♫ The Power of M u s i c ♫

Final Project

2009-03-13T19:16:00.001-05:00

Ribbit

2009-03-10T22:06:00.004-05:00

Bring on the frogs! Max, Rena, Mimi and Natalie at the Boston Museum of Science for a day of fun!

Day Two!

2009-03-10T21:40:00.006-05:00

Day two started out serendipitously. What we mean is that while we were planning on looking for protest song sources out and about in the city of Boston, we ended up finding them literally right outside the hotel! Two men were standing on the corner of Sidney Street wearing sandwich boards. In big, bold letters they stated their cause: Complete Property Services DOES NOT CONFORM TO COMMUNITY STANDARDS. Here was the moment and opportunity of the serendipity.

We were planning on going to the Old State House to look at the exhibit on the Boston Massacre, to immerse ourselves in the event, the passions, and the poetry and music that came out of that. But here was history right in front of us. What if, instead, we were to totally empathize and understand what these guys out front thought was worthy of protesting? With the knowledge about the essence of protest music, a new understanding of lyrics and metaphors, and a new insight on a protest-worthy cause, we thought we could pull off writing an original protest song.

Listen to snippets of the interview with Mark and Joe here: (to be uploaded)

But a little more inspiration couldn’t hurt, right?

Which is where Mimi suggested the group could trek over to the Boston Museum of Science to see the new exhibit, “A Chorus of Color,” an exhibit of frogs from around the world. What do frogs have to do with our song? Think metaphorically. The frogs, helplessly trapped in an exhibit behind glass walls...the workers, trapped in joblessness behind the seemingly inpenetrable yet transparent walls of globalism?

Open Mic Night

2009-03-10T21:38:00.006-05:00

The little performin' corner.

Who: Rena and Natalie

What: Open Mic Night

Where: Dick's Last Resort Restaurant, Quincy Market

When: 7:30 pm

Why: To test the perspective on our topic, "It takes courage to perform a protest song." And for fun!

Monday afternoon

2009-03-10T21:24:00.003-05:00

After wolfing down a Burger King food court lunch in the UMass student center, we headed for our afternoon appointment across town.

Who: Assistant Songwriting Professor Mark Simos and students
Where: Berklee College of Music
When: Day 1, Monday March 9, 3:30 pm
What: Sitting in on a lyric-writing class
Why: To learn the elements of what makes a song meaningful; and what’s being taught to kids these days

Our next stop was to sit in on a lyric-writing class at Berklee College of Music. We came in at the tail end of the class, with just thirty minutes left of the two hours, but nevertheless it was extremely interesting. The classroom was small, and filled with about ten students plus Mark’s sister, a feminist songwriter and activist. They were all sharing their recent songwriting projects – their assignment? Metaphors. How convenient! We hit the tail end of the show-and-tell session, but we at least got to hear, see, and discuss two sets of student lyrics, plus the song "Seed" by the teacher. They had such innovative uses of metaphor (our favorite being “you’re not a pocket watch and I’m not a ballpoint pen”), and after each song, students would give their opinion. The atmosphere was very friendly; the fact that everyone was taking a step out of their line of artistic comfort and receiving constructive criticism was a good insight to what goes on at a music school. We shared some of our opinions on some lyrics as well, and our input was well-received and discussed. Overall, we all enjoyed the snippet of the lyric-writing class the best – we were part of the college scene!

After a microscopic break at the hotel, we went for dinner at Dick’s Last Resort Restaurant in Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall for an “open mic” performance. Although it was not particularly well set up or organized, Rena and Natalie played three songs for the restaurant, while Max and Mimi watched, listened, recorded, and took photos. After all was said and sung, we headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest and an end to day one.

Monday morning, kind of

2009-03-10T20:08:00.007-05:00

Who: Dick Pleasants and Dave Palmater of WUMB Radio Station
Where: UMass Boston
When: Day 1, 12:55 pm
What: Tour of radio station and interview the announcer/hosts
Why: To learn about the evolution of protest music from some real sources

Today the snow and rain started our trip to Boston out on a one-hour delay, and we arrived…after a three hour ride. Our noon appointment at the radio station was only delayed one hour, though, after the four of us and Ms. Shepp scrambled to drop things at the hotel and then ride the underground and shuttle bus to UMass.

So for our music protest first adventure we got to chat with Dick and Dave about the history and essence of protest music. We were greeted by the station’s general manager Pat Monteith. To say the least, we learned a lot; the fact that Dick and Dave disagreed on just about anything made everything a bit more animated. The session started at 12:55 and we got out at about 2, with our brains full of knowledge about protest music. Their forte was definitely folk music, which started it all. There were records and records of old folk music, and beyond that, countless tapes. It was kind of mind-boggling to be behind the scenes of a media source you never get to see to begin with.

Dick and Dave had the typical radio-guy voices. It was kind of funny.

Our questions ranged from specific topic to topic, and gradually we moved our way through the protest music timeline. Technically, protest music has been around for a long, long time – since the 1600s. But we didn’t go back that far… We started around the 1960s, where protests of the Vietnam war movement melded into the popular music of the 60s. Folk music was pretty much the only genre that portrayed protests. As time went on, however, protests made their way to punk music, which was the new folk (as ironic as it sounds). Think about it – Folk music was generally left-wing and stood for a cause: punk music was angry, energetic, and left-wing as well. With punk in the 70s there was a new scene in the music media…no longer was the older generation speaking out. Now the young people were getting into protesting too, even if the rock riffs were centered around how awful parents are…!

