Duke Ellingtons Contribution To American Jazz Film Studies Essay

Duke Ellingtons Contribution To American Jazz Film Studies Essay The famous U.S. jazz musician known as Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1989 to two musician parents who both played the piano. His legal name at birth was Edward Kennedy Ellington, and the nickname Duke was one he acquired from childhood friends who believed that the way he dressed and the manner in which he carried himself gave him a regal appearance. (Wikipedia, 2013). While he himself eschewed the use of the term jazz to define the kind of music he played, opting instead to refer to it as simply American music, critics have repeatedly identified him as one of the seminal figures in the development of jazz, which is often identified as one of the few authentically U.S.-developed musical forms. (Biography, 2013). Ellington was an African-American and his maternal grandmother was an ex-slave. His own introduction to music in a formal sense occurred when he was seven years old, with him commencing piano lessons. His passion for music was intense, even during his youth and he is recorded as having written his first song, :Soda Fountain Rag, which some called Poodle Dog Rag, in 1914 at a time when he was personally working at a soda fountain at a restaurant known as the Poole Dog Cafe. At the time, his formal music training did not include the reading and writing of music notes on paper. He was to develop those skills later in life. (Wikipedia, 2013). As a young man, in addition to the restaurant job, he worked at the games of the Washington, D.C. Senators baseball team as a peanut vendor. Other recreations included playing pool, and it was there that he encountered many contemporary piano players who provided entertainment there, utilizing a variety of styles, including ragtime. It was only then that he started to entertain the notion that he might himself become a professional musician. Ellington himself described both his early life and his musical career in an autobiography he published in 1973 entitled Music is my Mistress. (Ellington, 1976). By the summer of 1916, he declined to pursue an offered scholarship to study art in Brooklyn, New York at the Pratt Institute, preferring instead to provide musical entertainment in various small venues in and around Washington, D.C. for money, although the amounts earned were relatively meager compared to the success he was to experience later in life. He continued, for a time, to attend commercial art classes at the Armstrong Manual Training School, but abandoned those studies a mere 90 day or so before a scheduled graduation. (Ellington, 1976). It was after that occurred that he summoned up the courage to assemble small groups of musicians to band together to play for dances and other social events, while working on the side as a sign painter to augment his otherwise meager income. His first more permanent formal band was formed in 1917 and was known as The Dukes Serenaders, who were described as Colored Syncopators in an ad he took out in the then relatively new media of the local telephone directory. (Ellington, 1976) Because Washington, D.C. was the capitol of the U.S., Ellington also managed to survive economically in those early years by working as a messenger for the State Department and U.S. Navy. Later, his band would become quite a local hit playing at parties put on by foreign embassies located in the capitol as well as for society dances and balls. While this was an era where there was still much segregation in the U.S., his group did manage to play to both white and African-American audiences, which was unusual at the time. (Wikipedia, 2013). Ellington got married on July 2, 1918 to Edna Thompson, who had attended the same high school as he did, and they had a son, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, himself a musician skilled in the use of both the piano and trumpet, who at times operated as the business manager for his fathers more successful group while also running his own band. (Wikipedia, 2013). Looking back on his career, which only ended with his death on May 24, 1974 from lung cancer and pneumonia, music critics widely agree that his influence helped raise the regard of jazz among other forms of music in the U.S. At the time of his death, despite his advanced age and ill health, he was continuing to actively work as an orchestra leader. He did not exclusively play jazz. however, and at times delved into the areas of classical, popular, gospel and blues music, as well as composing scores for popular motion pictures. As the U.S. recording industry took off, Ellington and his groups recorded music for many companies, while continuing to tour widely and play live. In 1924 alone, Duke Ellington released eight records, indicating the beginning of a very fertile period for him that continued almost unabated until his death. (Wikipedia, 2013). Ellington became a seminal figure in the so-called Harlem Renaissance and gradually expanded the size of his musical group, with it becoming the house band in the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem, New York in 1927. Ellingtons fame grew and he was widely known for playing the bugle at the end of many performances. Radio broadcasts of his music live from the club helped him develop an audience that stretched nationwide and encompassed many people who had never seen him perform live in New York. (Biography, 2013). A song that Duke Ellington recorded with his orchestra and Adelaide Hall in the fall of 927, entitled Creole Love Call became a runaway hit, selling widely through the world, and firmly establishing Ellington and his group as star musicians. (Wikipedia, 2013) Ultimately, Ellington became perhaps best known for expanding the concept of the small jazz band, playing only in tiny nightclubs, to a full big band experience, with his group becoming a full orchestra with him as the leader. The size and scope of the group gave Ellington much more latitude to experiment with new musical pathways and attempt things never tried before. (Wikipedia, 2013). His versatility was shown by the fact that he recorded for numerous recording labels, often at the same time, an unusual thing. He sometimes would create different versions of the same compositions for inclusion on records for the different companies. (Wikipedia, 2013). He obtained even broader popularity after appearing at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival, where his orchestras performance was met by the audiences passionate acclaim, and went on long as the festival organizers had planned to shut things down. The result was worldwide frenzied publicity, including Duke Ellingtons appearance on the front cover of Time magazine, and Ellingtons best-selling recording of his entire career, Ellington at Newport.(Wikipedia, 2013). One area where he experienced a rare lack of success was his inability to breakthrough in the new medium of television, where jazz was somewhat ignored as a form of music. But both his live performances and his popular recordings continued throughout his life. His musical career spanned the Great Depression, the Second World War, the 1950s, the turbulent 1960s with the explosion of the civil rights movement and the conflict over the Vietnam war, and the Watergate Era of Richard Nixon. Throughout those changing times, Duke Ellingtons commitment to experiment with his music and burst through staid conventions of form and length remained the one constant thing, raising the standard high for other jazz musicians to try to emulate. Critics believe that there are few, if any, figures in the development of American jazz more important and more central than Duke Ellington. (Wikipedia, 2013). Ellingtons root strength was as a skilled jazz pianist, but he is often more remembered for his orchestral arrangements and composing of both jazz and other popular musical pieces. His group for the bulk of his career was known simply as the Duke Ellington Orchestra and it continues to tour the world today under the aegis of his son, who serves as the archivist for his fathers rich legacy. (Wikipedia, 2013). Duke Ellingtons contributions to American music were recognized by no fewer than twelve Grammy awards, starting with his first one in 1959 with three awards for music he composed and performed for Anatomy of a Murder, a major motion picture. He composed and performed music for a number of other motion pictures. Most of these awards, however, were for jazz performances and compositions, with three of the awards given after his death, including the last one in 1999 for the historical jazz album The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition, collecting the recordings he made for the RCA Victor company from 1927-1973. He received a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 1966. (Biography, 2013). Nine of his recordings were also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, starting with Black and Tan Fantasy in 1928 and concluding with Far East Suite in 1967. His 1932 jazz hit It Dont Mean a Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing) was also inducted, was highly popular worldwide, and is still widely played today. He was also given a Special Citation by the Pulitzer Prize Committee after his death, and received a U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969. He was also inducted into the French Legion of Honor in 1973. (Wikipedia, 2013).

