My brother and I made a cover of a song from the video game Bastion, called "Build that Wall", composed by Darren Korb.
In the game, there is a conflict between two peoples, one building a
wall to keep the other out, while the outsiders dig holes under to get
into the city. This song is sung by a girl, one of the outsiders, as she
reflects on the nature of earthly toil- she digs while those inside the
city build their wall, but it's all futility, because we're always
equals in the face of death.
Build that Wall Cover
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Two New Recordings
I made a couple of recordings in the last couple of days! The first is my own version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel", one of my favorite Christmas songs. I even sing a verse in Latin with harmony in parallel fifths! That was meant as a nod to the song's origins in Gregorian chant, a genre I've always been fascinated by. The rest of the song is more contemporary in an attempt to create interest through juxtaposition.
The second is a cover of "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service, in the style of Iron & Wine. Yes, it's a cover of a cover. I didn't change much from the Iron and Wine version. I love the simplicity of this song- it's quite beautiful. I didn't rehearse this one a ton before recording it, because I think the song sounds best with a few authentic mistakes. I have one guitar string a little out of tune and a couple vocal issues that I left in because I liked this song in it's unadultered, imperfect state. I think it compliments the meaning perfectly. Perfectly imperfect, I suppose.
Monday, October 24, 2011
And Lady Mondegreen
Anyone who knows me knows that I love words and word-related humor. I giggle like a child at silly typos and the like- embarrassing, but true. I promise to make this relevant to music therapists, but I'm going to begin by telling you about a new term I discovered that I think is brilliant. It's called a "mondegreen".
This word originated from an old Scottish ballad that contained the line "and laid him on the green". Apparently, it was often misheard as "and Lady Mondegreen". And so the term was born.
There are many more of these today. A couple of the most famous follow:
- The mishearing of "excuse me while I kiss the sky" in Jimi Hendrix's song "Purple Haze" as "excuse me while I kiss this guy."
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSNkopRnuNc
- The mishearing of "there's a bad moon on the rise" in CCR's Bad Moon Rising as "there's a bathroom on the right"
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmEGm-mraE
This is only the beginning. There are tons of these, some more convincing than others. For more, see my new favorite website (I wasn't kidding when I said I love these...) http://www.kissthisguy.com/ .
These happen to me all the time. I've always noticed about myself that I'm a music, then lyrics person. I can know a song very well before I put any thought at all into the lyrics. And usually, by the time I take the trouble to think about what the song is talking about, I've made up some pretty interesting lyrics for the words that are difficult to hear.
Some of my personal favorite mondegreens:
- My own mishearing of a line in Taylor Swift's "Sparks Fly". "You get me with those green eyes baby" became "You hit me with those street lights baby", and I didn't even notice what I was saying until I was singing it in the car with a friend who pointed it out.
- Beyonce's "Single Ladies": "Up in the club, just broke up" became "up in the club, just woke up"... I guess I was thinking she slept all day so she could party all night??
- Tody Keith's "Made in America: "He's got the red white blue flying high on the farm, Semper Fi tatooed on his left arm" --> "He's got the red white blue flying high on the farm, a separate flag tatooed on his left arm". Another noticed by my roommate as we were singing in the car.
These are pretty hilarious (if your sense of humor is like mine), but the fact that this phenomenon has its own term is a testament to the fact that it's a problem. One of the things that separates an MT from a violinist or a trumpeter is the fact that we play AND sing, and the words we sing can make a big difference for our clients. Often, our clients already know the words to whatever we're singing, so it's not a problem, but not always. It's important that we remember what we learned in voice lessons or voice class: diction! If our clients are having trouble discerning what we're saying, we are not going to be as effective.
Definition of MONDEGREEN
: a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung <“very close veins” is a mondegreen for “varicose veins”>
(taken from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mondegreen )
This word originated from an old Scottish ballad that contained the line "and laid him on the green". Apparently, it was often misheard as "and Lady Mondegreen". And so the term was born.
There are many more of these today. A couple of the most famous follow:
- The mishearing of "excuse me while I kiss the sky" in Jimi Hendrix's song "Purple Haze" as "excuse me while I kiss this guy."
