Final

Reading Rainbow Theme Song:Reading was the one thing, as a child, that got me through the long Arizona summer days. My favorite past time was sitting in my room with all the lights on and the air conditioner blasting. I would be cuddled up under a blanket and my teddy snug under my arm. As I sat there with a book it would fly open on my lap, then all that I had to do was glance at the tiny balck printed words on the page and CRACK! I was off. I was flying on the magical reading ranbow. I was off to the many lands that the words in my book decided to decided to drag me to. There were times that I would wiz through landscapes from all over the world or even from worlds that only exist in the minds of children. Sometimes my mind would be stuck in one world for a long duration of time other times I would be there for only a blink in time. Books were the escape, the escape from the ever pressuring outside world. They are the one thing on this earth that can take you were ever you want to go.
The “Reading Rainbow” song describes how it was for me to travel too all those worlds. As the clips run from a little boy playing in the sand to him being a king and reading a book is an example of how my life was. One moment I was a little girl sitting in her room to a princess sitting on her throne in some land. At the end of the day I would have to come back to the reality that I was only a little girl but with the knowledge that I would go back to my new world one day soon.

White Christmas Theme Song:Ever since I was a little girl my family has had the tradition of watching the movie “White Christmas.” We rarely had a Christmas tree, since there were only four of us in the family. When we do put up a tree it is one of the most beautiful things in all my memories. Unfortunately in past years my mom has decided to make the tree look as though it has come out of a department store, instead of a scrapbook of our memories.
Her ornaments remind me of all the stars in the sky. They blink and sparkle with all the energy in the universe. The colors are so vibrant that they glow such as dawn of a new day as it comes over the horizon. There are only ever a few “child safe” ornaments on the tree. They seem to always pull my gaze away from the decorate ones and make me remember the times when I had created them with my two hands. Some are fluffy like clouds as others are slick with paint. Each and every one of them is a part of my soul. There are nine very special ornaments that seem to always like to hide from my eyes. They are the nine reindeer that pull Santa’s sledge. Each one sits on its own branch such as a king would on his throne.
Christmas has always been a happy time for me. But it isn’t the presents and food that make it special it is the glowing Christmas tree.

Orinaco flow:The most prominent memory that I have of my travels throughout the world is when I went to Germany for the first time with my mom. We rented a car and drove through the country side blaring Enya.
Enya’s song “Orinaco flow” was the one song that always managed to come on right as I rolled down my window. The lyrics that seemed to affect me the most were, "From the deep sea of Clouds To the island of the moon", they held teh promise of all the travel that wil coem my way in the future. The world seemed to change as I put my hand out the window to let the wind go through my fingers. The wind seemed to cool down significantly as I started to mouth the words that I had grown to know so well. The smell of the freshly cut grass made my nose tingle. As I closed my eyes, I could see my mom and I walking along the cobbled stones streets of Europe. As the car would go over the occasional hill my stomach seemed to go with it and would crave the food that always seemed to waft through the cafes on the street. Every so often I would glance over at my mom and would be reminded of all the travels that we had ever been on, where the "Orinace Flow" will take us. I would see her smiling face poke out from behind the camera as she asks me to smile one more time. For some reason the voice of Enya calms the nerves and makes me remember all the good times that my mom and I have had together.

Slowdive, Pygmalion: I was in fourth grade when I began playing the cello. As I got older I turned in my rented cello so I could buy my own. As I close my eyes now I know every bump and scratch and the sound that will resonate if you pluck the A string too hard.
My cello is dark hazelnut brown, it is a Scot Caw. Although it seems to have a red finish too it, so when light is directly on it it gleams with polish. As I reach my hand up to the scroll and tuning pegs to make it sing the song that I need it to. I see the buff mark at the top of the scroll where the finish never seemed to reach. As I begin to warm up I trace my hand along the finger board that has been worn down by the strings being pushed to hard. Four hard strings, A, D, G, C, cut into my fingers as I apply pressure to them. As my gaze follows the strings down to the bridge I see the chip where the A string is because I broke a string and it took a piece of wood with it. After the bridge comes the fine tuners and the tail piece. The tail piece is made out of the same wood as the cello which is very strange. Usually it is black like the finger board. To the left and right of the bridge are the F holes. Mine have been said to me sad F holes which could mean many different things about the cello. Lastly my endpin is hard silver metal with a gold finish around the end.
For years my cello was my life. As time has gone by I play it less and less but at the end of the day my cello and the pieces that I have played are always in my heart.