It’s the Economy, Student! (Reaction Paper)

It’s the Economy, Student! As the saying goes, â€Å"No one touches a dirty pot without getting his/her hand dirty. † This reminds me of this topic. Based on my own view about the article written by the former president and now the representative of Pampanga, Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, she had done many good things in our country such as: Our climate changes each decade because everyday people neglected to do their duties in order to save our dying environment. We, as perfect creation of our God Almighty, promised to take care of His creatures but we fail doing it.We must do everything that we can to protect, flourished our nature or environment and its creation, but because of our personal interest and greediness, we explore in several ways on how to make money without thinking the damage that it would do to our world. Moreover, even if we knew that the damage has been done, thus affecting the balance of nature, still we continue doing ways that would destr oy our environment just to amaze more power and wealth. Congresswoman Gloria M.Arroyo, in her given information, said that she was too concerned during her time in promoting how to save our dying environment and she even mentioned this in her talked to Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) convention. It is very ironic, while she’s demonstrating her concern to our environment, several mining businesses were allowed to operate during her time such as the ones being mentioned in the news that there was this kind of mining, such as selling the entire mountain in Surigao Del Norte and shipping it to other countries such as China and other neighboring countries.I am just astonished on how perfect she played her game, playing around the circle. Now tell me who’s talking? The mountain that cannot be replaced anymore. And who will be to blame? The calamities, one after another, that we are experiencing this days, are the products of the great master plan of the once greedy pers on. Yes she signed a large laws to codify the environment such as clean water, bio fuel†¦etc. nd yet what was the result of our natural gas, â€Å"THE MALAPAYA DEEP WATER GAS PROJECT IN PALAWAN† still we are spending dollars importing gases †¦tell me who’s talking†¦ She said that she created a program that could fight for the continuously increasing unemployed citizens in the country, jobless citizens, so we can over calm poverty, she managed to compare her program to the program of former president Estrada, who’s presidency lasted only for 2 yrs†¦definitely her program runs through many years, but does it give credit?Tell me who’s talking†¦. Talking about the education †¦ let me say, as I recall it right, she managed to get mad at Department of Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, when the latter said to her on national television that the schools in our country need classrooms, teachers, etc. because they can no lo nger accommodate 70 to 100 students per class. Even Amorsolo can’t paint her aura, the news anchor that time fed in the advertisement at once so the viewer will not notice that scene.The report stated that, â€Å"For Filipinos, family is everything and the future of our children is sacred. That is why I invested so much time and effort in rejuvenating our education system. I met with teachers and other educators to get a first-hand look at the improvements that we need to make. I listened to what these fine public servants had to say, and in response to their advice, I increased the country’s total budget for education by nearly four times: from Ps 6. 6 Billion in 2000 to Ps 24. 3 Billion in 2010 when I stepped down.Those funds went into the following critical areas of educational spending: Now thinking how she foreseen those problems ,and eventually the solution to those problems, if she manage to done it right definitely our present president will able to continue h er act for the betterment of our country, that is if only she done it right.. † â€Å"As my father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal, used to say that the Presidency of the Philippines is a tough and killing job that demands a sense of sacrifice.At the end of the day, it comes down to plain hard work. A president must work harder than everyone else. And no matter what he thinks he was elected to do — even if that includes running after alleged offenders in the past — he must not neglect the bread and butter issues that preoccupy most of our people most of the time: keeping prices down, creating more jobs, providing basic services, securing the peace, pursuing the high economic growth that is the only way to vault our country into the ranks of developed economies. I must say that if you were given a chance to serve your people, be sure to do your best even if your best is not enough to the people, but in the eyes of God you are serving Him your very best. No turning back, no one will be blamed. -Rosebelle Harlan

