This quarter, my most productive exercise was Assignment 1, where we had to listen to a non-traditional voice and write about it in two distinct writing styles. At first, this was particularly challenging for me because I did not feel comfortable with the notion of an untraditional voice, and I didn’t understand how to integrate course concepts into both blog and newspaper article pieces while maintaining the correct tones and style guidelines. First, I familiarized myself with a non-traditional voice and engaged with my non-traditional voice, the ocean, on several occasions. I then gathered notes on the stylistics of both blog posts and newspaper articles, and thought about what I, myself, would be interested in reading, as both of the target audiences are individuals around my age who deal with everyday stressors and could benefit from healthy and simple coping mechanisms.
Taking a step back and thinking about it from this perspective, of what I would want to read, and what would motivate me to follow such advice, is what drove me through writing the two different pieces. I have done a lot of writing about music for both school and work as music is what I’m passionate about and working towards a career in. I often get writer’s block, but experience breakthroughs when I take a step back and think about things from a consumer’s point of view. Going forward, I will try to think of these in the early stages of the writing process so that I don’t feel stuck.
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When taking the BMW survey, the first thing that stood out to me was the section with the following questions: “What occupation or job would you like to have when you finish school?”, “Realistically speaking, how certain are you of getting this job?”, and “Among the following categories, which one comes closest to the job you would like to have? Please check one.” I am graduating early, in just two weeks, and already feel like I need to have my entire life figured out. And I most definitely do not. When I finish school, I aspire to have a career in the music industry. I am not sure what exact job I would like to have, but music is one of the most significant parts of my world, and I am determined to spend the rest of my life working within the world of something I love and care about. In the survey, “music industry” was not an option to tick off as which job I would like to have when I finish school. This is because it is not an average job you can just apply for and get hired quickly and easily. Working in the music industry requires having connections, experience, and lots of confidence. Unfortunately, I can not say that my certainty that I will get my dream job is high at the moment, however I know that with my vision, passion, and work ethic, I will be a valuable asset to any talent agency or entertainment group.
Also, the questions asking if I have anyone who helps me feel confident and special in a positive way were helpful in encouraging me to take a step back and remember that I am never alone. Answering these questions made me feel very blessed because I am lucky enough to have an extremely supportive family, especially mother, and several friends who I can count on to always lift me up and make me feel worthy. Vocality is a loaded concept that goes beyond the simple sound categories of timbre or tone and rather encompasses the complete experience of both speaker and listener in a given moment. In the YouTube video of Sia singing her hit song “Chandelier,” I was extremely impressed and touched by her performance. Not only was it an incredible audio experience, but it also was a symbolic visual experience. Prior to watching this video, I had heard the song “Chandelier” many times on the radio and in public. I always thought that it was a catchy tune and that Sia’s voice is unique. On the other hand, prior to watching this video, I had never actually listened to the words of the song or seen what Sia looks like. Now I see what this song really means to the artist and what story she is trying to tell. Sia’s identity is anonymized in her performances. Though she is a woman, her attire is more masculine than feminine as she wears a black suit. Immediately upon seeing her, I noticed that her face is completely covered by her hair, so viewers cannot see her eyes, nose, or any features above her lips. The audience is left to solely focus on her mouth, which is the carrier of her voice, the carrier of her story, and the carrier of her talent. She is also accompanied by a mime, which is particularly interesting, because he is the opposite of her. While we cannot see her face, we can see his. While we can hear her voice, we cannot hear his. She is faceless, he is voiceless, and together performed a beautiful story rooted in culture. The emotional belts and the cracks of her voice convey how personal this song is to Sia. Listening to the lyrics, “Chandelier” is about alcoholism, and draws attention to the culture she grew up in. Celebrity culture is often characterized by partying, drugs, and alcohol, as we have unfortunately lost many stars to the negative effects of substance abuse. The song “Chandelier” is unique as it is technically a “pop” song, but communicates the singers story, her battle against many evils, and further, communicates the story of many others living life in the limelight, as voice is not singular but represents a collective.
