Caroling Caroling Now We Go

Chamber Choir is one of the most vocally selective groups we have here at Kennedy High School. Every year Chamber Choir is asked to sing carols at different events. The most common one are the rotary club meetings that take place in the downtown area. This year we were also asked to sing at a church while people came and prayed for a while and then we would come out and sing for whoever wanted to stay and listen. Our first “gig” this year was at a rotary club meeting that took place at the Masonic Temple. The whole time I was in there I felt like I should be very careful about not breaking anything. It seemed like that place was hundreds of years old. It even smelled like it!
When is was finally time for us to sing our carols for all of the rotary club members, we walked out and immediately started singing a song called Sing We Now of Christmas. After that our director, Mr. Ziegler, talked a little bit about the songs we’ll be singing and made a cute little joke and off we were again. The whole experience was pretty good and I felt we performed the song well. I wish I could say that for all three of the performances we did. It all seemed to go downhill from there.
I wasn’t able to make it to the performance at the church, but people told me it wasn’t the best. When we went to the Crowned Plaza Hotel downtown to sing carols for more rotary club members, the whole bass section forgot their music except for one. So some tenors, being nice, held their music up high so the basses could look off their words. It was kind of a disaster. It was mainly the basses, but the basses are the foundation for all music. You need that low tone or it sounds weird. It was a bad time to forget your music because we really wanted to impress all of these people because they paid us $300 to sing for them. Mr. Z seemed pretty tense about it already because of the money they paid us. I hope despite our poor performance they invite us back next year because we could really use that money for the Choral League!

Cocoa and Carols

This weekend was the annual Cocoa and Carols at Kennedy. This is where all the “feeder schools,” Elementary and Middle, come to Kennedy and performs, meaning sing and/or dance some holiday songs in three different shows. Different schools perform in each show. Kennedy’s three show choirs, Chanteurs, Protégé, and Happiness Inc, and its jazz vocal group, Moonlight, also perform in all three shows.
I love when cocoa and carols rolls around. It’s always fun to see all the little kids singing their songs and doing their cute dances and everything. My favorite part of the show is when all of the high schoolers performing get up on stage and we all sing Rudolph with the crowd. I think its most of the kid’s favorites too because they always get really into it. We have actions that go along with the song. Whenever and action is done, the action takes the place of the word. For example, when reindeer is sung everyone puts up reindeer antlers. This action is my favorite because about a fourth of the audience does the reindeer action whenever Rudolph is sung and their faces are always funny because they know they made a mistake right away. It’s priceless.
After every school has performed, all audience members and performers are encouraged to migrate to the cafeteria where they can eat cookies and drink hot cocoa. This is where the name Cocoa and Carols comes from. The cocoa is always pretty good and if you ask, they’d be more than willing to put little marshmallows in it for you. This is a chance to mingle and have fun just talking to a bunch of different people and complimenting and giving compliments. Hot cocoa and cookies always puts people in a good mood. There are always so many different types of cookies to choose from and they’re all always so delicious as well. It’s all around a good day. Everyone is surrounded by friends and holiday spirit and best of all, hot cocoa and cookies!

Best Winter Occurrnces

Every high schooler’s dream is to have a snow day or a two hour delay. You get to sleep in like it’s a weekend on snow days and if the roads aren’t too extremely terrible you might even be able to go out and hang with friends! It’s like a vacation day. And if you don’t want to hang out with anyone and just lie around the house and be lazy and sleep, you can do that too. The only problem with snow days for me is that my mom always has a list of chores for me to do. She never fails to think of things that need to be done around that house she can have me do when I have a day off. They usually aren’t hard things to get done, but I most certainly never want to do them. You also have to make up snow days which aren’t too much fun. They have a few built in snow days we can make up if necessary, but we usually have more than are built in so we go over into the summer and that’s not cool. Another down fall of a snow day is that I still have to go to work when we have one. I work everyday from 3:30 to 6 and they never close. They only closed early once last year.
Two hour delays I think are the best out of the two though. You get two extra hours of sleep which can do wonders if you don’t get much sleep at night like me. You never have to make it up because you still go to school for more than half the day so it counts as one of the 180 days we have to be at school. Therefore, when the weather is nice and warm outside, no one is cooped up in a school day dreaming about being outside doing fun things instead of learning. Another plus is that classes are shortened, but not so short that all of the classes fall behind on their curriculum. It’s never any fun when you have to rush through lessons and no one ever really grasps the concept of them and then the teacher has to reteach it later anyway because no one retains the information that was given. Even though a two hour delay would be my first pick, either of the two would be a fantastic occurrence anyday.

