To what extent do you think advertising determines our buying habits? Are we all affected in the same way? Give your views.
CONSUMERISM & ADVERTISING



Nowadays, no one can deny that we live in a consumerist society. But, to what extent does advertising determines our buying habits? Are we all affected in the same way?

To begin with, the term consumerism refers to “a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts”. In other words, consumerism is the act or practise of an increasing consumption of goods. In general, the basics of consumerism are: the extraction of resources, the production of goods, the distribution, the consumption and the disposal. According to Mr Fortunato, consumerism can be defined as the “distorted desires to possess and consume things beyond what is necessary”. In order to accomplish this, companies hire commercial advertisers to generate increased consumption of some services and products through the creation of different publicities.

Moreover, some people think that advertising cannot sell any product if the person does not want to buy it. On the other hand, other people argue that advertising is so effective that it can brainwash us and make us spend money in unnecessary things. So, entrepreneurs are always designing new products, creating new necessities, and thinking on how to advertise them so that we, as consumers, will (want to) buy them.

Furthermore, what is true is that countless enterprises invest billions of dollars to get our minds and hearts and to influence our choices when buying. For this reason, they create commercials in which the products effects on people are exaggerated and what they offer is an opportunity to be part of the “cool” people; to make you feel better about yourself. To do this, companies improve their marketing techniques through: emotional appeal testimonials, scientific appeal, glittering generalities, etc.
What is more, frequently the products that are advertised are: cosmetics, alcohol and cigarettes. In fact, the amount of money that is spent in advertising this kind of products it much greater than the money used to improve society.
Besides, advertising makes happiness be seen as equivalent to having, rather than to being. In this way, Philip Saltier says: “Americans become unhappy and vicious because their preoccupation with amassing possessions alleviates their loneliness. This is why production in America seems to be on such an endless upward spiral: every time we buy something we deepen our emotional deprivation and hence our need to buy something.” Therefore, in many cases people are willing to work long hours, to steal, etc. in order to get the products on offer and to keep the same standard of living as the people who are around them.

Also, advertisements can provoke people to be disappointed with what they already have, and make them want even more. Thus, people are exposed several times to products that they cannot afford, thus creating a feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration. Continuing with this line of thought, not all the parents can afford the dolls, toys, cars, etc. that their children see on TV.

In addition, it is important not to forget that every kind of advertisement is targeted towards a specific population/segment. For example, children, teenagers, adults, etc.

However, people are not interested in advertising anymore. Research has shown that people try to skip from two-thirds to 80% (letters or numbers? Be consistent)of the ads. For this reason, companies have a big interest in placing brands in films, soap operas, etc. In this way, they advertise their products in a subtle way.

Taking everything into account, there is no doubt that we are immersed in a consumer society. But, what is important for us is to know whether advertising determines or not our buying habits and what are the effects that advertising has on us.

Read the joke and give your views on it considering language variations and linguistic imperialism.

An American visiting England walked into a hotel lobby. "The lift will be down presently", said the receptionist. "Oh, you mean the elevator." "No, I mean the lift." replied the Englishman. "I think I should know what it is called", said the American. "Elevators were invented in the States." "Perhaps" retorted the Englishman. "But we invented the language.

Nowadays, the Globalization process has lead humanity to share cultural traits. One of the most common ways to be connected is through language, and consequently there is always one or two which are favored.

To begin with, the language that appears to be preferred nowadays is English because of many reasons. It is simpler than others, it is widely used and recognized by people from very distant communities, and it is the language used by the most powerful countries in the world, so everybody needs to manage it. One may believe that when a specific language is established, it will never change and all its users will get used to it as it is. However, as every living language, it suffers from various series of changes during its existence. How? When people speak, let us say English, they modify it in several aspects, from pronunciation to spelling. After some time of dwelling with those modifications (as they are shared by a group of people) they become part of the language in the form of coined terms, or even new sublanguages.

Some examples of those new languages are Chinglish, Globish, Spanglish, etc. Those dialects began as English, but as their native people began to use it and modified it, those changes remained until they turned into a new language. This always leads to misunderstandings, jokes, problems and other issues that are generated by the native speakers of the main language, who usually feel negative emotions towards the various changes that their mother tongue suffers. Subsequently, we should consider what is important for a language, whether its origins or its actual use. In other words, we all know that a language cannot stand the test of time if it does not evolve according to peoples’ needs and new trends. That happened with coined languages such as Esperanto (that failed because of a lack of context), and also with Latin, as its users widespread around the world and kept on modifying it to be able to communicate with different cultures.

Furthermore, something similar happened with the different varieties of languages like the Spanish from Spain and the one from Latin America (and the different varieties within this continent), and American, British, and other varieties of English. At the beginning, the different regions felt animosity towards the rest and the way they used the language, but then they started to get along and accept their differences. Nevertheless, there is still rivalry between American and British English, like the enmity between American and British English institutes in Uruguay. Sometimes English people look down on Americans because of the modifications they have done to the language, but it is actually because they have different lifestyles. Besides, the USA is newer, so it is seen as less important or serious, and it opens its doors to people from all cultures, while British people are less flexible in this aspect, they do not want to have modifications in their language.

All in all, English is the language preferred by the inhabitants of our Global Village, who usually modify it. This is controversial, but we should consider those changes as the core of its existence, and try to be open minded and keep updated.

The Effects of Music

The effects of music on living beings

Many people believe that music is part of their lives and they could not imagine life without it. Many of them take music as an entertaiment (like many of us may think it really is), but at the same time they might ignore the effects that it has upon us. And not only on us, but also on any kind of living organism. Music is not only played to entertain people, it is played and it has been played in religious ceremonies and in many aborigine tribes as a way to iniciating youngsters in the daylife and activities of the tribe.

