final project!

I decided that for my final project I am going to do a powerpoint. I am not exactly sure how many slides I will use, but to make the project coherent and flow smoothly I'll probably use more than 4 slides- maybe around 6 slides. I've never used powerpoint for my macbook, so I'm not exactly sure what options it'll let me use, but I have an idea of what I want it to look like. I want a green background for the slides, or at least many dark colors because I love dark colors and I love music that is in minor keys, which are considered dark keys. I'm going to start with band in 6th grade when I first started playing my instrument, then I'm going to cover what I did in high school, then I'll cover where I am in college right now, then I'll describe the two different paths I want to go on for my future- one as a principle tubist in a distinguished orchestra and a music educator either in a high school or a professor at a college.

For my scrapbook, the one thing that keeps coming back to mind that I should discuss is my future career that I wish to have. I hope to either be a band director of a successful music program somewhere or I want to play in a world class orchestra. I have already come so far from where I was when I first started playing my instrument and I knew next to nothing about music. I know so much more already and I'm still excited to learn more about it. I also might include how I really want to be a mother and have a modest, happy family. I might include reading too since I read every day and it is still such a huge part of my life.

My first thoughts when I saw the Oklahoma memorial were about how beautiful the memorial is and what an awe-inspiring creation it is. I was impressed with how strong and graceful it appears, as if the memorial is trying to say that even though what happened was a devastating tragedy nothing is ever going to tear the unity and love shared between the survivors and the families of those that passed away.

One of the symbols that I thought was one of the strongest was the elm tree that was named the Survivor tree. I love that it represents the resilience and durability of those that remained after the tragedy. Trees have always represented wisdom and stability, and I think this tree says exactly that. I think the people who survived can look to the tree as a sign of hope and faith that they can continue living life even though many of their comrades passed away.

The reflecting pool is also another symbol that I think is very important to the memorial. After all the chaos and turmoil, a pool where people effected by the tragedy can come reflect and remember is exactly what is needed. Since it is a reflecting pool, people can look at themselves and see who they have become since the event. The calming sound of the water is also necessary to relax those who are still experiencing an inner turmoil over the events.

Pictures as a Composition

 Like the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" states, a picture can sometimes convey much more than words can. they are reflective of the times, the customs, the situations, and so many other things. It literally freezes a moment in time forever. Unlike a memory, the photograph never changes and no one can exaggerate what is found in the picture. A narration or caption that goes with the photo always helps explain what is in the picture, but pictures by themselves speak leaps and bounds alone. For example, a baby album forever immortalizes the person that the baby album is about. No words are needed to explain the pictures and how important they are.

The picture I chose to describe is a picture of my family outside Seaworld on the day of my birthday. It was one of the happiest days of my life and my family looks so happy. It was before my brother was born and so my mom is still extremely skinny and my dad still has his huge glasses. I am almost a head taller than my sister even though she is only a year younger than me and I'm a head shorter than my mom even though now I am the same height as her. I think this is reflective of what a lot of families do in today's world. They take vacations and visit amusement parks together and have fun being a family.

Thesis for Essay 2

If I use facebook, my thesis will be, "Facebook, even though it has its significant dangers, is a wonderful application that connects many different types of people together while creating a sense of community online." I might change that a bit when I actually write my essay.

If I use Pandora, my thesis will be, "Pandora, or the music genome project, is a great way to discover new music, listen to one's favorite music, and learn about music in general." Again, I might change that a bit if I use this thesis.

List of DC communities for Essay 2

I'm not all that tech savvy, so I only belong to a few online groups. They are Facebook, Myspace, ITEAonline, NMSU, and yahoo mail. I think I'm going to write about Facebook because it is the group that I am most interested in and I would say I use this group the most. I'll probably try to use the angles that the articles we had to read use; I'll list the dangers and benefits of Facebook. I might take a side and argue the side of the benefits of facebook simply because I want to keep mine, but I'll have to think about which side puts on a stronger argument. I'm open to input about which side would be better to argue for.

Ah! I just remembered I forgot about Pandora! Oh my goodness, I might actually use that one instead. I love Pandora, and being a music major I think it would be fitting to use it, but I'll have to think about it some more. Again, I'm open to input.

Discourse communities

Some discourse communities that I am a part of include: New Mexico State University, International Tuba Euphonium Association, The Greater Southwestern International Church of Christ, and the Pride of New Mexico.

-New Mexico State University is a college that is not very exclusive. Anyone that can afford tuition can be a part of the college. Since NMSU has more of a younger population, it is very common for students to dress according to what the current trends for young adults are. Many people get to know each other by asking about what majors and related topics. I am music major so I can more easily to other music majors.

The International Tuba Euphonium Association is another group that also is not very exclusive, but it costs money to be a member. It is almost entirely composed of tuba and euphonium players, although anyone can become a member. It is purely for the betterment of the tuba/euphonium community.

The Greater Southwestern International Church of Christ is another group that anyone can join, but to be a member one needs to have a sincere love for God and studies the bible to get baptized. It is composed of many different people of different interests, ages, and walks in life who all share a common interest in living a christian life in troubled times.