"Empire State Of Mine"

I am originally from Miami, FL and before moving to New York I would visit here quite often. However, there was this one time I came for a weekend to visit some friends and I was driving my rental car through the Brooklyn Bridge and this song came on, "Empire State Of Mind" by Jay-Z, it wasn't the first time listening to it, however at that moment it really hit me that I was in New York City and it felt good, it felt as if I was right at home. The song talks about the history, different cultures, famous artists, sports athletes, sport teams, The World Trade Center, The Statue of Liberty, other different land marks, the crowds, the lights, and all the dreams that New York City has to offer.   

"Yea, I'm up at Brooklyn, Now I'm down in Tribeca Right next to DeNiro, But I'll be hood forever I'm the new Sinatra and since I made it here I can make it anywhere, yea they love me everywhere". (Jay-Z)  That first verse at the moment really connected with me because I was crossing the Brooklyn bridge going to the Tribeca area, and I remember vividly asking what are the odds? The first verse also mentions Robert DeNiro a great actor and Sinatra who is a legend here in New York. Jay-Z ends the verse with a strong message explaining that if any one can make it in New York You can make it anywhere in the world. Now, that I live in New York I can definitely vouch that you have to have tough skin, character, and will to make it here. New York City is not an easy city but at the same time it has so much diversity and some much to offer that it makes it well worth living here. Jay-Z continues with the second verse explaining the city of Harlem, the neighborhood where he grew up in and giving a shout out the Dominican people living there. As I kept driving and listening to the song the more I kept falling in love with the city and  loving the song as well. There has been plenty of famous songs written about New York, just to name two, "New York New York" by Frank Sinatra and "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel. Don't get e wrong I'm not comparing these songs to each other, but at that point and time I felt like "Empire State Of Mind" should've been the New York Anthem. As I kept riding through the night I came to the conclusion that New York was going to be my next home.  It's hard to imagine that one song made me leave my family, friends, and my city behind and start a new chapter in my life. 

In essence "Empire State Of Mind" not only spoke to me and taught me all the roots, cultures, neighborhoods, and landmarks that New York City has, but also changed a huge part of my life, and I am glad it did. 

Work Cited 

Copyright 2000-2017 AZLyrics.com.  azlyrics.com web. 21 September 2017

The role music plays in our lifes

Franchy Santana

Eng. 112

9/21/17

Music has been part of us humans since the beginning of times.  Music has three basic elements tempo, rhythm, and beat.  People use music in different ways.  For example, people use music as an escape of their problems. Music brings about a different message to whoever is listening based on their situations. In a way, music comforts those who need that extra support that they’re not getting. Some people even go as far as to create a wall between reality and their dreams when they listen to music. Music can also be of help to someone emotionally and mentally wise.

I remember when my cousin was in the hospital.  He was depressed and sad because he was diagnosed with cancer.  He was in the bed for three months and he was going crazy because he felt trapped in the middle of four walls.  Many people who are going through difficult times start to listen to music to distract themselves and forget their problems.  He was one of those people who relaxed and changed his mood when he listened to music.  If he felt bad, he listened to a song that allowed him to relax and he started to dance. When my cousin was going through the whole process of finding out that he had an incurable cancer, and that he had to go through surgery that could have killed him if anything went wrong, he was not prepared for all the pressure mentally wise. It took a toll on him and he even stopped eating. He was going through a great depression that I feared he would decide to throw the towel and just let go of life. However, a positive change happened that allowed him to overcome his depression. Part of that change was music. Music played an important part in helping my cousin recover emotionally and mentally wise because he could receive that extra amount of support, love, and faith though out it.  

   Music can be a tool to safe people from tough situations that might seem impossible to overcome. Music helps us mentally and emotionally wise when sometimes even just by interacting with other people, we can get a bit out of control. But in certain cases, music is a method that can unite people from different countries who speak different languages. I have come to learn and understand how important is the role that music plays in our world and our life’s.

A Visit to Knowledge

I come from a country which has a different expression of art than New York City. Because of this, I was surprised with the opportunity to encounter the several ways of art and even music that the city has. Unfortunately, I have not been in contact with so many expositions of art as I want because I live in haste between my work and school. However, during the summer last year, 2016, my husband and I went to Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which was created in 1929. We were very attracted to the excellent references that this institution has, which categorized it as one of the greatest museums of modern art in the world.

It was our first time visiting a place like this. As a result, we were impressed and excited with all these gorgeous paintings, sculptures, and everything there. According to the MoMA's website, this museum “is dedicated to helping people to understand and enjoy the visual arts of our time.” (moma.org, “The Museum of Modern Art history”). For this reason, when I was at the museum I felt how my brain opened to a new world of art, trying to understand something very different than I had seen before.

