Items

• 2021-04-01

  My Awakening

  For me, the start of covid began in the middle of my freshman year of college. Just like everyone else, I took my precautions and even got the vaccine. Around April of 2021, being isolated and forced to accompany myself. I had felt like I was in a transitioning stage of life, I felt the need to grow and do more things for myself. I have completely changed my life around, a full 360. I broke up with my ex-boyfriend because I could see our differences in emotional intelligence and maturity. That was my final straw that made me break out of my cocoon. I had deleted some social media that I felt was a major distraction and a road block for me to grow more confidently. I began focusing more on my school work and connecting with new people. I even got a new serving job and was making good money for being a college kid. I learned to enjoy the things I had forgotten about, such as painting and singing. I learned to connect to myself. This pandemic has opened me up to new opportunities and has provided me with a few life lessons. Life is more than simply succeeding to be at the top. Don’t forget to take a breather and surrender to what the moment is teaching you or blessing you with.
• 2021-10-09

  Wear a mask to church in 2020

  As everything started to open back up, I had to wear a mask to church. Having to wear a mask to church was not easy when singing along with the worship service. Especially when you attend a service with loved ones for the holidays.
• 
  2021-01-29

  Bridgerton: The Musical

  While the pandemic has prevented live performances from taking place, it has not stopped musicals from being written. Based on the Netflix hit show “Bridgerton,” two young musicians, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, have written a musical together, which they shared on TikTok. It quickly went viral, starting with a couple songs before expanding into an entire score, and it quickly gained followers and supporters who loved the songs and even posted videos of themselves singing along. The future is unknown for this musical, but it is inspiring to see how young composers and performers are still finding artistic outlets despite being unable to perform in a theater at the moment.
• 
  2021-01-22

  My Quarantine Experience

  During the pandemic, I got really into music and started practicing daily for many hours since it was so enjoyable. It was also convenient since the pandemic has been here for a while, so it passed a lot of time. This experience is important to me because I've become extremely passionate about music, and I really want to dive deep into vocals and be able to sing well. I believe that music is a way to really express myself especially at a time of a pandemic.
• 
  2020-11-21

  #ENDSARS protest shooting

  The article describes the shooting that occurred in Nigeria during a protest October 20, 2020
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  2020-09-20

  Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Shule Rosh Hashanah online

  While synagogues were closed under lockdown for Rosh Hashanah, Caulfield Shule provided a 'Rosh Hashanah highlights' service online before Rosh Hashanah started, as well as a standalone video of the Chazzan singing a "Rosh Hashanah Highlights Medley" with a choir in Israel
• 
  2020-09-29

  Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Shule Avinu Malkeinu

  Caulfield Shule was locked down and unable to hold a Yom Kippur service in person, so as part of their online content they posted a video of "Chazan Dov Farkas and Kolot Min Hashamayim singing Avinu Malkeinu. Dov was recorded in Melbourne, the choir recorded in Israel, which was all blended together with the help of technology!"
• 2020-09-13

  Music Education During a Pandemic

  Music has been a big part of my life ever since I was young. I picked up the violin in second grade, and my involvement in the music industry has only grown since then. This year is my senior year as a music education major in college; however, in light of the pandemic, I am anxious about what the future holds for music. Music class is very different from other classes that students may have throughout the day. While it is more feasible for a math or science class to be completely online, with live-streamed lessons and online assignments, these concepts are not so easy for a music class. With a large ensemble, it is almost impossible for the teacher to actually hear their students play in an online format. Many schools are using Zoom, which is great for the virtual classroom, however it tends to have a significant audio lag. Due to this problem, music ensembles cannot actually all rehearse at one time. Many music teachers have dealt with this problem by requesting that students mute themselves and then play along to a pre-recorded track that the teacher will prepare for them; however, with this barrier, the teacher will never be able to hear their students play all together, which is a crucial part of an ensemble rehearsal to assure that everyone is fully understanding the music. Not only are large ensemble rehearsals affected by these restrictions, but also the elementary general music classroom. In elementary general music, singing is a crucial part of the curriculum. At a young age, students need to be able to start singing so that they are able to start developing a knowledge of pitch and rhythm. At this stage of brain development, it is crucial for students to be able to have this aural experience in person. However, in many areas of the country, singing in a public space has been completely banned. This causes a big problem for music educators because there are so many concepts that they cannot teach without being able to sing with their students. I am in no way stating that the measures being taken in light of the pandemic are unnecessary; I believe that COVID should be taken very seriously and completely understand why it is that these restrictions need to be put in place for educators everywhere to keep the staff and students safe. However, it is frustrating to know that some people are blatantly not following guidelines, which is causing a delay in reopening schools, and because of this, an entire industry is being affected. So many musicians work off of the profit they get from live concerts alone. However, absolutely no concert halls will be able to reopen until we have this disease under control. During the time of the pandemic, I worry for what is going to happen to the music industry, and how this is going to take a toll on music programs all over the country.
• 
  2020-08-20

