Now I understand that sometimes music teachers have it tough. It can be daunting to cover all the curriculum while still trying to make the lessons seem entertaining. I find having supplemental videos can make it entertaining. Here are a few for a light break away from the classroom rules.
Cello Wars – Star Wars – Piano Guys
Coldplay – Paradise (African style) – Piano Guys
Beethoven’s 5/ One Republic’s Secrets – The Piano Guys
Kevin Olusola - Cello and beatboxing
Kevin plays Bieber’s Baby on the cello
Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley – Arcade Fire’s Empty Room
Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters by Symphony and Metallica
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra – The Galileo Project
The Royal Conservatory of Music
Edgar Cruz – Bohemian Rhapsody – Classical Guitar
Miles Davis – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Andre Rieu conducts Carmina Burana – O Fortuna
Star Wars and John Williams accapella
John Williams – the best works
Howard Shore – Creating Lord of the Rings
David Usher – Black Black Heart
Poncho Sanchez teaches you how to play congo drums
Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World
I will post more stuff with notes later in the week.
Sometimes I begin reminiscing about my teaching days. One of my most exciting positions I held was an Alternative Education Teacher. I was responsible for launching a unique pilot project that eventually spread across the province of Ontario. One of my duties was to teach 50 courses simultaneously,which is just as insane as it sounds.
Luckily, I’m quite resourceful and could rely quite a lot on other sources outside the classroom to help with the lessons. Some of these links/videos were ones I used when I was teaching music, while others are there for simply enjoyment.
James Ehnes teaches audiences about Tchaikovsky
Nathan Milstein and Pichas Zuckerman
Nadja Salerno- Sonnenberg – Rachmaninoff
Yo Yo Ma – Prelude from Bach Cello Suite No 1
Richard Stoltzman participating in a series called Star Wars
Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton – Layla
Christian Lindberg Trombone Concerts
Jukka Pekka Saraste – Beethoven Symphony No 5
Renee Fleming and Sir Andrew Davis discuss AIDA
Toronto Symphony Orchestra Northern Residency Tour
I will post more videos soon with a wider range of musical styles.
Okay, let’s admit it. We’ve all done it one time or another. Yes, I’m talking about Facebook stalking. We joke about it. We get embarrassed by it, but there it is. We tell ourselves that it’s just a bit of harmless fun and thankfully for the most part our intentions are genuine. However, It doesn’t matter if it’s just a celebrity who doesn’t know you exist or whether it’s someone who at one point was really close to you. Stalking is stalking.
We all know it’s creepy, right? We’ve seen the movies. It’s one of those things that transcends language. It’s universal. We get really anxious when we see that creepo obsessing over the protagonist. So why do we celebrate stalking in our love songs? Why, oh why, do we use them as our wedding songs? Here’s a list of stalker songs to help shed light on National Stalking Awareness Day.
I Drove All Night – Roy Orbison
I grew up listening to this song on my parent’s radio station. I thought it was so romantic, especially when I became a bit older and Jason Priestly starred in the video. Yum. If you listen carefully, the narrator says he drove all night to climb into his love’s window (which is already a bit creepy), but then he goes further by awakening her and “making love” to her. That wouldn’t sound that bad if he didn’t continue by asking if her if it’s alright. If you need to ask if it’s alright, it isn’t. You probably just raped that poor girl.
There is no question in the world that this is a stalking song. The narrator clearly begins by announcing, ”Well I’d rather you see you dead, little girl; than be with another man” and then he continues to tell her how he will track her down and kill her, because he can’t bear that she has moved on. Okay, I’ll admit no one plays this at weddings, but I felt the need to include it because it’s just so clearly a stalker song.
I use to bop in the car along with the song. I’m also pretty sure I’ve heard this one at a wedding. This song isn’t better than the one above as the narrator keeps saying, “You can run, you can hide; but you can’t escape my love.” I know it sounds all happy, but really guys this is a break up stalker song that you play at your weddings.
Every Breath You Take – The Police
I know you’ve heard this one at weddings. Sting has never shied away from the fact that this is a stalker song. Listen to the opening lyrics, “Every breath you take/ And every move you make/ Every bond you break,/ every step you take/ I’ll be watching you.” Creepy, eh?
Remember him? Yeah, I think this was his biggest hit and he doesn’t shy away from the fact this is a stalker song as well. He begins by singing, “I wish I was a fly on your wall/ Are you really alone? Who is stealing dreams?/ Why can’t I breathe you into my life?/ So tell me what would it take to make you see that I’m alive”
For a complete list of stalker songs, go to http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/Stalker.html
On a more serious note, you can also see StatsCan 2009 report at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-005-x/2011001/article/11407-eng.htm If you feel that you are being stalked, please contact the police.
