Music in Different Cultures Essay Example For Students

Music in Different Cultures Essay Music and Contemporary U. S. Culture Popular Music in its Many Facets In its broadest sense, popular music is an umbrella term referring to a vast range of commercially mass-marketed musical genres contrasting with classical or art music and intended for mass consumption (e. G. , rock, rock and roll, hip-hop, grunge, heavy metal, rhythm and blues, punk, soul, techno, funk, rap, house). This wide- ranging term encompasses a plethora of musical styles involving various rhythms, vocal styles, instruments, and technologies. Characteristically, popular music is a lobar cultural phenomenon and an accessible form of commercial music aimed at a worldwide audience. Traditionally, British and American forms of popular music have tended to dominate the industry. Corresponding to social, economic, and technological change, popular music is intimately linked to the identity of musicians, performers, or artists, as well as audiences and fans. Popular music is ubiquitous; from shopping malls and advertising to gymnasiums/fitness classes and political campaigns, popular music is a common feature of peoples everyday lives and a significant aspect of consumer culture. For fans and enthusiasts, popular music can be a leisure-time pursuit occurring on evenings or weekends; alternatively, it can constitute a lifestyle, or way of life (e. G. , Deadheads?a group of fans of the American band Grateful Dead who saw the band at as many gigs and festivals as possible from the asses onward). For many people, the consumption of popular music is a significant means of identification, affiliation, and belonging. Different forms of popular music can create pleasure and excitement for some and moral panic and dread for others; it is a much debated and important realm of cultural life with significant implications for our understanding of consumer culture. Providing a concrete and tangible definition of what constitutes popular music has been the subject of much academic debate. As Richard Middleton contends, attempting to define popular music is riddled with complexities (1990, 3). Studies of popular By Josses commonly analyzed as a text, to sociological, which tends to focus on the social uses of popular music and the dynamic and interactive relationship between popular music, culture, and society. Popular music is commonly understood as being intrinsically linked to popular culture. Sociological studies of popular music audiences tend to use either questionnaire-based survey methods; ethnographic approaches, such as participant observation and in-depth interviewing; or a combination of the two. Through survey research, tastes in popular music are understood as being shaped by a persons gender, age, social class background, and race/ethnicity. To a certain extent, sociological approaches to studying popular music stem from cultural studies, an offshoot of sociology developed primarily in the asses at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CSS) in Birmingham, England, led by Richard Haggard and later Stuart Hall. A number of notable popular music theorists worked at the CSS, including Dick Hebrides, lain Chambers, Angela Microbes, and Paul Willis. A major focus of the CSS was the study of youth culture and subcultures analysis; subsequently, popular music was perceived as central to adolescent resistance, understood as key to the development of sociology of youth, and viewed as a crucial realm of youth consumption practices and identification. Thus, popular music research since the asses has tended to focus on teenagers and ropes of youths that coalesce around particular music styles. Few academic studies of popular music existed pre-1970, and the subject received relatively little scholarly attention during the asses and asses, with the exception of aforementioned theorists that worked at institutions such as the CSS and key theorists such as Lawrence Grosser in the United States and Simon Firth in the United Kingdom. Since the asses, there has been a proliferation of survey research, theoretical material, and ethnographic work concerned with the production and consumption of popular music and particularly its reception in society. Thomas Edison invented sound recording in 1877 in the United States; as a result, the era of recorded music began. The emergence of many popular music genres during the twentieth century can be linked to technological advancements of the same period. The rise of recorded music together with more stringent copyright protection laws facilitated the development of the music business in capitalist society and more specifically the centralization of the American music publishing business and songwriters in an area of New York known as Tin Pan Alley in the late-nineteenth century. The Tin Pan Alley RA initially specialized in ballads and novelty songs but later began to incorporate popular styles of the period, including ragtime, Jazz, and blues. Significant technological innovations such as the widespread use of radio, the increasing quality and affordability of the gramophone, the introduction of the microphone in the asses, and the inception of amplification and electric recording paved the way for new musical styles to emerge, such as rhythm and blues and rock and roll, leading to a surge in popularity of record buying, particularly in Britain and America but also on global scale. Theodore Adorn, a critical theorist and leading member of the Frankfurt school in Germany, coined the term culture industry in his critique of mass culture that made specific reference to popular music. The majority of Adorns account is based on his views of popular music produced in the Tin Pan Alley era and repetitive, and