Josh's Music Blog

 Introduction: Back when I was around 6 years old, my 4 year old sister used to make me sit down and watch all of her Disney Princess movies with her. She had stacks of VHS tapes that my mom would buy and then my sister and I would watch. At first I thought it was boring and embarrassing, but after some time I began to enjoy watching them. I know it's not a very "masculine" or "manly" thing to like the movie Cinderella, but it brings back a lot of good childhood memories with my sister, so I don't care. I even watched the remake of it back in 2015 with my family and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If it wasn't for my sister making me watch all of those Disney movies back then, I probably wouldn't have as much of an appreciation for them as I do right now. "Cinderella" (1950) Movie Poster Walt Disney Productions, USA  Background of the Movie: Cinderella was released on March 4th, 1950 by Walt Disney Productions. The movie was based off of the origi...

Introduction: Vienna Clarinet Connection is a clarinet choir that I have been listening to for years. They are an incredibly talented group based in Vienna, Austria. The group consists of two clarinets (Helmut Hodl and Rupert Frankhauser), one basset horn (Hubert Salmhofer), and one bass clarinet (Wolfgang Kornberger). I originally started listening to Vienna Clarinet Connection, because I was searching for some pieces for an All State Clarinet Choir I was in during my junior year of high school. As someone who had played the bass clarinet in band and clarinet choirs for years, I was shocked when I heard the beautiful tones and low notes of the bass clarinetist in Vienna Clarinet Connection's rendition of "Stompin' at the Savoy". Ever since then, they have been my favorite musical group and I still enjoy listening to their pieces four years later. Background of the Musicians: According to viennaclarinetconnection.org, Helmut Hodl is the principal clarinetist in the Vi...

  Background of the Music: I chose to research the wonderful world of Traditional African Music. I have always enjoyed this kind of music, because of it's amazing beats and instruments. There is a variety of music in Africa and the music has changed over time due to colonization. However, Traditional African music at its core is used to tell oral stories, talk about life and death, and pay respects to others. It's also a way of celebrating weddings, birth, successful hunts, and many other things ( Music of Africa ). The music of Africa is, overall, a way of expressing every aspect of life. Traditional African Music is a big part of a beautiful culture that has spanned many centuries. The drum is a very important instrument in Traditional African Music: Percussion instruments are very important to creating the intense rhythms and beats that keep the music of Africa together. From the larger Signal Drums to the smaller Djembe (made for warrior rituals, healing ceremonies and ...