Many tourists visit the Museum of Modern Art in the year. Including citizens who live in the city want to go looking to learn and to appreciate its “approximately 200,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, media and performance artworks, architectural models and drawings, design objects, and films.” (“The Museum of Modern Art history”). I remember standing in front of one of Picasso’s painting I saw my dreams comes true. And I found myself admiring his painting, and trying to understand what he wanted to express in many of them. It was the one called Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon, showing five women naked with different expressions on their faces, at the same time I saw differences in two of them. They looked like men. In other words, I think it was a vision of reality about gender fluid in society. I also saw many expressions of art that I even know their meanings.

Finally, visiting MoMA museum we got new knowledge about artists, painting, and history. At the same time, I realized that I need to read more and do research about art in general.  I want to learn about art as much as I can. Because art speaks to us through our perspective view and lets us play with our thoughts interpreting our society.  Modern and contemporary art can be a fascinating form that shows something modern painted many centuries ago. It was a visit to knowledge that I want to repeat one more time.

Work Cited
“The Museum of Modern Art history”. moma.org. Publisher The Museum of Modern Art. ND. www.moma.org/about/who-we-are/moma-history . Web 17 Sep 2017.

HEART BEAT

Growing up in the 80”s in New York City left many great memories and at the same time it was a city with many difficulties. The economy was down and NY struggled financially. Racism still thrived and cultures clashed. There were gangs that caused a hike in crime and also poverty stricken neighborhoods. However, in the midst of the chaos, our generation had a culture that enabled us to flourish in many positive ways which brought about a new style of dance, music and art. We enjoyed music such as hip hop and freestyle and enjoyed watching break dancers from around the world perform moves we’ve never seen before. Graffiti was also popular at the time and it was considered an art form.  Since we rarely made trips to the museums and weren’t exposed to art as much, graffiti was what left a lasting sweet memory in my childhood.

My eldest brother was a graffiti artist and an “MC” (master of ceremonies, host that introduces a dj) and in grammar school he excelled in reading and writing. His penmanship was a work of art in and of itself. I can recall the days when I was 11 and 12yrs. old when I would review his writings and attempt to copy his styles (smile). Graffiti began in the 60”s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It started off with graffiti writers tagging their names  or just writing their nicknames such as “Cornbread” or “2Phase” that were written on trains, buses, buildings, walls, parks and pretty much everywhere that you can imagine. It became so popular that it spread all across the U.S. and Europe. Graffiti artists began to travel and tour and were invited to display their “piece” (masterpiece) in various galleries. “Graffiti appeared regularly in popular video clips, music, books and films such as “Style Wars” by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant and “Wild Style” by Charlie Ahearn who described and promoted aerosol culture.”(speerstra.net)

In conclusion, as NY struggled financially, the transit system was filthy and not well maintained leading to the greatest graffiti “bombings” in history. The style of writing grew bigger with thicker bubble letters, outlines and colors on trains and murals. Our generation was very active. We were always outdoors, playing games and sports. I was very athletic as a child and in grammar school during my 6^th grade year we had many sports competitions and I participated in all of them especially Double Dutch. During one of our competitions I named our double dutch team “Heartbeat” which I named after the popular hip hop/dance hit single Heartbeat by Taana Gardner. We had to create a poster to display our team name and so I asked my brother to draw something nice for us. The poster he created was a beautiful huge graffiti art piece that read “Heartbeat” in big colorful bubble letters and a heart. When I saw it I was in awe and so extremely proud to bring it to school and show it off but to my utmost surprise was the expression of everyone who viewed it, the principle, teachers, students, parents. It was like we were in an art gallery enjoying his art. After the competition I can’t recall if we won or not but I do remember that the school asked to keep the piece for display for a while but I never received it back. Guess they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Work Cited

“About Graffiti and Street Art.” speerstra.net. ND

Speertra Gallery.Web 19 Sept. 2017

My First Concert at Madison Square Garden

Music is a great form of art that can be used to heal the soul.  From personal experience, music has helped me release stress that I have been experiencing in life.  I began to notice this after I attended my first concert at Madison Square Garden.  An artist named The Weekend was performing at the garden and one of my great friends invited me to the show.  From that day on, my life was changed.  Before the event, I was stressed out, nothing was going as planned and I did not have a solution to the problem.  Everything changed when I saw the lights and hear heard the sound of the music blaring from the stage.  What made it even better was the dancing that was going on by the artists background dancers.  I began to feel my mood improve and I began to have clearer thoughts on how to solve the situation that I was going through.  The music allowed me to heal my soul and gave me the ability to see my situation from a different perspective.

From that day on, music has had a profound effect on my life, both emotionally and physically.  Fast upbeat music makes me feel more alert and gives me the ability to concentrate better.  It makes me feel more optimistic and positive about life.  Slower types of music tend to quiet my mind and relax my muscles, making me feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day.  This has proven to be a relaxation and stress management tool.  Considering all of the positive effects that I have mentioned, music has improved my health drastically.  This is because it reduces my stress levels and increases my confidence. 

