20 November 2012 (Tuesday)

9 students today.

I started class today mentioning that Gangnam Style (video) has become the most watched video ever on YouTube. It got even more exposure in the US (as if it needed it!) the previous Sunday evening when Psy performed it "live" on a music awards show.

I asked if anyone had seen any concerts or other music/cultural events over the weekend. No one had. I told the class I had seen my best friend's band (Zero Down) play in a bar in Ballard. I knew no one in the class would like the music of my friend's band so I hadn't invited them, but to give them a taste of what it was like I played the most Zero Down video "Battle At The Battle Of The Bands" (video). Unsurprisingly given the music the class normally chooses no one liked the song, though one student liked the video(!).

There was one new student in the class today so I asked him for an example of what a current song he likes.  He chose "The A-Team" (video, lyrics, song info) by Ed Sheeran (info). I asked him where he heard this song and he said he hears it on the radio a lot.

The next song was "Everyhome" (video) by Chihiro Onitsuka (info). The student who chose this song had been listening to it on repeat all weekend long. The student is learning Japanese but one of the Japanese students in the class said that it is difficult to learn Japanese from Onitsuka because her lyrics don't really tell a story; the lyrics are fragments and ideas.

The next song was "Creep" (video, lyrics) by Roy Kim. [The original version of this song was a big hit by Radiohead (info). Here is the original video and song info.] Roy Kim is in the semifinals of Korea's Got Talent show. The student in class who chose this song talked about how good looking he is and all the press I see online about him also talks about his good looks.

The other band in the semifinal is DickPunks. To see what they are like we watched the video for MUZIK (video).  Most of the Korean students in my class said they think Roy will win the competition.

One of the students in the class plays keyboards in a band at her university in Japan. There are no videos of her band, but she showed us a video of another band from her university: NOJ playing "Me & Mrs. Jones" (video).

The last song of the day was "Cameo Lover" (video, lyrics, song info) by Kimbra (info). The student who chose this song said she likes how the suit colors of the guys in the video change as the video goes on, i.e. as the mens' hearts are opened.

With that our time for the week was over. I hope to see everyone again next week!
 

13 November 2012 (Tuesday)

12 students today, 2 of whom were new!

When I asked if any students did anything interesting over the previous weekend, two said they had been to the Bellevue Botanical Garden (info). I asked if they were aware that there is a large botanical garden near the University of Washington called "The Arboretum" (info, map). It's a great place to walk, especially in Spring when everything is in bloom. There is also a Japanese Garden there.

One student said he is going to New York City for Thanksgiving. I told him that there is a very famous parade held in New York on Thanksgiving morning, the Macy's Parade (info, pictures). It is even show on TV around the country (in Seattle at 9am on channel 7/CBS and 5/NBC on Thanksgiving).

Now we moved on to music. As she introduced herself to the class one of the new students said she plays trumpet. I asked her which piece is her favorite piece to play.  Using the word "piece" in this sense led to some confusion!  She thought I meant "physical piece", like a trumpet. But in English when we refer to a classical "song" we usually call it a "piece". In other words, "piece" in classical music means "song". Once we clarified that misunderstanding she told me that her favorite classical piece is the Hayden Trumpet Concerto (video).

The other new student said he likes "soul music". But as he explained what "soul music" is to him I realized he meant "relaxing music".  He played an calm instrumental classical song from his phone as an example, but since the name of it was in Chinese I couldn't write it down to find it on YouTube and make a link here.

As we discussed what people in the West usually understand by "soul music" (Wikipedia definition) one of the students in class said she really likes the song "Think" (video, lyrics, song info) by Aretha Franklin (info), one of my favorite soul singers from the 1960's. She knew this song from the Blues Brothers movie (info + see video link above). I was impressed that she knows about that movie! It is a classic American movie.

Speaking of classic soul music in movies, I suggested that she also watch the movie "The Commitments" (info), which is about a soul band in Ireland. I remember that one of my friends said they prefer the version of "Mustang Sally" in the film (video) over the original. I just can't agree with that statement: while the version in The Commitments is good, the original is one of the best soul songs ever -- not only the singing but the soulfulness of the musical performance (original version)!

For another example of a "Western soul song" we watched James Brown (info) singing and dancing to "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (video, lyrics, song info).

The next song chosen was "Happy Things" (video) by J Rabbit (info). The student who chose it said this song makes her happy and feel good, even if she is feeling down. She also said that the band is called J Rabbit because both of the women have the last name Jung and they were both born in the year of the rabbit in the Chinese calendar.

At this point I went around the class and asked each student whether they like hearing happy music when they are sad, or whether they prefer hearing sad music when they are sad. Most said they prefer to listen to happy songs when they are down.

The next song chosen was "End Of The World" (video, lyrics, song info) by Ingrid Michaelson (info).  The student who chose it likes it because it is about being with the people you love at the end of life, and she said that since the Mayan calendar says the world will end soon, it's good to tell the people she loves that she loves them.

The next song chosen was "Dog Days Are Over" (video, lyrics, song info) by Florence & The Machine (info). The student asked what "dog days" means. Here is the definition of "dog days".

