Recut trailer for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

Wonka
A fast-paced thriller about an evil pædophile who lures children into his factory of horrors.


Any suggestions, Lobb? Also, bear in mind this was done on iMovie and NOT professional software. If if could have I may have "flashed" images rather than hard cuts, but it's the best I can do,

Interview #2 (the one that counts) with Ms. Meghan De Jager: Classical Diva

As you may or may not know, Meghan De Jager is one of the most talented musicians in Goderich! At the age of only 18, she recently "cleaned up" for grade ten voice at the provincial level of Kiwanis Music Festival. Unfortunately, the pen and paper (or in this case, text on a screen) is not nearly enough to capture her dazzling charisma and personality. For grammatical reasons, many of her sound effects have been omitted, but where the sounds are easily reproduced, they have been translated into such stunning travesties of the English language and civilized communitication such as "ummmmm and woooo!" sounds such as "yyyyy" have been omitted.

Alex: How does one begin their career as a classical singer?

Meghan: Ha! How does one begin their career as a classical singer? Uh, one takes lessons. That’s pretty much it. Well, okay, I did choir first. Choir is always good. I did choir when I was seven or eight – I don’t exactly remember. But I started singing lessons when I was nine or ten, and then just kept going with it. Don’t quit cause then that’s not going to happen.

A: What do you think would be an ideal age to begin singing?

M: Singing? The way I did it is decent. If you’re starting with choir first, it’s good to get singing, but you can’t really get serious about  lessons until you’re nine or ten – your voice isn’t developed enough to even take any effect really. So if you go in a choir and get used to singing before that age, that’s fine but you wouldn’t want to start singing lessons much earlier

A: How does your age have an impact on what repertoire or styles you choose?

M: Well it’s too hard and the voice just isn’t developed enough to put the right stuff into it I suppose.

A: Can you please highlight some of your recent accomplishments?

M: Well I sang in a whole bunch of festivals and stuff and won some stuff there, and I won the provincials for grade 10. I also did my grade nine singing exam and my grade 3 harmony and grade 3 history exam. I do my grade 10 singing exam and my grade 4 history exam in a couple of weeks and my grade 4 harmony exam is in May.

A: Besides the exams, what else are you working towards right now?

M: Well university auditions are soon enough so, you know, it’ll be fun to get an education. That’s about the biggest thing. I have a whole bunch of other stuff coming up though, but none of it really going towards my future.

A: Are you worried about the auditions at all?

M: Not really. They shouldn’t be too nerve-racking. I’ve been performing for a long time so it’s not a big deal to sing in front of some people, even if they are a little scarier than usual. It shouldn’t be a big problem.

A: Once you are in university, do you have any fears or excitements?

M: Ummm. I don’t think I’ll really know until I get there. At this point, I’m just pretty excited, you know. Should be fun.

A: You want to do honours in performance?

M: Yes. If I do any teaching, I don’t think I want to do it at a school, I can do it from a studio. I’ll have to get my ARCT after university anyway. I might still go to teacher’s college, but I don’t know what I want to do for a minor so that might make things a little complicated.

A: Can you illustrate for our readers how honours in performance would vary from a different honours program with respect to vocal?

M: Well performance allows more actual singing time as opposed to theory or history in which you would have more time to go towards you theory or history, obviously.

A: If you do honours performance in vocal, are you exempt from choir?

M: No. Choir is usually mandatory depending where you go.

A: Would you consider a career in performing after university or is it just teaching?

M: I would consider a career in performing and teaching from a studio. Performing is a little more risky because you don’t have a steady income. As for performance, there are about six million sopranos in the world, probably more, so sopranos are about a dime a dozen so it’s not really easy to get a job in performance.

A: Would you be looking more at classical or would you be looking at opera?

M: Both. I hope I can be in some operas in university and some after. I really like oratorios. Oratorios, you get lots of money for not doing very much. You come for a practice, sing your two solos and get paid like a thousand bucks.

