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A Month to Remember

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 A  Month to Remember Typically, November is the month where we remember those in our lives who have passed away. Tying in with Remembering Sunday, where we remember those who lost their life fighting for peace, November is a month of reflection, grief, solace and hope for a brighter future.  I was recently alerted to a song composed using letters from daughters, wives and mothers of men serving in the military. It was such a touching song that it inspired me to look further into songs that were purposely written to remember soldiers in the military and songs that have been composed to help people through grief. But for today, I want to discuss the song Wherever You Are and the beauty behind it. Wherever You Are by Paul Mealor is a touching tribute to those in war, sung by the Military Wives Choir at the Rememberance Service in 2011. It claimed the Christmas number 1 with over 556,000 copies being sold in the week. Alongside the song was a short film outlining the wives’ experience whi
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Mongolian Music

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  Music Around the World - Mongolia Key Facts about Mongolia: Located in Central Asia National Capital is Ulaanbaatar The country is landlocked between Russia and China It has long cold winters and short summers Country is known for their immense herds of grazing livestock Total population is fewer than three million Music in Mongolia: Music plays a huge role in the Mongolian culture. It is rich with varieties related to the country’s various ethnicities . Key factors in Mongolian music are the long songs, morin khuur and overtone singing. Western Classical music and Ballet prospered during the MPR (Mongolian People’s Republic). Western pop, rock genres and the mass songs are favoured amongst modern music in Mongolia. Instruments:  Morin Khuur (Horse-head Fiddle) → A distinct Mongolian instrument seen as a symbol of the country. It has two strings and has a traditional carving of a horse on the upper egg of the pegbox   Shants → A three stringed, long-necked, strummed lute (similar to
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Music GCSE - Tips and Guidance

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  Music GCSE GCSEs can be a stressful time for most people and in today’s circumstances, there are no exceptions. There’s not much help that a person online can give to a GCSE student but having the experience and knowledge of sitting the actual paper can help a little! In this post, I plan to give you a clear breakdown of the syllabus, some tips for the year, some revision strategies that worked for me and some tips for the actual day of the paper. I would like to note now that these mostly apply to the Edexcel exam board with the syllabus taught from 2016. I’d also like to share with you that I did receive a 7 in my exam so I’d like to say that I can be trusted but I’ll let you decide on that :) The Exam Breakdown: ~~~~~~~~ Please note that the following information is for a normal exam year. It does not include any changes made as a result of COVID-19 ~~~~~~~~ COMPONENT 1: PERFORMANCE Assesses the student’s ability to perform in both a solo and ensemble context Performance of a solo
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Evelyn Dove

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Black History Month  Evelyn Dove Quick Fact File: Born: 11th January 1902 Died: 7th March 1987 Occupation: Singer, Actress Evelyn Dove’s reputation increasingly grew in Britain through working with the BBC in the 1940s and through performing internationally with places including France, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary, United States, India and Spain. Education and Early Career: Dove studied piano, voice and elocution whilst at the Royal Academy of Music. Upon graduating, Dove realised that the Classical music scene wasn’t inviting to a female singer of mixed race.  Dove continued to show her motivation and determination for success who practiced Cabaret and Jazz shows in London as a member of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra. Her break into the music scene came in the black jazz revue chocolate Kiddies. Working with the BBC: She became most successful in 1939 as she joined folk singer Edric Connor on BBC Radio’s Serenade in Sepia. This series lasted a decade before b
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Eric Garner

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Black History Month  Eric Garner SIX years after the death of Eric Garner in 2014, the World is facing another tragic death. George Floyd was killed on 25th May by police officers after he was pinned onto the floor by three policemen. His tragic death shocked viewers all across the country but many did not realise that this same death has been seen before. Eric Garner, in 2014, died after a New York City Police Department officer put him in a prohibited chokehold during his arrest. Like George Floyd, video footage of Eric Garner’s death created widespread national attention and raised questions on the use of force by law enforcement. His final words were also “I can’t Breathe” that was repeated 11 times whilst he was lying face down on the sidewalk. He lost consciousness and remained lying on the sidewalk for seven minutes while the officers waited for an ambulance to arrive. Eric Garner’s death caused an increase in media and popular culture surrounding the Black Lives Matter movemen
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Black Lives Matter Movement, Part 2

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  Black History Month Black Lives Matter Movement, Pt 2 With History comes Music, the two are correlative. It can be seen in the French Revolution when aristocrats lost their fortune and could no longer afford musicians, the concert hall began to rise in popularity creating a new atmosphere for composers where they could be as patriotic as they wished. It can be seen with technology. As the world developed their technology, music developed alongside it, using the different available technology to create and change their sound. Like all of these moments in time, the Black Lives Matter movement changed and developed music. A range of artists are at the forefront of this development with musicians like Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar centering some of their songs on the issue of race and injustice. Another word for it is protest music. Beyonce’s performance during the Super Bowl interval can be argued as the starting point of this new type of music. Her performance was a pro-capitalist, black
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Black Lives Matter Movement, Part 1

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Black History Month  Black Lives Matter Movement, Pt 1 The ongoing racial movement of Black Lives Matter has seen the rise of fame and increased political nature of popular artists. Artists of high profile have released music that have become anthems for protests and/or open-ended conversation starters for racism. This led to a new generation of musicians that used their talent and music to address racism, violence, injustices and disillusionment.  This post aims to explore some of the artists who have addressed the Black Lives Matter movement through their songs and how they hope to use Music to force people into rethinking and re-evaluating their own attitudes and behaviours.  Better Days - Victoria Monet featuring Ariana Grande Victoria Monet collaborated with Ariana Grande to create an optimistic, tender duet serving as a call for a better and brighter future. It was released in 2017 following the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Both at the hands of police officers.
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