Research Journal #3 – Dialogue

Steven:  Hey Ashley, what’s up?

Ashley:  Hi Steven.  Sorry, I kinda lost my voice the other night.  I can barely talk.

Steven:  Yea, I’ll say.  You sound terrible.  

Ashley:  I had another performance to sing a couple nights ago with the band.  The room we were in was terrible, I think my monitor wasn’t working, and I could really hear was the drums.  I felt like I was just screaming all night.

Steven:  A couple of days have passed and you still sound like that?!  That’s really not good.  You really strained yourself.

Ashley:  I know.  It happens just about every show now.  It takes about a week to recover and, quite honestly, I don’t really ever feel like the raspiness has ever gone away any more.

Steven:  Have you gone to see a doctor?

Ashley: No, why?  You don’t think there’s something wrong, do you?

Steven:  I definitely think you need to get yourself checked out.  All that loud singing and strains that don’t heal are both common signs of vocal fold nodules.  This is when your vocal folds get hard and colloused and develop bumps on them.  If it gets worse and worse, your vocal cords could become paralyzed and you’ll have no more singing in your future!  You know who Julie Andrews is, right?

Ashley:  Yea, of course.  The sound of music…?

Steven:  Yes.  Julie Andrews developed vocal fold nodules and it totally ruined her career in music.  She had them surgically removed, but the scar tissue hardened her vocal folds and now she can barely sing five notes.

Ashley:  Oh my God!  I guess I should really see someone about this then.

Steven:  Totally!  I’ll find a specialist for you and get an appointment if you want.

Pre-Writing (Invention)

First of all, I apologize for putting this up two days late.  I guess I have to get out of the habit of Sunday night blogging!  The overall topic that I’ve chosen to research and write about is that of vocal fold nodules.  Vocal fold nodules are bumps on the vocal cords that prevent proper vibration and causes problems in speech, but more importantly in singers.

Definition:

How does the larynx function and what exactly are the vocal folds?

What are vocal fold nodules?

What are some of the symptoms of vocal fold nodules?

Comparison / Contrast:

How are vocal fold nodules different than laryngitis?

How are vocal fold nodules different that cancer of the larynx?

Relationship

What causes vocal fold nodules?

How do they have an effect on a singers career?

Testimony:

Who are some famous singers who’ve suffered from vocal fold nodules?

How have they dealt with this obstacle and were they able to overcome it?

Circumstance

How does one go about treating their vocal cord nodules?

How does surgery ultimately effect a singer’s voice?

Can a singers who’s suffered from nodules successful return to their career after therapy and/or surgery?

 

 

“Thinking About My Research Topic” – Journal Entry 1

As a music major, music is a major topic of interest in my life.  The study of music is called “music theory” because it is just that, a theory.  There are many avenues for research and forming educated opinions.  

One aspect of music that sparks my interest and has questions that need answering is this:  Is each person born with a certain measure of musical talent, everyone being different, or does musical talent and ability have to do with the environment one was brought up in.  If so, can one who is not naturally talented in the area of music gain ability to the point where is seems nature through training later in life.  Are some people just born to be musicians and vocalists and some aren’t?  Knowing the answers to these questions will save me a lot of time down the road and give me wisdom of how to deal with students as a future music educator.

Another aspect of music that I long to find answers about is that of vocal registers.  This is probably a topic that would be less widely understood (or cared about) by non-vocalists.  Every human has different registers in the voice.  Are they the same for men and women?  Is the male head-voice the same as the female head-voice and are they to function the same?  What about falsetto?  Do women have a “falsetto”?  What about whistle tones?  These are questions that vocalists have been asking for years and it seems that everyone will give you a different answer.  It’s time to get down to the truth.

Reading Response #8 – Slaves

How refreshing to see that someone from the first few decades AD actually thought that slavery was wrong!  From an era when slavery was simply the way of life, Seneca actually had the wisdom to take a step back from the world and look at it from a different perspective.  He was able to realize that slave are just a much human as masters are.  In fact, the only distinction between them is that which society places upon them.  

