Looking Back and Reflecting

Last year in HUMN 2001, I had difficulties with comprehending the material and integrating the concepts into the interdisciplinary essays. It was difficult to become accustomed to the formatting and figuring out how to write satisfactory essays. Unlike essays in AP Language, AP Literature, or expository writing classes in college, one’s knowledge of cultures and the ability to integrate concepts is necessary for these interdisciplinary essays. In HUMN 2001, I struggled but this year, I feel like I understand what the expectations are and I have had some practice from last year. I have been striving to improve my essay writing skills and to keep up with reading assignments better so that I will be prepared for the interdisciplinary essays. Instead of rushing through the essay planning process, I have started preparing for the essays sooner and putting more thought into them. Throughout the course of the semester, I feel like I am getting a better grasp of what constitutes a well-written, well-structured, and comprehensive essay. This course has deepened my appreciation and interest for cultures, and art in particular. I feel more cultured and aware of literature, art, and music references that I come across. World Humanities has expanded my knowledge and cognitive ability to make connections between cultures. Relating to Bloom’s taxonomy, I am more able to apply what I have learned by analyzing because in other courses in the past, there is an emphasis on memorization. I rarely feel like I am truly internalizing what I have learned because there is no application. I can still remember some of the concepts and horizons from HUMN 2001 because of the processes of reviewing, reflecting, analyzing, applying, making comparisons, and using a higher level of thinking to construct interdisciplinary essays.

I think that having a foundation and knowing the expectations for the essays from HUMN 2001 has helped me in this semester. It usually takes me a while to grow accustomed to new formats and teaching styles so having that consistency helped me focus on improving my skills. The style of teaching has been systematic and thorough, so I would tell students who are going to be in Dr. Armstrong’s HUMN 2002 class to be prepared to put in time and effort. It is not just being able to comprehend the material, but being able to apply it. Dr. Armstrong is very diligent and methodical, and he has taught us how to develop a higher level of thinking. Because he puts in the time and effort to make sure that his students are getting the most out of the course, he has been one of my favorite professors. His genuine concern for his students’ comprehension of the material is not something that one can come across in every course in college. As for the transition from the first portion of World Humanities to the second portion, there have been several aspects that have improved. The essay formatting and guidelines in HUMN 2001 were complicated and caused some misunderstandings but the progression that was made this year has made it much clearer. Being able to see examples of good essays and being taught how to prepare for the interdisciplinary exams has been very helpful. All in all, I have enjoyed being in HUMN 2001 and HUMN 2002, and they have been incomparable courses. The unique integration of literature, art, and music has expanded my knowledge and have made me realize how past eras and various cultures have influenced the present-day world.

Word Count: 581

Reviewing Midterm Performance

For the final interdisciplinary essay exam, I will be focusing on developing and maintaining a clear line of thought throughout the whole essay. I often feel unorganized and overwhelmed by the amount of information that I have retained and want to write about. If I am not careful, I may include extraneous material that may cause my essay to stray away from the thesis. Also, I need to come up with a strong thesis and support it with literature, art, and music material that I feel the most comfortable with. For the midterm, I felt like I was more familiar with the material and perhaps it was because the differentiation between cultures was more prominent whereas the Nineteenth Century, Pre-WWI Modernism, Post-WWI Modernism, and Postwar Boom have some similar concepts. Also, I noticed that some of the comments on my essays are about expanding upon what I had stated and providing clarification. The paragraphs that had more detail often scored higher than the ones that lacked clarification.

For my essay about China, the main claim is that the Chinese hold traditional value in the question of how one can cultivate oneself to reach the highest potential. The natural course of life, also known as the Way, is the ultimate pursuit and with cultivated insight, one can embark towards a transformation. The two period concepts used throughout the essay for the literature, art and music are The Value of a Nature and a Way and Cultivated Insight. In Analects, the idea of cultivating insight through discipline, skill, and following the natural course is emphasized by Confucius. Fan Kuan represents nature, the Way, and cultivated insight through the composition of Travelers Among Mountains and Streams. The perspective represents the natural order of the universe and allows the viewer to internalize the beauty of nature and to gain insight. The Running Brook by Lui Tsun-Yuen portrays how nature is in constant flux with the representation of the movement of water. The varying tempos and dynamics emphasize the process of transforming oneself to build harmony. The conclusion introduces the idea that a strong intuition and sense of self will ensure that one is on the correct path towards achieving the Way.