Music can be a very good companion for people in different circumstances, for example it is played at nightclubs where people are having fun at weekends or even in pubs where many people gather after working all day long to relax and drink something. Many people like to listen to music when they are doing the housework. Music plays an important role in their lives. Whatever the kind of music they like, it is something that they have chosen because they like it and it makes them feel good.
Some people who have researched the effects of music on humans, say that it does not only affect human’s mood, but it can also affect their body physically. Music has the power to change their moods, to help them relax after a long stressing day or to make them feel even worse. It has also the power to make them feel angry. In spite of that, the music that people really like has to play an important role, too. Personally, I like some sort of music, but there are times, when I am very tired or I have such a terrible headache that I do not want to listen to any kind of music.

Scientists also claim that music has effects on humans’ organisms. They found that the rhythm of slow classical music can influence the beat of humans hearts and make their blood stream go slower. With fast classical music the influence is the same, it makes their heart beat faster and also changes the speed of the blood stream.

The effects of music on animals have also been researched by some curious people. The most amazing experiment was done by an university student who exposed some mice to classical music 24 hours per day, and took another group of mice and exposed them to heavy metal. The experiment was meant to see what influence music may have on them. He found that those mice which were exposed to classical music had increased their ability to solve mazes, but he had to stop the experiment because the other group of mice (the ones which were exposed to metal music) started killing each other. This means that music has the power to influence not only humans but also animals. On the one hand, there is the classical music power, which helped the mice increase their intelligence. On the other hand, there is the metal music power which led mice to let their beast and angry instinct take control of them and became very violent.

A further point to add here is about experiments on plants. Retallack carried out an experiment which consisted of playing different kinds of music to plants and seeing how they (plants) grow up. The researcher used different kinds of music such as rock and pop, country and jazz. Those plants which were exposed to country and jazz music, grew healthily and very well. But the ones which were exposed to rock, grew tall and in a sad way. These ones died in just a fortnight.

All in all, music is around everything, and it has been around probably since the beginnings of the human race. It may sound strange to talk about the powers of music, but it may be because those powers were ignored until today. Now that experiments have enlightened something about the influence of music it could be a good idea to go on with these experiments. Some of them have shown that music can help people with some diseases, like Autism, and they have also shown that classical music is good to develop memory or increase intelligence, even to relax.

Esteban Arrieri

The Royalty

The royal wedding and the monarchy for English people.

Many young people as well as many grown-ups in the world may not understand the importance of the royal family for the British. Some may wonder why they still have a monarch or the purpose of having that. But, there is something clear, British people care and love their royal family.

The royal wedding took place last Friday 29th April when the entire country and perhaps even the world stopped to look at what was happening there. The whole wedding was broadcast from its beginning to its end. It was as if the entire England was stopped by that event.

Why could this be so important for British people?
I think it has something to do with identity. This is something that represents British people from ancient times. But is this just the only thing that represents them? We may answer no, it is not. For example, the English language is something that represents them too. But, nowadays that is no longer an identity for them as many people speak English in the rest of the world; the language is not something they may claim as theirs. In contrast to this, the monarchy is actually something that represents them. They are proud of their future king and Queen, because it gives them an identity. There are very few countries of the world which continue to have a monarchy. That monarchy is plays also an important roll in English Society, because it is the head of the British army, so it has in their own hands the power to start a war or to end a war too. It is also the head of the Commonwealth, which represents an important oath among European countries.

This is my view on the importance of the royal family. And everything concerned to them will be of extreme importance for the British people. It is something anchored in their tradition, and they not only accept it but also love it.


Esteban Arrieri

The Mass Media

No doubt we are all affected by the media these days. Is it all as negative as it is usually claimed? Give your views.

We cannot deny that the media has become part of almost every person who lives in society, whether its consequences are good or bad, it lives with us.

Many people claim and complain about the content they see on TV, in newspapers, on the web, that is to say, in the media. Most of them are violent or obscene, they claim and they also associate it with different phenomena occurring in our societies. In other words, they point out that people are being wrongly influenced by the media. Some studies show that because of early exposure (in children, for example) to the mass media, people tend to have some problems like drug abuse, alcohol abuse and early pregnancy. In addition, academics complain about attention problems in students, which could be caused by the excessive use of the media. For example, children who spend three or four hours watching TV, receiving different images per minute, have hard problems trying to concentrate on reading or solving math problem.
Some other arguments in favour to this position say that the media is also influencing our personal relationships. We may be more in contact with people from the outer world than those people who live next doors or even under the same roof as us. For example, children who spend hours chatting online are just alone in front of the screen and no personal (face to face) communication takes place.

On the other hand, some other people, in contrast with the above exposed, say that the media has influenced people in a good way (in this case, the term people could also be a synonym of society). Media, they say, has left an open door to the outer world. We get to know almost immediately what happens in any “corner of the world”. The use of cell phones has also made it easier to communicate among people. By sending a text message you can totally convey an idea, apology for getting late or tell your mum that you are OK.

Personally, I agree with some other people who claim that it is not the media which influences us in a good or bad way, it is the use and the place we let it get in our lives that make so. We have the power of deciding what content we want to see, to read, and to be exposed to. In other words, the media, thanks to its development, has many things to offer us, so, we are the ones who choose what we want.

Esteban Arrieri

Globalization

Globalization has shortened distances between countries, it has allowed people from one part of the world to communicate with people from different parts of it. To define it, it is the constant exchange of information and goods from different parts of the world among them.

Many people say “we live in a globalized world”, that is to say, we live in a world communicated through the net, the TV and the radio. In this globalized world, techonolgy plays an important role, because it is thanks to that technology that many people are communicated and have access to the latest news around the world.
This advances have contributed a lot to the field of education. Nowadays, e-mails can be exchanged among classmates to carry out projects and even on line courses have appeared giving a possibility to those people who cannot afford their studies because they have to move from their home town.
Globalization also concerns the exchange of goods. Many multinational companies, like Coca Cola, have settled in developing countries providing local people of those countries with work. With the help of those companies, those countries can fight famine and unemployment in many cases.