The next truly folk form since punk music is rap, as it appeared in the 1980s, not in its current gangsta format. WUMB had interviewed author Tricia Rose, about the true origins of rap, and generously gave us a cd of that interview.

We asked Dave and Dick what makes protest music protest music – is it raising an issue, or raising an issue with an opinion? Dick said that, unquestionably, it had to present an opinion. Dave, on the other hand, said that raising an issue to people's awareness can be just as effective.

We also asked the two what makes a protest song powerful – is it being blunt and to the point, or with fleshy metaphors? Our answer was this: most of the time, protest music will be to the point; metaphors can be too difficult to decipher, especially if there is a cause that should be held up for immediate attention. However…! Metaphors can be extremely powerful and impressive because of their difficulty to write, and expand upon for a good songful three minutes. As rare as they are, songs based in metaphor can be just as powerful, if not more, than a to-the-point protest song about a specific time, place or (dreadful) president. So they’re rarer but have the staying power.

We parted ways after shaking hands, and Pat Monteith came back into the room and gave us each cds they published, containing songs written by WUMB listeners /songwriters for a contest the station held; the contest was centered around creating songs to express the book To Kill a Mockingbird, which is the book of “Big Read: Boston” program (www.wumb.org/thebigread). With new music and new information with us, we headed to our next adventure.

(Check out the WUMB radio station website www.wumb.org!)

Ohio

2009-03-06T13:23:00.002-05:00

One of our learning blocks will compare the poetry and music that came out of the Boston Massacre with the song Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The Night James Brown Saved Boston

2009-03-04T13:34:00.002-05:00

Music has power not only to cause change but also to prevent it. In this PBS documentary called 'The Night James Brown Saved Boston' singer James Brown has a choice - to give a concert shortly after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or not. His choice, his music and his words ultimately may have prevented violent riots in the city of Boston.

The Power of Music Can Help Save the World.

2009-02-16T14:27:00.007-05:00

I really do believe in the power of music to save the world. I've felt it saving my own life many times. I was listening to an NPR show last Friday - Radio Lab it's called, and the particular topic for the day was how music affects us. Turns out music is perceived both as auditory input and tactile. I'd thought this to be true before, remembering how, when I was a little kid watching a parade go by, the sound of the bass drums being hit was something I could feel as a force against my chest. The vibrating airwaves enter our ears and stimulate a cellular electric charge which causes an amount of the brain chemical dopamine to be released causing the emotional response. When the music is consonant (harmonically even) the dopamine released is in an amount to cause feelings of pleasure, but when dissonant (harmonically uneven) more dopamine is released which causes feelings of displeasure, confusion, even anger in some cases.

Check out some of the protest songs on the virtual ipod. If you can't catch all the lyrics, try googling for them- they're worth hearing.

Final Group Project

2008-01-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Here is the final group project from the group that asked the question, "Can a song save the world?" To find out more about the Junior Urban Adventure visit the portal blog for the project.

| View | Upload your own

Sunday Night Assignment

2007-12-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

Please write responses to the following two prompts. Your response to each prompt should be a minimum of two paragraphs.

1. What is your driving question? What leads to your interest in that question (this could include life experiences, things you have read about, observations you have made in the world, or other things)? What questions do you plan to ask the people we interview to help you answer your driving question? How do you think your driving question helps our group to answer our larger question?

2. Before we go to Boston, please reflect on your personal answer to our big question: Can a song save the world? What do you think? If yes, then how? If no, then why not? How have your own experiences with music impacted your answer?

**Please respond to these questions through the comment section. Your "nickname" should be your first name and last initial. Remember that you are publishing your work to an open forum. Read over your responses before you post!

Welcome, all!

2007-11-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

Can a song save the world? Many artists have used their work to bring attention to issues of social justice. Just think about Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Ani Difranco. All have used their music to shed light on major problems that they perceived in the world around them. Peace. Racial equality. Poverty.

This year, the JUA group will use their time in Boston to create a piece of art that they hope will help save the world, or at least make it a little better. Boston is a great place to do research and seek out inspiration. What can you do to make the world a better place? Keep checking in with this blog to see what NHS students/artists are creating to do their part.

Travis's essay

2007-01-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

Are Artists Born With Talent, Or Do They Develop It

Travis 12/20/06

My question is: are artists born with talent, or do they develop it? I think this is a very good, but hard question. In fact, I think it is even un-answerable.

When we were in Boston, we went to two museums. One of which was a museum of modern art, and one had things like old paintings, mummies, Chinese art, and Egyptian art. Looking at this was fun, but didn’t get my any closer to answering my un-answerable question, because we were just seeing the work of already successful people. We also went and saw theaters, and how they were set up and run. The people who did this were obviously talented, or they wouldn’t be where they are now. Once again, this was fun and very interesting, but it didn’t help me answer my question.

