Teachers on Music

1.)  What music or songs reminds you of your childhood?

Mr. Snyder says: American Pie. While I definitely know this song, I didn’t hear it until later on in life. I listened to Barbie Girl, Whatever You Like, and a lot of Eminem.

2.)  Who is your favorite singer or group or song and why?

Mr. Snyder said his are Bon Jovi and Eminem, “because they freaking rock”. I don’t really listen to Bon Jovi, but Eminem and I jam out.

3.)   What music reminds you of someone you love? Your child? Spouse? Parents?

Flower by Amoslee reminds Mr. Declue of his wife. There is so much music that reminds me of my family and loved ones that I can’t really narrow it down. Like, for example, Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay is my little sister’s favorite song, so when I hear it, it reminds me of her.

4.)   Do you go to concerts? Which concerts are memorable to you? Why?

Mr. Declue has been to see Amoslee, Guitar Vocal Band, and Dennis Jemigin. I, on the other hand, have never been to a concert.

5.)  What radio stations do you normally listen to in your car? Do you sing along?

Mr. Ireland says: 90’s alternative. I will sometimes listen to this too, so we have that in common!

6.)  Which music or artist was “controversial” or “offensive” to some when you were growing up? Is any music offensive to you now?

Mr. Snyder says that Hank Williams Jr. being really controversial when he was growing up, and now there isn’t any music that’s offensive to him. To me, no music is really that controversial. There might be some I don’t agree with, but that music or song or artist might be someone’s favorite.

7.)  Which music or artist do you really dislike or refuse to listen to?

Miss Dunn does not like Ke$ha or Niki Minaj. She says that Niki, “is disgusting and I don’t ever want my daughter to be like her”.

I do not like listening to Taylor Swift. I will, but I don’t have to like it. Or country. For some reason, country music and I do not mix well.

Musical Influences and Genres

·        My variety of music is huge. There is just so much that I listen to, and each song brings out a different reaction. I have this song I adore – Forever and Always by Parachute – and each time I listen to it, I get sad and want to breakdown and cry. At the same time, I have songs – Get Some, by Chevelle, for example – that make me want to rage and dance and set things on fire, so there’s that. Each song can totally bring out some strong emotions, but that’s just because I’m an emotional person.

·        I have a ton of songs that I love and can listen to dozens of times, but my all-time favorite song is My Demons by Starset. It’s not really connected to a certain time or place; I was driving my mom’s car around and it came on the radio, I liked it, SoundHound-ed it, and now I listen to it all the time. Every time it comes on, I just have to stop whatever I’m doing and just jam out until it’s over.

·        The genre of music I listen to has changed so drastically over the years. Growing up, both my parents listened to Country. At the time, it didn’t really bother me. But when my parents divorced my mom stopped listening to it, and as I grew up and became my own person, I started branching out in my music taste. Now, Country is one of the last things I will listen to.

·        I’m not sure why I listen to what I listen to. But I think my hatred (even if it might not be that strong) for Country music comes from my dislike of my dad. I want next to nothing to do with him, and that probably influences the thoughts towards the genre.

·        It’s about half and half with my friends. Some of them have the exact same music taste as I do, but at the same time, some of them listen to the exact opposite. Sure, it gets annoying, but we find middle ground and listen to something we can both enjoy. But basically, I don’t really make friends based on if they listen to the same music as I do. Most of the time, we’re already friends before we jam out to tunes together.

·        When I was younger I used to live down in Reeds Spring, Missouri. My mom lived in this little one bedroom apartment, and my brother, sister, and I would sometimes stay with her. She had this one CD by Pink – I don’t remember which one it is – but we would play it through the TV, turn it up all the way, open the door and window (because there was only one of each), and we would go play outside while belting out the lyrics. It was pretty fun, and we did it until we couldn’t stand each other anymore.

·        In my opinion, there isn’t a style of music that shouldn’t be tolerated. Music is how people express themselves, and if you say that their music cannot be listened to, you are basically saying that they can’t be themselves. Sure, there’s music I cannot stand and won’t listen to, but I not day it shouldn’t have been produced. Because somewhere out there in the world, someone took the time to write the song, to edit it, to produce it, sing it, promote it, and somewhere out there, that song is somebody’s favorite, and they can connect to it in a way they can’t connect to anything else.

