Viewing the Dove commercial and the satire of the Dove commercial, life’s view on beauty is varied. Both videos show some amount of distortion to the human body. The Dove commercial shows the need in America to be “beautiful.” The satire shows an unrealistic account of “ugly”. The guy went through a series of changes to become “ugly.” The girl has to go through a series of changes to become “perfect.”
Both videos show the extremeness of American society view on what is beautiful and what is ugly. I don’t believe it can get to that extreme but as Americans we give into harmful ways of life that can distort our human bodies. Going in either direction, it’s severe distortion. America today is built on an unreal perception of beauty and ugliness. The perfect hair, the perfect lips, the perfect body. No one will ever have that “perfect” body. Why? Because the American lifestyle is loaded with drugs, fast food, alcohol.
Both are sadly the reality of today’s society. In America we are pushing for a “healthier lifestyle.” Everything that happened to that guy in the video happens. The effects of over drinking, the effects of drugs, the effects of chemically altered food, it’s what makes America go round. The money invested in the above will make sure that America never sees to a “healthier lifestyle.” The Dove video shows perfection. Not reality. People undergo dangerous operations for beauty. Either way, it’s harmful to the body. Natural beauty can be perceived as natural ugliness and the other way around. America has become obsessed with unrealistic goals, high expectations. Its not wonder why there is such low esteem in the American society today.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
From coast to coast...Girl Scouting is the most
March has been a pretty crappy month for me so far. I’m completely swarmed with my work schedule; I think that this weekend is my only weekend off. School work is starting to kick off and one of the professors I knew when I was at Post died on Thursday.
Despite the hard times so far, I know that March is supposed to be a good month in general for me. It’s Women’s History month. I’m a self proclaimed feminist and have been growing in a family of women. If anyone wants to see a really nice display check out the book display of Women’s History in the library that is all the way to the right when you walk towards the individual staircases to each floor. And no I’m not doing this because my mom did the display. Ok maybe part of me is mentioning because of that hah.
With Women’s History month comes one of the most important dates in my life. March 12th. March 12th will be the 95th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America. I’ve been a scout for 13 years now, and despite the ignorance that people have, yes you can still be a scout long after your Brownie years.
On March 12th, 1912 Juliette Gordon Low started up the Girl Scouts in her hometown of Savannah. She thought of the idea while in England when she was a Girl Guide leader, which is the rest of the world’s version of Girl Scouts. Daisy, Juliette’s nickname, taught the girls how to be independent. She taught them to cook, sew, camp, fix things, and tend to the sick. Every girl had to wear a kerchief around their neck and until they did a good deed for the day, they couldn’t untie it. There were “merit badges” and special awards like the Golden Eaglet. The Golden Eaglet was given to the girl who demonstrated top notch Girl Scout abilities and went through tests such as earning a certain number of badges and service hours. This became what is the Gold Award today.
They made their own uniforms, the first being a dark blue. Do a search on Girl Scouts and there is a slideshow of the uniform fashions, it’s pretty funny. Those were some scary bell bottoms in the ‘70s. New awards came into being such as religious awards, service awards, life saving awards. We have so many different religious awards, service awards, a Bronze Award for Juniors, a Silver Award for Cadettes, and the coveted Gold Award.
There are 5 levels of actual scouting- Daisys, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors. Each are 3 years long with the exception of Daisys. And believe or not, you can be a scout long after your “field years.” I am going in for my leader training, but I can get a paying job over at the Council Building which many of you know, but never really knew it. Over by Roosevelt Field there’s a cube like building and there are Girl Scout flags flying everywhere…yeah that’s the headquarters for all Nassau based associations. And if you are itching for some of those cookies, I can assure you there are so many booth sales going on right now wherever you step.
I honestly love being a Girl Scout. It made me into who I am today. I have a strong background because of the law and promise that carry the guidelines to the scouts. I am a Gold Award winner, the first in my association for 7 years. I am also an owner of the Silver Award, and the Bronze Award was around when I was a Junior. I was the keynote speaker at the luncheon in October. I continue to serve and volunteer whenever I get the call. I think they have me on speed dial. I joke around about taking over the Girl Scouts and becoming its ruler. My mom even told the CEO and President that I am going to a military take over, and they turned to me and asked me to wait a few more years because they like the jobs they are in.