Regarding some bad aspects of globalization, it can be said that it can exclude you, that is to say, if you are not willing to be globalized, you will be left behind. In other words, it is something that demands you to take it or leave, if you are not willing to be part of this, you would be like dropped aside from the way without going ahead in this new world.
Some other people say that globalization threatens local cultures, because of that exchange among different parts of the world with their different products, they are in one way “trading” culture. Those countries which let other cultures get into them, are undergoing some sort of exposure to other cultures and are leaving aside their own local culture.

To sum up, it can be said that globalization is good in what we let it play a role in our lives, but we should take into consideration that it can swallow you and give you the many possibilities it has to offer you or it can just leave you behind without its sources.


Esteban Arrieri

Please read the joke below and give your views on it considering the Chinglish, Spanish, Globish and other variations as well as linguistic imperialism.


An American visiting England walked into a hotel lobby. "The lift will be down presently", the receptionist told him.
"The lift?" said the American. "Oh, you mean the elevator."
"No, I mean the lift." replied the Englishman.
"I think I should know what it is called",. said the American. "Elevators were invented in the States."
"Perhaps" retorted the Englishman. "But we invented the language."

Languages are living entities that may develop, merge with other languages and even die, as is the case of Latin. In the past, this was not very often, in other words, a language could merge with another if one nation tried to conquer another and in more recent cases when different nations trade their goods among them. That was the case of English, when the British conquered north America. Then, after a series of different problems, America became independant and kept something from the former conqueror, the language.

Nowadays, thanks to the advances in communication, specially the internet, the spread of English through the net has even threatened the existance of other languages around the world. As English leads its way through different and exotic cultures –if we take Britain as the cot of the English language- that it has started to merge with other native languages like Spanish, Chinese, French, and other languages, making up new variations of the cited language.

What is the role America plays in this ‘spreading of the English language’ if the cot of the language is Britain? As America has spectacularly developed itself as one of the most important countries of the world, she has ‘printed’ every new item she produces and every new discovery she makes, with the English language. So, she has helped in the spreading of the language throughout the world, which is also known as the English imperialism. This can be clearly seen in the Internet where the English language appears in 74% of the websites, leaving just a tiny percentage to other languages. It can also be seen in the many foreign products that we consume, even though they are produced in a non-English speaking country, they are written in English because it has become the language of the international trade or because of the presence of multinational companies as well. The imperialism is not only concerned with the economical dominance one country can have upon others, but it is also concerned with its language. The language is, perhaps the first thing that is exposed to the market, and with this, to the world.

Because of the cited spreading of the English language, many countries have developed their own view and ways of using English as a lingua franca. This fact is no less important, because by this moment, there are perhaps fewer English native speakers than non-natives speakers, which is threatening the future of the English language. There are some other people who considering the circumstances, take advantage of them, and try to ‘sell’ their products, as is the case of Globish, which according to the person who coined the term, Paul Nerrier, it is a simplified version of English to help enterpreneurs do business. In other words, it is the language of Globalization.

To conclude, it can be said that this new world full of communication and trade may lead us to obtain and speak a globalized language which might differ from any previous ancestor and ending up in an unrecognized variety of English or any other language.

GLOBISH - The language of Globalization

Through Globisthe language of the Globalization- there are no language barriers any longer. Do you agree?

Globalization has led to many improvements in our societies, such as better and faster means of communication. This is no less important if we take into account the impact it has on langauges, specially the spread of English in the Internet (which is referred to English imperialism) and the threat it means to other languages.

Nowadays, even English is being threatened by a new product of Globalization, that is Globish. This is a simplified version of English, specially for business. One of its most interesting arguments is that you can only speak Globish wiht 1500 words. Thus, it is a new way out for people who want to integrate the globailized world. But at the same time it is a threat to English and other languages as well.

These days, we may find books and courses about Globish. So, this also implies that many languages may become extinct, and it seems to be that Globalization will allow this if there isn’t any change about this. For example, some European countries were implementing some protectionist laws against English in order to protect their mother toungues. It is mainly a policy to foster and protect the tradition and use of their mother tongues.

So, if we let Globish get into our lives without being conscious enough of what it really implies, we can lose an essential feature of our indentity as a nation and as a people. As it is stated above, this is a business language, which may work or not, but it is not an entire corpus full of traditions and culture such as a language (for example the English language). We should take it, just for what it is meant to be, a way out to the –many times- difficult negotiations between two or more countries whose langauges are different.

Esteban Arrieri

ETHICAL CONSUMERISM

ETHICAL CONSUMERISM CAN BALANCE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF GLOBALISATION.

Globalisation seems to be part of everyone’s life these days. And we often tend to be thankful of the many gifts it has given to us such us immediate communication, better technology to communicate, netbooks, cellular phones, etc. Why do we talk of the negative effects of globalisation then?
Some investigations carried out by daring journalists have uncovered some information about one of the best known clothing companies and how it hires people to work for it. This has shown that one of the most ancient enemies of human rights is still among us, even in the XXI century, that is slavery.

So, what does it have to do with ethical consumerism? Everything. Once common people get to know how these companies make their workers work for them, the hostile conditions in which they have to work and the ones they are given to live, consumers should take action. But how? Well, perhaps a good way would be avoiding buying those expensive products that are made with less than seven dollars.

It may be hard to fight against those companies, and many people may not even believe or refuse to believe what is shown in some T.V. news about their human resources policies and their working conditions until they see what those journalist who dared carring on a research working for CBS /CNN have done. But once you are aware of what happens in those companies’ factories , it is difficult to turn a blind eye on this, it is difficult to look at one of this famous brands and forget how those products are made. So that is what ethical consumerism is about, it is a way out for those people who are working behind the brand firm by preventing it from developing and earning more money. Many people might say that those products are the best of the market because of their quality and the price is worthwhile (and perhaps they are right), but there is something else behind good quality in this case, and that is ethics, human rights, the rights of those people who are being forced to work in harsh conditions and are badly paid.