Yo Yo Ma, Bach Suite No. 1: Yo Yo Ma is the worlds most known and most celebrated cello player. I was very young the first time that I saw him play Bach Cello Suit No.1 in G Major. Ever since that moment I have played the cello. That was nine years ago. The first time that I saw the piece, by Bach, laid open on my stand I knew that my cello was made to play this piece. As I reached my left hand up to the finger board I worked out the first combination; open G, open D, first finger B on the A and then open A. . I stretched out my right arm as I brought my horse hair bow to the strings. As the bow touched the strings I put the right amount of pressure to get the correct sound out of it. As the song became more difficult I would slide my hand along the strings to different positions to see if the sound quality got any better.
As the piece speeds up towards the end there is eight note slurs. These are some of the hardest combinations I have ever played. My bow was going across all four strings and my fingers were stretched across all four strings. It is hard at this point not to move with the cello. It makes the music flow more smoothly. As I played the last cord I would swing my bow out just to show that I was done. The peacefulness that I had while performing this had never been reached again.

Gortaoz a ran Danez Prigent & Lisa Gerrard: All throughout high school I was head technician in the theatre department. My one haven in the entire building was the light booth. I could be shut up in there for hours on end and just play. My main object of entertainment was my beloved light board. I could do anything in the world of lighting. I could release any built up pain and anger into it as well.
I would sit on my stool and stick my head phones in my ears and play “Gortaoz a ran.” It seemed to make me focus on the task at hand. As I would get lost in the music I would see the lights turn on in my head and somehow make the movements go through the tips of my fingers and type it into the board. The keys always gave way. No matter the pressure that you put on them. As I close my eyes now I can visualize the board as if it were right in front of me now. To the right was the key pad and to the left was the 48 sub masters/dimmers that could be used at my will. There were times when the board seemed to fight what I wanted top do so I would take a deep breath and listen to the music.
Before shows began I seemed to get a way of nervousness come over me. This was the only song that had me push every thought out of my head and helped me concentrate on the topic at hand.

Patty Griffin, Rain: The song “Rain” by Patty Griffin illuminates my feelings that I have for rain. Rain is something that is a rarity in Arizona. When the clouds start to roll in over the valley everything seems to loose its roar and whisper. The mountains that surround the Valley of the Sun aka Phoenix is the last place where rain seems to fall. When the storms come in to our state boundaries they let loose little bits of rain on the desert first. Just so they could taunt us with the smell of the creosote bush, which when gets wet releases a fragrant essence.
I have always loved the rain. With rain comes come the intoxicating smell of the desert. I remember times a child sitting out on my back porch closing my eyes and taking deep breaths of fresh air with the hint of creosote. I would see myself walking hand in hand with my mom as we would name the plants of the desert and watch them get wet and change into something different. I really liked watching the Saguaro cactus swell with the water from the summer monsoons. If you watch long enough and the cactus drink to much rain water they will explode. Rain seems to bring relief. It has always made me stop and think about life. To inhale the scent of the creosote bush is to inhale a part of heaven.

Vitamin C, Graduation: Graduation. The word graduation is the best and worst word in my personal dictionary. It signifies the end of something great and the start of something unknown. The lyrics "Cause we're moving on and we can't slow down" kept twirling around in my head. The night of my graduation the only thing that was on my mind was the school colors, orange and yellow. Girls were dressed in gold robes and the boys in orange robes We looked like we had set the field on fire as we sat down girl boy girl boy. As all 656 of us graduating seniors walked out to on the field there was a sense of was awe as we all knew what was coming.
The colors of yellow and orange had been the two colors that have described my life for the past four years. On the first day of high school the buildings were decked out in the colors with banners welcoming everyone back to school. As the years went on the school colors seemed to pop up where ever I went. At football games there were pompoms for sale and shirts that represented Corona del Sol pride. Even at the mall there seemed to be a surplus of yellow and orange merchandise. The colors seemed to follow me wherever I went.
The song “Graduation” by Vitamin C seems to remind me off all the days that the two colors represented what I wanted in life, an education from the school that I loved and felt a deep connection with.