Christmas at Luther

Last weekend was the chosen weekend for the annual, legendary Christmas at Luther. This was the first time I had attended and it was so amazing! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll start at the beginning with the ride up.
From where I live to Decorah it’s about a 2 hour ride, but the road conditions unfortunately weren’t the in the best shape so it took a little longer. When we finally arrived we checked into the hotel we were going to stay in that night so we wouldn’t have to get home around 1 in the morning. We then immediately went to the Luther campus where we picked up my brother who directed us to a restaurant called T-bock’s. I have no idea how they got their name, nor did my brother so were all at a loss on that subject. T-bock’s is kind of like a bar and grill place. They’re pretty good. After that we shopped around a little bit in downtown Decorah. Finally it was time for Christmas at Luther!
The whole thing was absolutely outstanding. The choirs were amazing as usual. If you don’t know much about Luther, they are known for their music program. Many people go there to get the best music education they can so it only makes sense they always sound amazing; even the freshman groups. I recognized a few of the songs that were performed throughout the concert but of course they were performed with more finesse. There was a point in the show where all the singers were on stage and some in the aisles and everyone was holding a candle. One guy, front and center, started with his candle burning. While they sang/ the orchestra played a song, they passed the light throughout all of the singers. The lights weren’t very dim so it didn’t quite have the effect it could have, but it was still really cool.
After the concert we went to a restaurant called Mabe’s. It’s an incredibly delicious pizza restaurant. You can get other things such as a burger or salad, but they are most well known by the locals as having really good pizza. I’d have to agree with the locals and say they had amazing pizza. We got taco and pepperoni. If you ever go to Decorah I would recommend it.
Our drive home the next day went much more smoothly. We got home in the two hours it usually takes us and everyone was safe and sound.

Winter Driving

There’s not really any other view on winter driving in Iowa than that it sucks, it flat out sucks. There’s nothing easy about it, the slipping and sliding and clenching of the steering wheel and stress of hitting the car who abruptly stopped in front of you.
I’ve already nearly escaped a collision once this year. I’d like to keep my record squeaky clean of any accidents or even any instances of getting pulled over, but winter makes it extremely difficult to achieve. My first instinct when I’m about to hit the car in front of me, is to yell at them to go or move or something! I don’t know about anyone else, but I think this is both a reasonable thing to do and a humorous conclusion for me to think of. It’s an instinct, what can you do.
Winter driving is the worst when you’re running late for anything. You have to weigh the danger of veering off the road or colliding with another car with the dangers of being late to work or tardy for school. Both options don’t seem too appetizing, just another reason why winter driving is no fun.

Winter Wonderland?

The most common cliché to describe winter is “winter wonderland,” but is it really a wonderland per se? In my opinion, winter can come and go within a week. I love the snow as it’s falling, it’s so pretty and light and fluffy, but I hate the cold. I work a daycare and we are obligated to take the kids outside for at least half an hour every day the temperature exceeds 10 degrees with wind chill. Granted this isn’t too often in the virtually tundra-like Iowan winters that we get a day where it’s above 10 degrees with wind chill, it’s still difficult to muster up the courage to face the cold for half an hour when it is. The 3-5 year olds I watch also make it difficult to do with their complaining and requirements to be warm and not freeze. There’s also the matter of sand and salt that tends to get all over everything you touch after coming in from the streets. Not to mention that it causes the perfectly white snow that looked so beautiful as it fell from the sky to look like poo. The sand is one of the main reasons why winter should only linger here for a week. In that time I don’t think it would be here long enough for the big bad trucks to hinder its figure so the only memory one has of it is how pretty it was.
The perfect week for winter to come and go would be the week of Christmas. As much as I dislike the cold and everything that comes with it, it has to be cold for Christmas and there has to be snow on the ground. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it. It would be perfect if it would snow throughout the whole day on Christmas, but I could deal with there just being snow on the ground. I’d get over it. There shouldn’t be an excessive amount of snow though, just a few inches. Just enough to cover everything in site would be sufficient.
I know my specifications in anyone else’s eyes may seem ridiculous and extreme, but I believe they are very reasonable and plausible with global warming slowly creeping into the lives of all.

flowida!