The only thing I saw that helped me with my question was when we were walking from place to place. Walking from the hostel that we stayed at, to a museum, or a place to eat food, or whatever we were doing, I saw lots of poor and homeless people playing instruments. Some of them were just funny, but some of them were actually very talented. Although this doesn’t really help me answer my question, it got me thinking. These people have never had any professional music lessons, but yet they are still very talented. These people are more talented than a lot of the famous musicians these days, and that got me thinking that maybe you are born with it.

Many of the famous musicians these days have almost no talent at all, but have had many music lessons. And homeless people are out playing them with a poorly made instrument, which have never had any lessons at all. That’s when I started thinking, that to be famous you don’t need to be talented, as much as know people. If you are rich, or you have famous family members, it is a lot easier to get famous, than if u are an extremely talented homeless person with no connections at all.

I think this was my original opinion. My theory is that you are born with talent, and lessons can help you whether you are born with talent or not, but no matter how many lessons you have, if you born with no talent, you will never be that good.

Zach's essay

2007-01-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Different bands and performers have held benefit concerts over the years to raise money for underprivileged children and adults. What are some other ways that musicians can do to help raise money and awareness in order to better the community?

Performers and bands have held concerts in the past and present to raise money and awareness of young people over the world. In the recent past, there was a concert performed by Aaron Neville, Harry Connick, and Faith Hill, to help raise money for those who lost possessions and loved ones during Hurricane Katrina. But benefit concerts aren’t just for helping with natural disasters. We hold these concerts to raise money for children and adults who are sick. Also for schools who do not have enough money to buy nice things for their academic programs.

Musicians do not always need to have a concert to raise the money they need. Although it is the best way to raise money, there are many other ways in which they can help other people who are in need. Even if it’s playing for pocket money on the side of the street like we did while we were in Boston. If you’re not a musician, like some of the people we talked to, then you can have plays, or other types of shows like that.

Sometimes you have a benefit concert, and it doesn’t go the way you had hoped and planed that it would. Take Michael Jackson’s benefit concert for September 11^th. The line up of performers was supposed to include Aerosmith,, Mick Jagger, and Kiss. Instead, the ticket recipients went to a show to watch other old or played out singers. Some of these other performers included Rickey Martin, and N’Sync. The concert was a huge blowup. However they still raised money for 9/11 because everyone still went. You don’t always need to have a concert to raise money and awareness for a good cause, but it is always a good thing to give back to the community or even the world. Every little step makes a difference.

Amanda's essay

2007-01-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

What can I do as a professional artist to be a better role model for children, and show them a positive point of view?

While traveling in Boston, I saw how easy it truelly is to be pursuaded into the thought that you have to look and act a certain way, even if it is not the best way to gain self confidence or make the decisions that are good for you. I saw this imagery almost everywhere I looked. I noticed many posters that were advertising a variety of items, from alcohol to cosmetics. Each one had a young girl made up beyond belief and the most sylish clothes, acheiving a look that only wealthy person could afford. This could very easily convince a young person that buying a certain product would make them seem like the person they saw in a picture. These images are not benifitial to young adults and teenagers at all.
It could pressure people to smoke ciggarettes, because there are strong pictures showing people using the tobacco products while with friends. But all of the people on the advertisment were very thin, “beautiful” and were in a perfect setting. Children may see those kind of pictures and actually believe that they could achieve a lifestyle like that if they bought the product. It is the same idea when cosmetic companies try to sell thier products. The woman fit the discription of what some people would call perfection.
Actors and actresses are doing close to nothing to help our youth see beyond the glamour and glitter. Musicians still sing and rap about drug use, partying and situations that are not safe. In rock and hip hop music there is a strong message that drug use is exeptable. If you were to turn on a television, what would you see? You would see mostly violence, and see stories about innapropriate situations and things that children would have a hard time separating between the show and reality.
As a professional artist I could change some of these ideas. I could speak to children, as more than just a famous person. I would send a message to people about how important it is to stay true to what matters to yourself the most. Behind the showy and flashy perfect scenes, there are dangers that if you didn’t know better, you would never understand. I would educate people about how easy it is to be sucked into an idea, or a thought. Whether it is girls starving themselves to look like models, kids smoking to look more mature, or walking around with plastered fake smiles to look collected and fit into “the look”, I would tell them unfortunately they were worse off than they ever could have been before.
Who gave the notion that you had to look one way, talk one way, eat certain things, do specific activities, and even when you walk down a street, you must hold complete composure? I want to speak against this, and if people can catch on to a negative pattern so easily just by seeing things, why can’t they act in a more positive way? That is what I want to do, and what I feel needs to be done. That is what I learned on my trip to Boston.