I love the way he puts it, “Treat your inferior as you would wish your superior to treat you.”  Seneca uses the art of “pathos” as a means of emotionally connection with his audience and bringing them to understanding his view point.  In life, we will always have people who are above us and people who are below us, at least if we’re at the level to understand this concept.  Above all else, human truly do want to be right.  When they come to see that they way they want to be treated by those above them and the way they treat those below them is not the same, this recognition of inconsistency is enough to cause one to want to change and just make things right!  ”Slaves” was a very well written, convincing piece.

Reading Response #7 – Against Joie de Vivre

“Joie de Vivre” – The joy of living.  This is something that I’m sure we all can agree is a good thing.  We should all be able to experience joy in our lives.  I suppose the real debate here is what exactly is it that brings joy to life.  Philip Lopate basically discusses his own personal experiences with each of the things that people most commonly turn to to find joy in this life.  He goes from an artist’s houseboat, to fancy dining, to drugs, and to sex.  My favorite part about this piece of literature is that I felt like Lopate was being real when he was writing.  He wasn’t just fabricating feelings to make for a good read, but he was simply writing how he genuinely feels about each of these things.  He’s not afraid to step out and say things that aren’t commonly said.

Ultimately, it’s unfortunate to read that Lopate never really finds a source of joy in his life.  It seems as though the message he’s trying to convey is that there really isn’t a way to bring joy to yourself.  We live in an imperfect world and you just have to do the best with what you get.

Reading Response #6 – Execution of Troppman

First of all, I must say that I was amazed at the author’s ability to draw small amount of events that took place in the plot to such a large piece of writing.  Being that the first two thirds of the piece was just an account of the narrator waiting… and waiting… it really built up the suspense.  

The description in this piece is excellent.  Each of the different settings, actions, thoughts, and feelings were described with such detail that reading this story is almost like being there to watch the events take place yourself.  

It was a little disappointing to me that the author didn’t actually witness the execution.  Perhaps, it was more of a suspenseful story that way because it forces the reader to create even more images in the their head, but for me it was sort of a let down.  

I certainly don’t agree with the stance that the author takes on capital punishment.  I believe that if someone murders someone, then they should deserve to die.  One of the biggest arguments against capital punishment is that aren’t we just furthering the crime of murder?  But the truth is, murder is maliciously taking another’s innocent life.  Bringing an end to someone’s life as a punishment for murder is completely justified, gruesome as it may seem.  Sure the execution of Troppman was a little unbearable, but with our modern technology, capital punishment today is no where near as gruesome as it was in France hundreds of years ago.

Blog Exercise #5 – Pro/Con Blogs

http://film-fatale1907.blogspot.com/2008/01/pro-choice.html is a blog that supports the right for women to have abortions.  This particular article was written on blog for choice day, 2008 to convince readers that they should support the pro-choice movement and that people should mind their own business in regards to reproductive rights.  The technique the author used in her blog was to make the reader feel ignorant for feeling that abortion is wrong and to make people feel wrong for intruding on the personal dicisions of other peoples’ lives. Her target audience was the pro-life population.  The entire article, however, is composed completely of vague redundant opinions and no specific details are given.  As a pro-life voter, this article did absolutely nothing to change my opinion on the subject of abortion, but just made me angry.

http://www.sarahsprolife.com/blog/fetal-life-and-abortion-human-personhood-at-conception/ is a slightly different blog entitled, “Sarah’s Pro Life Blog.”  This particular article is a description of the developmental process that an embryo goes through in the womb.  By the title of the blog, we can see that the argument is that abortion is wrong.  The author tries to convey this message very subtly through simply given facts and no opinions.  By presenting information in this manor, the audience is now opened up to just about anyone.  This blog tries to convince pro-choice people that abortion is wrong, while at the same time encourages pro-life people and gives them more solid facts to support their already established position.