If you know a girl who is in scouts, encourage her to continue. It will benefit her life forever. I’ve met some really important people in my life from Girl Scouts. You can’t buy what the Scouts have to offer, well…ok you can buy the cookies…but you can’t buy the morals, the adventures, and the lifelong lessons. Women’s History month is such an interesting month, so go find out more and see how many women changed the world.
Despite the hard times so far, I know that March is supposed to be a good month in general for me. It’s Women’s History month. I’m a self proclaimed feminist and have been growing in a family of women. If anyone wants to see a really nice display check out the book display of Women’s History in the library that is all the way to the right when you walk towards the individual staircases to each floor. And no I’m not doing this because my mom did the display. Ok maybe part of me is mentioning because of that hah.
With Women’s History month comes one of the most important dates in my life. March 12th. March 12th will be the 95th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America. I’ve been a scout for 13 years now, and despite the ignorance that people have, yes you can still be a scout long after your Brownie years.
On March 12th, 1912 Juliette Gordon Low started up the Girl Scouts in her hometown of Savannah. She thought of the idea while in England when she was a Girl Guide leader, which is the rest of the world’s version of Girl Scouts. Daisy, Juliette’s nickname, taught the girls how to be independent. She taught them to cook, sew, camp, fix things, and tend to the sick. Every girl had to wear a kerchief around their neck and until they did a good deed for the day, they couldn’t untie it. There were “merit badges” and special awards like the Golden Eaglet. The Golden Eaglet was given to the girl who demonstrated top notch Girl Scout abilities and went through tests such as earning a certain number of badges and service hours. This became what is the Gold Award today.
They made their own uniforms, the first being a dark blue. Do a search on Girl Scouts and there is a slideshow of the uniform fashions, it’s pretty funny. Those were some scary bell bottoms in the ‘70s. New awards came into being such as religious awards, service awards, life saving awards. We have so many different religious awards, service awards, a Bronze Award for Juniors, a Silver Award for Cadettes, and the coveted Gold Award.
There are 5 levels of actual scouting- Daisys, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors. Each are 3 years long with the exception of Daisys. And believe or not, you can be a scout long after your “field years.” I am going in for my leader training, but I can get a paying job over at the Council Building which many of you know, but never really knew it. Over by Roosevelt Field there’s a cube like building and there are Girl Scout flags flying everywhere…yeah that’s the headquarters for all Nassau based associations. And if you are itching for some of those cookies, I can assure you there are so many booth sales going on right now wherever you step.
I honestly love being a Girl Scout. It made me into who I am today. I have a strong background because of the law and promise that carry the guidelines to the scouts. I am a Gold Award winner, the first in my association for 7 years. I am also an owner of the Silver Award, and the Bronze Award was around when I was a Junior. I was the keynote speaker at the luncheon in October. I continue to serve and volunteer whenever I get the call. I think they have me on speed dial. I joke around about taking over the Girl Scouts and becoming its ruler. My mom even told the CEO and President that I am going to a military take over, and they turned to me and asked me to wait a few more years because they like the jobs they are in.
If you know a girl who is in scouts, encourage her to continue. It will benefit her life forever. I’ve met some really important people in my life from Girl Scouts. You can’t buy what the Scouts have to offer, well…ok you can buy the cookies…but you can’t buy the morals, the adventures, and the lifelong lessons. Women’s History month is such an interesting month, so go find out more and see how many women changed the world.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
education is key
I guess this can be seen as a continuation from my last post. In class we’ve read an essay by Gloria Naylor called “A Word’s Meaning” and a newspaper article called “In Bid to Ban Racial Slur, Blacks Occupy Both Sides” b Anahad O’Connor. Both readings deal with the widely use of the n word in today’s world. I personally despise the word, I think it’s degrading, and I don’t understand why rappers and other media high figures feel the compelling urge to use it a million times in a short amount of time.
In the newspaper article there were a few websites that I went onto. Abolishthenword.com had this very disturbing flash presentation in the beginning before entering the site. Pictures upon pictures of cruelty towards a specific group of people. I believe that each person who died from cruel attacks were called the n word before dying, which just makes me even more angry that today it is a term of endearment or power.
What is it with our generation to take such cruel words used to attack several groups of people who aren’t the same as us and turn them into a “positive” term? It’s disgusting. What’s even more disgusting is when it is acceptable among people of the same group using the same word to each other as a sign of respect.