The Arbor: The Voice of Gauchos PrefaceAt the heart of UCSB lies the Arbor, a high-traffic convenience store packed with food, beverages, school supplies, and Gauchos. Every day of the week, the Arbor systematically attracts thousands of students in and flows them out in a matter of minutes due to its central location, the plethora of merchandise, and organized staff efficiently guiding hasty Gauchos throughout their days. Food from the Arbor ranges from ready-to-eat, refrigerated meals, to fresh and customizable Subway sandwiches, to health-conscious gluten-free snacks, to tasty treats such as chips, ice cream, and candy. The beverages in the Abor include chilled waters, coffees, sodas, and teas. School supplies sold at the Arbor include scantrons, blue books, notebooks, pens, and highlighters. It is a one-stop-shop for any needs or inconveniences that Gauchos encounter throughout their day and is the fuel that pushes Gauchos through their lectures, exams, and late-night library sessions. The Arbor channels many different voices which are emphasized in distinct ways depending on what time it is - both hourly, and quarterly. During the day, the store is crowded and filled with a loud collective noise of students’ voices. By night, the Arbor is mellow and mostly filled with the loud humming and buzzing of machines. During midterms season, the soft flutters of blue books and scantrons are prominent. The multivocality of the Arbor is significant for one to consider as it speaks for UCSB Gauchos. The rhythmic humming of the refrigerators, consistent and sharp sounds of doors opening and closing, the beeping sounds of merchandise scanners and microwave timers, and the communicative voices of students and employees give observers insight into the identities, schedules, and consumption habits of UCSB Gauchos. Observational Information Location: The Arbor (Building 501, UCSB) Observation 1: Tuesday Feb 11, 2020 (6:30-7:30pm) Observation 2: Wednesday Feb 19, 2020 (12:00-12:30pm) Location: The Arbor (Building 501, UCSB) Observation 1: Tuesday Feb 11, 2020 (6:30-7:30pm) Observation 2: Wednesday Feb 19, 2020 (12:00-12:30pm) Voices carry information, express emotions, and stimulate feelings in listeners. Voice is contextualized, and exploring them grants listeners access to knowledge about particular contexts and human identities (Lecture Discussion, Jan. 6, 2020). In the Arbor, various types of voices can be heard, which are identified in greater detail in the Appendix. Voices of human activity include staff actions such as restocking the shelves and customer actions such as ladling soup out of the warmers. Additionally, communicative voices include the Subway staff asking customers questions about what they would like on their sandwiches, and the customers’ responses, which both range in tone throughout the day. More prominent during the quiet hours of the night, voices of running machines include the refrigerators’ steady humming sounds that emit warm timbre. Lastly, mediated voices include loud music that plays through the Arbor’s speakers which ranges in tempo and volume throughout the day. Non-traditional voices such as the rhythmic sounds of human activity and the high toned beeps of the microwave timers play a key role in the voice in the Arbor. Nontraditional voices are significant because they give observers insight into Gauchos’ shopping behavior. For example, by following the voice of the refrigerator door that opens and closes most frequently, one can see which items are most popular among customers at which hours. Also, the consistent beeping sounds of the microwave show which Gauchos bring food from home, reveal how many people are in line to use the microwaves, and on a whole, how crowded the Arbor is. Because the Arbor is a supermarket-type setting, there are no live performances inside the small convenience store per se, however, mediated voices are a core element of the collective voice of the Abor. During the day, mediated voices are the upbeat music played through the speakers along the perimeter of the store. On the other hand, at night, the most distinguished mediated voice is the soft, slow tempo music. The difference in mediated voices flowing through the Arbor’s speakers by day versus by night can be understood through considering the psychology of music, applying Mehrabian and Russell’s model of pleasure-arousal-dominance (PAD). In a study at a New York Grocery store, it was found that “fast music leads to high levels of arousal which, in turn, leads to moving at a faster pace through the store. Conversely, slow tempo music prevents these high levels of arousal and slows down the pace at which shoppers move, leading to an increase in items purchased” (Ford, 2013). During the day, the Arbor is significantly more populated, meaning sales rates are high, and it is safe to