From my point of view, people who, knowing about this fact, buy these products are as guilty as the heads of the companies and are promoting slavery in our globalised world.

Positive and negative effects of music on people, animals and plants.

by Viviana Garay

For centuries, music has accompanied the development of human beings. But recently, it has been proven that music has positive and negative effects not only on people, but also on animals and plants. Some details will be described below.

To begin with, people know that music can arouse different emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, etc. For example, when we are watching a film, we can predict what is going on only by listening to the background music.
Moreover, music has the power to relax people or induce them in a deeper state. In other words, music can alter the state of consciousness (ASC´s). For instance, some people say that “The memories of home” can provoke that on people.

Furthermore, it is said that certain kinds of music can make conscious, unconscious parts of people; such as “the source of our dreams, visions, hunches, intuition and emotions”.

In addition, our mind, body, and spirit can be cured by the power of sounds and music. Some doctors say that music is a "mega-vitamin for the brain," with the capacity of influencing and improving: communication, motor function and cognition. For instance, scientists have verified that those people who are in rehabilitation and listen to music some hours per day, or are taught to play the drums or the piano can recover faster than others.
Music can also alter our mood in a heartbeat. For example, if we are happy, and we begin to listen to sad music, we start to feel sad because of the music we are listening to, and vice versa.

However, since the 70´s scientists have been researching “the effects of the beat of the music”. They have found out that slow music can diminish blood pressure, the breathing rate and the heartbeat. Conversely, faster music can accelerate the breathing rate, the heartbeat and increase blood pressure.
Besides, it has been proven that if we listen more than once to the same rhythm, the music can turn out to be disagreeable for us, conduct us to a state of sub-conscious thinking state or to a state of irritation.

Apart from this, some investigations have demonstrated that special kinds of music can affect animals and plants. For instance, when hens are exposed to “The Blue Danube" they lay more eggs; and when wheat plants are exposed to special ultrasonic and music sounds they grow faster.

What is more, an experiment carried out with rats –they were put in two different boxes connected with a tube, some listening to Bach´s music and the others listening to rock- showed that they “prefer” Bach´s music rather than rock.

Also, researches made on plants showed that Jazz, Classical music, and Ravi Shankar help to accelerate their growth. Nonetheless, rock and acid rock are harmful for them –they can die.
Taking everything into account, music is a mysterious force that exists on Earth, which has amazing effects on human beings, animals and plants. For this reason, we had better pay more attention to the kind of music we listen to.

To what extent singers participate in this money raising song for free?

For decades, important artists from all times have been gathered in order to raise money to help people. But, to what extent do singers participate in this money raising song for free?

To begin with, in 1984 well known Irish and British singers -such as Bono, Phil Collins, Steve Norman, etc. - gathered and formed a group called Band Aid and created the song “Do they know that it’s Christmas?” in order to raise money “for relief of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia”. It turned out to be the highest selling single in UK chart history until 1997.
Similarly, in 1985 the activist Harry Belafonte along with the fundraiser Ken Kragen contacted the most significant American singers of that time to save money “for African famine relief”. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie were the ones in charge of writing the song “We Are the World” which sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Likewise, in 2010 the most important singers of this era –such as Justin Bieber, Barbra Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, etc.- re-recorded the song “We are the world 25 for Haiti” in order to raise money to help the people from Haiti that had suffered a strong earthquake. This had some adaptations such as the addition of rap.

Also, an adaptation and translation of the song into Spanish was created “We Are the World” by Emilio and Gloria Stefan in order to help the people from Haiti, too.!!!!!! It was recorded by the most important Latin music figures such as: Juanes, Ricky Martin, Belinda, Shakira, Tito el Bambino, Pitbull, Wisin &Yandel, etc. It has the same adaptations of the song “We Are the World 25 for Haiti”.
So, in all the cases mentioned above the most important artists of each era were “recruited” in order to record a song to raise money to help those people that were victims of famines and earthquakes. The organizers planned this because they wanted to touch everybody, both the old and new generations. For this reason, they chose (for instance in the Latin version) singers of all styles and ages.
by Viviana Garay

Moreover, we have to consider that for those singers it was an honour to be chosen to record these songs, but also a way to broadcast their music and themselves. In this way, by watching the video those people who do not know them or their music, start to know and buy their music. For instance, I did not know who the young boy that was singing in the video was. For this reason, I looked for information about him and his music in Wikipedia, and I discovered that he was David Archuleta.

Furthermore, these singers do not have to make a big effort, because as they already have the talent, the only thing that they have to do is to sing. For example, as Belinda could not travel to Miami, she recorded her part in a studio in Mexico and sent it to Miami.
However, some artists have their own foundations to help people. For example, in 1997 Shakira created “Pies descalzos” which is an association that raises money/ or which is a fund- raising organization. This money goes to “the foundations that help the poor, unprotected children of my country, Places that help children with heart conditions, with aids, leukaemia, and the homeless children and, also children whose children died in combat.” Shakira said.

All things considered, I think that these kinds of money raising songs are great because through them big amounts of money are raised and used to help people. But, I also think that singers participate in these kinds of events to broadcast/publicise their music.

http://www.shakiraisabel.com/html/pies.html

The effects of music on living beings by Esteban Arrieri

The effects of music on living beings



Many people believe that music is part of their lives and they could not imagine life without it. Many of them take music as an entertaiment (like many of us may think it really is), but at the same time they might ignore the effects that it has upon us. And not only on us, but also on any kind of living organism. Music is not only played to entertain people, it is played and it has been played in religious ceremonies and in many aborigine tribes as a way to iniciating youngsters in the daylife and activities of the tribe.

