Grammy Predictions And Proclamations

A time-honored tradition of journalists just before the annual Grammy Awards is to publish a list of the expected winners. In the case of Paste Magazine, things were taken a step further and separated into three categories: who WILL win, who SHOULD win, and who REALLY SHOULD win. The last category is often the most entertaining, as it generally examines artists who weren't even nominated for an award in the first place. What do you think of Paste's list? Is it accurate? Are there any categories where you strongly agree or disagree with the magazine's opinions? If you're reading this after the Grammys have occurred, how well do you think Paste did with its predictions and proclamations?

The 2012 Super Bowl Halftime Show

As most people are aware, Madonna is set to perform a 12-minute set of music as part of this Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis. After years of inviting classic rock acts to the Super Bowl stage (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, the Who), it appears that the NFL is back in the habit of hiring current pop acts to fill this prestigious role. Though Madonna is by no means a new artist, Lady Gaga's success is heavily indebted to her, and according to this LA Times article, it appears that some other fairly well-known acts will be joining her. Are you familiar with Madonna or her music? Do you think she's a good choice for an event like the Super Bowl? If planning the Super Bowl halftime show was up to you, who would you hire and why? If you're reading this after the game, what did you think of Madonna's performance?

Etta James And The Blues

Blues music has a rich legacy in American history. Along with country and jazz, blues is one of this country's oldest surviving musical genres, having sustained people through hard times over the past 200 years. Additionally, the DNA of modern music can be traced back to the blues, whether you listen to hip-hop, hard rock, or even pop music. This week, iconic singer Etta James passed away. Though most would categorize her as a blues singer, she dabbled in gospel, rock, pop, and jazz styles just as frequently over her 50-year career. If you're looking at this post from home, you can go to this link to experience some of James' most popular songs. If you click on this link, you can learn a little bit more about the influence of the blues over time and how other artists have incorporated it into their music. Have you ever heard of Etta James before? Do you listen to her or to anyone influenced by her? Is blues music something you'd consider investigating more in the future?

The Best Albums Of 2011

Nearly every major newspaper, website, and blog has published some version of a "Best Of 2011" list in the past month, which ranks and acknowledges the finest in 2011's movies, TV shows, books, and music. While critic lists can be informative and entertaining (such as this one from the Boston Globe), it's user-curated lists that provide the greatest indication of what we spent our money on over the past 12 months. Every December, NPR music asks its readers/listeners to vote on their favorite albums of the year. The results of that vote can be viewed by clicking here. Off the Top 25, approximately how many artists are recognizable to you? Why do you suppose these artists and their albums were so highly favored by the people who voted? Is there anyone on this list you'd be curious to investigate further? Lastly, if you were to list your own Top 3 Albums (or artists) of the Year, who would you include?

Salem State Concert

This post is only intended for those students who attended last night's wind band concert at Salem State University. The concert's program featured multiple works by modern American composer Eric Whitacre. For those of you who were there, which of the three pieces performed ("October," "Equus," and "Cloudburst") was your favorite and why? Were there any instruments in the band that you found to be particularly interesting? What differences did you notice in each of the three conductors who were on the podium? How was the band's attention to the various musical elements (dynamics, articulation, tone quality, balance/blend, etc.)? Were you intrigued by Whitacre's music to the point that you might consider listening to more of his music on your own or even downloading some of his other pieces?

Spotify Hits The US

For anyone who hasn't heard yet, Spotify is a streaming digital music program that gives subscribers access to 15 million songs by a range of artists. Spotify went live in Europe in 2010 as a paid subscription service. Since its launch in America this past summer, listeners have been able to choose to either pay a monthly fee of $9.99 for full access or use their Facebook account to listen for free with limited access. Though iTunes long has been at the top of the heap as far online music markets are concerned, there is a good deal of talk going on that Spotify's ease of use and large catalog of songs might be a viable threat to Apple's dominance in the music industry. The main difference between the two is that iTunes is a download service, whereas Spotify is a streaming-only service. You can read more about Spotify by clicking on this link. What are your thoughts on Spotify? Are you already using it? If so, how frequently do you use it? If you don't currently use Spotify, how intrigued are you by the idea of it? Do you think it could become as popular or even more popular than iTunes?

2012 Grammy Nominations

The Record Academy unveiled their list of nominees for the 2012 Grammy Awards this past Wednesday night. Like most years, this collection of nominated artists features both obvious choices (Adele) and unexpected ones too (Bon Iver). You can see the full list of nominees by clicking on this link. What do you think of the artists who were nominated in the three most popular categories (record of the year, song of the year, and album of the year)? Do any of the picks surprise you? Are there any nominees with which you're particularly pleased or unhappy? Are you a fan of any of the nominated artists? Who deserves to win?

Winter Concerts

Time flies here in the Briscoe band program. The 7th and 8th grade winter concert is now just two weeks away (12/1), and the 6th grade concert takes place in 3 weeks (12/8)! Each of the bands have been diligently working since early September on a number of pieces. Of everything we are preparing, which piece are you most excited to perform? Which one do you think required the most effort to put together? Which one is still in need of the most work?

BHS/Briscoe Band Day

Last weekend, 50 Briscoe Middle School band students participated in our 3rd annual march with the BHS Marching Panther Band. The video above was taken as we marched from Beverly High School to Hurd Stadium for the varsity football game. For those of you who took part in this event, how did you enjoy the experience? What was the most exciting part of your day? The most challenging? How do you think we all sounded playing together in this video?

Halloween Music

For ages, part of the visceral thrill of celebrating Halloween comes from those pieces of music that literally send chills up and down your spine. While for some, Halloween music might be synonymous with the hackneyed spookiness of "The Monster Mash," or Michael Jackson's infamous "Thriller" music video, there are certainly other songs out there that may not be as obviously frightening but still manage to incite goose bumps. As a child, I couldn't stop listening to Modest Mussorgsky's doomy Night on Bald Mountain, particularly after how I saw how Disney set it to animation in Fantasia. As I grew older though, I found that less outwardly shocking music like "Matchsticks" by British electronica artist Aphex Twin could be infinitely more macabre. Nothing but 5 and a half minutes of echoing drones, the track still startles me in ways that music twice as loud or abrupt rarely does. Is there any song or piece of music that suits you best for the ghostly thrills of Halloween? What about your choice makes it so scary?