I remember seeing this video for the first time at my friend Aarika’s house. At the time N’SYNC was the most amazing band (at least it was to us girls in elementary school.) Aarika and I had just sat down to watch a movie and…poof their music video came on. The world stopped. We sat there with our eyes glued to the screen as the five singers/dancers did their thing. It was again the most amazing thing we had ever seen. I remember thinking about how bright the colors were and how my attention was caught right off the bat. I also remember thinking how cool it was that they could dance that well and how everything just seemed to fit together. They were so heavily talked about and advertised that it almost seemed like it was an honor to watch one of their videos. I guess it a way I knew that I would never have the opportunity to see one of their concerts so I knew that I had to get the best out of their music videos.
Now as I look back at the video all I can do is laugh. I mean flat out laugh. The music video is just so over the top that it is hilarious. One thing that is really constantly over the top, in all their videos, is the bopping. All five of them are continuously bopping around when they are not dancing. I also seem to find myself laughing at the clothes they are wearing and just how they look. However I do have to remember that this music video came out quite a few years ago, and times were different then. I do still find their dancing very impressive. They always seemed to manage that.
N’SYNC will forever be that staple boy band of my childhood. They were the ones that made listening to music and dancing around the coffee with my friends fun. The band made my childhood what it was.

So this may not be the worst music video ever made but it is one of the worst I have seen. I have nothing against Maroon 5. At times their music is decent and this song is just fine, but what is up with this music video? It does not follow the lyrics to the music at all.

First of all what is up with the plane? The entire music video is set in an airport. Why? It doesn’t make any sense. Then there are these random moments where you see the lead singer riding the moving sidewalk. I don’t even think that it looks cool let alone go with anything that he is singing about. Is he moving through time? What? Then there are these random inputs of phones every so often. Such as the camera stops on women that are talking on the phone and on a phone sign on a wall. That makes no sense at all. Where is a phone even mentioned in the song?

Also all the women appear to be ultra skanky and whoreish. I understand for the appeal for men for the women to have short skirts but how does this element sell the song? It just makes the video less quality. Another part that really makes no sense is when the women are having him, the lead singer, go through the metal detector, and touching him everywhere. How does this relate to the song? It doesn’t.
One thing that I do think is cool about this music video is the neon lights and how they are playing in such a modern room. I puts the music in the right time era. Although the scene is lessened again when you realize that they are playing in an airport. Which again makes absolutely no sense.

All and all I really despise this music video and feel that it says nothing for Maroon 5’s music.

Music videos are a way for artists to describe their music with pictures. I really enjoy this certain music video for two reasons, one it has Josh Groban in it and two because it shows what happens before a show goes up.

For some reason I have always enjoyed listening to Josh Groban’ s music. It seems to always calm me down when something has made me upset. This song “You raise me up” is also a great song that puts you back on your feet. It makes you realize that there are always people that are there in your life that care for you. It makes me think about all my friends and how we seem to always make each other smile and turn the grey sky to blue.
When the video first begins you see Josh Groban getting off a couch, such as he has just woken up form a nap, and has just realized that he needs to go to rehearsal. As he walks to rehearsal you see all the elements that happen backstage. The dancers begin to warm up and the musicians take their places. As rehearsal begins it is obvious that everyone is having a good time and it enjoying the fact that they are doing what they love.

I believe the reason why I like this video so much is because I am going to college to work behind the scenes at places like these. I would really like to work the lights for a traveling theatre or music group. One thing that really caught my attention was the computer screen in the beginning, it was the lighting program that I have used. The best part of a performance is the background and the process of putting it together. As the pieces come together you really see how much work has been put into the show and you get a rush of adrenaline when the curtain finally goes up. You make the best of friends when you can compare on the work ethics that you use. You become a family.

Rhetorical statements can be found in everyday life wherever you go. They can be found very easily, just turn on the television and suddenly you are bombarded with rhetorical images, or even rhetorical sounds. Rhetorical sounds, such as music. Music has a strong influence on the youth in the United States. It only makes sense that when a popular up-beat song comes on the television that attention is immediately drawn to it. What makes even more sense is, if the music on the television is up beat and is attempting to sell a music-playing device, such as the ipod. Since the ipod was first released in 2001 sales have skyrocketed, and most of it has to do with the rhetorical images and sounds that Apple is having broad casted on television. People from all over the world ask for ipods daily so that they can listen to the music that describes them the best. This commercial illustrates just how owning an ipod will not only make you look better on the outside but will also make you feel amazing on the inside.