The Curriculum

The curriculum is the goal, or outcome that is desired to be achieved through the instruction. For the instruction to be successful, there needs to be a linear set of standards, or objectives that need to be taught and be assessed to achieve the desired goal of the lesson. There are three main types of objectives that need to be addressed when designing a lesson: Program objective, learning objective, and performance objective. Before addressing these three concepts, there is a need to define the goal(s) of stated objectives. Goals Gagne' (1988) states, â€Å"Education goals are statements of the outcomes of education† (p. 41). The goal of instruction is to impart a knew skill, capability or concept in a measurable manner. Goals are the expected result of instruction. In the example assigned to this paper, the goal of the course is to teach instructors how to best utilize technology in the classroom with the use of laptops and iPads. Objectives Whereas goals are the destination of the instruction, objectives are the means of getting there. As stated previously, objectives are a set of standards that are to be met through instruction and assessment. Objectives and Goals 4 Program Objectives Program objectives define what content is to be used in the lesson, the time-line for instruction, and what tools and media will be used to achieve the instructional goal. In our example of iPad and laptop instruction, first the instructor needs to evaluate the class and determine what their skills with computers and iPads are. There may not be a need to cover some of the instruction or there may be a need for some skill building before the planned instruction can start. The instructor also needs to have a time frame, in which the class can reasonably follow, for the lesson progression. Whether it is measured in hours, days, or weeks, the learners need to know how much time they have to learn the skill before assessment is administered. The instructor also needs to have a plan on which operating systems, software and apps will be used in the instruction and instruct teachers how to integrate them into their lessons. In recent years, schools have gone more tech oriented and teachers need instruction on how to incorporate the devices into the learning process. In short, the program objectives are to teach instructors, in a timely fashion, how to: use laptops and iPads for designing lessons, incorporating technology into existing lessons, maintaining and updating devices, and familiarizing instructors with apps and programs so they can better utilize the technology. Learning Objectives Learning objectives come in many terms such as benchmark, standard, and performance indicator. Whichever term is used, the intended purpose of the learning objectives is to define what the student is expected to learn. According to FLDOE.org (2018), â€Å"Learning objectives Objectives and Goals 5 should break down the task and focus on specific cognitive processes†. Learning objectives give structure to the program objectives through defining the specific skills and knowledge to be learned and how the lessons will be sequenced. Stating only that the instructors will learn to and understand how to use an iPad is not an example of a learning objective. Learning objectives are specific knowledge and skills that are targeted for learning. Examples for this would include: selecting and deploying the appropriate applications, managing the steady flow of updates, assigning and submitting assignments electronically, and how to diversify the lessons to accommodate students' learning needs. Sequencing would also be addressed by teaching the lessons in a proper order. It would not be effective to teach how to diversify and accommodate the applications before teaching which applications are appropriate for the lessons. Performance Objectives Performance objectives are exactly what it states: performing learned knowledge and skills through an action. Gagne argues that the â€Å"five-component objective† is the best approach for performance objectives. The five components he lists are: Situation, Learned Capability Verb, Object, Action Verb, and Tools, Constraints or Special Conditions. Situation â€Å"What is the stimulus situation faced by the student?† (Gagne, p. 123). The situation can be defined as the circumstances of the instructional objective. What is being offered? Under what Objectives and Goals 6 condition is the instruction or assessment is being administered? Using our example, the situation is â€Å"using an iPad† or â€Å"using a computer†. Learned Capability Verb (LCV) This component deals with how the situation is applied. Gagne states that there are nine standard verbs that are used: discriminate, identify, classify, demonstrate, generate, adopt, state, execute, and choose. Gagne (1988) states, â€Å"By including one of these verbs in the objective, the intended behavior is more clearly communicated, and the conditions of learning appropriate to that type of learning outcome are more readily applied† (p. 125). For our example, demonstrate, generate, chose, and execute would most likely be the actions used. Object The object is the actual learned item or behavior that the learner is applying with the LCV. It can also be described as the learning objective that the learner will demonstrate. Using our example, how to assign and submit assignments electronically using the laptop and iPad would be the object of the performance objective. Action Verb Gagne (1988) explains, â€Å"The action verb describes how the performance is to be completed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 125). There are many different action verbs that can be used depending on the task. Objectives and Goals 7 Hypothesizing, solving, and typing are considered action verbs. In our example, the learner so far has been instructed to demonstrate how to assign and submit an assignment. Applicable action verbs would be â€Å"upload† or â€Å"download†. Tools, Constraints, or Special Conditions This title is self-explaining. This section deals with the conditions, the limitations and the applicable media of the objective. In our example, iPads and laptops are the tools that are being used in this lesson. A constraint is the time frame that the teachers are limited to for the instruction. From personal experience, most of these types of training exercises and courses are limited to just a few hours, or at most, one day. Outcome The outcome of the five-point approach for our example is, â€Å"Using an iPad or Laptop, the teacher will demonstrate how to assign and submit a lesson electronically by uploading the assignment in the fewest steps possible†. Summary Properly defining goals is the first step to designing an instructional plan. Program objectives are a general outline of what it takes to reach that goal. The learning objectives are the specific skills and knowledge objectives that are used to meet the program objectives. Following the five-step performance objective model, learners should be able to easily understand what learning outcomes they are required to demonstrate at the end of instruction.