I’ve come to the conclusion that the best time to go on a vacation to Florida is in November around Thanksgiving. I just came back from Orlando Florida and I had a great time. The weather was beautiful and warm and perfect. The temperature was in the 70’s the whole week and was sunny except for one day when there were some clouds and it drizzled a little on us.
We spent most of our time at Universal Studios. This was my third time going to Disney World in Orlando and I think Universal is my favorite park. My favorite part of Universal is Islands of Adventure. It includes Marvel Super Hero Island which has rides like the Hulk and the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. My favorite ride in Marvel Super Hero Island is the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman because it is a 3D thing and seems to be very real compared to some 3D rides I’ve been on. Seuss Land is also a part of Islands of Adventure and is geared more towards little kids. It has quite a few shops and stores where you can buy things related to Dr. Seuss books and a few rides like the Cat in the Hat ride. Another part of Islands of adventure is the Lost Continent. My favorite ride in this part of the park was a ride called the Dueling Dragons. It’s a ride with two roller coasters posing as dragons, the blue is ice and the red is fire. The two roller coasters head off at the same time and get pretty close to hitting a couple times which adds to the excitement of the ride. Jurassic Park is another theme of Islands of Adventure. The big attraction in this portion of the park is the Jurassic Park River Adventure. I did not get a chance to ride this one but did ride the Pteranadon Flyers. It’s like a ski lift that gives you a tour of the park. It’s pretty low key and fun. Last but not least is Toon Lagoon. This is a part of the park that is based on a bunch of comics that have been popular throughout the years. There are thinking and talking bubbles everywhere for you to get pictures underneath. All the main attractions in this part were water rides and since the weather wasn’t quite warm enough, we didn’t spend too much time there, but it’s a joy to walk through and see all the funny comics.

Prom Night

So far in my blog I have kept my all of my postings about music and bands that I like, but I’m going to try and incorporate other things into them such as movie reviews and TV show reviews.
I recently watched the movie called Prom Night for the second time. It may have been the crowd I watched it with because it was a basement full of girls, but I still jumped and screamed just like the first time I saw it.
The movie was directed by Nelson McCormick and stars Brittany Snow as Donna Keppel, Jonathan Schaech as Richard Fenton, Jessalyn Gilsig as Donna’s aunt, Linden Ashby as Donna’s uncle, Donna Davis as Lisa, Jessica Stroup as Claire, Collins Pennie as Ronnie, Kelly Blatz as michael, Idris Elba as Det Fail, and James Ransone as Nash.
A senior named Donna Keppel is still recovering from a three year old tragedy. She witness one of her teachers kill her mother while she was hiding under the bed in her room because he became obsessed with Donna. The movie is about her prom night after his escape from prison to come back for her. The killer disguises himself as a guest at the hotel to find time be with Donna alone.
This movie has a lot of things that pop out at you and make you jump. My experience was that is was a predictable movie, but still got me to jump and scream. If you like those kinds of movies you’ll love this one. I enjoyed it. The couples and relationships are extremely cute and it’s interesting to see how they cope with all the crazy events that occur throughout the movie.

OneRepublic

OneRepublic is a rock band that formed in Colorado. They had moderate success for a couple years until they recorded "Apologize" with Timbaland who put it on his album Shock Value, released on November 20, 2007, which caused it to get world wide attention. Their second single, Stop and Stair was a hit along with their third, Say (All I Need), and their fourth, Mercy.
The band consists of 5 members. Ryan Tedder doing lead vocals, guitar,bass guitar,piano, glockenspiel, and drums, Zack Filkins on guitar and vocals, Drew Brown on the guitar, bass guitar, and glockenspiel, Eddie Fisher on drums and percussion, and Brent Kutzle on the bass guitar, keyboard, cello, and vocals.
All of OneRepublic's singles are really good and catchy but they have a lot of really good songs on their album Dream Out Loud, such as All Fall Down and goodbye apathy to name a couple. I like it partly because it has all of the normal insturments a band usually has like guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard, etc. The thing that sets them apart is that they have instruments you'd find in an orchestra such as the cello and glockenspiel (a German instrument resembling the zylaphone). It really makes the music stand out in a good way. It adds to the songs they perform.
I really like this band because their lyrics are good and the lead singer really knows how to use his voice. It’s a very clear voice and he’s not afraid to use it to its full potential.