Mike F.'s essay

2007-01-10T15:05:00.000-05:00

My trip to Boston was very well worth it. I also had the experience of
staying in a hostel, which I have never done before. The subway was a
first for me and felt very much like the underground trains at some
airports. Some of the places that I enjoyed the most were Shear
Madness/Blue Man Group theatre and The Wilbur Theatre. All having to do
with some form of entertainment they were all slightly different from one
another located close together. From what we observed, the public had the
choice of going to see a formal theatrical performance at the Wilbur
theatre or a wacky and wild show with the Blue Man Group.
Shear Madness was in a building off of an alley and down in a basement
where there’s a bar and countless small squared tables with a red tabletop
with chairs for seating. The set consisted of a floor that looked like a
checker board, chairs that swiveled and were hydraulic like the ones you
see in a salon or barbershop, sinks to wash hair in, and countless bottles
of shampoo, and hair cutting utensils. The set was very real and had
everything a normal barbershop could ask for. What I liked most about
Shear Madness was that it had a bar and appealed to me as a relaxed and
laid back feeling for the audience. Shear Madness is for those who don’t
like to attend a formal theatre performance held in a theatre such as the
Wilber theatre.
When seeing a performance at the Wilbur theatre you cannot have food or
drink in the theatre and you have to dress casually or formal for shows
held at the Wilbur theatre. Finding entertainment in the Theatre district
in Boston is not hard thanks to the wide range of performances offered.
The Blue Man group has their own set and theatre to perform their shows in
which is very much like Shear Madness but a different style of
entertainment. It is interesting to see how a group like them can stay in
one place and experiment with the set and lights and not have to worry
about renting a theatre or some type of arena to host their shows. At the
Wilbur theatre, an older theatre and not very modern but set up like a lot
of modern theatres today was a constructed uniquely well served for its
purposes as a theatre. What amazed me the most was the amount of lights
the theatre had. If you were to stand in the pit next to the stage and
look back like your looking at the audience but more up almost towards the
ceiling you
would see lights everywhere you looked. The lights ranged from small
lights to large long looking devices securely fastened way above the
audience for use to light various parts of the stage. What’s significant
about these lights in this particular type of theatre is that in a modern
theatre the lights are more hidden and organized in such a way where the
Wilbur theatre’s lights were mostly exposed everywhere.
I also enjoyed visiting the Institute of Contemporary Art of Boston. This
is probably the most extraordinary museum I have ever been to. This museum
appealed to me more probably because of my age group and generation. I
also realized how new this museum was and that this was an experience that
I was lucky to have. What I also liked about the museum is its location.
It seemed to be in a new part of Boston and you could see the Boston Logan
International airport from the museum. It was also located right on water
in a harbor. This setting made it really unique because you can observe
the airplanes, ships, helicopters, and anything else that was going on.
Going to this museum made for quite the experience and just so happened to
be the last thing we did as a group before heading back to the hostel to
board the buses and come back to New Hampton. I was very pleased with the
things I saw and experienced in Boston on the Junior Urban Adventure and
felt that everything that we got to do turned out a lot better tha
n I thought it was going to.

Dash's essay

2007-01-10T15:03:00.000-05:00

Essential Question

Do artists boast about their charity to sell records and make money?

During my trip to Boston on the Junior Urban Adventure one of our plans for the trip was to go to a recording studio and ask these types of questions. The visit to the recording studio, however, fell through leaving to still ponder my essential question. Bands such as U2, give away millions of dollars to fight AIDS and hunger in Africa while artists such as 50 cent give away only mere thousands to promote himself.

Bono the lead singer of U2 has traveled the world talking with leaders of many countries trying to discuss plans to end the AIDS pandemic and world hunger. So instead of using this to boost his popularity, Bono uses his popularity to boost his message around the world and help solve this dilemma. U2 have given away the majority of all money they have ever made for noble and just causes and they should be the role models this generation looks up to.

50 cent on the other hand, decided to donate to a Harlem Boys charity to help promote his new album. At the conference he also had a treaty with rival rapper The Game, to create hype for his new album which was released days later. The conference seemed to have little to do with charity and more to do with an advertisement for his album, which due to this conference sold 1.4 million copies in 4 days. Not to mention the fact that 50 cent donated a very small percent of his overall net worth. I believe he only donated around 500,000 dollars at the most. His net worth is more than 50 million dollars.

The fact of the matter is that it depends on the artist and the event. Events such as Live Aid had bands that ranged from the Dire Straits to Queen to The Who and every band in between. They all played live shows on two different continents. They played in England and America with different bands at each concert and they actually made a dvd of the concerts and even the profits from that went to fighting hunger in Africa. Bob Geldof of the Boomtown rats had put the whole thing together with great success. Success that a few years ago they had another Live Aid except this was called Live 8 and had 8 different concerts around the world, and all these profits went to fighting AIDS and hunger in Africa. So if you were to ask me do artists boast about their charity to sell records, I would say the answer is generally no. However, there are always a few rotten eggs that do it for the money and not about the morality of it. If only more people like Bono and Bob Geldof were there to use their music to help fund their helping the world. The world would be a better place if that were the situation.

Mike H.'s essay

2007-01-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

The arts have been known to “save” people. How then can a modern day performer help bring the arts to those who can not experience them because of money or location? During my experience in Boston we were not able to spend a lot of time finding out the aspects of being a performer. Mainly we visited museums and we did meet with a director but the topic of the arts and charity did not come up. I almost wonder if you can never share you knowledge of the arts with the less fortunate. Everyone will say the will help spread knowledge but most of the time they have an underlying agenda. Of course you do have that one person that will give up everything to share the one thing they love; and is the sacrifice truly worth it. I hope one day when I graduate college the first thing I would like to do would be to help spread the joy of dance. By doing this first I eliminate the thirst for money. That is what the arts are all about; free expression without a price. I know of some organizations started by dancers to help the less fortunate; but they only help them with their necessities. If we could some how have different committees that would help out with the bare necessities, housing and then we could move on to enriching their lives with the art of dance or any other art for that matter. Maybe next year there could be a community service based group or something of the nature. In a perfect world money would not be an issues when it comes to sharing the love of an art. I hope greed will not take over my motive and in turn I will be able to truly share my passion.