“While music has long been recognized as an effective form of therapy to provide an outlet for emotions, the motion of using song, sound frequencies and rhythm to treat physical ailments is a relatively domain.” Says psychologist Daniel J. Levitin, PHD, who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal.  Therefore, music can be utilized to release stress, which will boost our social life and have a positive impact on our health.

Novotney, Amy. “Music as a Medicine.” www.apa.org, Nov 2013. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx

The Big Apple's Love Party

Martins K. Badu
English 112
9/20/2017

The Big Apple's Love Party

        On July 15, 2014, the Lehman Center for Performing Arts hosted an amazing Jazz concert which was nicknamed the "The Big Apple's Love Party". The performance was a display of harmonic laboratory, a compilation of artists. I had a great time at this concert. It offered me a rejuvenation perception into Jazz music for the potential of harmony it creates.

        The concert was hosted in the main hall of the center, and featured works from several promising musicians who came up with a diversity of exclusive musical combinations. This, was an excellent chance to witness an extensive diversity of music, which was wonderful for a Jazz enthusiast beginner. The show also had different arts which made it very successful. The atmosphere in the center was largely important for the success of the concert. They had dim lights, and a sensitive touch of candle on each table. This gave the whole concert a very romantic feel.

        The concert started and proceeded with a natural easiness in every performance that took place. The performance was extremely enjoyed, since it was easier to listen and evaluate. My wife and I danced slowly and enjoyed every note. The first song that was played was very entertaining, and fascinated the whole crowd. As soon as the song started playing, I realized some familiar tunes and melody that gave the piece a lively sound. The consequent exhibit was a quartet with a Tenor sax, a Piano and Trombone. I will say that, this music was my favorite amongst the event. The music had a heavenly magical tune. It was the perfect music for a "Love party", as we sipped on red wine. We had the opportunity of seeing all the instruments on stage. The musicians were very good at what they do. They would play a strong tune together, and bring it down gradually. This piece was very adorable because it had everything that a great Jazz song should have. At the end, the musicians came up with a very intelligent art. They all played to the climax and suddenly ended.

        At this point, the entire harmonic laboratory group came on stage to perform. This involved all the instruments on stage. The song began gently and picked up into the traditional rhythm of Jazz. They used a steady decrease in tempo to end the show. It was an overall great musical experience for a perfect romantic night. 





Salsa Memories

As I walk down the streets of 5^th avenue with my red, white, and blue flag around my waist, I can’t contain myself I must dance to the beats of all the amazing music being played. Being Puerto Rican and living in New York City, it is considered taboo if you’ve never attended the Puerto Rican Day Parade at least once.

Every year the second Sunday in June, hundreds of sponsors from Pepsi to Goya to Telemundo contribute to the Puerto Rican Day Parade. As a Puerto Rican and New York City resident my family and I have made it a tradition to attend the parade every year. I remember my first time attending the parade. I was 7 years old. The night before the parade I watched my mother set aside the clothes my siblings and I would wear for the parade. Red shorts with a white t-shirt with a picture of the Puerto Rican flag. The following morning which was Sunday, we woke up early to the sounds of my mother blasting the typical music of Puerto Rico “Salsa”. Being so young I had no idea salsa would follow me throughout my adult life. The parade started at 12noon but my mother arrived at 9am with her cooler filled with water and snacks and her beach chair strap over her shoulder. We cheered and danced as the parade performers passed by. My favorite part of the parade was watching children my age dress in their multicolored outfits dancing salsa. As the years went by we kept our same Puerto Rican Day Parade routine only difference was my age and I no longer stood in front of the metal gates watching the dancers dance by, I was now dancing on the sidewalk with everyone else.

Like most things, good things come to an end. Unfortunately, our tradition had to stop the year 2000 when there was a Puerto Rican Day Parade scandal. Based on and article written in the New York post by Dareh Gregorian, "Over 25 woman were groped in Central Park during the Puerto Rican Day Parade"  . My mother decided it wasn’t safe to take us but we made sure we still celebrated and now have a barber cue in celebration. We invite all of our friends and family from the neighborhood and try to keep the Puerto Rico décor. Table covers in our flag colors, a side table for people who want to play dominions, our islands rum "Bacardi" on deck, and of course salsa blasting from the speakers.

As an adult, I listen to salsa and can relate to a lot of the lyrics. I take salsa classes and have learned the art of the movements. I’ve even listened to the songs my mother would blast those Sunday mornings and they now make sense to me. Salsa would always have a special meaning to me. It will forever remind me of the beautiful memories of celebrating my culture with my family on 5^th avenue.  

Gregorian, Dareh. "VICTIM RELIVES NIGHTMARE OF CENTRAL PARK GANG-GROPE" nypost.com.
  03 Mar 2001. web. 18 Sept 2017