Word Count: 367

Music Report #2

The ASU Wind Ensemble performed at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theater on November 22th, and was directed by Dr. John Wojcik. The opening piece was Fanfare and Flourishes by James Curnow, which was written in the early 1900s. It had a very triumphant and upbeat melody that was driven by the strong rhythms. The woodwinds led the fanfare melody and a new melody was introduced by the brass section. The blending of polyphony created a magnificent introduction to the program.

The second piece was the Puszta, written in 1987 by Jan Van der Roost, which included the Andante Moderato, Tranquillo, Allegro Molto, and Marcato-Presto. It is a suite of four gypsy dances that have the same feel of authentic folk dances and this one in particular caught my attention. The syncopated beats of Hungarian folk dances have always been my favorite and I was able to hear a lot of musical details within this piece. Dr. John Wojcik described the piece as a folk dance with Hungarian flavor. The Andante Moderato started off with some flourishes in its somber beginning and the tempo picked up and progressed into a fast-paced melody that included syncopated rhythms highlighted by the tambourine and percussion section. It continued on to the Tranquillo, an even-paced, legato melody, after a few minutes and then went back to the Allegro Molto, which was a quick melody. It had a variety of timbres, including trombone, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, with a prominent percussion section. The timpani drove the melodies and syncopation, emphasizing the Hungarian feel. The Marcato-Presto had some of the same recurring melodies and themes and like many Hungarian folk dances, it ended with a flourish. The contrast between the even, somber melodies with the frenzied, syncopated melodies was heightened by the changes in dynamics. Back in high school, I was in a symphonic orchestra and a chamber orchestra and we played a few Hungarian dances and we focused on keeping steady rhythms to drive the melody. The changes in tempo in the performance were precise and distinguished the four suites of the Puszta very well. As a result, this piece was my most favorite piece of the program. I really enjoyed the Hungarian rhythms and the performers did a great job with the execution of the piece.

Next in the program was Canzon in Echo by Giovanni Gabrieli, which was originally written in the late 1500s, and then arranged by Mr. Garafalo. The whole piece featured steady melodies with a call and response effect, hence the “echo” in the piece’s title. One section of the woodwinds would play the melody and another section, such as the brass section, would respond by echoing the same melody. The piece after that was the Sun Dance, written by Frank Ticheli in the late 1900s, which Dr. Wojcik described as a “light song that is fun to listen to.” The mellifluous melodies blended together beautifully and the piece had an airy, joyful feel. Purple Carnival, written in 1933 by Harry L. Alford, is a march that was influenced by Sousa. It had the elements of a fanfare with its dignified, powerful, and playful flute melodies. The last piece of the program was American Barndance, written by Richard Saucedo in the late 1900s. The piece had Americana rhythms and melodies, with sections alternating from quick, dance-like rhythms to soothing melodies. While listening, I could imagine the fun atmosphere of people dancing at barndances. The beginning of the piece featured one person on percussion and some woodwinds, which modulated to a hazy, flowing melody with triangles and chimes. It then progressed to an uneven meter and ended with a powerful conclusion.

Overall, I am glad that I attended the Woodwind Ensemble concert since it has been a few years since I have been to any music ensemble concerts. It has made me appreciate woodwinds music and the concert demonstrated how a woodwinds ensemble can perform many different genres of music due to the diversity of instruments within it.

Word Count: 665

Analysis Paragraphs

Throughout the past labs, we have been working on formulating strong analysis paragraphs by looking at examples, critiquing them, and learning about the elements that are required. One of the most important factors is having transitions to allow thoughts to flow and connect to the next. I noticed that the excellent essay examples always had strong transitions and that was what separated it from the adequate essay examples. Because there has been strong emphasis on it, I am planning on utilizing more transitions for the final interdisciplinary essay exam. Another helpful point is to start wide and narrow down to specific details, creating a funnel-like effect. I feel like I can conceptualize the task better when I think about that analogy. After presenting the thesis, it should be broken down to the two period concepts, its significance within the culture or time period, and then supplemented with more details.

In an art analysis example that we looked at, the critique included that it needed more expansion to illuminate the thesis. Also, more features should have been picked out to help support the analysis and to make the thesis clear. Additionally, we took flexibility as an example of a concept that has multiple definitions and we could even state that we will expand on all of them within the essay. Concepts can be exhibited differently in literature, art, and music, so it should not be limited.

I think that I have been doing fairly well with picking cultures and times periods to which I feel comfortable writing about. Usually, I will pay attention to which works of literature that I understand the best throughout the semester, make connections to the period concepts, and see how the art and music relates. Although I feel like I understand the concepts for the most part, my connections and analysis can definitely be stronger. With a significant amount of material to work with, it can often seem overwhelming and it is a matter of filtering through and focusing on the ones that are relevant to the subject of the essays. I need to make my analysis paragraphs stronger by developing a clear line of thought and keep it consistent throughout my essays. The review of this process has been more helpful than the one in HUMN 2001 because I was still getting used to the format and process last semester. However, I am glad that I have stayed with the same professor because it would have been difficult adjusting to a different style of teaching and grading. Now that we have taken a look at what is required to attain a good grade through the use of example paragraphs and instructions for analysis, I feel like I have a better grasp of the task.