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSNkopRnuNc
- The mishearing of "there's a bad moon on the rise" in CCR's Bad Moon Rising as "there's a bathroom on the right"
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmEGm-mraE
This is only the beginning. There are tons of these, some more convincing than others. For more, see my new favorite website (I wasn't kidding when I said I love these...) http://www.kissthisguy.com/ .
These happen to me all the time. I've always noticed about myself that I'm a music, then lyrics person. I can know a song very well before I put any thought at all into the lyrics. And usually, by the time I take the trouble to think about what the song is talking about, I've made up some pretty interesting lyrics for the words that are difficult to hear.
Some of my personal favorite mondegreens:
- My own mishearing of a line in Taylor Swift's "Sparks Fly". "You get me with those green eyes baby" became "You hit me with those street lights baby", and I didn't even notice what I was saying until I was singing it in the car with a friend who pointed it out.
- Beyonce's "Single Ladies": "Up in the club, just broke up" became "up in the club, just woke up"... I guess I was thinking she slept all day so she could party all night??
- Tody Keith's "Made in America: "He's got the red white blue flying high on the farm, Semper Fi tatooed on his left arm" --> "He's got the red white blue flying high on the farm, a separate flag tatooed on his left arm". Another noticed by my roommate as we were singing in the car.
These are pretty hilarious (if your sense of humor is like mine), but the fact that this phenomenon has its own term is a testament to the fact that it's a problem. One of the things that separates an MT from a violinist or a trumpeter is the fact that we play AND sing, and the words we sing can make a big difference for our clients. Often, our clients already know the words to whatever we're singing, so it's not a problem, but not always. It's important that we remember what we learned in voice lessons or voice class: diction! If our clients are having trouble discerning what we're saying, we are not going to be as effective.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Skyscraper by Demi Lovato- Cover by Cassidy Smith
I made my very own cover of one of my favorite new songs! In making it, I learned a lot about the creative process of trying to make a song your own. Some of it flowed naturally, some of it took thought and planning. I also found it difficult to listen to the finished product objectively... it just sounds like me singing and playing, and all I hear is that and the little imperfections. No matter how many times I listen to it, it's just me singing. I try to listen to it as an objective third party, but I've found that I can't.
When I decided I wanted to share it, I encountered an interesting test of courage. It goes back to my last post on vulnerability. Sharing this song means making myself vulnerable- I am presenting my abilities at their best and putting power in the hands of everyone who listens to judge me as they will. I have struggled prodigiously in the past with fear of this particular vulnerability, and it was not easy to share this song with my friends.
It occurs to me that this implies how relational I am, and we all are, as human beings. Even someone like me, who is quite confident and self-assured (generally speaking), fears sharing something I put all of my effort and skill into. I think inherent in people, in all areas of life, is offering everything you have to give and being found wanting.
This implies the importance of treading carefully with the people in your life that are closest to you. Of course, you can feel free to be comfortable with them. But the closer you are to someone, the more power you have to tear them apart. Every so often I meet someone who rejects close friendships. Not explicitly or even consciously, but for some reason they do not allow people to know them deeply. I think this is rooted in this fear- the fear of being known intimately and then rejected. It holds many people back, in varying degrees.
Anyway, enough of my transfers :) I hope you enjoy the song! I certainly enjoyed recording it.
Skyscraper by Demi Lovato- Cover by Cassidy Smith
When I decided I wanted to share it, I encountered an interesting test of courage. It goes back to my last post on vulnerability. Sharing this song means making myself vulnerable- I am presenting my abilities at their best and putting power in the hands of everyone who listens to judge me as they will. I have struggled prodigiously in the past with fear of this particular vulnerability, and it was not easy to share this song with my friends.
It occurs to me that this implies how relational I am, and we all are, as human beings. Even someone like me, who is quite confident and self-assured (generally speaking), fears sharing something I put all of my effort and skill into. I think inherent in people, in all areas of life, is offering everything you have to give and being found wanting.