Hadrosaurus, the First Identified Duck-Billed Dinosaur

Like many fossil discoveries from the 1800s, Hadrosaurus is simultaneously a very important and a very obscure dinosaur. It was the first near-complete dinosaur fossil  ever to be discovered in North America (in 1858, in Haddonfield, New Jersey, of all places), and in 1868, the Hadrosaurus at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences was the first dinosaur skeleton ever to be displayed to the general public. Hadrosaurus has also given its name to an extremely populous family of herbivores—the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs. Celebrating this history, New Jersey named Hadrosaurus its official state dinosaur in 1991, and the sturdy lizard is frequently invoked in attempts to pump up the Garden States paleontology pride. What  Was Hadrosaurus Really Like? This was a robustly built dinosaur, measuring about 30 feet from head to tail and weighing anywhere from three to four tons, and it probably spent most of its time crouched on all fours, chomping on the low-lying vegetation of its late Cretaceous habitat in North America. Like other duck-billed dinosaurs, Hadrosaurus would have been capable of rearing up on its two hind legs and running away when startled by hungry tyrannosaurs, which must have been a stressful experience for any smaller dinosaurs lurking nearby!  This dinosaur almost certainly lived in small herds, females laying 15 to 20 large eggs at a time in circular patterns, and the adults may even have engaged in a minimal level of parental care.  (However, bear in mind that the bill of Hadrosaurus and other dinosaurs like it wasnt really flat and yellow, like that of a duck, but it did have a vague resemblance.) Still, as far as duck-billed dinosaurs in general are concerned, Hadrosaurus itself occupies the far fringes of paleontology. To date, no one has discovered this dinosaurs skull; the original  fossil, named by the famous American paleontologist Joseph Leidy, consists of four limbs, a pelvis, bits of the jaw, and over two dozen vertebrae. For this reason, recreations of Hadrosaurus are based on the skulls of similar genera of duck-billed dinosaurs, such as Gryposaurus. To date, Hadrosaurus appears to be the only member of its genus (the sole named species is H. foulkii), leading some paleontologists to speculate that this hadrosaur may really be a species (or specimen) of another genus of duck-billed dinosaur.   Given all this uncertainty, it has proven rather difficult to assign Hadrosaurus to its proper place on the hadrosaur family tree. This dinosaur was once honored with its own sub-family, the Hadrosaurinae, to which better-known (and more highly ornamented) duck-billed dinosaurs like Lambeosaurus were once assigned. Today, though, Hadrosaurus occupies a single, lonely branch on evolutionary diagrams, one step removed from such familiar genera as Maiasaura, Edmontosaurus and Shantungosaurus, and today not many paleontologists reference this dinosaur in their publications. Name: Hadrosaurus (Greek for sturdy lizard); pronounced HAY-dro-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80-75 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and 3-4 tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; broad, flat beak; occasional bipedal posture