Music can be a very good companion for people in different circumstances, for example it is played at nightclubs where people are having fun at weekends or even in pubs where many people gather after working all day long to relax and drink something. Many people like to listen to music when they are doing the housework. Music plays an important role in their lives. Whatever the kind of music they like, it is something that they have chosen because they like it and it makes them feel good.

Some people who have researched the effects of music on humans, say that it does not only affect human’s mood, but it can also affect their body physically. Music has the power to change their moods, to help them relax after a long stressing day or to make them feel even worse. It has also the power to make them feel angry. In spite of that, the music that people really like has to play an important role, too. Personally, I like some sort of music, but there are times, when I am very tired or I have such a terrible headache that I do not want to listen to any kind of music.

Scientists also claim that music has effects on humans’ organisms. They found that the rhythm of slow classical music can influence the beat of humans hearts and make their blood stream go slower. With fast classical music the influence is the same, it makes their heart beat faster and also changes the speed of the blood stream.

The effects of music on animals have also been researched by some curious people. The most amazing experiment was done by an university student who exposed some mice to classical music 24 hours per day, and took another group of mice and exposed them to heavy metal. The experiment was meant to see what influence music may have on them. He found that those mice which were exposed to classical music had increased their ability to solve mazes, but he had to stop the experiment because the other group of mice (the ones which were exposed to metal music) started killing each other. This means that music has the power to influence not only humans but also animals. On the one hand, there is the classical music power, which helped the mice increase their intelligence. On the other hand, there is the metal music power which led mice to let their beast and angry instinct take control of them and became very violent.

A further point to add here is about experiments on plants. Retallack carried out an experiment which consisted of playing different kinds of music to plants and seeing how they (plants) grow up. The researcher used different kinds of music such as rock and pop, country and jazz. Those plants which were exposed to country and jazz music, grew healthily and very well. But the ones which were exposed to rock, grew tall and in a sad way. These ones died in just a fortnight.

All in all, music is around everything, and it has been around probably since the beginnings of the human race. It may sound strange to talk about the powers of music, but it may be because those powers were ignored until today. Now that experiments have enlightened something about the influence of music it could be a good idea to go on with these experiments. Some of them have shown that music can help people with some diseases, like Autism, and they have also shown that classical music is good to develop memory or increase intelligence, even to relax.

Brooke FraserFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Brooke Fraser

Background information
Birth name Brooke Gabrielle Fraser
Born 15 December 1983 (1983-12-15) (age 27)
Wellington, New Zealand
Origin Wellington, New Zealand
Genres
Pop
Folk rock

Years active 2002–present
Labels Sony Music
Wood + Bone
Website http://www.brookefraser.com
Brooke Gabrielle Fraser, better known as simply Brooke Fraser born (15 December 1983) is a New Zealand award-winning folk-pop musician. Her third studio album Flags has become the most successful album of her career, with the single "Something in the Water" reaching number one on the RIANZ singles chart in 2010.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Musical career
2.1 What to Do With Daylight
2.2 Albertine
2.3 Flags
3 Personal life
4 Charity work
5 Discography
6 Awards and nominations
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Early lifeFraser is the eldest of the three children born to former All Black, Bernie Fraser[1] and his wife Lynda Fraser.[2] She grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt and attended Dyer Street School, Naenae Intermediate School and Naenae College.[3]

Fraser took piano lessons between the ages of seven and seventeen. She started writing songs at age twelve and taught herself the acoustic guitar at fifteen, although despite her singing success she has never taken singing lessons.[3]

She performed at Parachute, an annual New Zealand music festival, and did so for several years, beginning in 2000 – including a special guest performance in 2007.[3]

She began writing for the Soul Purpose magazine at age fifteen, and was later made editor in 2002. She gave up her job as editor shortly after moving to Auckland in late 2002 in order to pursue her music career.[4]

[edit] Musical careerIn 2002, while Fraser was in Auckland, Scotty Pearson, the drummer for Elemeno P, organised a meeting with producer Matty J for her. Matty J became her manager, liaising with the major labels who had shown interest and compared their offers. Fraser had about five different labels offer her deals and chose to sign a multi-album deal with Sony Music.[5]

[edit] What to Do With DaylightMain article: What to Do with Daylight
Fraser's first album, What to Do with Daylight, was released in New Zealand in late 2003, debuting at number one and achieved gold status in the same week. The album eventually went seven times platinum,[6] selling over 105,000 copies in New Zealand alone.[7] It remained on the album charts for sixty-six weeks.[8] All five singles from the album reached the top twenty in the New Zealand Singles Chart.[9] Her album also topped the New Zealand Top 50 Albums of 2004.[10]

Following the release of What to Do with Daylight, Fraser toured Australia and New Zealand with American artist John Mayer and then toured New Zealand with veteran U.K. rock artist David Bowie.[11][12] Whilst on tour with John Mayer, she met with his guitarist and keyboardist Michael Chaves who, after recording Mayer's album Heavier Things, Fraser enlisted to play on her album and future concerts.[13]

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC by Cesia Panama

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSICYOUR OPINION:

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE ARTICLE ABOVE?

DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDIES REGARDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC?

I totally agree with the findings of the researches written on this article. I had previous personal convictions about the reactions produced by some kinds of music. However, some other results of these studies about reactions and behaviours are really surprising to me.

The power of music in the human mind is wonderful: it helps to express emotions that poetry, painting or other types of art do not allow to. Sometimes music produces effects that are desired, such as intelligence or less pain and other times, it produces undesired effects, for example violence and suicide. I think people like different kinds of music depending on the need they unconsciously have, as they are not able to express deep emotions and the only way they find is by music.