This implies the importance of treading carefully with the people in your life that are closest to you. Of course, you can feel free to be comfortable with them. But the closer you are to someone, the more power you have to tear them apart. Every so often I meet someone who rejects close friendships. Not explicitly or even consciously, but for some reason they do not allow people to know them deeply. I think this is rooted in this fear- the fear of being known intimately and then rejected. It holds many people back, in varying degrees.
Anyway, enough of my transfers :) I hope you enjoy the song! I certainly enjoyed recording it.
Skyscraper by Demi Lovato- Cover by Cassidy Smith
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Brene Brown on the Power of Vulnerability
This video came to my attention about 30 minutes ago, and I had to share it here. Not only is this important to us as human beings, it is also relevant to us as music therapists. Depending on what kind of population we work with, we may see clients from both groups in the dichotomy Dr. Brown created to describe the phenomenon of vulnerability, but most likely, we'll be dealing with people who struggle with it. The video is about 20 minutes long, but well worth it! Enjoy-
*UPDATE*
If you don't have 20 minutes to watch this, I took some notes, if you're interested in getting the basic gist of what Dr. Brown has to say. Maybe it will inspire you to spend 20 minutes watching this... it's worth it!
She begins by explaining a bit about herself- she has her bachelor's, master's and PhD in social work, and spends her time researching issues important to us as humans. She explains that she does her research by collecting stories. She interviews people and asks them to share their stories with her. Jumping into the issue at hand, she states that human connection is the reason we're here- connecting with other people gives us purpose and meaning. She decided since connection was such an important issue to begin research to unravel and understand human connection more thoroughly. As she began to collect stories, she noticed that when you ask people about love, they tell you about heartbreak. When you ask them about belonging, they tell you about isolation. And when you ask them about connection, they tell you stories of feeling disconnected.
Dr. Brown decided she needed to further explore this unnamed thing that seemed to unravel connection- she found it to be shame, the fear of disconnection. The feeling we've all experienced of not being enough; not smart enough, pretty enough, rich enough, popular enough, etc. We are ashamed of those things we see as shortcomings, and so many of us naturally shy away from allowing others to see those things we're ashamed of. The problem is, in order to connect deeply with others, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable- we have to let those things be seen.
She began realize from her collection of hundreds of stories that a dichotomy existed between people who had a strong sense love and belonging and those who didn't. People who accepted the things they weren't proud of about themselves and allowed themselves to be deeply seen by others, and people who hid from others out of shame and fear of rejection or disconnection. She realized that the one thing that separated the former group from the latter was that those people who had a strong sense of love and belonging simply believed they were worthy of it. She began to refer to this group of people as "whole-hearted", and started exploring traits that these people had in common.
She found four distinct characteristics that these "whole-hearted" people shared:
1. The had the courage to be imperfect.
2. They had compassion- they were first kind to themselves, which enabled them to be kind to others
3. They were authentic- able to be true to themselves and therefore made deep connections with others
4. They embraced vulnerability as a necessary avenue to making connections. They believed the things that made them vulnerable also made them beautiful.
Dr. Brown came to this conclusion: Vulnerability is at the core of shame, fear, and the struggle for worthiness, but it's also the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging, and love.
She realized that she had a personal struggle with this issue of vulnerability, and that many others did as well, so she began to unravel why and how we deal with the necessity of being vulnerable. We live in a world that requires us to be vulnerable and continually puts obstacles in our paths that make us feel vulnerable- putting yourself out there even though you may be rejected, trying something new even though you may end up looking stupid- these are things we must do to grow and develop and mature, but they do not make us feel safe and secure. To deal with the discomfort of being made vulnerable, we often cope by doing one or more of the following things:
1. We numb everything- we decide it's better to feel nothing than face the possibility of pain or rejection, but we end up numbing all emotions, good and bad. We find ourselves miserable and searching for meaning in life, which makes us feel vulnerable, and the process starts all over again, become a vicious, miserable cycle.
