Here we are, don't turn away now!

As a child you would wait
And watch from far away
But you always knew that you'd be the one
That work while they all play

In youth you'd lay
Awake at night and scheme
Of all the things that you would change
But it was just a dream!

Here we are, don't turn away now,
We are the warriors that built this town
Here we are, don't turn away now
We are the warriors that built this town
From dust.

The time will come
When you'll have to rise
Above the best and prove yourself
Your spirit never dies! 

Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above
But don't weep for me
'Cause this will be
The labor of my love

Here we are, don't turn away now
We are the warriors that built this town
Here we are, don't turn away now,
We are the warriors that built this town
From dust.

Here we are, don't turn away now
We are the warriors that built this town
Here we are, don't turn away now
We are the warriors that built this town
From dust


Excellent choice, music lover! It will be a valuable addition to our Spotify list.
Christina

My dream is to fly!!

My dream is to fly
Over the rainbow so high

My dream is to fly
Over the rainbow so high
Rise up...
Don't falling down again
Rise up...
Love like I broke the chains
I tried to fly so high
Direction:sky!!

My dream is to fly
Over the rainbow so high

Rise up, rise up, rise up rise up
We'll be the game
Rise up, rise up, rise up, rise up
For mind and my brain
Cause i tried to fly a while so high
Direction:SKY!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C1gNU0vBamk


The sky is (not) the limit, amazing blogger! Well done!
Christina

The song that expresses my goals for 2020

(Amazing choice, Maraki!)

You Gotta Be
Des'ree

2-Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears

Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry

You gotta be
1-You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Herald what your mother said
Readin' the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time

Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
my oh my heh, hey..(repeat l)

Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
This time it's danger staring you in the face
oh oh oh

Remember (rpt 2)
My oh my heh, hey, hey(rpt 1, 1...ad lib to fade)

Source: CC from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pO40TcKa_5U&feature=shareTcKa_5U&feature=share

National Tolerance Day 16 November

The links to all the material we used during Friday’s presentation:

http://markaki-students.blogspot.com/2018/02/celebrating-black-history-and-tolerance.html

Note down useful ideas on your phrasebook by thoroughly reading the slides. Do not forget to enjoy the music videos and contemplate on the message their creators were trying to convey. 

Aretha Franklin: The soul of soul music

Hello, fantastic people! Since I am sure you have been listening to music these days, here is a list of links concerning the recently deceased Aretha Franklin, who sang soul music in her own unique way. She was inspired by gospel music (church music), which we talked about in our coursebook. This is an intriguing read about how a voice can empower suppressed people and spellbind the following generations. 

What is soul music? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music

Think: One of her most popular songs https://youtu.be/Vet6AHmq3_s

I say a little prayer/ lyrics: https://youtu.be/JyLpE93lzLY

Respect / lyrics: https://youtu.be/SAI_Nv3qWto

A compilation of her greatest hits: https://youtu.be/Bmfm3JvlZIc

Article about her life on the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/17/drenched-in-glory-how-aretha-gave-voice-to-embattled-black-women-and-transformed-a-nation

(Use www.dictionary.com to search the meaning of unknown words in the article above.)


Extract from the article:

...the reason we mourn her death so deeply, is that she taught us so much about the preciousness of our emotions, our inner worlds and desires. She dared to voice and make public the nuanced, emotionally heterogeneous interiority of black womanhood, becoming a conduit for articulating the beauty and sensuousness, the rage and the despair, the sadness as well as the joy of black life transduced through African American female musicianship. She turned the “vocal run” itself into a thousand miles of freedom. The intelligence of her melisma, a kind of singing in which notes upon notes are strung together into one syllable, lifted that musical gesture out of the black church and planted it firmly in the mainstream, transforming the style of popular singing. When it is used most effectively, the melisma exudes sheer visceral power and can ignite existential catharsis. It suggests limitless emotional revelation and spiritual reckoning. Franklin took it to new heights.