However, the findings can also apply, not only to humans, but also to animals
and plants. I agree with those findings, as I knew animals recognize sounds and songs and by some attitudes, we can infer which song they like most. I did not know the relationship between music and plants. Nevertheless, I believe in the research results as I have heard once that children’s voice is healthy for plants, and they vibrate when they “hear” children or some other familiar’s voices. Some people turn on the radio to the plants so that they grow healthier and nicer but we cannot explain how it is produced as plants have no ears. We may be called “unscientific” but it is something true that has no rational explanation.

Musical Talent: Innate or Learned?

Musical Talent: Innate or Learned?
Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002


Are children born with an appreciation for music and the ability to demonstrate it? Or do they develop musical ability through early exposure and structured practice? The answer is both, according to Dianna Richardson, graduate of the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Richardson, who is an artist-in-residence at the Cleveland School of the Arts and a youth instructor at Baldwin-Wallace College, claims that many of her inner-city high school students possess “raw talent.” They have a keen ear for music, can play demonstrated or familiar pieces beautifully, have an extraordinary sense of rhythm, and are well synchronized with their peers when playing their instruments. Most of them, however, lack formal music instruction and cannot read sheet music. In contrast, Richardson’s college students, who have benefited from early structured lessons in reading and understanding music, can play most sheet music with impressive precision but are not as adept at playing together as a group.

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development reports that children who are musically gifted show early developmental signs of musical precocity, which may include noticing off-key music, remembering melodies, singing in tune, fondness for playing instruments in preschool, rhythmic ways of moving and speaking, humming to themselves, tapping rhythmically while working, and sensitivity to environmental sounds (waterfalls, rain on the roof, etc.). Researchers recognize such indicators of precocious musical talent as an innate ability to identify pitch (i.e., to imitate pitch with precision), precise rhythmic ability, intense interest in a variety of music, and an ability to learn and express music through rote methods (recognition and imitation). Richardson says that such students in the inner city, where resources may not be readily available, are often identified in religious organizations, where they participate regularly in choirs and are encouraged to express themselves musically.

Although early intervention and instruction are not necessary for developing musical talent, they appear to be significant factors in determining a child’s full realization of a musical gift. Research on child prodigies indicates that exceptional musical abilities are often acquired through optimal environmental conditions. Important contributing factors include self-motivation; extensive support from family members, mentors, and teachers; appropriate resources (instruments, lessons, and exposure to musical activities); and rigorous practice. Parents can facilitate musical development in their children by recognizing how and when to encourage and reinforce skills and concepts that are already developing naturally.

Learning music is much like learning language, because there is a natural progression in development. For example, exposing children from birth to a variety of music in a broad range of tones and pitches will help them acquire the ability to distinguish differences in music, much as infants acquire the ability to distinguish their parents’ native language (dialect) from a foreign language. Then, during ages three to five, when children are developing better smooth-muscle coordination and a sense of rhythm, they should be encouraged to sing along to music and engage in rhythmic activities, such as clapping, swinging, dancing, tapping, marching, and using nonmelodic instruments (rhythm sticks, cymbals, etc.). As the ability to recognize and imitate rhythm develops, during ages four to five, children should be encouraged to accompany singing with melodic instruments (xylophone, autoharp, resonator bells, etc.). Although certain stages in child development are considered sensitive for developing specific musical and spatial abilities, no one blueprint will help your child become a master musician.

Shinichi Suzuki’s method of developing musical ability in young children calls for early education and consistent parental involvement. Outlined in Suzuki’s book Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education, trans. Waltraud Suzuki, 2d ed. (Warner Brothers, 1983), the theory behind the method prescribes a warm environment that encourages children to become happy, loving, and talented individuals.
—Julie A. Wojcik, M.Ed., NCSP

Julie A. Wojcik is a school psychologist for the Cleveland municipal school district. Her doctoral studies concern the efficacy of programs and interventions for cognitively gifted students.

Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin

Chopin at 25, by Maria Wodzińska, 1835Frédéric François Chopin (Polish: Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin;[1] 22 February or 1 March 1810[2] – 17 October 1849) was a Polish composer, virtuoso pianist, and music teacher, of French–Polish parentage. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music. He is also known as "The poet of the Piano".

Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola, a village in the Duchy of Warsaw. A renowned child-prodigy pianist and composer, he grew up in Warsaw and completed his musical education there. Following the Russian suppression of the Polish November 1830 Uprising, he settled in Paris as part of the Polish Great Emigration. He supported himself as a composer and piano teacher, giving few public performances. From 1837 to 1847 he carried on a relationship with the French woman writer George Sand. For most of his life, Chopin suffered from poor health; he died in Paris in 1849 at the age of 39.

All of Chopin's works involve the piano. They are technically demanding but emphasize nuance and expressive depth. Chopin invented the musical form known as the instrumental ballade and made major innovations to the piano sonata, mazurka, waltz, nocturne, polonaise, étude, impromptu and prélude.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven


A portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820Ludwig van Beethoven[1] (baptised 17 December 1770[2]–26 March 1827) was a German[3] composer and pianist. The crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.

Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in present-day Germany, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.

Maria Callas

Maria Callas

Maria Callas (Greek: Μαρία Κάλλας) (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique, a wide-ranging voice and great dramatic gifts. An extremely versatile singer, her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini; further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her remarkable musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.
Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime poverty and with myopia that left her nearly blind on stage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas's allegedly temperamental behaviour, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Aristotle Onassis. Her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press. However, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "The Bible of opera";[1] and her influence was so enduring that, in 2006, Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists."[2]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Mozart circa 1780, by Johann Nepomuk della Croce

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ amaˈdeus ˈmoːtsaʁt], English see fn.),[1] baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart[2] (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers.
Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of Mozart's death. The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons.
Mozart learned voraciously from others, and developed a brilliance and maturity of style that encompassed the light and graceful along with the dark and passionate. His influence on subsequent Western art music is profound. Beethoven wrote his own early compositions in the shadow of Mozart, of whom Joseph Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years."[3]

Second Life makes classical music fans feel at home

February 28, 2009
John Terauds


More than 105,000 visitors have popped in to hear all or part of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's Second Life program.