A: So December is rolling around and Christmas is about the busiest time for musicians. What’s on the table this year, Meghan?

M: As far as music goes, it’s not awful. This weekend I’m off to do a concert in Gravenhurst with my choir. Sound of Goderich on the 7^th, the Messiah on the 12^th, and a history exam on the 10^th as you would know as you have an exam too. Plus coffee house cause you have to arrange everything which is taking a while.

A: Lastly, Would you say singing has affected your personality?

M: I don’t know. I think the arts in general would affect your personality. I don’t know about singing itself. Well, technically yes now that I think about it. The voice is something that is really personal to you – one of the hardest instruments to put out there because you are like “this is ME,” not, “This is my old banged-up tuba that I’m playing. Woooo!” It makes you put yourself more out there and I think it helps develop confidence.

A montage with original Music

Taking the hint of using nostalgia to melt an old man's heart, I decided to focus on a subject that has recent implications. This past month, my teddy bear that has been in my possession since birth literally fell apart. I was nearly two when I named him, "Guy."

Music: layers

So one might ask, "Alex, what is your favourite song?"
Naturally, I would say, "Well, it is Toccata in b minor from dix pièces pour orgue by Eugène Gigout."
"Oh, well I meant a modern song or something..."
"Ah, then we have a problem. I am so disconnected with contemporary music it isn't even funny anymore. Even if I happened to hear something I liked on the radio, I can guarantee I don't know who wrote it, who performed it, or what it is even called. So if you really want some contrast after listening to everyone else's favourite songs, I found you THIS."

www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/04/a-scientific-at

Here you will be able to stream or download the MP3 of a scientific attempt to create the worst song in the world. If you would like a challenge, try to listen to the entire piece. It is nearly impossible. It is imperative that you listen to some of it. If you ar unsure why, I encourage you to read on.

This song was written by Dave Soldier, of New York after Komar & Melamid wanted to create a similar project to their "Most and Least wanted art," but in the field of music. Dave Soldier composes and performs many different styles of music including classical and contemporary string quartets. He also directs the world's largest orchestra (by mass): The Thai Elephant Orchestra (comprising of up to 14 elephants playing percussion instruments).

The song was based on surveys conducted specifically designed to scientifically create the most-wanted, and least-wanted songs. They released both on the same album.

Layers:
Instruments - Several layers are quite easy to pick out in this song as different combinations of ensembles are used at various different times. For example, the harmonica is used with the wood blocks, piccolo and accordion. The operatic rapper is accompanied by drums and bagpipes and so on.

Thinking and Knowing - It is interesting that knowing it was supposed to be the worst song, you might actually ending up liking it more than other songs because you know they succeeded in making an intentionally terrible song. Unfortunately, I am unable to explain the psychology behind this phenomenon. Catchy though it may be, I still have difficulty making it to the end. When thinking of the various different sections of this song, and the different combinations of tracks used, you can imagine what people answered on their surveys; not just for unfavoured instruments, but stylistic elements such as polychords in the accordion introduction, the lazy country feel in the harmonica section and the constantly repeating childrens' chorus. Repetition is a feature that pops up all through this song. Repetition can be used ingeniously in "good" songs so that by the end it feels familiar and the audience recognizes what they have been hearing and are pleased. In this instance, repetition is used for pure annoyance. By over-repeating a section we were so happy to just finish, it makes the listener feel frantic, uncomfortable and thoroughly annoyed.

ME - I may have my own opinions on this song that add different layers to me. As I briefly mentioned above, as I knew this was supposed to be the worst song in the world, I actually got some satisfaction out of it. I found this song to be absolutely hilarious (as was likely the intent). Because of this I ended up actually liking it to some degree. I suppose this proves that if we feel the music was successful in completing its goal, WE like this fact and therefore all successes are "good" in a way, hence why this song can grow on you. What I think is even more interesting is what this song says about our tastes as a society. If this is what is least liked, how come similar styles that were featured actually exist? I think it therefore reflects how our very own society is layered together by many different groups whether they be country-loving, classical connoisseurs, opera goers, or prefer rap. This song brings out the minorities of the different styles of music and throws them together to create something disgustingly awesome!

