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.    

23 October 2012 (Tuesday)

Last week I was working at a conference so I couldn't do the Language Of Music class. Mike from FIUTS led the class in my place.

So far this quarter the number of students coming each week has been relatively small (~5) compared to previous quarters.  But today 13 students showed up, 7 of whom were there for for the first time. We had a good conversation!

I began by introducing myself and the class for the new students.  

I then gave a very brief overview of the history of Halloween. But you can get a full explanation on Wikipedia.

Next, to show how the class works and to get the conversation around music to start, I asked one of the regular students to choose a song. She chose "Fine, Thank You, and You?" (video with lyrics) by 10cm (info).  When I asked why she chose this song she said the song is inspired by The Beatles and it is easy to follow the guitar parts.  But she doesn't sing at the same time she is playing the song on guitar. I also asked why they sing the words "Fine, thank you, and you?" in English and she said that phrase is the first English phrase people learn in Korea, so everyone understands that line.

The next song chosen was "Yellow" (video, lyrics, song info) by Coldplay (info).  The student chose this song because it is a love song and she likes the images of light and sun.  

She said she first heard "Yellow" on a Taiwanese TV talent show sung by a group called Soler.  I asked her which version of the song she prefers and she said he likes the Soler version better! So we had to watch it: "Yellow" by Soler. 

The student said she likes how the two singers in Soler harmonize on the song, as opposed to the single voice on the Coldplay version. This made me think of one of best harmonizing singing duos ever: Simon & Garfunkel (info). To show how good they sound together I played the song "The Sound Of Silence" (video, lyrics, song info).

Next I asked one of the new students to chose a song. The choice was completely different from the Beatles-like and harmonizing vocals we had heard so far: "Evil Walks" (video, lyrics, song info) by AC/DC (info). This song gives him energy and makes him happy. Interestingly to my ears, he said this is the only AC/DC song he likes. That is strange to me because *all* AC/DC songs sound the same! If you like one, you probably like them all! ;-) Personally I like the songs/albums AC/DC did with their first singer (he died in 1980) but a lot of people like the "new" singer (well, he's been in the band for 30 years now!) just as much.

The next song chosen was "Butterfly" (video with lyrics) by (?? I'm not sure which band sings this song!). The student who chose it says he likes to sing it in karaoke.  He said it cheers him up.

Speaking of butterfly's, I saw a review in the Seattle times of a new 3D movie about butterflys. The review said is it "A must-see 3D movie".  The film is showing at the Pacific Science Center (where the Space Needle is). Here's more information about the movie.

As we listened to the song "Butterfly" one of the other students said she plays keyboards in a band in Japan and they play that song. I asked her for another example of a song her band plays. She said they also play "Layla" by Eric Clapton (info). So we listened to "Layla (Unplugged)" (video, lyrics, song info). 

But the original version of "Layla" is very famous for having a great guitar solo at the end (original version of Layla). I also told the class about the story behind the lyrics of the song, how Eric Clapton fell in love with George Harrison's wife (Pattie Boyd), then when George and Pattie split Eric married her, then eventually Eric and she split, too... Love is a messy thing, but it makes great rock songs!

A side note: before the video for Layla started, as usual there was an advertisement on YouTube. It was a really dumb advertisement about "pumping gas confidently"; I'm sure it is meant to be funny, a sexual double-entendre, but I think it's just dumb. It inspired me to go around the class to ask everyone if they like American TV commercials. Most of the class finds American commercials to be creative and good. But they say there are too many of them interrupting the TV shows! I agree!

I can't remember exactly how I came to the subject (maybe I was talking about Halloween? Or were we talking about anime? I don't remember...) but I played a little bit of Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street. Here he teaches Grover how to sing. He also plays one of his songs ("Superstition" video, lyrics, song info) live with the young kids all around. I love this song, so funky!

I asked another new student to chose a song. He likes The Eagles (info) and his favorite song by them is "Hotel California" (video with lyrics in the description, song info).  He especially likes the singer's voice on "Hotel California".

I mentioned that the singer of that song is actually the *drummer* in the group, Don Henley (info).  Henley has had a successful solo career outside of The Eagles. One of his songs, "The Boys Of Summer" (video, lyrics, song info) is one of my favorite songs, partly because I like the melancholic feel of the song, but mostly because of the lyric "A little voice inside my head said don't look back, you can never look back" -- I often think about that line when I am trying to figure out where to go next in my life.

