both the quack and the yawn. The "quack" in a voice is how "pingy" the voice is, while the yawn adds a dullness to the voice. The perfect combination not only sets up the singer for a good tone, but also prepares the singer for a better closure of the vocal chords. It also makes way for a more present vibrato, while helping breath control.

When a person is singing, their vocal chords are supposed to be all touching. Thus, when a person sings, the breath trying to exit creates a pressure chamber because it can't exit that easily as a result of the closed vocal chords. This pressure lets the singer do innumerable things with their voice in range, as well as with the difficulty of the music and dynamics. Singing is truly a game of opposites. You must have your body relaxed, but yet there must be pressure and energy inside. You must have ping in your voice, but you must also have dullness. The list goes on and on.

Even though I understand all of this, I cannot do it, unfortunately. It's easier to say all of those things than actually do them. I only wish that someday I could implement all of these techniques for singing better. Right now, I need to work on my vibrato and my body tension mainly. Once I have my vibrato and body relaxation, I believe that I will produce a much better sound.

"Just As I Am"

I was first introduced to this song when Happiness Inc. (the show choir) performed it in the 2006 season. It was beautifully done, with an especially talented soloist. I then wanted to hear how it was originally sang so I went to Youtube and looked it up. The version that caught my attention the most was David Phelps version. It is simply unbelievable. This guy has one of the largest ranges I've ever heard, and every note (the high ones and the low ones) seem effortless. Also, Phelps seems to put so much heart into this song (I imagine he does with every song). To me this song is about acceptance. It's about wanting to be a part of someone else's world, and not having to change your true feelings for something or someone else. It's about "reaching out" and wanting to be loved.

Reading the comments from YouTube I found out that David Phelps is a Christian rock artist. Therefore, the song seems like it originally meant that he was asking acceptance with God or Jesus. This makes sense, however, I think for many it can be seen as a love song (moreover, a song between two people). That's how I view it, and it makes a much better connection.

I hope you take a look at this video, and I hope that through the sensational music it brings inspiration into your own life.

Little Shop of Horrors

The musical "Little Shop of Horrors" centers around a young man named Seymour who works at a flower shop in the poor part of the city. Seymour has found a very strange and interesting plant, and soon after Seymour and the shop start to become very prosperous. Seymour also has a crush on his coworker, Audrey, but she has a boyfriend- one of those boyfriends that beats up their girl and keeps her within his grasp. As Seymour becomes more and more famous, he also gets more attention from Audrey. However, there's a catch. The plant (named Audrey II) grows on blood and only blood, and as the plant grows it begins talk. Having a creative mind, Audrey II encourages Seymour to kill Audrey's boyfriend and feed the body to him, thus giving Audrey more happiness and making the plant grow even bigger. Seymour goes through with it.

In the second act, Audrey falls in love with Seymour through the song "Suddenly Seymour." Here is a video of it performed by my high school's production.



I think it's a pretty great song- definitely the most popular one from the show. From here on out the show culminates into a fight between love and money, and sacrifices from every character.