My favourite artist

 Hallo guys I am a former student of this brilliant school and a ECPE proficiency holder.Today I will talk to you about my all-time favourite artist who is a rapper called Lil Pump.What -in my opinion- differentiates Lil Pump from the other atrocious immitations of him is that while he is rapping about virtues that could make the world a better place he also has a rather catchy and uproaring beat .I ll justify my opinion with examples regarding the meaning of some of Lil Pump's rhymes.In his song ''Boss'' he says:''Yall came here with the sauce''.Now for those wondering what ''sauce'' means in modern literature it refers to the feeling of confidence which encourages an individual or individuals to do something they would not otherwise do if they did not have the ''sauce'' eg Ask a girl out.This verse encourages people to believe in themselves and not let golden opportunities pass them by,as he also means that too much ''sauce'' will lead you to the opposite results.The last verse I'd like to analyze is the:''Spread their racks on new chains''.Racks refers to currency(in our case dollars) which has been spread on new chains,chains being in pural exerts the teaching of not being stingy and of sharing our money if we have spare,that even an artist of Lil Pump's caliber does.

Practise the song for our end-of-year show!

Firework by Katy Perry: https://youtu.be/6BtI43kqkOI

 

Extra online mission: If today was our last day

1) Watch Ric Elias explain what the three things that really matter in life are, as he unravels the thoughts that sprung into his mind the minute his doomed plane went down. https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias

2) Listen to Nickelback's song 'If Today Was Your Last Day' and contemplate on what each one of us would do if we knew that we were running out of time. Official video: https://youtu.be/lrXIQQ8PeRs Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nickelback/iftodaywasyourlastday.html

3) Blog your thoughts about: What is truly worth our effort and attention? What constitutes the very essence of life?

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Lyrics video: https://youtu.be/HWv72L4wgCc

Mariah Carey version: https://youtu.be/XaVtSHrP888

Music is medicine,music is sanity

In this speech, Rober Gupta talks about a promising musician whose career was cut short by an unfortunate and tragic affliction with paranoid schizophrenia.This had an enormous effect on his life and he ended up homeless in the streets of Skid Row.He refuses treatment because of being traumatized by the way he was treated in the past(shock therapy,Thorazine,handcuffs).These painful treatments left him a scar which made him prone to schizophrenic episodes.After listening to Beethoven's First and Fourth symphonies he met Rober and  he was really interested in taking violin lessons.He was in a state of agitation when his first violin lesson with Rober Gupta took place.He seemed lost.He talked about invisible demons and other such things that scared Rober.However, after Rober started playing the violin,his rage and maniac thoughts turned into understanding and grace,his look changed and he seemed better all of a sudden.After this he picked up his violin and started playing parts by ear.Music changed him from a disturbed and paranoid man to a charming and brilliant musician.

http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_gupta#t-354496

The Lady Lifers: A moving song from women in prison for life

This video is about the feelings of prisoners while the years are passing . It describes their emotions, their thoughts and the questions they came up with in this unknown ''home''. Moreover, they try to persuade themselves that prison isn't their home, but they'll finallly go out there and be proud of their strength. Futhermore, they have realized their faults and also they have recongnised their guilt and  ask questions such as: what will happen if they get through in this condition or whether they'll see their family again. Last but not least, they hope that they won't die alone in this ''cold place'' where everyone is a suspect of a wrong and regretted action , we can see that when the singers are crying. I chose this video due to the fact that they hope for a better future like everyone and their final message is strength and a brief summary of  their wants.

http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lady_lifers_a_moving_song_from_women_in_prison_for_life

"The Man That Can Sing Everything"

There is a video in TED.com that is called, "Tom Thum: The orchestra in my mouth", in which there is a man who is beatboxing many tastes of music in front of an audience. There is no doubt that Tom is really talented and has the ability to drive crowds mental, since he is the proof that music has no limits and it provides many ways to people to express the magic they keep inside them. I have also to say that this video made me understand that music is the language that all people can speak in order to interact with everyone in a pleasant and thrilling way. 

https://youtu.be/GNZBSZD16cY

  

Tom Thum: The orchestra in my mouth

The video I watched demonstrated the unlimited possibilities of beatboxing.Tom skillfully showed us how he could create extraordinary sounds like trumpet,drums,or mandolin instrumentals.To make it more complex he used some devices which called them ''pads'' which helped him create longer and more interesting songs.But what I thought was really amazing about this video and generally Tom was that, although he was born and raised in a city which didn't quite help him improve his passion,he went against the odds and let his talent flourish inside of him resulting in him becoming not only a speaker of Ted but also an acknowledged artist.

http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_thum_the_orchestra_in_my_mouth/transcript?language=en#t-635354