move patrons in and out of the store as quickly as possible. However, at night, when sales rates are lower, and slow music is shown have the opposite effect, patrons will likely spend more time browsing through the variety of options the Arbor has to offer and will purchase more items. Voice carriers of the Arbor participate in speech performance, which is “is much more than expressing words; it involves using our voices - timbre, tone, rhythm - and all other forms of accentuation or gesture that are often used to express both words and emotions” (Lecture Discussion, Feb. 12, 2020). At all times, the Subway staff modulate their voices to perform “customer service voices,” which tend to radiate a high, bright, and friendly tone of voice. Furthermore, The voices of the Arbor communicate information as well as feelings. In the store, Gauchos use their voices to engage in conversations with friends, make small talk with cashiers, and specify which toppings they like on their sandwiches to the Subway employees. “We often give certain voices that we associate with certain identities (of gender, race, ethnicity, etc) a certain sound,” (Lecture Discussion, Feb. 19, 2020). By observing the content of the communicative voices in the Arbor, one could draw conclusions about students’ identities such as where they are from by listening to what language they are speaking, and even how polite someone is by assessing whether they say “excuse me,” “please,” and “thank you” in the congested environment. Moving beyond the concrete, linguistic meaning of spoken words, voices also communicate a speaker’s feelings and emotions. During rush hours, students speak faster and louder if they are in a rush, and may speak in rude and harsh tones if they are having a bad day or stressed out from exams. Depending on how crowded the Arbor is, both students and staff will adjust their voices according to the proximity to other voices around them. Because the volume of voices gets significantly louder as more customers are present, to maintain the quickly moving system, cashiers speak louder and raise their hands with exaggerated gestures to stay on top of the commotion in the store. Analysis and Conclusions At the Arbor, many unique voices blend to create one collective voice which speaks for the students of UCSB, revealing information about Gauchos’ identities, routines, and consumption habits. Further, to analyze multivocal authenticity, students’ voices in the Arbor are authentic and random as they converse with their peers and move throughout the store, while the staff’s voices are constructed and catered to the business environment during operating hours. However, it is anticipated that once the store closes, the staff’s voices become more authentic as they no longer have to perform the role of an employee and instead take on the role of a UCSB Gaucho. Because the collective voice of the Arbor increases in volume and hunger increases in Gauchos during lunchtime hours, the voices of the Subway staff are given priority so that customers can move customers down the assembly line quickly and efficiently. Voices with special status can also be observed by examining printed voices in the store. Guyaki Organic Yerba Mate is given special status, as it is one of the most popular items purchased daily. Though there is a refrigerator filled with Guyaki Yerba Mates in the back of the store next to all of the other beverages, there is an additional Guyaki refrigerator placed at the entrance of the Abor, with large, digitally mediated messages communicating the brand’s slogan “Come to Life.” Despite the fact that shoppers aim to buy the freshest products, the Arbor, like many other grocery stores, systematically stacks shelves with the newest items in the back and the soon-expiring food in the front. In this way, newer food is deprioritized, and the Arbor staff organizes the food in contrast to what humans like to choose. Because the Arbor staff largely consists of UCSB students, and the majority of the Arbor patrons are also UCSB students, noticeable power differences between the two parties were not initially observed. This is because the employees and customers both have a shared aspect of identity, a common ground that leads them to treat one another with respect. Although there are higher powers and the small store is one part of a larger entity, UCSB, it is both run by and shopped at by students who go through the same experiences, such as countless hours of studying, working part-time jobs, and taking exams. Moreover, upon closer observation, there is a store manager who delegates tasks to employees to ensure that the store is clean and organized and that customers exit the store rapidly and happily. At first glance, the Arbor may seem like an average convenience store with little depth to explore. However, as voice is