Word Count: 459

Concert Report #1

On October 20^th, I attended “The Oktoberfest: Fall Opera Scene Recital” at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theater. It featured performances by the ASU Opera Ensemble. It was directed by Patti Myers and the piano accompaniment was provided by Phillip Streetman. Although I have studied and taken lessons in classical music all my life, I have not had much exposure to opera music so I thought this would be a great opportunity. The program featured a range of vocals with a majority of female vocals, and there was piano accompaniment. The performances varied from arias with a solo performer, duets, to ensembles in different combinations and the performers were Garry Grant, Thomas Reed, Ashley Thom, Jaclyn Londino, Jennifer Morey, Malcolm Verbeck, Nancy Chafin, Larissa Roman Rodriguez, Sarah Price, and Kate Pendleton. As for the time periods of the compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johann Strauss Jr., and Otto Nicolai, it was centered around the mid-1700s to the early 1900s.

The program started off with The Magic Flute, Act I, which was performed a quintet of the characters Tamino, Papageno, First Lady, Second Lady, and Third Lady. The piece switched from solo, duet, and quintet performances. The vocals ranged from bass, baritone, tenor, to soprano, which created a beautiful blend of polyphonic melodies. The second piece was an Act II duet from The Magic Flute featuring Papageno and Papagena. It was a light and playful piece that stirred laughs in the audience. The male and female vocals complemented each other and the colorful melodies created a very light-hearted atmosphere. Act II, Scene 2 of Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck featured three characters: the Sand Fairy, Hansel, and Gretel. Having a basic knowledge of the classic children’s tale made it easier to follow the storyline in the piece. The other pieces up to this point were more difficult to follow since they were scenes taken out of an opera.

Next in the program was Die Fledermaus, “Farewell” which was a trio from Act I featuring Rosalinde, Adele, and Eisenstein. The theatrical aspect of this piece had a great effect on the piece since it aided the audience’s understanding of the storyline. The dialogue between the characters created a blending of bass tones and soprano tones and because of the dynamic contrasts that set the mood, different emotions such as anger or joviality were expressed. The fifth piece was an opening duet from Act I of The Merry Wives of Windsor with the characters Frau Fluth and Frau Reich. The two female performers’ voices blended together to create a duet with The last piece in the program was musical selections from Act II of Die Fledermaus. The entire ensemble participated in the piece at various points and in various groups within the introduction, arias, ensemble and aria, and the finale. The party atmosphere started off with some dialogue and then it led to some solo performances which portrayed the characters’ contrasting personalities. Through the tone and speed of the pieces, it indicated the type of mood and the emotions being conveyed.

One piece in particular that stood out to me was the opening duet from The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act I. Ashley Thom’s and Jaclyn Londino’s blending of vocals created compelling emotions and through dynamic contrasts, varying slow and rapid rhythms and melodies, the emotions of the characters were well-conveyed. The story line is about Sir John Falstaff who is courting two wealthy married women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When he sends both of them nearly identical letters, they compare them and decide to seek revenge. The duet featured the two mistresses reading their letters out loud, and the call and response all throughout the piece was very well-articulated. The piece started off at a steady tempo and once the characters became enraged and were formulating ideas to seek revenge, the tempo, rhythm, and dynamics and pitches increased to indicate the change in mood. This one stood out to me because as the mistresses became progressively infuriated while comparing their letters, the amount of drama kept on building up. The call and response was well-executed and it goes to show that opera has the ability to convey strong emotions, drama, and dialogue through the different tone of voices. One’s emotion and the atmosphere can be determined by the speed of the tempo and rhythms, dynamics, and timbres involved.

My favorite piece was the duet of Papageno and Papagena from Act II of The Magic Flute. The theatrical elements such as the two characters chasing each other around the stage and their facial expressions along with the two complementing male and female vocals created a very entertaining atmosphere. After the first piece, which was not as upbeat, it was surprising to hear the rapid, playful melodies of the duet. Although I enjoyed all of the pieces and could not say that I disliked any of them, the quintet in The Magic Flute, Act I did not stick in my memory like some of the other pieces did. I found that the more upbeat and catchy songs such as the duet with Papageno and Papagena made a better lasting impression and I could remember more details.