I applaud those who are taking steps to educate today’s youth about the origin and vulgar use of the n word. No matter what race you are, there is no reason to use words like that. “Words are stronger than actions.” That is true. I think the spoken word is the strongest weapon ever created. Physical pain can heal is what I always say, but that emotional and mental pain will never go away. Never. The spoken word attacks emotionally and mentally, scarring those attacked for life. A child will forget the knee scrapes and the bruises, but call that child the n word or any other derogatory word…and they will remember it for the rest of their life. Without the proper education, we can lose hope that respect will prevail. If we do not educate the youth today about words such as the n word, they are just going to keep using without paying respect to those who died before them from that word. And that’s what make is disgusting to me.
In the newspaper article there were a few websites that I went onto. Abolishthenword.com had this very disturbing flash presentation in the beginning before entering the site. Pictures upon pictures of cruelty towards a specific group of people. I believe that each person who died from cruel attacks were called the n word before dying, which just makes me even more angry that today it is a term of endearment or power.
What is it with our generation to take such cruel words used to attack several groups of people who aren’t the same as us and turn them into a “positive” term? It’s disgusting. What’s even more disgusting is when it is acceptable among people of the same group using the same word to each other as a sign of respect.
I applaud those who are taking steps to educate today’s youth about the origin and vulgar use of the n word. No matter what race you are, there is no reason to use words like that. “Words are stronger than actions.” That is true. I think the spoken word is the strongest weapon ever created. Physical pain can heal is what I always say, but that emotional and mental pain will never go away. Never. The spoken word attacks emotionally and mentally, scarring those attacked for life. A child will forget the knee scrapes and the bruises, but call that child the n word or any other derogatory word…and they will remember it for the rest of their life. Without the proper education, we can lose hope that respect will prevail. If we do not educate the youth today about words such as the n word, they are just going to keep using without paying respect to those who died before them from that word. And that’s what make is disgusting to me.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Today's Slang Can mean You're offending a whole group of people
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17388702/?GT1=9145
We were discussing in class how the English Language is constantly changing, and we are always changing the meanings of different words. I was reading an article that I feel tied into that discussion. Slang is an ever changing informal way of the English Language. There’s politically correct terminology but then there’s just plain degrading words out there. This particular article discusses a lawsuit against a school for reprimanding a girl who used the term “that’s so gay.” Her parents claimed it was a violation of the First Amendment, and sued the school.
I don’t really want to get into the politics of that lawsuit, but I think it’s appalling nowadays how words that are used to identify a group of people are now being turned around and used as slang. Words like “queer” “gay” and the n word. I just think it’s inappropriate to make slang out of these words. It’s offending in a way to hear people calling people fags because now it also means “stupid.” Well it’s an offensive term to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Then there are racial terms that being used instead as an insult but as another form of stupid or other words along those lines. These words are offensive! Why are we bringing them back into slang?
I hate when people use the word fag or gay in a way that means stupid around me. I would actually make my friends stop using the terms in such a way because it would upset me. Being an out lesbian, I had to deal with a lot of gay bashing growing up. Now to hear words that were used to cut me down and beat me up meaning “stupid” is just appalling to me.
I wish there was a way to stop it all, but I’m going to look at it realistically. It’s not going to happen. Let America use these, but as an individual I’m going to stop it around me. Too many people have been hurt by those words, that it’s inappropriate to used them. I honestly just don’t want to be reminded of bad times, and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who agree with me on some level. I mean it’s weird in a way that I’m fighting for the term “gay” to remain the way it is and not mean “stupid.” But look at this way, using the word gay, you are also referring to a homosexual person and I can tell we are all not “stupid.”
We were discussing in class how the English Language is constantly changing, and we are always changing the meanings of different words. I was reading an article that I feel tied into that discussion. Slang is an ever changing informal way of the English Language. There’s politically correct terminology but then there’s just plain degrading words out there. This particular article discusses a lawsuit against a school for reprimanding a girl who used the term “that’s so gay.” Her parents claimed it was a violation of the First Amendment, and sued the school.
I don’t really want to get into the politics of that lawsuit, but I think it’s appalling nowadays how words that are used to identify a group of people are now being turned around and used as slang. Words like “queer” “gay” and the n word. I just think it’s inappropriate to make slang out of these words. It’s offending in a way to hear people calling people fags because now it also means “stupid.” Well it’s an offensive term to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Then there are racial terms that being used instead as an insult but as another form of stupid or other words along those lines. These words are offensive! Why are we bringing them back into slang?