unequivocally contrasts with serious music: A clear Judgment concerning the relation of serious to popular music can be arrived at only by strict attention to the fundamental characteristic of popular music: standardization. Essay About Rap MusicFrom moods to rockers, punks to clubbers, the consumption of popular music is widespread and has become increasingly diverse as popular music genres have evolved. Sociological readings of popular music have tended to focus on the social uses of popular music, particularly in relation to the collective action of people forming music scenes and using music as a means of identification and expression of a sense of self. In the asses, subcultures theorists, such as Paul Willis, gave attention to popular music consumption as a signifier of a groups style, outlook, and focus. Willis advocated a structural homology evaluation concerned with how far, in their structure and content, particular items parallel and reflect the structure, style, typical concerns, attitudes and feelings of the social group (Willis 1978, 191). Thus, for Willis and other subcultures theorists, it was argued that a fit was evident between specific fashions and styles?in respect to popular music and clothing? and a groups identity and coloratura values and beliefs. A crucial concern for subcultures analysts was the issue of Juvenile deviance and resistance and the various ways British working- class youth cultures used music and associated fashion styles and cultural practices to express themselves (see Hall and Jefferson 1976). Hebrides seminal study of punk ultra in Britain focused primarily on these issues and exemplified the homology between the consumption of popular music and particular social groups. Popular boys of the asses and punks of the late asses were understood as representative of this view. The consumption of popular music was recognized as being symbolic of a persons social class background, gender, and race and ethnicity. It was viewed as a highly significant realm of culture, defining assemblages of individuals bound by their affiliation to a particular musical style and coupled with style, dress and appearance, recreational drug experiences, and cultural practices. Subcultures theory has incited numerous criticisms since its inception during the asses. Some of these include its focus on groups of young males and neglect of girls and their relationship with youth subcultures, its inherent rigidity and fixedness, and the apparent absorption of so-called underground subcultures into the mainstream. Sarah Thornton attempts to rework the term into her analysis of dance music cultures in Britain by using the phrase club cultures and discussing the significance of subcultures capital in the EDM world. In contrast to subcultures approaches, the use of the term scene featured in many popular music studies of the asses onward endeavoring to redefine popular music communities. Will Straw uses the term to describe that cultural space in which a range of musical practices coexist, interacting with each other within a variety of processes of differentiation, and according to widely varying trajectories of change and cross-fertilization (1991 , 373). A music scene is created as coalitions and alliances coalesce around musical styles, convey a sense of purpose, and form boundaries signifying who is in and out and therefore forming and maintaining social groups (373). The term scene denotes an increasing sense of fluidity in music cultures, and Andy Bennett provides an interpretation of urban dance music communities in Britain that takes into account the necessity for less rigid accounts of groups of popular music fans. Bennett coins the term neo-tribes to describe groups of young dance music fans. He suggests that the club setting can be viewed as one of the many forms of temporal engagement through which neo-tribal associations are formed because it provides a pace for expressions of togetherness based on articulations of fun, relaxation, and pleasure. Clubbing appears to be regarded less as a singularly definable activity and more as a series of fragmented, temporal experiences as clubbers move between different dance floors and engage with different crowds. References Researching popular music requires numerous theoretical and methodological approaches due to its fast-changing and progressive nature. The focus on youth cultures in studies of popular music is now being questioned as academics have begun to recognize the longevity of popular music genres and aging popular music an base. Similarly, concerns with popular music consumption as representative of cultural values and a form of political resistance have been challenged by research that concentrates on the significance of popular music in our everyday lives to influence moods and offer routine (e. G. , De Nora 2000). The rise of disc Jockey (DC) culture and subsequent blurring of the production and consumption of popular music in accordance with technological developments have led to an increase in studies of clubbers and EDM fans, which contest the privileging of rock music and vive gigs in traditional popular music research. Defining popular music is highly problematic, and there has been a blurring of popular forms of music and classical in groups such as the Three Tenors. Certainly, it is vital to note that what constitutes popular music is subjective and often culturally and historically dependent. Major contemporary concern within popular music research and the popular music industry is the impact of the Internet on producing and consuming popular music. On one hand, some perceive the Internet as a threat to the music business involving aromatic financial losses due to piracy and peer-to-peer file sharing.