The abilities of the performers were astounding and I enjoyed having the opportunity to see the kind of talent that students at Augusta State University possess. Plus, there were some students from HUMN 2002 performing that night too so it was great seeing them perform. I noticed that the abilities of the performers did affect the music because the emotional impact and connection to the audience is crucial. For example, the strong soprano arias throughout the program featured beautiful vocals which portrayed the storylines. Overall, I am glad that I attended this performance because I was able to learn from this listening experience. The performance provided a glimpse into the world of opera. The blending of dialogue, emotions, and drama are very entertaining to watch and the fact that it was performed by an opera ensemble from our own campus made me appreciate it even more. It goes to show that you do not have to go very far to witness such talent.

Word Count: 1,028

Extra Credit Blog #1

On Friday, I attended the presentation of “High and Low: What is Excellence in the Arts” that featured Franklin Einspruch, who is an art writer, speaker, and cultural critic from Boston. Einspruch began by defining the word “excellence” as the act of excelling, surpassing, and outdoing. One of the issues he brought up is the question of what makes one piece of art superior over other pieces? Einspruch questioned whether it is a matter of objective quality or subjective perception. It can be a matter of opinion and taste and he said that it was somewhat of a conspiracy theory where people passively absorb notions of culture and society. As for the objective quality, he said that if people fail to see the beauty within a popular and well-received piece of art, they can be seen as blind, ignorant, or naïve. Einspruch revealed that excellence is not within the object or within us. It is dynamic, not subjective or objective.

I liked the point that he made about duplication. He showed a painting on the projection screen and then in the next slide, it was duplicated. He stated that it changes completely when an image is duplicated because we automatically start trying to make comparisons and figuring out the differences between the two of them. An individual painting will have a greater effect upon us. Another great point that was made was about how some artists create multiple copies of the same piece of art that have minor variations. The second one is usually not as good and with each additional piece, it begins to lose its initial quality. The first version was created out of inspiration and emotion, without anything to compare it to. Paradoxically, the only way to find out which qualities are worth keeping is to do something entirely different. There were elements of HUMN 2002 that he mentioned in his presentation such as the sublime. Einspruch stated that a high artist should keep the sublime in the back of his mind but should strive towards excellence and hope that the sublime will sneak into his artwork. He also mentioned economy of form, which made me relate back to Japan’s period concepts. Additionally, Einspruch showed the painting, “Luncheon on the Grass” by Monet and it was interesting to think that I would not have recognized it if we had not learned about it in HUMN 2002. All in all, I am glad I attended the presentation because I feel more informed about the critique of art. It provided a look into the complex elements involved in the many facets of art.

Word Count: 434

Nineteenth Century

How does one’s subjectivity of experiences in his or her inner life construct reality? In the Nineteenth Century, there was a newfound focus on reality, harsh living conditions, and the lower class. With the lens turned upon realistic conditions, the works of literature, art, and music began to depict realistic inner lives. Instead of the melodrama and intense emotions of the previous Baroque and Romantic eras, inner life is conveyed as accurately as possible. Along with a focus on realism, there is an emphasis on the subjectivity of experience and the recognition of the limitations of any point of view. Experience is greatly valued and the focus is turned away from meanings that transcend individuals and the abstraction of reality. The poem, “Spleen,” by Baudelaire, Rigoletto (Act III) by Verdi, and A Bar at the Folies-Bergè by Manet all embody the concepts of realistic inner lives and subjectivity.

One thing that I had not paid much attention to prior to this lab was my usage of clear transitions. I felt disorganized while writing my interdisciplinary midterm exam essays so I do not think that my sentences and paragraphs flowed very well. I often feel overwhelmed with all of the information I want to make sure I will convey so instead of thinking rationally and forming coherent transitions, my sentences become too choppy. It felt like I was listing off facts and information instead of trying to convey my point. This time around, I tried my best to create a smoother flow in order to emphasize my two period concepts of “realistic inner lives” and “subjectivity.” I had trouble formulating a good question and thesis to tie together the concepts of the pieces.

As for note-taking, I have been diligent about taking notes in class because personally, I retain information better when I can refer back to my notes while writing blog posts, doing reading questions, studying for music and art analyses, and planning for my essays. This time around, I decided to print out the Baudelaire poems so that I can annotate the pages instead of reading off of my computer. Throughout class discussions, I have underlined and written notes in the margins and it has helped me gain a better understanding and retain the information better. I feel like the connections that we make in class can become crucial information when it comes time to start planning for essays. Instead of struggling to remember what concepts applied to the pieces, I can just refer to my notes and see which period concepts I have jotted down and elaborated upon.

Word Count: 430