You can hear the breeze caressing the West Coast pines and the gently rolling sea. High clouds float overhead as people gather in the amphitheatre on Music Island. It is as pretty a spot as one could ever imagine for a concert.

Three early-music specialists from Switzerland perform for an hour on recorders and flutes to an audience of listeners from Philadelphia, North Dakota, Norway, Finland, Holland, Italy, France, China, Korea – and Toronto.

Gone is the starchy, silence-is-golden ethos of classical concerts, with audience members exchanging comments and coming and going as they please. The live performance is so multicultural, so affable, because it is taking place in the virtual world known as Second Life.

Unfolding on the computer monitor and desktop speakers in Linda Rogers' downtown Toronto living room is one of many new ways in which we can experience music these days. This one, the virtual, online world, is still evolving within the limits of current technology. The network of computer servers set up by Second Life creators Linden Labs in California is overburdened, limiting the number of people who can participate. Then there are the challenges faced by musicians in translating a studio performance into a virtual public event.

Still, many people feel right at home in this new world. The more than 15 million residents of Second Life (about 70,000 are logged in on an average day, according to Linden Labs) make up a community much like the bricks-and-mortar world. There are seas and continents, settled areas and wilderness, camaraderie and consumerism. People go to escape reality, to make money and to make out (you have to be 18 or older to sign up). There are other virtual spaces on the Net, with names like Entropia Universe and Kaneva. There are worlds for gamers. Randy sorts gravitate to joints like the Red Light Center.

The virtual person, or avatar, you become when you cross the electronic threshold can be your electronic mirror image. Or it can be someone different – thinner, younger, or of the opposite sex. You can even become an animal, with diehard gamers running around as elves, gnomes and dragons.

Second Life had a moment of notoriety last November when real-life Briton Amy Taylor decided to divorce her husband David Pollard after she caught his avatar cheating with another.

Human peccadilloes date to the beginning of time, as does music. So it's no surprise that virtual worlds host multi-performer pop and rock music festivals, dance clubs, hip hop, jazz jams, country jamborees and classical concerts. Each venue in Second Life has its own name, bookings, marketing and publicity.

Likely the biggest classical organization to have a presence is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, which built an electronic replica of the city's Art Deco music palace in Second Life and hosted its first concert there in September 2007. Spokesperson Millicent Jones reports that more than 105,000 visitors have popped in to hear all or part of the program, presented in recorded video, rather than with orchestra avatars.

At the modest Music Island, Linda Rogers co-ordinates a live concert most Saturdays at 3 p.m. There is new music, piano recitals, an orchestra and experiments in the simultaneous creation of music and visual art. This afternoon's bill features "Professor Blackmountain," a synthesizer artist "who weaves a meditative spell of ambient music that will take you on an inner journey of exploration."

Rogers says she welcomes about 2,000 visitors every month to Music Island – in line with a real-world venue like the Jane Mallett Theatre. Except that you can't teleport yourself from China into the St. Lawrence Centre.

One of Music Island's regular performers is early-music specialist Thomas Coard (Thom Dowd in Second Life). He greets avatars from the stage and chats amiably between pieces.

Coard, who performed 26 virtual concerts last year, has learned to work around the medium's extra demands. They're not as simple as walking up to a microphone.

As Coard and two students played in a room in the Fribourg Conservatory earlier this month, Coard's wife and two assistants worked three computers to co-ordinate the audio, the avatars' movements, and the audience's instant messages.

The sound quality was excellent, but the herky-jerky avatars were anything but realistic. The scenery is decidedly two-dimensional – to save on computer processing loads, says Rogers.

That doesn't affect Second Life denizen Perplexity Peccable's enthusiasm. "As a single parent with a special-needs child with no car, this is the only way I can attend concerts anymore," she messaged.

"You have no idea what driving into (Philadelphia) to hear a concert is like," wrote audience member Hojo Warf from his armchair.

But people aren't just here out of convenience or economic necessity. They're seeking community. Referring to the hub of public life in ancient Athens, Italian pianist Alessandro Marangoni (Benito Flores in Second Life) suggests that "Music Island is like a modern agora."

Rogers, a skeptic initially, was eventually won over. "I got into Second Life to prove I hated it," she says of the day she first signed on in 2005. "To be honest, I didn't take to it right away."

Rogers is an arts administrator (currently manager of the Toronto Philharmonia) and music fan. She is also a Quaker who enjoys helping and teaching others.

Adjacent to Music Island is a virtual Quaker meeting house that serves as a hub of creative interaction between musicians, artists, writers and their friends. Inspired, Rogers (Kate Miranda in Second Life) learned how to stream music and soon was teaching it to others. Now she spreads the musical gospel, energized by every convert.

Coard says this community is free from the cost and logistics of travel. "My goal with (Second Life) has been to create my dream musical projects and unite a few people in the world to display these projects," he writes in an email.

As in the real world, commercialism has seeped into every crevice of Second Life. You have to earn virtual money (Linden dollars) to put a virtual roof over your head. There is a donation basket on Music Island, and several avatars kindly leave some Linden dollars (the totals are posted for all to see).

"Most musicians rarely earn more than $20" in real money, says Rogers. So it's not as if anyone's getting rich doing this.

Marangoni says it's not money, but new friends that attract him to the Music Island stage. "There's a sense of intimacy with the Web. The computer world helps break the barrier to classical music," he says over the phone from his home near Milan.

Marangoni describes this medium an "interesting mode to achieve a rapprochement" between performers and audiences.

All the better if it can take place near a sun-dappled seaside.