Direct Hits by The Killers free essay sample

Bullseye! Throughout their career, The Killers have always hit the mark when it comes to innovative music. A glance at the name would suggest them to be a group that sputters out poorly tasted heavy metal or intense screamo rock, but that is certainly not the case. In truth, the Nevada-based band has been one of the leading indie bands in recent years and has been one of the few to actually crack mainstream radio. Single â€Å"Mr. Brightside,† for example, was voted one of the best songs of all time by NME magazine. But with the release of â€Å"Direct Hits,† it would appear that the end is near for the band. Overall, the album provides an excellent summary of the group’s career. Chronologically ordered, â€Å"Direct Hits† acts as a timeline. The transitions from album to album are evident, and the listener cannot help but notice that their earlier work clearly outshines the singles they have released most recently. We will write a custom essay sample on Direct Hits by The Killers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Their early rise to success was especially impressive considering they developed long after the rise and fall of the 2001 rock revival and had to grow from out of its shadow. Hit singles â€Å"Somebody Told Me† and â€Å"Mr. Brightside† were more than enough to propel them to the high profile status they hold today. The Killers have not only leaned on the rich vocals of lead singer Brandon Flowers, but have looked to him as a source for inspiration as well. Flower’s fascination with electronic and ‘80s music has evolved into the band’s signature sound. Even in recent years, the influences are still present. â€Å"Runaways,† for example, has U2 written all over it. Lyrically, they are unconventional as they come. â€Å"Are we human or are we dancers?† from the song â€Å"Human† would make nearly all English teachers cringe, but somehow it has emerged as one of the the most memorable lyrics of all the last decade. To include such questionable lyrics is a risky gamble, but it is fresh, unique and acts as a pillar that shapes the identity of the band. Indie fans everywhere should be dissapointed if this album indeed marks the end of the great career of The Killers. They will certainly be missed.

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay Question Sample

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay Question SampleFor the most part, every writing student is expected to write a literary analysis essay on a given topic. In most cases, a passage from an important novel or play will provide the appropriate literary analysis for the assignment.In some cases, a literary analysis essay is given to the reading writer of the essay question sample. As a reader, you will have the opportunity to review and analyze the work for what makes it good or bad. This is often a particularly tricky portion of the essay writing experience for new writers, because writers may be more likely to give their own interpretations of the work, especially if the essay is for an upper level class.When writing a literary analysis essay on your assignment, you should first prepare a reading/review of the material you will be writing about. The question sample should help you choose a passage that provides the basic information for the essay you are about to write. If you are unfamiliar with the author's work, you may want to do some research in order to choose the passage.An important element of the essay will be the introduction. This section should introduce the reader to the reader as well as the issue being discussed. A writer should take the time to know the basic facts about the topic they are writing about. However, if you are not sure about something, you should write about it as best you can and include as much information as possible in your introduction.After the introduction, you should go into more detail about the reader in the essay. You should explain how the reader was introduced to the work and how you themselves would relate to the person. You should also discuss the qualities of the person and the reasons they became famous or important.Once you have gone into a little more detail about the reader, you should describe the object, action, or character that you are discussing with the best descriptive description. After you describe t he person in the most important way, you should then go into the reason for the subject's fame or importance. You should then talk about the effect the people who made the subject famous had on their followers.It is best to use strong descriptive descriptions in your literary analysis essay. These descriptions should help to distinguish your essay from other essays written by your classmates, but it is also important to not to give too much information about the subject, since you will have the opportunity to discuss the character later in the essay.Writing a literary analysis essay is not an easy task, but it can be done with some practice. You should know the basic elements of a literary analysis, but the essay should always reflect the essay question sample that you are provided, and you should be able to demonstrate how your writing reflects the critical reasoning you used in your essay.