2. We make the uncertain, certain- certainty disperses fear, and questioning yourself or the things you believe make you vulnerable
3. We perfect ourselves- we work hard to make it seem to everyone else that we have our lives perfectly under control, even if we don't, so that no one will see the things we're ashamed of
4. We pretend that what we do doesn't have an impact on others
The solution, she found, is to embrace the following:
1. Allow yourself to be deeply seen- accept the things you're ashamed of as part of who you've been made to be, and know that you're not alone in it
2. Love with your whole heart, even when there's no guarantee
3. Practice gratitude and joy in the midst of vulnerability and uncertainty
4. Believe you are enough.
*UPDATE*
If you don't have 20 minutes to watch this, I took some notes, if you're interested in getting the basic gist of what Dr. Brown has to say. Maybe it will inspire you to spend 20 minutes watching this... it's worth it!
She begins by explaining a bit about herself- she has her bachelor's, master's and PhD in social work, and spends her time researching issues important to us as humans. She explains that she does her research by collecting stories. She interviews people and asks them to share their stories with her. Jumping into the issue at hand, she states that human connection is the reason we're here- connecting with other people gives us purpose and meaning. She decided since connection was such an important issue to begin research to unravel and understand human connection more thoroughly. As she began to collect stories, she noticed that when you ask people about love, they tell you about heartbreak. When you ask them about belonging, they tell you about isolation. And when you ask them about connection, they tell you stories of feeling disconnected.
Dr. Brown decided she needed to further explore this unnamed thing that seemed to unravel connection- she found it to be shame, the fear of disconnection. The feeling we've all experienced of not being enough; not smart enough, pretty enough, rich enough, popular enough, etc. We are ashamed of those things we see as shortcomings, and so many of us naturally shy away from allowing others to see those things we're ashamed of. The problem is, in order to connect deeply with others, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable- we have to let those things be seen.
She began realize from her collection of hundreds of stories that a dichotomy existed between people who had a strong sense love and belonging and those who didn't. People who accepted the things they weren't proud of about themselves and allowed themselves to be deeply seen by others, and people who hid from others out of shame and fear of rejection or disconnection. She realized that the one thing that separated the former group from the latter was that those people who had a strong sense of love and belonging simply believed they were worthy of it. She began to refer to this group of people as "whole-hearted", and started exploring traits that these people had in common.
She found four distinct characteristics that these "whole-hearted" people shared:
1. The had the courage to be imperfect.
2. They had compassion- they were first kind to themselves, which enabled them to be kind to others
3. They were authentic- able to be true to themselves and therefore made deep connections with others
4. They embraced vulnerability as a necessary avenue to making connections. They believed the things that made them vulnerable also made them beautiful.
Dr. Brown came to this conclusion: Vulnerability is at the core of shame, fear, and the struggle for worthiness, but it's also the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging, and love.
She realized that she had a personal struggle with this issue of vulnerability, and that many others did as well, so she began to unravel why and how we deal with the necessity of being vulnerable. We live in a world that requires us to be vulnerable and continually puts obstacles in our paths that make us feel vulnerable- putting yourself out there even though you may be rejected, trying something new even though you may end up looking stupid- these are things we must do to grow and develop and mature, but they do not make us feel safe and secure. To deal with the discomfort of being made vulnerable, we often cope by doing one or more of the following things:
1. We numb everything- we decide it's better to feel nothing than face the possibility of pain or rejection, but we end up numbing all emotions, good and bad. We find ourselves miserable and searching for meaning in life, which makes us feel vulnerable, and the process starts all over again, become a vicious, miserable cycle.
2. We make the uncertain, certain- certainty disperses fear, and questioning yourself or the things you believe make you vulnerable
3. We perfect ourselves- we work hard to make it seem to everyone else that we have our lives perfectly under control, even if we don't, so that no one will see the things we're ashamed of
4. We pretend that what we do doesn't have an impact on others
The solution, she found, is to embrace the following:
1. Allow yourself to be deeply seen- accept the things you're ashamed of as part of who you've been made to be, and know that you're not alone in it
2. Love with your whole heart, even when there's no guarantee
3. Practice gratitude and joy in the midst of vulnerability and uncertainty
4. Believe you are enough.
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