Kyle's essay

2007-01-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

What I learned over JUA;

My essential question:

Past performers have taken on second jobs between performances. Today many performers either work on the street or take on a second job between there performances. How is it possible to make a successful living today while acting in a town like Boston?

I found on my trip to Boston with the junior urban adventure that many of the people we see in performances have a second job or work on the street to gain that extra cash. Many amazing performers cannot find jobs and are stuck either working at a restaurant or on the street. A successful living today is hard but possible. Many actors take on the 2^nd job to gain that extra cash. And many work out on the streets. But those who are lucky or skilled enough to get cast in a performance, usually only take on that job. In Boston there are hundreds, maybe more, performers working in restaurants or on the street. Many times these street performers are very skilled. But are not cast in the auditions they go to. The many street performers we passed by on JUA were usually very skilled and very normal people. For instance the man on the guitar in the tram station, he was a very skilled musician and a very normal and even funny guy. Yet he was playing in a tram station to earn his cash for the day. Our group stopped to hear him play for a moment. He was talented, and very entertaining. It is a shame to think that many talented performers such as him are out there everyday, playing and making so little. On our visit to the theatres in Boston, I learned that many theatres put on multiple productions. And many begin casting for future productions long before they will begin rehearsals for them. There are also open auditions which are for many people to audition. In a city like Boston there are thousands of opportunities at a time. While living in Boston many performers in between shows will take on a 2^nd job. As big a place as Boston is, there are still not many opportunities for future performers. Theatres are trying to compensate for the increase in performers at this time. An actor’s pay check hasn’t increased much over the years. But the number of new actors has. Vanessa Redgrave is one of many performers that have made a successful living in acting on stage and off in films. Her acting career has lasted over 47 years and is still continuing as far as I know. She comes from a long line of an acting family. Robert Lewis is also one such actor who has made a successful living. His work in theatre is known well. Robert Lewis was known as a popular lecturer at universities. He was one of many founders of the Actors Studio in New York in 1947. He was very known in the theatre arts area for his works. It is not entirely impossible to make a successful living off of acting in a city such as Boston. But it is something to work towards, and to have and use resources that you have.

Katina's essay

2007-01-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Essential Question:
The media portrays artists as being perfect. How does artists and the people of society effect each other? And how does the media help influence both the artists and people of society?

On the media you hear about performing artist. They always gossip about artists and the problems they have in their lives. Many of these problems come from the effects the artists have on the people of society and how the people of society affect the artists. They make it seem like the problems they have are a huge deal, when in reality most people in society have similar problems. All performing artists are affected in different way, but they all seem to be connected in some ways. For example, they and be worried about their appearance and/or what the people of society think of them. Others are just really self-conscious. I watched a show on TV that was on the Olsen twins. It was talking about how one of the Olsen twins had a really bad eating disorder. She had the disease called anorexia. In the pictures they showed of her she looked like skin and bones and that’s what most people in society would see, but there are also people who think its okay to look like that. They don’t know because they g
rew up looking up to they’re favorite artist, whether it was a musician, dancer, or actor, etc. Performing artist can affect the people in society significantly, especially the youth. When you are young you grow up looking up to your favorite band or your favorite actor. I know that when I was younger my friends and I were inspired by the popular bands. Another thing that can effect and inspire the people society is what artists say in their lyrics. For example, rappers such as Eminem will rap about drugs and it makes people think its cool, especially the youth of society. This causes some fans to get into using drugs. It’s like an encouragement for the fans. Other bands that got into drugs and would tell fans that the drugs inspired them helped influence fans who wanted to be just like them. It would make fans who were trying to make a living and be like them become drug users. A lot of the artists feel that they need to be perfect. Or what the media portrays as perfect. The media also portrays
artists as perfect and the people of society listen to what the media says as well as artist. The society can affect the artists just as much as the artist can affect the society. For example, if there is a lot of talk from the fans saying a specific artist is gaining a lot of weight that can affect the artist and cause them to diet or loose weight other ways. The people of society can also effect the artist positively too. They could be talking about how the artist looks like they are in great shape. What I am trying to say is that people are influenced by other people whether they’re a famous artist or they are ordinary people with everyday jobs.

Alle's essay

2007-01-10T14:58:00.000-05:00

THE BIG

JUA

My JUA topic was the performing arts. I was asked to come up with an accentual question about how the performing arts can help people. I started thinking about how it could help kids, and how it could take them away from drugs and alcohol. Wile I was on the trip I also learned more about my self and how happy just being around all of it made me feel. That happiness took me back to my question because when you have a passion and would give your all to get what you want why you would do drugs or alcohol. The reason kids do thoughts types of things is mostly to get away from the real world but when you really love something that is as real as you can get and you don’t need anything else. Drugs and alcohol could be detrimental to a performing artist because it takes away your passion and capabilities

With anything that you do drugs and alcohol dulls your senses you have to be able to feel and learn from every thing around you. The real world helps actors so much to be the best actor you can be because when you’re acting you’re not faking it your living it and that is why drugs and alcohol make you not perform to your potential. Drugs and alcohol also hurts your mind and to be a performing artist your mind is your most important tool along with your body. They will take away from your creativity In the long run. When you act you don’t pretend you are who you are and drugs will take away from who you really are and that is why you will not live up to your potential. That is the same in any thing that you do only in acting you won’t get any where.