By this point we only had time for one more song: Stan (video, lyrics, song info) by Eminem (info). The student who chose it said he likes the end of the video.


I look forward to seeing everyone next Tuesday!

6 November 2012 (Tuesday)

6 students today.

The first song we listened to was "Nyan Cat" (video), a popular children's video in Japan. The student who chose this song said it makes him smile and he never gets tired of it. Apparently there are competitions of who can listen to this song the longest. There's a 10-hour video of it on Facebook. More than 2 minutes would make me go postal.

That "cat" song made me think of the "Meow Mix" tv commercials for cat food in the 1980's.

The Meow Mix song inspired a student to request the dogs singing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

At this point I asked the class if they tend to listen to music on their iPods on random play or if they chose which songs they want to listen to.  Most listen on random/shuffle, but I was surprised at how many students chose the songs they want to listen to.

The next song chosen was "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" (video with lyrics, song info) by Tony Orlando & Dawn (info).  The student who chose it said he likes the story, how the guy returns to see not just one yellow ribbon, but many.

The next song was "It Will Rain" (video, lyrics, song info) by Bruno Mars (info).  The student who chose this song originally heard the song sung in an audition for The Voice (info) by Brian Keith (his version of the song).

The next song was "Good Time" (video, lyrics, song info) by Owl City (info) with Carly Rae Jepsen (info), which the student likes it because it is very catchy -- it sticks in the ear -- and likes to listen to it to relax, before going back to studying. I pointed out that there are a lot of good typical American phrases in the lyrics to this song to learn.

The next song chose was "Eye Of The Tiger" (video, lyrics, song info) by Survivor (info).  The student who chose it has been listening to it for years, since the first time he came to the US and his host father showed him the song.

Next was "We Are Never Getting Back Together Again" (video with lyrics, song info) by Taylor Swift (info).  The student who chose the song like the melody and sympathizes with the *man's* point of view in the lyrics(!).

The next song chosen was "Summer" (video) which is a Japanese song which is popular in China. 

That song inspired the next choice: "Relaxing Piano" (video). The student who picked this song like the movie it comes from.
 
 
With that our time for this week was over.

30 October 2012 (Tuesday)

10 students today, despite heavy rain in Seattle.

As the students were arriving in class I was talking to one student who had traveled to New York City and I asked him if he could hear the difference in New York accents from Seattle accents.  To show what typical NY accents sound like I played this video.

Because the next day was Halloween I asked around the group if they had been to Halloween parties this past weekend and which costumes they had worn.

Next I asked who enjoys watching scary movies and who doesn't. From the students who enjoy watching scary movies I asked which movies they would recommend as the best first horror movie to watch.  A couple of the answers were "The Sixth Sense" and "The Exorcist".

Now we moved on to some music.
 

The first song chosen was "Make Me Wanna Die" (video, lyrics, song info) by The Pretty Reckless (info). The student who chose it said he had heard it in the movie "Kick-Ass" (info).

One student said she lives that the lyrics of this song are the opposite of happy songs. She said she has the song on her mobile phone as her alarm tone, and that it wakes up her roommate.

The singer Taylor Momsen (info) who is also in the TV series "Gossip Girl" (info).

I mentioned that I have a favorite song for when I am frustrated: Ty Cobb (video with lyrics, song info) by Soundgarden (info).  Listen to the lyrics, you'll see why I listen to this song when I'm pissed off ;-) . 

Now we turned to a more traditional Halloween song: "Thriller" (video, lyrics, song info, video info) by Michael Jackson (info). 

Next I played a classic classical Halloween song: "Night On Bald Mountain" (video, song info). 

The next song chosen was "Houdini" (video, lyrics, song info) by Foster The People (info).

One student mentioned he didn't know why the song is called "Houdini". I explained that it refers to the lyrics "I just want to disappear" and that Harry Houdini (info) was a famous escape-artist in the early 20th century. Here's an old video of Houdini.

[I didn't show the following video in class; I thought of it afterwards.]

Speaking of Harry Houdini, escape artist, there's a modern-day guy named David Blaine (info) who does escapes and other magic. He is especially known for his "Street Magic" (short video, long video).

Now back to music: The next song chosen was "Red" (video, lyrics, song info) by Taylor Swift (info).  The student who chose it said he likes Taylor Swift in general and this is a new song of hers that just came out. But he said he likes her older songs better than the new one.

At this point I asked one of the new students to chose a song. He chose "Where Is The Love" (video, lyrics, song info) by Black Eyed Peas (info). He likes the song because he likes its message of unity and racial harmony.

The next song chosen was "Fireflies" (video, lyrics, song info) by Owl City (info). 

This song inspired me to ask the students whether they dream often (I explained the difference between "do you have dreams", which would mean more like "dreams of your future life" versus "do you dream often", which means "do you have dreams when you are asleep at night").  I also asked if any of the students have dreams in English. One has had dreams in English.  I know from my own experience how strange it is to wake up in the morning and realize that you have dreamt in a foreign language!

With that our time for the day was up.