Music has more than itself in the listener - The listener must know that this was supposed to be the worst song in the world either by common sense or prior background information. I think that most people are bound to somewhat like at least ONE of the styles that are picked on in this piece. This song may therefore humble the person who like childrens' choirs, or organ or harp music and so on. It is like a comedy television show, bound to offend in a harmless, humorous way. Unfortunately, I fear this song has an extremely small emotional side to it. This was meant to be a scientific attempt, not an emotional attempt. The musicians clearly don't believe in what they are playing, though they do a darn good job regardless. This listener can hear that the musicians are not pouring their souls into this music. Whether the listener realizes this or not, you can tell there is something...wrong. I find it helpful to listen to this piece before a heartfelt, soulful song as the contrast is absolutely astounding! By doing this, the listener should have an even more involved experience with a true work of art.


Instruments -  This song features:
A rapping operatic soprano
A soprano
A childrens' chorus
A flute and piccolo
A harmonica
Bagpipes
An accordion
A harp
An organ
A banjo
Percussion
and a bass drum

Some of the percussion patterns were meant to be obviously electronic, but most of the auxiliary percussion sounds genuine.

The Phantom of the opera

An original 1925 silent starring Lon Chaney, I really think you should go. It features Ian Sadler, a world-class concert organist who happens to live in Stratford, Ontario. Coincidentally, this event is being held at my church, and I got to make the posters! The information can be found on the poster.

I don NOT recommend hitting a deer

Here, my friends, is a tragic tale. I was driving a friend home last week and we were on a narrow gravel road with long grass along a steep ditch. I tried going 80 (as that is officially the speed limit there) but it wasn't going too well because this particular back road needs to be redone soon. So I brought her down to 60 or 70, and a few seconds later a deer jumps out of the grass. We hit it dead on. It flew over into the opposite ditch. The damage didn't seem TOO bad. The hood was a bit bent and the bumper needed to be replaced. Thank goodness it was a minivan though. Anyway, I had to file the police report, and I sort of went in blind as my parents talked to the insurance agents and repairmen, so when the police wanted to know the extent of the damage and whether the insurance would cover it, I couldn't answer because I wasn't "in the loop." So when I had to go to the police station to finish up what I could not answer on the phone, Mom asked if she should come in. As she is the actual owner of the van, I figured it wouldn't hurt. So when they finished asking all the questions, it was basically my dear mother who answered all of them because neither of my parents had saw fit to inform me what they had found out from the insurance company and the repairmen. It turns out the radiator was also cracked and leaking . . . So if you hit a deer, make sure you know what is going on.

I ought to put a fugue on here

Here is a picture of the facade of the organ.

New wallpaper!

I can not even begin to express how proud I am of this: I made the background for this blog from scratch! If you would like to use it as well for your everyday needs, or if you would like to bask in its glory, here it is.

Featured Organ of the Week

This is a recording of one of my favourite pieces being played on the famous organ at Notre Dame de Paris. I had a friend who's mother was an organist. This friend had difficulty remembering boring names such as "Toccata in b minor" so she would create more suitable names. And now, for the aptly named, "Flight of the Epileptic Butterfly Being Chased by a Bear."

No, I'm NOT Archaic

I know the pipe organ seems old, and I like classical music . . . But I don't live in the stone age. Though my favourite music usually isn't less than 100 years old, I still appreciate modern music. I get great enjoyment from watching movies, and might watch 3-5 a week. The majority of my time is spent practicing. I might have spent just over an hour per day last year when I was just working on my grade 9 piano, but now with grade 10 piano, grade 8 organ and a church job, it's really more like 5 hours a day - something to look forward to.