The first image that is introduced in this commercial titled “Jet ipod Commercial” is a woman dancing with a neon green screen behind her. This is the first form of narration that is being used. This woman in not just any woman, she has no facial features or any body differences that would make her unique, she could almost be considered plain, an everyday woman. She is a silhouette. She is an individual subject. The only thing that is unique about her is her personality. The personality that makes people stop and watch her, as she shows how music that she is listening to affects her. So there it is, attention is caught by a very stark usage of black on neon green. Soon the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the object that she is dancing with, a white object that is swinging around, in her hand. She is holding, a white ipod. She has the harsh white headphones dangling out of her ears and she is dancing. But again this is not just any kind of dancing. This is the kind of dancing that shows that the girl is dancing with all her heart and ability. She is narrating the music through her body. She is showing more of her personality as the beat increases. The song that is being played is “Are you gonna be my girl” by the band Jet. As the commercial progresses the image of the woman changes direction and zooms to a man, the man is dancing to the same song, as well, but with a different colored stark background. It is soon realized that there are two men and two women in the commercial. The process that the commercial uses by using the stark colors and shades together could be the main reason why the iPod has taken off so well because of how these commercials have been portrayed.


Cause and effect is one of the many aspects the commercial high lights upon. The cause is trying to get the audiences attention and, after they have caught the attention of the viewers the effect is for the viewers to “get off the couch right now and go buy this product”. It actually says this right in the lyrics by Jet, just not in the same way, the lyrics say, “So 1, 2, 3, take my hand and come with me because you look so fine and I really wanna make you mine.” What the lyrics for the purpose of the commercial are trying to say is “on the count of three take my hand and we will go to the store and make one of these fabulously looking ipods yours.” Then it says, “you look so fine and I really wanna make you mine” could mean one of two things. One process could be described as, that the ipod wants you to buy it and is saying that it will make you look good if you do. Another process that it could be trying use it to say “that the iPod looks so fine and that you really want to own one. It will make you look amazing and people will soon want you.” The song repeats again “I say you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine”. Just to put emphasis that the company, Apple, really wants the consumer watching this commercial to go out and purchase one. The next verse of the song is, “Oh, 4,5,6 c'mon and get your kicks now you don’t need that money when you look like that, do ya honey.” These lyrics are trying to portray the message that you really need to buy an ipod. Once you have achieved this you will get your kicks out of owning it because it is so amazing. Although once you do that, you won’t even need money because this ipod is going to make you look so good that money and appearance will no longer be important.

The choreography in this commercial could be described as the synthesis of the division. It is the putting of the music and lyrics together and to interpret what is trying to be said with human body movements. As the commercial begins the people dancing are imitating the words that are being spoken such as when the song says 1,2,3 the woman is counting on her fingers to emphasis it. As the commercial continuities the choreography becomes more intense with the music. The classification of the choreography is that this ipod can fit into your everyday life and make it even better, the views start to experience how this product will change their lives. It gives the illusion that life will be so more entertaining if you were to own this ipod. It also gives the impression that it could make you a better dancer and an all over happier person. The dancers that are working in the commercial are so happy and energetic, that they almost make you feel fat and bored as you watch them having fun that you could be having. You get this need to get up and go buy an ipod just so you can achieve that “high” that the dancers are on the television just from listening to an ipod. This is the synthesis of the choreography that is making you do this. This is another form of cause and effect, the commercial causes you to pay attention to what is going on during it and the effect you getting jealous if what is being shows and the want of it. Apple is trying to make the ipod pleasing in every way, and what better way then to show dancers showing through their body movements how much fun they are having.


Ethos is an aspect that Apple achieved in this commercial. It is the ethical appeal that sells the ipod in the end. Three things flash across the screen before the commercial ends “ipod”, “MAC OR WINDOWS”, and then the apple icon. The word ipod is aseptically pleasing because it is such a marketed music device. When the words “MAC OR WINDOWS”, flash across the screen could be the selling point of the commercial. It describes how the ipod has the flexibility to work on both a PC and a MAC. It is compatible for both operating systems. It was during that point in the commercial when ethos attributed the ipod through analogy. Lastly the apple sign is flashed across as the commercial ends. This sign of the apple is universality that most people can relate to and was put in place to remind the customer who the maker of the ipod is and where you could purchase one.


All and all this commercial has shown views on how having an ipod can change a consumers life in a good way through ethos. You become instantly happier, you can dance and feel better about yourself. I felt that the most powerful message that this commercial used was the music and how it had many different means that could have come from it.