When you’re an actor you learn a lot about people and life. You learn though the characters situations that they are in. I believe that every character you play when you are don you take a peace of them with you. There is every different kind of character that you can think of and so many of there problems are so real that you are able to figure out some of your problems by just putting yourself in the characters shoos. So before you do something like drugs and alcohol you will think twice because you already are smarter than that.

Last but not lease when you are in a theater company it is just like any team. The better you work with every one the better every one works. when you are putting your all in a seen its almost contagious Most Actors are very sensitive and they can feel emotions and energy around them so that’s why not being at your best will effect every one. Your high energy will fill the room and every one will fell it. But if you are drinking your doing drugs it puts every one else down with you when your late when your forgetting everything or even just start not working well with people you will effect every one. In JUA I experienced it when we all had to perform out side with no particular

Audience just random people but the energy was really high I would fell the energy in every one and it was just a blast.

Simon's essay

2007-01-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

Music Pro Bono?

Performing arts is something that occurs in every state in every country in the whole world, it appears in many different ways, acting, music, art, they are all different types of performing arts. Every culture and every country has their own way of using performing arts, most cultures even have a way of expressing each and every category of performing arts.

In Africa there are hundreds of tribes that have ceremonies where groups perform as a sacrifice to god, and they play percussion and tone instruments that they themselves have created and built. That is an example of the more primitive way of performing arts. In Boston, with my group, we saw four types of performing arts. Music (street performances) in which we participated, Plays (theaters and concert halls), the Movies, and art. Each of these things has a lot behind them.

Every day we passed at least 10 street performers. I myself had the opportunity to perform with one of these street performers. There was a man on the side of the subway, next to the track with a cheap guitar and a twenty dollar amplifier. He was playing stairway to heaven and he couldn’t sing the high part at the end of the song and asked me to do it for him when he heard me singing along. I did and I enjoyed it more than performing in front of a crowd of my peers or fans. Then on the following day, we got a permit to go and perform in Boston Commons. We stood inside a gazebo and played with 3 drumsticks, a garbage can, glass bottles, and dancers with tap shoes. We made ten dollars and we spent it on ourselves but it could have gone to better use.

Doing this gave me an understanding about how music really is. It showed me that by simply doing that or performing with almost nothing and making enough money to give to somebody who really needs it makes music and performing in public more meaningful than anything else I do. Music is my favorite thing in the world, it gives me and opportunity to express myself and my true feelings without the fear of being judged. Combining music and pro bono work, makes me feel as though I can play and write music for more than just money, for the good of other people who suffer and need help. If you want to help there are a whole bunch of things going on for instance, the Rock for Darfur, run by MySpace was extremely successful and helped the political crisis in Sudan.

Misha's essay

2007-01-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

Some people are born with talents and gain the knowledge to become a talented artist.

Does society recognize the talents that you have or your physical talents?

It is without a doubt that society is prejudice and they have a bios opinion about talent. I have been a victim of my own thoughts and anger. As we walked, observed and judged I noticed that my first impression of street performers was that these men, who had no future and decided to beg for money which they wouldn’t have to work for. As we either listened to there music style, spoke to them and even performed next to them, I know that I learned that they are human, they deserve the same respect that we all have earned.

To answer the question of physical beauty over visual beauty one has to understand the fact that we as human beings need the feeling of belonging to something. Man has turned to religion to have a sense of success and belonging. These sensations are what have driven us, as men, to satisfaction. In today’s world man, seeks success in materials and relation with celebrities. The idea of need and want bring us to doubt and to judge people.

Let’s look at our past and let’s look at the rich and the famous. Pamela Anderson a great example of society recognizing someone for there physical talent and not her actual acting talents, which she greatly lacks, has been recognize ever since she entered the entertainment business with Baywatch, barely ever spoke a word in the television show but men would line up to get a glimpse of the star and people would watch the show simply to see her walk on the beach.

Now let’s look at the other end of it Rosie O’Donnell a fairly poor actor, not going to lie, I am terrible sorry that I must also judge her appearance but she simply does not do it for many of us. The thing is she simply gets a lot of publicity and lots of news time but she is recognized for her lack of physical talent. In this way maybe society is actually attracted to the people who have physical talent and to those who do not have it because we are simply shallow and we look up to celebrities and de-humanize those who have tried and failed.