I hate when people use the word fag or gay in a way that means stupid around me. I would actually make my friends stop using the terms in such a way because it would upset me. Being an out lesbian, I had to deal with a lot of gay bashing growing up. Now to hear words that were used to cut me down and beat me up meaning “stupid” is just appalling to me.
I wish there was a way to stop it all, but I’m going to look at it realistically. It’s not going to happen. Let America use these, but as an individual I’m going to stop it around me. Too many people have been hurt by those words, that it’s inappropriate to used them. I honestly just don’t want to be reminded of bad times, and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who agree with me on some level. I mean it’s weird in a way that I’m fighting for the term “gay” to remain the way it is and not mean “stupid.” But look at this way, using the word gay, you are also referring to a homosexual person and I can tell we are all not “stupid.”
Monday, February 19, 2007
Erase Hate
This may look like an ordinary fence to anybody. Sure the ribbons and flowers signify a tragedy there…maybe a car crash.But it wasn’t a car crash.
And yes, someone died here.
And his name was Matthew Shepherd.
This picture, this fence is a universal picture now for change. A boy died there because he was gay. He was brutally beaten because he was gay. He was tied to the poles because he was gay. He was left to die there because he was gay.
This political issue of Gay Rights is very important to me. He’s not the only one to die this way. There is no enforcement of hate crime laws. If there was, why are we still suffering. We. Yes, we. We deserve rights like any normal citizen of this country. I deserve the right to marry, I deserve the right to live in safety like everyone else. Why do I? I bleed, I sneeze, I talk, I walk, I yell, I breathe just like any person of a different race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender. I swear I don’t bleed a different color. I swear I don’t breathe water. I swear that I hurt like everyone, physically and mentally. Medical examinations prove to show that I am human. Why should I be denied a basic human right?
It’s scary, running your whole life. Away from hatred. Away from this:
A little extreme I know. I understand not everyone accepts the way I live and love. It’s just like how we don’t accept certain forms of punishment, how we don’t accept certain taboos. I find it hilarious that there is this huge movement to stop Gay Marriage. Gays will harm the sacredness of marriage. Well, what about all the divorces that happen every year and the number of times people re-marry? Doesn’t that suck away the sacredness of marriage too? It seems to me that is essentially hurting marriage.
People are dying and getting hurt everyday. And it sucks. It sucks to hear from my friends “Oh so and so just got hit by the homophobes. He’s in the hospital.”
Erase Hate. Just erase hate. Hate over race. Hate over gender. Hate over culture. Hate over sexual orientation. Just erase it. I don’t want my kids to grow up, getting beaten up by their peers because they have two mommies. I don’t want kids to grow up like I did, being held to a fence, or running for their lives.
I’m done running. There has to be change. We need to change the world together. You don’t have to agree with my life, but we all must agree on Human Rights. Human Rights. Not just gay rights, not just black rights, not just gender rights…but Human Rights. After all…we all breathe air, and bleed red, and live and die just like everyone else.
People are dying and getting hurt everyday. And it sucks. It sucks to hear from my friends “Oh so and so just got hit by the homophobes. He’s in the hospital.”
Erase Hate. Just erase hate. Hate over race. Hate over gender. Hate over culture. Hate over sexual orientation. Just erase it. I don’t want my kids to grow up, getting beaten up by their peers because they have two mommies. I don’t want kids to grow up like I did, being held to a fence, or running for their lives.
I’m done running. There has to be change. We need to change the world together. You don’t have to agree with my life, but we all must agree on Human Rights. Human Rights. Not just gay rights, not just black rights, not just gender rights…but Human Rights. After all…we all breathe air, and bleed red, and live and die just like everyone else.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Gimme some more of those Green Onions
I’m one of those crazy cats that downloads multiple versions of the same song. I do indeed in my iTunes have several versions of “Watermelon Man” a song that my High School Band and Jazz Band loved to play ( Actually, my jazz group almost got kicked out of an event for that song…it was too “loud.”), two versions of Janis Joplin of “Piece of My Heart” both performed by Janis herself and Melissa Etheridge, about 5 versions of “Chameleon” my personal favorite being by Buddy Rich, 6 versions of Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” which is my personal favorite jazz piece to play, two versions of “Harlem Nocturne” and the song that I am currently listening to: “Green Onions” played by King Curtis on sax.
