March 24

Why do I remember this film from my childhood? I have no idea. I don't love baseball. I especially didn't like it when I was a kid. Normally lines from films (at least from my childhood) that pop into my head come from films like The Goonies or Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but not this one. And this one pops up often.


  

Anyway, these presentations we're going to do are going to take, well, forever. We've got to do something else. Something fun that is kind of silly but not a waste of time. You need another project type grade this quarter. This will be it. Here are a couple of ideas for you. We're going to start shifting from music to television/film pretty soon.

APPROPRIATE REFERENCES ONLY PLEASE!

Think about things from your childhood or shows/musicians/something related to pop culture that you are/were obsessed with and create a Ben and Jerry's flavor (make sure you create the image/packaging) AND look at the first image and come up with one "pop art" (or as someone from Maine might say "soda art") inspired piece.

 

Fake Ben and Jerry's Flavors (Pop Culture References Galore)

WARNING: Some of these are inappropriate. Make sure yours are appropriate.

Blank Template

Right now my son loves Spiderman. A few months ago he was into My Little Pony, but only because of "Rainbow Dash" (he insists RD is a boy). The Big Bang Theory is pretty awesome to him as is Olivia Wilde. He keeps talking about the "gorgeous" lady on the magazine. Anyway, some of these are pretty easy to work with, but others would be a bit confusing or more difficult. Spiderman is easy because he's more ubiquitous than Rainbow Dash. The Big Bang Theory characters might be fun to work with, but Olivia Wilde? She would be much more difficult to portray on a pop can OR as a flavor of ice cream.

The pop can is due on April 1st.
The Ben and Jerry's flavor is due on April 3rd.

March 19th

http://www.dayofhappiness.net/#vote

I love the idea of this project as happiness is a wonderful thing to celebrate. I hope you have a great day tomorrow.

Do this project for fun (appropriate images please).

For extra credit (I rarely give extra credit, but this is a chance for you to be an actual part of something that is going on in popular culture right now). Email your image to me with a quick explanation.

See if it makes the wall!

Due on Monday: Music Projects...We've been working on these in class for two weeks now. They should be great.

Grunge

• What do you notice about the people in all three pictures, especially the teenagers?
• If you had been a teenager then, how well do you think you would have been able to relate to these characters?
• Remember that there were no Internet, no Facebook, and no cell phones in the 1980s. If you did not feel you were being represented in mass media, where might you turn? Where might you find art or culture that you felt represented your world and your outlook?

Popular music in the 90s before acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam included the following:
MC Hammer
Paula Abdul
Madonna
C&C Music Factory
Brian Adams
Celine Dion

Interview

• What is their general attitude toward life?
• How would you describe their appearance, especially compared to the characters in the television shows from the 1980s?
• Why might their general attitude have resonated with teenagers in this time period?

Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

Rise Above (Black Flag)

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Alive (Pearl Jam)

• Do you notice any similarities in instrumentation and/or vocals? What are they?
• What do you hear in terms of dynamics? Are there contrasts between loud and soft? If so, what does this contribute to the song?
• What do you notice about the performers’ clothing and appearance? Do you see any similarities in aesthetic?
• What is similar about the attitude of the performers the different videos?
• What specifically do the Grunge songs (Mudhoney, Nirvana and Pearl Jam) appear to draw from the earlier Punk and Heavy Metal performances?

Write a three paragraph response to what we've looked at/discussed today.
Paragraph 1: Describe the music and performance

• What does the music sound like?
• What earlier musical influences does it draw upon?
• What do you notice about dynamics (how loud and soft the music is)?
• How would you describe the vocals?

Paragraph 2: What does the music mean?

• What are the songs about?
• What are the main themes?
• Why do you thing the songs were written?
• What general ideas and outlook are they trying to express?
• How does the way the performers look and behave help convey these messages?

Paragraph 3: Describe your reaction to the music.

• How effective do you find the songs and performances?
• Do they succeed in conveying their ideas to the audience?
• Who do you think would find this music most meaningful?
• Do you think "grunge" is a fair description of what you have seen and heard?

March 3, 2014

Concerts:

Outside/inside
When?
With whom?
How old?
Chairs?
best/worst parts?
opening act?
planned?
funny story?
favorite song/moment?
crowd?
time of year?
where were you?
what did you wear?
did you buy anything?


Who would you like to see?
Why haven't you gone?
Who would you go with?
Why?
Where would you want to sit?
What do you think it would be like?

Homework:
Ask the above questions to an adult who has been to a concert.. Please record the answers and be ready to share them with the class.