Taryn's essay

2007-01-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Boston enlightened me on several occasions and also brought me to understand the meaning of my essential question. When we first got to Boston we went to several art museums. Overall my favorite one was the ICA. I’m glad that we went on this trip because it was a very fun and meaningful experience. I learned things that varied from different foods we ate to what goes into the making of a carefully performed play. We visited three play sets. The first was ‘Shear Madness’, We interviewed a cast member who told us everything about backstage life. He also told us about how difficult it is to have everyone in a play have the right stage of mind. We also visited ‘Blue Man Group’ and ‘Spelling Bee’ Where we learned more about stage set up. We visited two museums on our trip, both were the best I’ve ever seen.
Another important detail of our trip to me personally would have to be the sighting of several homeless people and performing artists on the street or in the subways. We did have a chat with one man who was performing in one of the subways. We sang with him, laughed with him, and partied with him and overall showed me how happy some people can be living a life on the down low of society with just his guitar and will to sing. On the other hand I did feel certain ways about the homeless people who sat quietly on the benches in the depths of the subway. I did feel bad for them at first but then realized that it was their own decisions that had lead them to that place to begin with. I learned that you must make important decisions and have a straight path to follow when attempting life.
My essential question was mostly about dancers and how their profession effects their bodies and how it impacts their life. When we went to Boston we did not watch any performances. However we did get to perform ourselves. I thought this was a fantastic experience and learned a lot. I learned that you have to be extremely focused on your goals and what you want to achieve. A few things I observed about myself as a performing artist was that I was nervous when we first started the ‘social experiment’. After a while I needed to tell myself to forget about my surroundings and concentrate on what I was trying to achieve. I feel that professional dancers would have to do the same things. Not worry about fame or fortune, but to just focus on where they want to be. While I was in Boston I learned that you can’t take what you have already for granted.

The Final stop in Boston For the P.A. Group

2006-12-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

The ICA museum had the coolest art work I have ever seen, but thats just me.
The ICA stands for: The Institute of Contemporary Art

What: See the art work and museum at its grand opening

When: Tuesday after Newberry Street

Who: All the same old ganstas that have been on this whole ride

Where: RIGHT ON THE WATERFRONT

Why: just because

Group Thoughts: The art work was awesome and the brazil exhibit was the bestest.

Tuesday -- WOW. Are we stars or what?

2006-12-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

What a great day.

We left the hostel at around 9:00 ( I had to let the crew sleep in a little) and grabbed some quick chow at the Double D. We hopped on the T and headed over to the Common. The kids set up shop at the Parkman Bandstand (the big white gazebo in the middle of the park) and started banging on cans and tap dancing. The kids (from my old-timer perspective) seemed to take a minute or two to get over some initial fear and once they did, it was wonderful. I set up shop on a bench a ways away from them and watched as passers-by took note, came closer (or didn't) and engaged our young superstars. Every face I saw had at least a smile that was inspired by what they were seeing and hearing. People that happened to be sitting on benches on the unseasonably warm December day in Boston were tapping their toes and enjoying the show.

One woman approached the kids and asked what they were doing. When it was explained that they were students from the New Hampton School on an Urban Adventure and that they were trying to find out what street performing was all about, the woman smiled and said that she had walked by earlier and was really taken by the energy and good spirit that she felt as she passed, so she came back. She said she had a young daughter and she hoped that when her daughter got older, she could be involved in something as positive as what she was observing. A great, great moment.

After we were done in the Common, we took a walk up Newbury Street and did some window shopping. Since we were Performing Artists, though, we made sure to take some photos and make observations about the people we saw while we were shopping and the roles they were playing.

After shopping, we grabbed some lunch and headed out to the water to the opening day of the Institute of Contemporary Art. I hope someone posts a link. No photos were allowed in the galleries, but we saw some amazing stuff: multimedia exhibits, room-wide installations, mixed media, photography, videography, computer generated graphic exhibits and an actual photo shoot for Boston Magazine was happening while we wandered through. If you make it to Boston in the near future, I personally cannot recommend this place more highly.

My my my -- what a tired group of Junior Urban Adventurers I took back to the hostel for the bus load-in. We saw a LOT of stuff in a LOT of city.

They were a great group of kids to take around town. As exhausted as I am as I sit here writing this, I wouldn't trade it in. We learned a lot. We had a lot of fun. And, one hopes, we grew a little.

Go team!

Newberry Street Cold Chillin'

2006-12-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

After the crew blew a few of the audiences brains out. They wanted a little R and R, and came to the conclusion of going to Newberry Street.

What: Chillaxin in the Newberry area

When: Right after jammin'

Who: Same old crew

Where: Newberry area (DUH)

Why: To give the Rock Gods their free time

Group Thoughts: Cool and sick, like going from Manhatten to new york trahsy

Tuesday's Glam Band Jam in Boston Common

2006-12-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

Right off the bat on a brisk Tuesday Morning the mad scrilled filled Performing Art group performed for their community.

What: Playing on trash cans, bottles, railings, and some rad tap dancing in the Boston Common Kazeebo.

When: Tuesday Morning from 9:30 to 11:00

Where: Boston Common

Who:The performing art crew and an audience large enough to knock your socks RIGHT OFF

Why: To get a taste of street performing

Group Thoughts: It was a slow start and we didn't have a lot of instuments. It was totally sick and mad skrill filled.

Monday in Bean Town

2006-12-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

We had an action-packed day in Boston yesterday and we're looking forward to another one. We started out (along with everyone else) at 5:45 AM. I didn't even know that the world turned at such an hour. We hit Boston a little after 7:00 and dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed to our first learning block.

We started at the Museum of Fine Arts where there was a exhibit called "Onstage in Osaka" which was comprised of a series of 19th century prints and drawings from Japan. The kids were asked to identify trends in the works and ask questions about what the images they were seeing told them about performance art in another culture and another time. After spending a little time there, we checked out other exhibits in the museum including the Egyptian wing (love those mummies) and the Impressionists. And as much as we wanted to go to the Fashion show, there was an extra admission for the exhibit, so we didn't. Although, I did try on a gorgeous red hat in the gift shop (see photo below).