Movie Preferences

·        Saying I have just one favorite move is next to impossible; there’s just too many from me to choose from. Superhero movies are usually my favorites. They’re action packed, superheroes are amazing, and the actors that play them are usually attractive, too.

·        Dramas, ugh. For some reason, I cannot stand a movie based on drama. They drive me up the wall, and I can’t watch them for longer than thirty minutes.

·        I don’t watch movies as much as I would like. I just find it difficult to sit down and watch a full length movie by myself, so I watch them when it’s ‘family night’ or at a movie theater.

·        I don’t need much to watch a move. I mean, a warm cozy blanket and some popcorn is nice, but I can watch them pretty much anywhere, at any time.

·        According to the survey, I am:

o   42% extraverted

o   42% agreeable

o   67% conscientious

o   25% emotionally stable

o   92% open to new experiences

·        If my life was made into a story, it would probably be a teenaged drama. So, no thank you, I would prefer my life to stay real and not on the screen.

Dan in Real Life Movie Questions

·        There is not really a certain, designated age for a person to date, wear a thong, or fall in love. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a point where a person is too young to do those things. But there isn’t a point that you wake up and say, “Today’s the day”. It sneaks up on you. One moment, you’re a little kid, playing in the mud and making friends. The next, you’re ready to take on the world. To me, it’s all about maturity. A person has to be mature enough to handle these situations. Maturity means a lot to me, so in the future, a lot of my rules with my children will be based off of it.

·        I hate when people lie to me. I try my best to tell the truth, and I expect the same courtesy. I rarely lie, actually. (Usually I’m just careful about what I say, revealing only a small part of something, and leaving certain details out.)

Basically, I don’t like when someone won’t tell me the truth. I would rather be told what’s really up, freak out, and not be able to handle it in a healthy way than be lied to and have to figure out things by myself.

·        My perfect day would be really simple. I would sleep in until nine o’clock, and skip breakfast, because I hate eating first thing in the morning. I would tour the world, visit all the sights I want to see (the Roman Colosseum, some old catacombs, the Egyptian Pyramids, ect.) with all my favorite people. Since I only have a few close family members and friends, there would be less than ten people following me around, as well as some celebrities (Adam Levine and Jensen Ackles, looking at you).

We would try foods from wherever we are, living and enjoying the different cultures.

·        Life is full of disappointment. Things go wrong all the time, and make us feel down and angry about it. There’s really no getting around it, you will get disappointed at some point or another.

But at the same time, there are amazing things that can happen. For each and every disappointment, I believe that somewhere else down the road, it’ll be made up for, and you will end up feeling really good about life.

·        Love is both a feeling and an ability. You have to be able to feel to love, to know that that weird feeling you get whenever you see a certain person is actually love. But you also have to have the ability to do it. Some people think that they don’t have this ability, and they in turn will never know what love feels like, just because they don’t have this ability to love.

Poems for Paintings from Artist Profile - Diana and Apollo Piercing Niobe's Children with their Arrows

A mother’s love knows no bounds

She shelters and protects and loves her kids.

For her children, she would do anything.

She would die a painful death for her loves,

Or live a happy life.

A mother should know what is best to do,

Or try her best to achieve it.

A mother should always do what is best for them, at least for at that moment.

A mother’s love should be unconditional,

 And known to those who own it.

Poems for Paintings from Artist Profile - Mars Being Disarmed by Venus and the Three Graces

‘All is fair in love and war’

Love and Hate battle inside

They strive to win for their individual pride

Hate is strong with armor thick

While Love holds tight to those she picks.

Hate has weapons to pierce us all,

And Love has no boundaries, near or tall.

Love and Hate constantly wage a war,

Wishing to scorn the other and win,

Fighting and picking and teasing each other,

Because after all, all is fair in love and war.

Through the Window - Edward Hopper

An old fashioned stove, sitting to the right of a refrigerator, covered in pans.

A dining room table, four chairs occupied.

Today there’s a guest, and an extra chair pulled from the corner.

Sometimes they laugh, mostly they eat.

Sunshine angles through windows, lighting the world for the first time of the day.

In the distance, past the room and outside, neighbors are working. Inside no one’s busy, taking their time.