  Coronavirus pandemic impacting Alberta music classes this fall

  This article from Canada highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting both music majors in college and students in public school and Catholic school who attend music classes. It outlines many of the adjustments being made for music programs, such as colleges restricting voice, woodwind, and brass lessons to being online. Public schools have banned singing in school, as singing has been deemed a high-risk activity. This really highlights how the pandemic may affect performing arts long-term, as college and high-school students may not be able to receive face-to-face training or recital experience depending on their choice of instrument.
• 
  2020-03-14

  Quarantined Italians Sing Together from Balconies

  Before the Coronavirus came to the United States, all eyes were on Italy. They had the highest death rate ever and they were all in a very strict quarantine. They were able to release the stress of being cooped up in their small apartments by singing together while standing on their balconies. Some would play violins, accordions, or tambourines, while others sang. They all joined in and it was quite a unique experience, and the videos went viral.
• 
  2020-03-02

  "Hand Washing" Comic

  A four panel comic from Dami Lee's ongoing autobiographical comedic series, in which she references the common usage of songs, particularly their choruses, to indicate the length of time one should wash one's hands to safely reduce the risk of infection with coronavirus and other pathogens. She then jokes about her own tendency to end up singing the entire song, therefore getting her hands very clean.
• 
  2020-03-16

  True German

  Original description: "Videos of Italian citizens singing and dancing from balconies during lockdown have been shared widely on global social media and have inspired many in the world. One German tried to imitate and sang from his own balcony to boost morale amid the pandemic, and it turned out … differently." It is a funny video showing german stereotype, but it shows how people react when they are stuck in their homes during this pandemic. Also, I will put a link to another video that compares German and Italian.
• 
  2020-05-10

  Through Chinese Social Media -- 4

  I’m a study-abroad student. Due to the virus, I had to stay at home in New York. I got the update of the virus through Chinese social media, and I think it is really interesting. I’m going to share some posts from Chinese social media about the virus. Those two weeks, China holds an online concert, “Believe in the Future,” steaming on the social media. It is the largest online concert in the Chinese music industry. The concert invited more than hundreds of celebrities to do cloud performance. The goal of the concert is to bring hope and heal the heart. There is no advertising and no copyright, all things free. The following is one recorded part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIeVt0vUpGM
• 
  2020-04-18

  Birthday during COVID-19.

  My 21st birthday happen to fall in the middle of this pandemic, concequently not allowing me to see my family in person to celebrate. As a result, we scheduled a massive zoom meeting where about 20 members of close friends and family gathered to play games online and sing happy birthday in lieu of celebrating in person. #REL101
• 
  2020-03

  Celebs singing imagine

  Some celebrities in March of 2020 made a video together singing Imagine by John Lennon in an attempt to bring a sense of unity to the world. The meme is criticizing these celebrities for not doing greater efforts for the pandemic than this video
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  2020-03-27

  Hozier sings The Parting Glass | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One

  Hozier performs a special version of The Parting Glass with a special dedication from presenter Miriam O'Callaghan to those that have lost their lives to COVID-19.