After a trip back to the hostel to check into our rooms and unpack and relax for a few minutes, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed off to our afternoon block: the Theatre District.

We first met with Michael Fennimore at the Charles Street Playhouse. Michael is the Director of the Boston production of Shear Madness and he was kind enough to show us the theatre and the backstage and dressing areas. He entertained us with stories of being involved for so many years with the show that the Guinness Book of World Records cites as the Longest Running Non-Musical Play in the American Theatre. After listening to Michael talk about the show and asking and answering questions, we headed upstairs to the theatre where Blue Man Group performs. Then Ted Sowa, the building manager, took us across the street to the Wilbur Theatre and showed us the set for "Putnam County Spelling Bee". So, in our brief visit to the district, we were able to see a small and a medium-sized theatre (both housed in the same facility) and a larger theatre across the way. As an interesting side-note, adjacent to the Charles Street Playhouse is the hotel where the 9/11 hijackers stayed the day before the attacks. A somber note in the middle of a light-hearted trip. After our interviews with Michael and Ted, we took a stroll through the theatre district and then walked over to Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall and did some shopping and grabbed some food.

We then headed back to the hostel for some downtime. On the way back, Simon made his Boston debut at the T stop! There was a guy down there playing his guitar and Simon jumped in on, I think, Stairway to Heaven. We let the next train pass so we could play with the guy a little more. Then we headed on back to the hostel. In the evening, some students chose to go to the movies and some stayed behind for some well-needed rest.

Uber-Sexyness

2006-12-11T19:02:00.000-05:00

Simon rOCKIN OUT

Free Timeizzle in Boston

2006-12-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

Free time in Boston ranged from going to Jack Jokes Shop and going to Quincy Market.
What: Ate food and just had a good time
Where:Theatre District and Quincy Market
Who: The PERFORMING ARTS CREW
When: After going to the theatre district
Why: Have some quality timeski

Group Thoughts: It was superly fantasticly necessary.

The Theatre District

2006-12-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

After the MFA and some lunch we went to the theatre district.

What: Vistited the sets of Sheer Madness, Blue Man Group, and Spelling Bee. Met with Michael Fennimore and Ted Sowa
Where: Sheer Madness and Blue Man Group Set
When; After MFA museum around 2:30
Who: Michael Fennimore the Star and Director of Boston Production of Sheer Madness, and Ted Sowa, building manager of the Wilbur Theatre
Why: To see Boston theate district

Group Thoughts: The buildings were cool, and it held a lot of history. It had a lot of energy all around it and a lot was going on.

Mad Acting Scrills

2006-12-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

Check out the kids using their acting skills at the MFA

Sick pics

2006-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

The Group Rockin' in front of the MFA

The MFA trip

2006-12-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

Where: The Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston

When: December 11, 2006

Who: Performing Arts Group

What: Mummies, Japenese Paintings, Sculptures, etc.

Why: To see fine arts, and experience art in different ways

Group thoughts: The group felt it was very moving and interesting. The Mummies really interested everybody, and they liked how the Japanese art's ability to show emotions still relevent to today. The Group felt that reading everything made it easier to have a better time.

Revised Essential Question

2006-12-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

Post your revised Question to this.

HOLLA'

Essential Questions

2006-11-30T06:16:00.000-05:00

Hi all. I have several fun activities planned already for our trip to Boston. But I need your input.

Please post your question as a comment to this blog entry. I've received emails from half of you. A couple more of you have touched base with me in my office. Remember to make your question personal as well as fitting with the overall theme of "Global Problems. Local Solutions."

Know that the more specific your questions are, the more information Warren and I will have to make your adventure more worthwhile and more flipping fun.

When you comment to this post, remember to sign in using your first initial and last name only.

Essential question information

2006-11-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

Hi, all. Thanks to those of you who met with Warren and I this morning. It was a big help. Many of you are well on your way to devising a good Essential Question, but I wanted to send some more guidelines. When you have completed your question, please post it to the JUA Blog Performing Arts page. Go here: [ http://jua2006performing.blogspot.com/ ]http://jua2006performing.blogspot.com/

The question should do three things. It should be:

1) A question that can be answered (or at least an answer can be approached) by a trip to Boston.

2) Related to your interest in the performing arts.

3) A question that incorporates the broader topic of "Global Problems, Local Solutions."

For example, my own Essential Question is:

How can I help a group of 16 and 17 year olds to have a greater interest in improving lives through the performing arts?

It's important to realize that your question can change as you explore avenues of exploration before we leave for Boston.

Again, get a first draft of these questions to me, or post them to the blog, or both, by Monday.

Thanks all! I look forward to hearing from you.

Mr. Sampson

2006-11-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

Warren says good-bye to an old friend.

Meeting on Thursday!!

2006-11-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone! I'd like to have a meeting during office hours on Thursday. Please stop by my office in the theatre lobby. If you can't make it (some other teacher wants your precious time), drop by anytime or shoot me an email and I'll fill you in on what we covered.

One thing we will DEFINITELY be covering is the homework assignment that Mr. Mundahl has made available to you all. Here's the homework assignment!