Ethan Frome Hidden Meanings Essays - Ethan Frome,

Ethan Frome: Hidden Meanings Ethan Frome: Hidden meanings Ethan Frome is the story of a family caught in a deep-rooted domestic struggle. Ethan Frome is married to his first love Zeena, who becomes chronically ill over their long marriage. Due to his wifes condition, they took the services of Zeenas cousin, Mattie Silver. Mattie seems to be everything that Zeena is not, youthful, energetic, and healthy. Over time Ethan believes that he loves Mattie and wants to leave his wife for her. He struggles with his obligations toward Zeena and his growing love for Mattie. After Zeena discovers their feelings toward each other, she tries to send Mattie away. In an effort to stay together, Ethan and Mattie try to kill themselves by crashing into the elm that they talked about so many times. Instead, Mattie becomes severely injured and paralyzed. The woman that was everything that Zeena was not became the exactly the same as her. In Ethan Frome, the author communicates meanings in this story through various symbols. One of the most significant symbols used in this story is the very setting itself. A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning. Symbols can be very useful in shedding light on a story, clarifying meaning that cant be expressed with words. It may be hard to notice symbols at first, but while reflecting on the story or reading it a second time, the symbol is like a key that fits perfectly into a lock. The reason that symbols work so well is that we can associate something with a particular object. For example, a red rose symbolizes love and passion, and if there were red roses in a story we may associate that part of the story with love. Although many symbols can have simple meanings, such as a red rose, many have more complex meanings and require a careful reading to figure out its meaning. The first symbol that I noticed in Ethan Frome is the setting. It plays an important role in this story. The author spends much of the first few chapters describing the scene in a New England town Starkfield. When I think of a town called Starkfield, a gloomy, barren place with nothing that can grow comes to mind. As the author continues to describe this town, it just reinforces what I had originally thought. In the beginning of the story, while describing why Ethan looked the way he did, Harmon said guess hes been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away(Wharton 2). This does not give the impression that this is an enjoyable or a healthy place to live. The winters seem so ruthless in this story that the narrator describes them as this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold and he could understand why Starkfeild emerged from its six months siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter(Wharton 3). Starkfeild seems lik e a very oppressive place to live. It is understandable why the smart ones get away. Deeper into the story, as the narrator gets to know Ethan, we get a description of Ethans house, which is very symbolic of the story as well. The narrator describes the house as one of those lonely New England farm-houses that make the landscape lonelier(Wharton 7). The house had a stunted look to it due to the absence of the L, a typical feature on New England farmhouses, which is an attachment that connects the house to the woodshed and cow-barn (Wharton 8). The L is symbolic of heart of the house, the chief source of warmth and nourishment. The absence of this L suggests that the livelihood of this household is nonexistent. Ethans family doesnt have what many families have, warmth, love, and children. The Frome family lacks the same strength and connectedness that is conveyed by the absence of this L. When Zeena goes out of town for medical treatment, Ethan and Mattie are alone together in the house for the night. The author uses this scene to introduce two other symbols that have importance in the story. The first is the housecat, which is symbolic of Zeenas presence even while she

Postmortem of two projects and 100% literacy Essays

Postmortem of two projects and 100% literacy Essays Postmortem of two projects and 100% literacy Essay Postmortem of two projects and 100% literacy Essay Postmortem of two projects and 100% literacy Muffler Raman Manikin Recently two projects related to literacy has been died. These projects were considered as the key instruments to achieve hundred percent literate dreamy Bangladesh. Both the projects require a detailed analysis. Last year in the eve of the literacy day the website of Bureau of non-formal education (BEEN) displayed we are committed to ensure 100% literacy by 2014. This year the same website has displayed, this account has been suspended. How miserable condition of a website of digital government? I have no question about this, but my curiosity is if the website was active what would have been written there; I mean 100% of literacy within which year. There are some reasons behind this curiosity. Before telling that, lets see that the current status of the projects. Today is September 8, 2012 International Literacy Day. Just three years ago in 2009 The Bureau of non-formal education published a supplement in the daily newspapers on the occasion of literacy day, where it was written that the Bureau has proposed two projects to ensure 100% literacy within 2014. These two projects are only waiting for government approval. They are- Basic literacy and continuing education project-I and Basic Literacy and Continuing Education Project-2. They expected that by implementing these projects all illiterate of the country will be literate. We knew nothing details about these projects in one year. After Just one year, in the literacy day of 2010 a daily newspaper (Promote All) published a report on it. The heading of the report was Three thousand core project to eliminate illiteracy. It described details about these projects. The first project is for 1 districts; the expense is TX 2 thousand and 962 core and the other project is for another 3 Hillcrest districts; the expense is more than 50 core TX. It was told that the projects will begin in January 2011, and after three steps of work it will be completed in 2013. The reason behind it, the present government declared to eliminate illiteracy from the country within 2014 in their election manifesto. The project is the result of this declaration and for the same reason The Bureau of non-formal said to ensure 100% literacy within 2014. However, after this report in 2010 we thought that the rejects will be approved in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (CANE) within December of the year and it will be implemented from January 2011. But that did not happen. We have been informed about the update from a report of The Daily Kamala published on February 8, 2013. The headline of the report was The programs of eliminating illiteracy under challenge. It said that the government did not approve these two projects because of funds. The Daily Kamala also published its follow up news Mega plan to achieve literacy was the title of the report on April 21, 2011. The report was as like as the report of The Daily Promote All of September 8, 2010. There were more details about the projects and it teachers. The report said that the projects will be launched in January 2012. It was seen again in the supplement of Bureau of non-formal education of Literacy Day in September that the projects will begin on January 2012 and will run until December 2013. It meaner after completing the projects in 2013 100% literacy will be ensured within 2014! It was something of hidden and unclear meaning. But the interesting matter is, after that we have passed the month of January 2012, also passed the judged in June but we did not know anything about these projects. Finally, this author himself has gone to the Bureau of non-formal education a week ago and was informed that the projects did not begin. Further details were published Just after few days on September 5, 2012 in a national daily. The report told that the projects have been waiting since last three years for approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (CANE), but CANE did not approve it as it required a huge amount of money. At last the project implementation cost was reduced to 499 Rorer from 3 thousands core and it has been given a new proposal to approve. These projects did not get any speed for three years, now by reducing the cost, the authority is expecting to implement it very quickly. We do not know when the project will see the light, but to me most important question is- what will be the fate of 100% literacy? May be, our Minster has given its answer, on the occasion of todays literacy day, the state minister of primary and mass education (MEMO) said at a press conference in front of the Secretariat on September 6, 2012 that Though we cellared to eliminate illiteracy from our country within 2014, it is not possible. But we want to reach a track. However, the subject of ministers speech not possible is the two projects. He was compelled to say that the literacy rate is 59. 82% referring the data of the bureau of statistics. If we would see the implementation of the projects have been started, may be ministers voice would have been different, in that case he would have said with Firmness that we will succeed within 2014. It is a matter of wonder that the government did not approve these two important projects in three ears only for the amount of money. Although in every year they were promising that it will be started on the following year. And now by their laxity these projects had died. We do not know instead of three thousand core how the project of 499 core will be effective, or still we are in confusion whether this amount will be approved or not. Overall, it is clear that the government can do whatever but at least they do not understand the importance of literacy. They could not understand the significance of eliminating the curse of illiteracy from the country. We havent seen the implementation of the constitutional obligations or the commitment of the government to ensure education for all within 201 5 as of the Millennium Development goal. Only we see their activities when every year the Literacy Day comes. As of now, they declared that it is not possible to ensure 100% literacy. How the website of Bureau of non-formal education will reveal this bitter truth is still my curiosity. Now we are waiting to see when this website will be re-launched. Muffler Raman Manikin: Journalist, Dacha, Bangladesh E-mail: manful. [emailprotected] Com

