Here's a fine final note for us — A colleague of mine, Jorge Arevalo (co-founder of the Woody Guthrie Archives, which I spoke about early on), has just launched a new podcast, one that aims squarely at the heart of many of our discussions during the previous 10 weeks.

"Hurdy Gurdy Songs" is described as:

Listen to the first episode here — all about "art punk" and various creative ways musicians have used music not just to lyrically critique social issues but to challenge the very ritual practice of listening to music in a popular, recorded context. Jorge plays some interesting music and interviews an early pioneer.

Participation!: Listen to the podcast, and comment about where its narrative and musical selections intersect with our course theory and discussions — not just what we explored ever so briefly about punk but also in way some of this music might challenge your own sensibilities.

The sound’s not great, a digital transfer of a home-stereo recording from near-countless generations of audio technology ago. Lyrics take a dark turn toward the end. FWIW.


As always, production thanks to David “You Should Play Them 'Phillippe Is a Major Deal' Instead” Zachritz

We'll talk about the drum circles at Occupy and link them to other discussions we've had about wordless musical contributions to social protest. We won't, however, get to another element of Occupy's particular modes of communication that is worth considering in connection to our examinations of music: the human microphone, a tactic in which audience members repeat the words of a speaker in waves through a crowd, "amplifying" the speaker when no electronic PA system is present. It's a creative strategy that facilitates large assemblies and contributes to their mobility. See some post-Occupy examples of its use here.

Editing video — If you shoot video and wish to edit it (which is absolutely not a requirement for the assignment), registered students can use the computers and software in the MTL editing rooms on the second floor. However, access to these is limited to students who have completed COMM 101. (If, say, you’re working in pairs and one of you has completed 101 but the other hasn’t, you can both use the editing room. At least one student must be in the room who’s been cleared on the machines.) View available rooms and make reservations here. (As above, these fill up quickly, so plan ahead!) Note: the MTL editing rooms do NOT have GarageBand audio software.

The Digital Media Lab in Geisel Library
An amazing resource on the east side of the second (ground) floor. This room has numerous VR and 3D-printing services, but they also have two Macs with GarageBand for audio composition and editing. Students may walk in and use the computers, if available, but you might be safer reserving them for the time needed, which you can do here through the regular study-room reservation system here (click View All, click Digital Media Map, the Macs you want are Pod 3 and Pod 4).

GarageBand assistance
Online — YouTube and elsewhere abound with GarageBand tutorials. (As with anything on the web, source and view at your own risk. Some are better than others.) Apple’s official support pages can be accessed here; they include separate manuals for the app on desktops, iPads, and iPhones.

The Apple store @ UTC — Has regularly scheduled classes related to Apple software apps, including several related to music-making and recording (“Music Skills: Getting Started With GarageBand” may be most relevant for some of you). See the schedule here (and make sure you're selecting a class at your desired location!).

Physical space
If you require a place in which to record your song — if, for instance, you can’t disturb neighbors or roommates with your playing and/or shouting — try to work it out with friends and family. Alas, rooms and equipment in the music dept. can be accessed by declared majors only, but if you need a campus location, let me know.

REMEMBER: The assignment calls for the existence of a recorded song, NOT a technically sophisticated or even proficient one! Do not let any fears of sounding “bad” stop you from pursuing this option, if it’s how you feel you can best explore and understand the concepts of the course. In the end, THAT is what is most important for you to demonstrate!

Participation! "To the Men" is about women — but not specific women. Instead Heidecker writes his characters loosely as a kind of composite. Instead of telling an individual tale that names a victim and describes a subjective situation, he broadens the narrative and rounds the characters. How does this tactic contribute to or detract from his messaging? Which of our criteria does it serve, and for whom?

FWIW, here's my own contribution — a playlist I made last year of songs addressing nuclear war in various ways. It's lengthy and draws from a variety of eras and genres we've already discussed, plus a few to come. >>>