For more information: cedar-island.org/people/music-island-concerts

http://www.thestar.com/article/593643



YOUR OPINION:


What are your views on virtual concerts? Have you ever seen/heard one?

What are their positive and the negative aspects?

How do you think artists feel about them?

Do you think virtual concerts may one day replace real ones?

The Psychology of Music

The Psychology of Music
Effects on Behavior, Intelligence, Learning, Pain and Health
Feb 25, 2008 Jennifer Copley

Studies indicate that music can have profound physical and psychological effects not only on people but also on animals and plants.

Research into the effects of music on behavior, intelligence, learning, pain tolerance and health have generated a number of interesting findings. This article describes the results of some of the more intriguing experiments and studies.

Music, Mice and Madness

A student named David Merrill devised an experiment to discover how music would affect the ability of mice to learn new things. Merrill had one group of mice listen to classical music 24 hours a day and another to heavy metal music. He then timed the mice as they ran through mazes to see if the music affected their speed of learning. Unfortunately, he had to cut the first experiment short because the heavy metal mice all killed one another. In a second experiment, mice that listened to Mozart for 10 hours a day dramatically improved their maze-solving abilities, while the heavy metal mice actually became worse at solving mazes than they had been at the beginning of the experiment.

Music, Intelligence and Learning

According to the Association for Psychological Science, intelligence test scores grew higher in children who took lessons in keyboarding or singing. In another study, boys between the ages of 6 and 15 who took music lessons scored higher on tests of verbal memory than a control group of students without musical training.

Music and Pain Reduction

Researchers found that patients who listened to harp, piano, synthesizer, orchestra or slow jazz experienced less post-surgical pain than those who did not.

Music Therapy and Autism

Music therapy is particularly helpful for autistic students, who have difficulty interacting with classmates and teachers and become agitated in noisy, changeable environments. Autistic students respond very well to music therapy, which can be used to help them remain calm under stress and socialize more effectively. In addition, many autistic children have spectacular music skills.

Music and Violence

In a study of university students, participants listened to seven songs with violent lyrics, while a control group listened to seven songs without violent lyrics by the same artists. Afterwards, when asked to classify words as violent or nonviolent, those who had listened to violent lyrics were more likely to ascribe aggressive meanings to words such as “rock” and “stick.” The American Psychological Society has also published a report stating that research has definitively proved the link between youth violence and violent media, including music.

Music and Suicide

On a stranger note, sociology professor James Gundlach found higher rates of suicide among those who listen to country music. However, Gundlach notes that the suicide link occurred only with older country music, which he believes is not as upbeat as today’s.

Music and Plant Health

Experiments conducted by Dorothy Retallack to learn about music's effects on plants are described in her 1973 book The Sound of Music and Plants. Retallack played rock music (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge) for one group of plants and jazz for another. When two weeks had passed, the jazz plants were healthy and bent toward the radio. The rock music plants grew very tall and droopy, with faded blooms, and most had died within 16 days.

Retallack tried other types of music, including country, to which the plants showed no reaction, and modern (discordant) classical music, which caused the plants to bend away from the speaker. The plants seemed to “like” Bach and North Indian sitar and tabla music.

Other people have conducted similar experiments, and some claim to have achieved similar results. However, Retallack has been criticized for using unscientific methods in her experiments.

Most music studies to date have used small sample sizes and some have not controlled for confounding variables, so although these findings are compelling, more research is required. However, given that many studies have generated similar results for certain types of music, the psychology of music is certainly worthy of further exploration.



Read more at Suite101: The Psychology of Music: Effects on Behavior, Intelligence, Learning, Pain and Health http://www.suite101.com/content/the-psychology-of-music-a45967#ixzz1GlRXBVt5


YOUR OPINION:

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE ARTICLE ABOVE?

DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDIES REGARDING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC?

Seven Ways Music Influences Mood

Seven Ways Music Influences Mood
[Photo by MarS]
Good music has direct access to the emotions. As such it's a fantastic tool for tweaking our moods. Saarikallio and Erkkila (2007) investigated the ways people use music to control and improve their mood by interviewing eight adolescents from Finland. The participants may be a small, very specific group, but they actually present a really useful list:


Entertainment - At the most fundamental level music provides stimulation. It lifts the mood before going out, it passes the time while doing the washing up, it accompanies travelling, reading and surfing the web.

Revival - Music revitalises in the morning and calms in the evening.

Strong sensation - Music can provide deep, thrilling emotional experiences, particularly while performing.

Diversion - Music distracts the mind from unpleasant thoughts which can easily fill the silence.

Discharge - Music matching deep moods can release emotions: purging and cleansing.

Mental work - Music encourages daydreaming, sliding into old memories, exploring the past.

Solace - Shared emotion, shared experience, a connection to someone lost.
These seven strategies all aim for two goals: controlling and improving mood. One of the beauties of music is it can accomplish more than one goal at a time. Uplifting music can both divert, entertain and revive. Sad, soulful music can provide solace, encourage mental work and discharge emotions. The examples are endless.

Many of Saarikallio and Erkkila's findings chime with previous research. For example, distraction is considered one of the most effective strategies for regulating mood. Music has also been strongly connected with reflective states. These tend to allow us greater understanding of our emotions.

One of the few negative connections Saarikallio and Erkkila consider is that sad music might promote rumination. Rumination is the constant examination of emotional state which, ironically, can lead to less clarity. On the contrary, however, Saarikallio and Erkkila found that music increased the understanding of feelings, an effect not associated with rumination.

Over to you...
Perhaps the way we use music varies with factors like age and culture. Do these adolescent's experiences ring true for you? If not, what would you add to the list?

YOUR OPINION:

HOW DOES MUSIC AFFECT YOUR MOOD?

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU FEEL

REALLY HAPPY?
SAD?
HOMESICK?
...