Valencia

Valencia is an alternative punk rock band. The members of the band all came from different bands such as The Capgun Heroes, Attracted to Miss, and The Emphasis. In 2004 the band decided to create the group we know today called Valencia named after the city in Spain. They released their first album in 2005, This Could be a Possibility. Their album We All Need a Reason to Believe was released in 2008. Members of the band include Shane Henderson doing vocals, JD Perry on the guitar, Maxim Soria on the drums, George Ciukurescu on the bass guitar, and Brendan Walter on the guitar.
I’ve listened to their album We All Need a Reason to Believe and I approve! My favorite song on the album is Head in Hands. The chorus goes as follows

Head in hands I'm fine, and I've been fighting the words it just isn't worth my time.It's not a way to die. Suffocated by stress, my life is a mess, it's not right. Head in hands we climb. Separated by faith, it got in the way of life.Of all the ways to die, suffocated by stress, my life is a mess, it's not right.

It talks about how you need to calm down and not get suffocated by all the things happening in your life. Everyone should stop what they’re doing and relax every once in a while. If you’re so stressed that it feels like it’s suffocating you, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be that hard.

All the songs on this album follow the same theme, finding a reason to believe, just like the album name says. They are all amazing songs. The singer has a good voice and the writer of the music and lyrics knows his stuff. They mesh well as a band.

Mayday Parade

My friend recently had me listen to an album called A Lesson in Romantics by a band call Mayday Parade. I think they are brilliant. The lead singer has a good voice for both upbeat songs and slower ones. It's a pretty clear voice and he seems to know how to use it well. Mayday Parade is technically put under the genre of being a rock band. I'd say they have a little bit of alternative in them as well. It consists of five guys from Tallahassee, Florida, all former members of either Kid Named Chicago or Defining moment. The band members are Derek Sanders who does vocals and keyboard, Jeremy Lenzo the bass guitarist and backup vocals, Alex Garcia on the guitar, Brooks Betts also on the guitar, Jake Bundrick doing drums, percussion, and backup vocals.
The first song I listened to is called "Miserable at Best." It's kind of a sad song. If you're in a bad mood you're not going to want to listen to it because it's almost painful to hear. The song is about a break up. The song leads me to believe that the girl in the relationship broke up with the guy because he could never tell her how he really felt. Now he can’t stop thinking about how she may be with other guys and how they are probably making moves on her. The last couple lines of the chorus go, “I can live without you, but with out you I’ll be miserable at best.” This seems to be the theme of the song. The guy can live without the relationship, but he’s missing a part. He won’t be the same. He can live without her but without her he’ll be miserable at best.
This is yet another slow song that I really liked. I love the lead singer’s voice. I usually prefer male voices over female because it has more “umph” to it. It has an underlying tone and it’s fuller and has base to it.

Their most popular song is called "Jamie All Over" is an awesome song as well. The lead singer isn't afraid to explore the upper register of his voice and that's always a nice thing to hear. It seems to be a theme throughout the album. If you like punk rock music you should consider checking these guys out.

Saosin

I personally do not enjoy music where the artist is screaming. I have some vocal background and this is like nails on a chalkboard to me because that hurts your voice so much. It sounds like nails on a calk board to me. I can listen to it, I just won't enjoy it. However, I recently stumbled upon a band called Saosin. They have just a little hint of screaming in their music, but most of it is singing. I like when artists explore their voice and find they can hit some high notes and just go for it.
The word "saosin" is a chinese word that is actually pronounced "say-ocean" despite the fact that most people, even members of the band and me, pronounce it "say-oh-sin." It's a chinese proverb meaning "small heart." It was used in the 15th and 16th century when fathers would sell their sons to marry and teach their sons to not get attached to the woman they marry because it's not for love and that woman could die any day. All though this is pretty grim, the band is really good. They have a demo CD out called "Come Closer" which has a song on it called "You're Not Alone (Piano Version)." It is an absolutely brilliant song. The original version is good as well, but I prefer the piano version over the original. It adds to and excentuates the mood of the song. It's about when you're going through rough patches in life to just step back and remember that there's more than this. That there's more to life than this one moment. I think it tries to portray the idea that you shouldn't only thing about yourself as well. That you should think of others and their needs. You shouldn't be selfish. The instrumentals in the song are amazingly orchestrated. It's such a pretty song. I believe my play count, between my itunes and my ipod, is 111 at the moment. When I first heard it, I had to put it on repeat. This song is an amazing song by them but it's not their only good one. They have another album called "Saosin" that has the original "You're Not Alone" and many other good songs such as "Finding Home".

Hi

Welcome to my new blog!

I wish i had a Pop-Tart to eat.