Strategic Leadership for Non-Profit Organizations Research Paper

Strategic Leadership for Non-Profit Organizations - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that there is evidence pointing to the fact that strategic leadership is different for non-profit organizations, with Bobbi also pointing out that the nature of problems faced by non-profits are antithetical to those that for-profit organizations face. For example, for-profit organizations seek out â€Å"easy† business that almost runs itself and has minimal problems, while non-profit organizations seek out the toughest problems that need solving. This paper will set out to investigate the potential benefits and needs for strategic leadership in the non-profit organization, conducting a review of literature into the topic and applying it to the non-profit organization. A number of theoretical articles and studies have been published concerning the influence and role of non-profit organization managers generally, of which a number focus on the feasibility of applying strategic leadership theories in for-profit organizations to non-profit orga nizations. Stubbs concludes that the role of the private manager significantly differs from that of the business manager, contending that these differences included different decisional, interpersonal, and informational roles. More recently, Dym & Hutson offered their take on the existing differences between the roles played by corporate and non-corporate managers and, although they fail to offer adequate information concerning their methodology for determination of the study’s rigor, they identify five areas that the non-profit strategic leader must adopt practices used by strategic leaders in for-profit organizations.

Ubuntu Operating System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ubuntu Operating System - Assignment Example Ubuntu also gives one the security and comfort in working and storing information online, since it has a password to unlock the administrative actions of one's documents. The password protects against superfluous persons from interfering with the documents. The constantly changing versions of Ubuntu make it a striking technology to apply. Ubuntu Operating System is the newest version of a computer operating system built to cater to the immense role computer plays on man’s daily activities. The system offers new features to its users and improves on their daily know-how in the computer world. Ubuntu is described as a computer structure based on the ‘Debian GNU/Linux distribution’. This unit analyses history, features installation, packages, variants, editions and quality of Ubuntu operating system in detail. Ubuntu was developed as a result of the need of having an efficient system. The earlier systems were not efficient to do the multitasking task, which involved a user performing similar tasks at once. The first version of Ubuntu to be released for public use was on 20th October 2004. Various versions of the Ubuntu system are launched after eighteen months to advance on the effectiveness of the structure. The new versions of the system help in maintaining safety, thus preventing unwanted viruses. The Ubuntu system is being sponsored by Canonical Ltd and a well-wisher named Mark Shuttleworth. The sponsor’s donations led to the formation of the Ubuntu foundation whose main function was to support the development of the latest Ubuntu versions. The features of Ubuntu are that; it is composed of different software packages like the free software. Ubuntu’s design allows it to focus on usability, safety, and dependability.