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Role of the Performer - Rihanna

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  Role of the Performer - Rihanna:  Rihanna began her musical career in 2003 when she was just 15 years old living in Saint Michael, Barbados. She later moved to the United States in 2004 to record demos and then signed with Def Jam Records in 2005. Rihanna rose to true fame in 2007 with many global hits.  Rihanna has won nine GRAMMY awards, and sold over 60 million albums worldwide.  Two of Rihanna’s most iconic songs/performances:  Umbrella by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, released on March 29, 2007, as the lead single from her album Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna - Umbrella (Orange Version) (Official Music Video) ft. JAŸ-Z Umbrella is an R&B pop song that is one of Rihannas most famous songs. In this song, the timbre of Rihanna’s voice is so powerful and the rhythmic “ella, ella” portions really draw the listener in. The confident delivery of the song and production style really makes this song feel very hyped up in a good way. (This song always makes me think ...

Musical Trip to Mexico - Mariachi Music

I chose to make a video presentation for this assignment, the link is below!  This is the video presentation link:  Mariachi Presentation Links to the youtube video songs:  Cielito Lindo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVpSH8PzZE&list=RDezVpSH8PzZE&start_radio=1 Estos Celos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x07SLQtlypo&list=RDx07SLQtlypo&start_radio=1 Works Cited Dorobek, Philomena. “The History and Cultural Significance of Mariachi.” Fox Cities Performing Arts Center , 3 April 2024, https://foxcitiespac.com/general/the-history-and-cultural-significance-of-mariachi/ . Accessed 19 March 2026. “Mariachi.” Wikipedia , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariachi . Accessed 19 March 2026. Reid, Kenneth A., and Adriana Alcántara. “Hispanic Outlook.” Hispanic Outlook , https://www.hispanicoutlook.com/articles/6909-binational-cultural-heritage . Accessed 19 March 2026.  

The Evolution of Music Videos

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  The Evolution of Music Videos  Music videos are a way for artists to further tell the story of their song and add context and character to their songs.  Point A:  The first ever piece of art that resembles a music video is from 1894. Sheet music publishers named Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired an electrician, George Thomas, to promote their song, “The Little Lost Child” Through imagery and light to project images to go along with the song. This is largely considered the first ever music video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCBtMPvuKQ . The rhythm of “The Little Lost Child” is steady and fairly simple. This is very typical of the time and I think that the rhythm supports the storytelling of the song very well. The rhythm, lyrics, and “music video” all work together to tell a story to the audience. The images are moving at a slower pace than in more modern music videos.  This song is not exactly my favorite but I am glad to have the images to add co...

Musical Analysis #2 Cocaine Jesus by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

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Musical Analysis #2 - Cocaine Jesus by Rainbow Kitten Surprise  Cocaine Jesus by Rainbow Kitten Surprise (RKS) was released on May 1, 2015, as part of the Seven+Mary  album. The band is from Boone, North Carolina and this song is widely recognized as one of their earliest and biggest hits. The current members of RKS are, Ela Melo (lead vocals, guitars), Darrick "Bozzy" Keller (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Jess Haney (drums).  Cocaine Jesus By Rainbow Kitten Surprise             Rainbow Kitten Surprise members.  I interpret this song to be about relying on someone or something as a temporary fix to your issues and then getting stuck in that cycle. People have thought that this song is about relying on drugs while others have said it is about relying on an ex that you keep going back to. To me, this song feels very angry and sad. I can’t really explain why I like this song, ...

Musical Analysis #1 Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift

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  Champagne Problems written by Taylor Swift and William Bowery (pseudonym for Joe Alwyn). It was written in 2020 in the United States and released on December 11, 2020 as part of the Evermore album.  Taylor Swift - champagne problems (Official Lyric Video) I think that this song is so well written and beautiful and sad at the same time. The song tells a story beautifully and descriptively. It is telling the story of a rejected marriage proposal and the heartbreak and social judgement that follows.  Pepites en Champagne writes, “This song tells the story of a rejected marriage proposal. The chorus evokes this crucial moment: "I let go of your hand as we danced, I left you standing there". These words depict the pain of rejection” (“Lyrics to the song ‘Champagne problems’ by Taylor Swift”). Overall, the song is musically pretty simple with a majority of it being piano with some bass to back it up. The lyrics are what truly make this song shine. A standout line that show...

Introduction Blog Post MUS 200 (Sally Peters)

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  Hi everyone! My name is Sally Peters and I live in Bethel. I am a dual enrolled high school student taking this class through the ANSEP Acceleration Academy. Something very important to me is Cross Country running. I have been running for a long time and I love running with my team or with my dad. I also really enjoy reading and painting. I have spent a lot of time in Ireland with my moms family and went to school there during Covid. I am taking this class to finish up getting all of my high school credits while also counting towards my Associates. I am excited for the rest of this class and to keep learning and listening to music!  I listen to music when I am doing pretty much everything, cooking, getting ready in the mornings, reading, painting, cleaning, driving, I am even listening to music right now as I’m writing this post. The song that I am listening to is “Petals on the Moon” by Wasia Project. The only time that I do not really like to listen to music is when I am r...