By the way, "The Boys Of Summer" was recently covered by an indie-rock band, The Ataris (info). If you want to see a hard-rock version of the song, here it is (video).
  

Speaking of Halloween, for those of you in Seattle this Saturday (10/27), I highly recommend going to the JUICE 5th Annual FIUTS Halloween Bash dance party. The Facebook page for the event.

The music is modern dance music from around the world; it's one of the best dance parties in Seattle! There will be lots of people from FIUTS and the UW there. You must be 21+ and bring your passport or Washington ID to prove your age. The doors open at 9pm but the atmosphere really gets good around 11pm. I recommend getting there around 10pm or 10:30pm.

It is at the Lo-Fi club (429 Eastlake Ave, Seattle 98109). Most of the 70 busses from the U-District go there. Or get a cab with your friends!

I am not sure if I will go to the party, but if I do, I hope to see some of you there!

For next week's class -- the day before Halloween -- think of your favorite scary songs or movies to share with the class. 

 

11 October 2012 (Thursday)

!! First of all a bit of housekeeping: Starting next week, for the rest of Fall Quarter the Language Of Music conversation group will change from Thursdays to TUESDAYS. Time will still be 4:30pm. Location will be HUB 337. But for this quarter we have to move to Tuesdays. !!


Now to the notes from last week's class: 6 students came, one of whom was new.  

Somehow I was talking about my apartment and how I can see the ships going in and out of the Seattle harbor.  And I mentioned that every day I look at the real-time map of ships passing through Puget Sound. It's at www.marinetraffic.com. I then showed how you can zoom out on the map, then scroll over to Asia and see -- in real time! -- the ships going in and out of ports in Asia, for example Tianjin in China.  Or in the strait between Taiwan and mainland China.  It is *crazy* to see how many boats are on the water out there! With the online map one can see the shipping all around the world -- in real-time! Most of my friends think I'm geeky for liking this website so much, but I think it's cool.

Since we were looking at maps I then asked some of the students to show where their apartments are in their hometowns on Google Maps. They told me about what the neighborhoods are like around their homes and we even looked at their homes from the street view of Google Maps.

Finally we started listening to some music.  One of the students had been in New York City during the break and he had gone to a few Broadway shows.  His favorite one was "The Lion King" (info), so we watched the clip "Hakuna Matata" (video, lyrics, song info).

The next song chosen was "Sing Together" (video, lyrics, song info) by Train (info). The student who chose it said the song makes her feel good and she likes the idea of people singing *together*.

 
I can't remember exactly how we got to this subject, but I told the class about the online music service Pandora (info, website) and Spotify (info, website).

Pandora is a great way to discover new music because you tell it a band you like, then it suggests other songs that are similar to that band. You can say "I like this song" or you can say "I don't like this song" and it will refine the songs it suggests to you based on your taste.

Spotify is simply an online music service with almost every song you might want to hear.

I should also mention again the mobile phone app Shazam (info, website) which lets you use your mobile phone to listen to a song (for example in a store or in a bar) and then it will tell you which song is playing.

The next song chosen was "Turning Tables (live)" (video, lyrics, song info) by Adele (info) which the boyfriend of the student who chose it had sent to her because she loves violin and guitar.  And Adele's amazing voice!  

I told the class that a Seattle singer, Vicci Martinez (info) had covered the Adele song "Rolling In The Deep" (video) as her audition for the TV talent show The Voice (info). 

One of the students said she had seen a 13-year old French girl do "Rolling In The Deep" (video) on a French talent show.

Then we watched a 15-year old Korean girl do "Rolling In The Deep" (video) on a Korean talent show!

Here's Adele's original version of "Rolling In The Deep" (video, lyrics, song info).

So we ended up watching and comparing all these different covers of the Adele song.  It was fun to see how the different singers do that song. I think the Korean girl did the best job of putting her own style into the song.

With that we had to leave the classroom.  We talked more about the students' hometowns than music today, but it was a fun conversation.

Don't forget, from now on TUESDAYS!! (4:30pm, HUB 337)