Reading Response #5 – “Walking”

Alright, so I have to admit, I’m not much of a Thoreau fan… for a couple reasons.  First of all, his writings are seemingly unrealistic for the average person in today’s world.  Second of all, I often disagree with his outlook on life.

In this particular piece of writing, Thoreau talks about the importance of getting out and simply walking through nature.  He makes walking sound like a high calling that everyone must choose to accept.  ”It ncomes only by the grace of God.  It requires a direct dispensation from Heaven to be a walker.”  Also, “What is it that makes it so hard sometimes to determine whither we will walk?”  It seems that a deeper message being conveyed is that freedom is a choice, one that we all have the opportunity to choose, yet some of us don’t.  It is a wonder why we wouldn’t choose freedom.

I do, however, completely disagree with Thoreau’s idea of freedom.  He refers to leaving your father, mother, brother, sister, wife, and children as a part of freedom.  I don’t believe that independence and singleness has anything to do with freedom.  We are who we are because of the people in our lives who’ve influenced us and continue to shape us and reveal our true character day by day.  When our life is stripped of all other human beings, then who are we?  What’s left?  That’s not freedom, that’s bondage from true life.  Freedom is being able to handle relationships and life circumstances with responsibility, respect, and balance.

How to Sing Correctly

Singing is something that almost everyone does, whether it’s just humming along to the radio, or professionally performing.  Regardless of why you sing, there are certain guidelines you can follow to help produce a nicer sound and to maintain an overall healthy voice.

First of all, the most important thing to remember in singing is that air equals sound.  One’s vocal cords only vibrate when air is pushed through them so, naturally, breathing is an essential part to singing.  Make sure all parts of the chest, abdomen, and even the back, expand when breathing to completely fill the lungs with air.  If you try to sing with not enough air, you will overwork your vocal cords and this can cause damage.

Another very important point to make is which muscles to use when singing.  The only muscle that should be engaged when singing is the diaphragm.  Never should one tighten their throat, tongue, neck, or jaw muscles.  Trying to produce sound while tightening the neck or face can also result in vocal damage.  Let your mouth just simply be a gateway for the sound to escape your body.  Your tongue should relax and sit low in your mouth and raise the soft pallet in the back of the mouth to allow much room for the sound to resonate.  

Finally, using good posture is another key to good singing.  Your feet should be firmly planted on the floor, yet maintain a little bit of bounce in your knees.  If the knees are locked, the jaw muscles automatically tighten.  The pelvis should be slightly forward with the tail bone pointing straight toward the ground.  Your arms should rest loosely at your side.  The head should be straight up and forward slightly so that the ears are aligned with your shoulders.

Reading Response #4 – Hateful Things

I personally found “Hateful Things” by Sei Shonagon very easy to read.  I was immediately drawn into the text and found it was  not difficult to relate to in many ways.  Why?  Because…What is every American teenager today?  Annoyed!  We all have our little pet peeves about personalities that we don’t like, cultural traditions, or simply unavoidable occurrences that strike us as bothersome!  While some of the points made in “Hateful Things” were cultural specifically to tenth-century Japan, many of them were relevant to us today.  In general, stories are easy to read when you strongly agree with them or strongly disagree.  After reading just a couple of paragraphs, such a passion was stirred up in me that I was ready to write my own rendition of “Hateful Things”!

One aspect of this piece that makes it very well written is the excellent imagery given from paragraph to paragraph.  The reader’s mind is constantly engaged imagining themselves in each of the “hateful” situations described.  Another technique the author used is mentioning how each of the described situations is hateful in different ways.  For example, “I find it most distasteful,” “Disgusting behaviour,” “Hateful is an understatement,” and “one finds it hateful in the extreme.”  The author creatively came up with a new way of saying the same thing every paragraph.