Now, this song Green Onions holds a very dear space in my heart. It was the first jazz song that I not only learned to play…but feel. It has a very bluesy feel to it. Booker T wrote it, but the version that King Curtis plays is the way we played it when I was a freshman in High School. This song expanded my playing abilities. Here I was at the ripe age of 14, trumpet in hand…completely lost in the up beats of the song. Do you know how hard it was going from playing down beats to playing before the beat? Then the soloing! These cats I played with could play! Maybe I was just awe struck, maybe I was too young, maybe I was just so damn confused…but something inside of me stirred. Sure, the first time I played the piece I totally destroyed the 4th trumpet part. Annoyed looks came my way, I felt embarrassed but soon that feeling, you know that bluesy, jazzy feeling bit me. And it bit me hard. So hard that after 4 years in that Jazz Band, I begged to perform the piece in my final year. I wanted to go out, knowing that I improved on what I was in freshman year.
I will always love “Green Onions” because in a way, it gave me my first break in jazz music. I can honestly remember, standing on stage for my first Jazz Band gig. I was so small, the smallest trumpet player there. I was this scrawny little girl, barely 5’2 standing next to cats who were taller, bigger, and could blow better on any piece of music. My best friend in that band happened to be a 6 foot tall trombone playing girl, so you could just imagine the size difference when we stood next to each other, analyzing music. I can clearly remember her telling me
“MB, just relax…let it take care of you.” I can also remember her saying
“You got any problems with the rhythms you just come to me…let me take care of you.”
With these words of wisdom of my tall, trombone blasting Kate, I let the music take care of me. I let “Green Onions” take care of me. So now you had this scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing girl bobbing and dancing to the music on the platforms that we trumpet cats had to stand on. Once I let Christina on guitar lead me with her up beats, I was a jazz playing, non stopping trumpet playing gal. And I haven’t stop to this very day.
So yes, I’m one of those crazy cats who downloads several versions of a song because I want to learn, and I want to compare. And I’m always looking for that version that brings me back to my early days of playing, to the days of my freshman Jazz Band. Those cats were the meanest playing cats I’ve met in my life. And King Curtis’ “Green Onions” never fails to bring me back, smiling like a scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing cat.
Now, this song Green Onions holds a very dear space in my heart. It was the first jazz song that I not only learned to play…but feel. It has a very bluesy feel to it. Booker T wrote it, but the version that King Curtis plays is the way we played it when I was a freshman in High School. This song expanded my playing abilities. Here I was at the ripe age of 14, trumpet in hand…completely lost in the up beats of the song. Do you know how hard it was going from playing down beats to playing before the beat? Then the soloing! These cats I played with could play! Maybe I was just awe struck, maybe I was too young, maybe I was just so damn confused…but something inside of me stirred. Sure, the first time I played the piece I totally destroyed the 4th trumpet part. Annoyed looks came my way, I felt embarrassed but soon that feeling, you know that bluesy, jazzy feeling bit me. And it bit me hard. So hard that after 4 years in that Jazz Band, I begged to perform the piece in my final year. I wanted to go out, knowing that I improved on what I was in freshman year.
I will always love “Green Onions” because in a way, it gave me my first break in jazz music. I can honestly remember, standing on stage for my first Jazz Band gig. I was so small, the smallest trumpet player there. I was this scrawny little girl, barely 5’2 standing next to cats who were taller, bigger, and could blow better on any piece of music. My best friend in that band happened to be a 6 foot tall trombone playing girl, so you could just imagine the size difference when we stood next to each other, analyzing music. I can clearly remember her telling me
“MB, just relax…let it take care of you.” I can also remember her saying
“You got any problems with the rhythms you just come to me…let me take care of you.”
With these words of wisdom of my tall, trombone blasting Kate, I let the music take care of me. I let “Green Onions” take care of me. So now you had this scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing girl bobbing and dancing to the music on the platforms that we trumpet cats had to stand on. Once I let Christina on guitar lead me with her up beats, I was a jazz playing, non stopping trumpet playing gal. And I haven’t stop to this very day.
So yes, I’m one of those crazy cats who downloads several versions of a song because I want to learn, and I want to compare. And I’m always looking for that version that brings me back to my early days of playing, to the days of my freshman Jazz Band. Those cats were the meanest playing cats I’ve met in my life. And King Curtis’ “Green Onions” never fails to bring me back, smiling like a scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing cat.
