When the weather begins to get nice out, I am always reminded of the best birthday gift I ever got: my ukulele. The spring that I got that thing, we'd sit outside and my friends would make requests, and I would look up the chords online to play. On evenings when it's nice out, I still like play, but sadly I don't have as much time these days
As a music student, ukulele had next to nothing to do with anything I was learning in my classes. When I got my uke, I was in the thick of my four semesters of music theory and was questioning my passion for the art. But my ukulele allowed me to turn my brain off and just sing and play.
It's a fun way to connect with people - my sister in California would even make requests. She requested Ingrid Michaelson's You and I. Here is one video I made for her a few years back.
Last fall, I encountered a rather unconventional networking networking opportunity. I was two or three drinks in at a bar near campus during homecoming week when I bumped into an alumnus of the university who does PR in Chicago named Kim. As an advertising and public relations major, I was very interested in getting some career tips from her.
Long story short, she mentioned needing some help with social media content for a Chicago-area chamber ensemble. My music student heart nearly burst when she told me this. We chatted about this new client of hers over gin and tonics for a while, exchanged emails, and the rest is history.
Since late January, I've been working on social media for Civitas, the outreach chamber ensemble. As a result, I've met members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, sharpened my once non-existent social media writing skills, gained an understanding of what the PR pros do, and learned things about chamber music that I can apply to what I do in the chamber choir I'm in for school!
A few days ago, Kim was back in Lincoln and we met for some adult beverages to talk about Civitas and career opportunities in Chicago. At the end of the day, I guess what I'm trying to say is, you really never know where you're to run into someone who can help you advance your career. So when people offer you internships, even if this happens when you're drinking, take them up on it!
For this post, I asked some of my friends and family about their guilty pleasure songs: the songs that are decidedly terrible, but for one reason or another still hold a special secret place in our hearts. Under the promise of complete anonymity, I learned what songs people secretly and legitimately adore.
I apologize in advance for getting any of these songs stuck in your head.
1. Talk Dirty to Me - This song was my personal pick. I cannot get enough of it, and there was a point when it first came out where I listened to it every time I got in my car. I was even inspired to make my own ukulele version.
2. I want it that way - Deep down we all thought the Backstreet Boys had it goin' on back in the 90s. Clearly some of us still think they've got it goin' on.
3. Everytime We Touch - Thank you, Cascada for giving me a precious few moments at junior high dances that weren't about bumping and grinding, where I could instead alternate jump around during the chorus and do those weird Matrix sways during the verses.
5. Boyfriend - I think we all knew that a Justin Bieber song would make this list. However, I was surprised at how many people suggested the acoustic version of Justin Bieber's Boyfriend, especially because I didn't even know it existed. Upon finding it on YouTube, I must admit that I didn't hate it. Don't judge. Give it a listen.
6. 4'33 - This piece famously divisive. Written by John Cage, it's four minutes and thirty three seconds of slience: the music is whatever sounds occur during that time. Some consider that music, and some do not. And some (like me) think it's entertaining to listen to people fight about it, which is why 4'33 made the list of guilty pleasures.
7. Kiss me - This hit by Six Pence None the Richer is the musical equivalent of a chick flick, so it's no surprise why so many guys picked this one as their favorite awful song.
8. Mambo No. 5 - Does the mention of this song bring anyone else back to their skating party days? And what's more, was anyone actually listening to those lyrics or were we all just too entranced by fun 20s music? And my last question: where are Mambos 1-4?
9. Just a Friend - The singing is bad, the lyrics are bad, and yet somehow this song is oddly endearing.
10. Believe - There is life after love (after love) (after love) (after love), and Cher won't let us forget it! Whether you first experienced this song during a painful break-up, at the club, or just playing Dance Dance Revolution you know that Cher's hypnotic voice and dance beat cannot be resisted. Thanks, Cher!
There you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. If your favorite guilty pleasure didn't make the list, leave a comment!
Yesterday I turned 22. The first gift I received that day was from my roommate. Without my consent, she played Taylor Swift's hit "22" loud enough to be heard throughout our apartment and probably by our neighbors as well. To be honest, I did not mind one bit. I have never been an open Taylor Swift fan, but I do admit that she has a knack for putting out music that I can't help but sing along and play on repeat, and "22" is no exception. And that is where the inspiration for this post came from.
I started thinking about guilty pleasure songs: the songs we secretly love, but know we should hate. These songs that are decidedly terrible, but for one reason or another still hold a special secret place in our hearts.
So I ask you now: give me your best awful songs. The songs your friends would mock you for if they knew you listened to it by choice. What music in your iTunes library do you adore yet only listen to when no one is around? If you want to remain anonymous, my contact info is public on my Google+ profile, but please feel free to leave comments on this post as well. My blog is a judge free zone.
Opera is fresh, exciting and innovative, and if you don't believe me, I hope this blog post will change your open mind. This weekend I was in the University of Nebraska - Lincoln's production of A Wedding, by William Bolcom. It's a modern opera set in the 70s, and everyone who came to see it loved it. I promise.
A Wedding is essentially a story about all the mishaps that occur over the course of Dino and Muffin's wedding day, and the best part of the show is finding out what each character's secret is. One of the characters in the opera is a videographer, and I thought it would be a fun idea to turn his prop into a real-live video camera that could get actual footage of the scenes.
Joe, my friend who played the videographer, was all for the idea when I pitched it to him. When I told my instructor at Jacht Ad Lab about the idea, she was beyond excited about it, and loaned me the agency's GoPro for the week of the production.
Below is a picture that the incredibly talented Michael Reinmiller took of the performance. Kneeling in the front of the stage is Joe the Videographer, getting that golden GoPro footage.
My friend David is currently in a videography class at the university was excited about this Go Pro footage as well. He had already been covering the opera as part of a project for the class, so he used the on-stage clips Joe got as b-roll in this excellent video he put together. Check it out!
If you thought opera was stuffy and boring, I urge you to look into what opera is going on in your community and check it out, I guarantee you'll be surprised!