Music piracy

         Nowadays, a debate has been going on whether people should pirate CDs or not. Some people say that as music develops it becomes much more expensive to buy songs from the internet or CDs from a shop, so they turn to the cheaper option which is pirate music. Others say that people who pirate CDs should get a stiff punishment because companies do not have money and they bankrupt or fire people from their staff. Every coin has two sides and so does this problem.
         First of all, every day new types of music are formed and developed. These types become popular mostly because of famous websites where you can find music or any other videos you want, for example, youtube. As technology is improved new sites are created on the internet in order to download onto your laptop, mobile, tablet etc. songs you really like. This is how pirate music works. The supporters of it, say that it is one of the best things technology made because it is free and quick. Moreover, they claim that music companies can make profit from the fans of a musician or singer when the cd is released.
        On the other side, it is unfair for some people who do not have this kind of electronic machines maybe they do not have the money to buy a computer or a laptop. Others say that it is unfair for employees of music companies. Music companies cannot make profit. As a result they choose to close or fire some staff. As a consequence, the list of unemployment is continuosly increasing. Another consequence is that, as music companies close the music industry also loses profit.
        Taking everything into consideration, I believe that people who pirate CDs should be punished, but also music should be cheaper for those who cannot afford this extra cost. Also, we should all help people who are fired from their job or we should at least prevent it with anyway.

Pop and rock music

   
                  For some time now, a debate has been going on about whether pop and rock music exert harmful influence on adolescents and whether they should be banned.
                   To begin with, one of the reasons why music is important for young people is that teenagers are trying to explore the new world of adulthood through music. They choose songs whose lyrics can express the problems that they have in their everyday life. Furthermore, music and especially pop and rock music is one of the most famous and accessible to all people. Teenagers see the singers and musicians as the perfect idol, so they become familiar with them. Except from this, most of pop and rock songs convey very positive messages about the world around us and people's mentality, which help them form their identity. Also, listening to pop and rock music helps them become familiar with literature, as many songs of these types of music are based on poetry turned into music.
                    Secondly, another beneficial influence of music is that is an outstanding way to relax. In recent years, young people's lives have been dominated by an increasingly hectic schedule and it has become more and more difficult for them to relax. By listening to music, they are free to relax, they can easily fall asleep and also they can express their feelings because most of songs seem to ease their pain that they may feel because of the identify crisis. Lat but not least, music is worldwide used as the best entertainment. If you go to a cafe or shopping, you will listen to music in the shops so their outing may be more entertaining and interesting.
                     Taking everything into consideration, I firmly believe that music should not be banned and neither the versions of it. Pop and rock songs convey very positive messages that might contribute to making the world a better place. Also, music helps adolescents to form and strengthen their character.

THIS IS HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN!

Great videos for advanced or adult learners:

Halloween history 1

Halloween history 2

Funny scene from Modern Family TV series

Top 10 Halloween songs

Girl explains about her Halloween project

 

Related blog posts:

Nightmare before Christmas: The film

This year's Halloween photos.

 

Make you feel my love-Adele

An amazing song with touching and motivational lyrics which has literally reached a peak thanks to Adele's magical voice.

Discussion about extraterrestrial life

The scene in which Jodie Foster is transferred to another world and manages to contact.... unknown entities!!! http://youtu.be/7pfOFCUjmEU (from the film "Contact")

A (crazy) documentary about alien life https://youtu.be/eMzGDj69g6E

I'm in love with an alien!! (song) http://youtu.be/zP4r-1cpstU

~A Music Trip~

Hello!I'd really like to share with you two of my favourite songs :)

The first one is called ''I have nothing'' and it was one of the biggest successes of the incredible singer Whitney Houston.I really like it, because it gives nice messages inside its lyrics

To gain information about Whitney Houston click here.

The second song is called ''sing'' and it is singed by Travis. I love it due to the fact that it shows the importance of singing :) Here are the lyrics.

Thank you very much!

~High Hopes~

"High Hopes" is a song written by the famous rock band "Pink Floyd". It's the final track in the album "The Division Bell".
 I really like the music video of this song, because I find it very appealing and extraordinary! Many things are combined together, and  show perfectly the message that the song is to give. The lyrics are turned into images and the result is jaw dropping!!

• Click here to learn more about "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd

• Click here for the lyrics video