Monday, February 5, 2007
My Pet Peeve
I hate how music is being taught nowadays. Children aren’t being taught the proper way to tune their instruments and it’s annoying. These kids get up there twice a year to perform for their parents and parents have to sit there through a painful experience of screeching out of tune music. The chords clash horribly even if the kids are hitting the right notes. I mean Hot Cross Buns which the first song any young musician learns is 3 notes. But those notes all sound different because they’re not in tune. Being in tune is probably the basic key to playing music. Any one of us has sat at a play or performance, completely excited and the moment the person opened up their mouth…it came out flat or sharp…leaving us cringing in our seats! I just had that experience while attending Les Miserables, which happens to be my favorite musical of all time. The woman who played Fatine completely destroyed the song. She sounded like a frog gasping for air as she tried to hit the high notes that resulted in being completely out of tune.
Music teachers are not teaching properly. The first lesson after learning the first scale should be proper tuning. Once the child has the sounds of a scale in his/her mind, the teacher must hammer those sounds…tones…intervals…whatever you choose to call them…into the child’s head so they become close friends with them. There are tuners under 25 dollars at any given music store that are used to aide any musician in learning the proper tone to tune their instruments. Then there is the metronome. One thing I wish I learned to use as a child musician. The metronome is a tool used by any musician…even dancers to keep the time or beat if you prefer. Again, you can find them anywhere under 20 bucks. There are the fancy old ones where the stick moves back and forth and there are modern ones where you press a button and the pace is set for your practicing pleasure. The next thing that makes all of us cringe after hearing an out of tune instrument is one that is constantly behind or ahead of the rest of the band. These tuners may be seen as the cure all to tuning, and then you get those naggers who say “But now they won’t learn how to tune by ear.” Well after working with my tuner for the past 5 years I can pretty much identify the tones I need to tune my guitar and trumpet. Tuning by ear is needed in a symphonic/jazz ensemble. A person you know who is perfectly in tune (or a tuned piano is the alternative tuning device) plays a note and everyone in the band tunes along with it…playing their home note and fiddling with parts on their instrument until they are satisfied that their instrument sounds like the tuning note. Between my handy dandy tune and years of an ensemble setting, I cured my lack of tuning knowledge in my early years.
Now…how about…teaching kids to play in tune and time at a very young age?? It’s like teaching a child a different language. We as children as smarter than as we age…because our brains are putty made to mold and squish. We pick up things quicker in our youth. So if we taught tuning and playing in time in the first year of playing instead of just…bypassing it until high school we may just be onto something.
Music teachers are not teaching properly. The first lesson after learning the first scale should be proper tuning. Once the child has the sounds of a scale in his/her mind, the teacher must hammer those sounds…tones…intervals…whatever you choose to call them…into the child’s head so they become close friends with them. There are tuners under 25 dollars at any given music store that are used to aide any musician in learning the proper tone to tune their instruments. Then there is the metronome. One thing I wish I learned to use as a child musician. The metronome is a tool used by any musician…even dancers to keep the time or beat if you prefer. Again, you can find them anywhere under 20 bucks. There are the fancy old ones where the stick moves back and forth and there are modern ones where you press a button and the pace is set for your practicing pleasure. The next thing that makes all of us cringe after hearing an out of tune instrument is one that is constantly behind or ahead of the rest of the band. These tuners may be seen as the cure all to tuning, and then you get those naggers who say “But now they won’t learn how to tune by ear.” Well after working with my tuner for the past 5 years I can pretty much identify the tones I need to tune my guitar and trumpet. Tuning by ear is needed in a symphonic/jazz ensemble. A person you know who is perfectly in tune (or a tuned piano is the alternative tuning device) plays a note and everyone in the band tunes along with it…playing their home note and fiddling with parts on their instrument until they are satisfied that their instrument sounds like the tuning note. Between my handy dandy tune and years of an ensemble setting, I cured my lack of tuning knowledge in my early years.
Now…how about…teaching kids to play in tune and time at a very young age?? It’s like teaching a child a different language. We as children as smarter than as we age…because our brains are putty made to mold and squish. We pick up things quicker in our youth. So if we taught tuning and playing in time in the first year of playing instead of just…bypassing it until high school we may just be onto something.
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