a carrier of information and feeling, there is plenty to unpack after listening to its collective voice. The Arbor is visited under many circumstances – it is a biweekly, rushed pitstop to snatch the vegan quinoa wrap between two classes, it is a leisurely stroll to browse through snacks, it is a fuel station to energize a late-night study session with Yerba Mate, and it is a lifesaver when hastily purchasing a scantron and pencil fifteen minutes before a final exam. Observing the Arbor’s collective voice has the overall effect of gathering information about Gauchos’ identities and behaviors, as well as noticing the key role that the Arbor staff plays in supporting students throughout their busy days and stressful evenings. References Ford, M. (2013, July 15). The Psychology of Music: Why Music Plays a Big Role in What You Buy. Retrieved from http://blog.motivemetrics.com/The-Psychology-of-Music-Why-Music-Plays-a-Big-Role-i n-What-You-Buy Tcharos, S. (2020, January 6) Unit 1: How Voices Get Made [Lecture Discussion]. Tcharos, S. (2020, February 12) Unit 5: Making Singers, Making Voices [Lecture Discussion]. Tcharos, S. (2020, February 19) Unit 7: Reflections; Setting Up Voice As Knowledge and Identity [Lecture Discussion]. Appendix
Working with another individual is always a risk, but has the potential of working out in both parties’ favor. When working with another individual on a project, you are entering into a partnership in which you must coordinate times to meet within busy and conflicting schedules and also support as well as challenge one another’s ideas for maximum points and effort. Our first challenge was planning a time for an initial meeting, and it was particularly challenging because this past weekend was a holiday weekend where many people plan to go out of town. We solved this by meeting as soon as we got assigned our partners.
When working in groups, I typically worry about whether there will be a fair division of work. Almost every time I have done a group project before, I have always been left to do all of the work and it is very frustrating. However, I learned that when both people are willing to put time, thought, and effort into the project, it can turn out to be a unique piece composed by two distinct brains, where each can offer ideas that the other may not have thought of. Journal Entry: “Hotel California” - The Eagles - Classic RockWords, Rhetoric, Voice, and Meaning Classic rock is a familiar genre to many, and indeed, this song is one of the most iconic selections of the genre. Although I have heard this song before, I am not very comfortable or familiar with the classic rock genre because I didn’t grow up listening to it, and it is not a genre that I ever listen to now. The first thing I noticed when listening to “Hotel California” by The Eagles was that this song is a narrative. Don Henley, lead vocalist of “Hotel California,” tells a story about a disappointing realization of truth through a careful combination of his words, rhetoric, and voice. He expresses emotion through belting the lyrics, as he is accompanied by a band with tangible and dramatic musical instruments to allude to a deeper meaning.
It is interesting how California is known to be, in the words of The Eagles, “such a lovely place.” California symbolizes the American dream, freedom, sunshine, and peace; the ‘Golden State’ with golden sunsets, flowers, bridges, and authentic gold (the Gold Rush). With Hollywood in its heart, California also represents celebrity culture and the American dream, more so, the California dream. From an outsider’s perspective, this is extremely exciting and groundbreaking, how could one not think California is “such a lovely place?” In contrast to his words, Henley’s rhetoric and voice tells the listener the story of how deceiving this hyperreal fantasy of California is. He tells a story that reveals the truth about California, specifically Hollywood and Los Angeles, drawing from firsthand experience gained from working in the music industry and chasing the California dream. He sings about the differences between perception and reality of this imagined “paradise.” I would also like to point out how the words of this song literally refer to the “voices” the speaker hears telling him how lovely California is. This further shows how voice is only one aspect of generating meaning and does not achieve deep connections on its own. Words, rhetoric, and voice are equally important. As we learned in class, “songs allow voices to propel emotions forward,” and “songs are often less about what is said, but how it is said.” The combination of the extended guitar solo towards the end of the song, the actual words of the song (lyrics), the rhetoric and repetition of the lines “such a lovely place,” along with Henley’s melancholy voice gives the listeners insight into the deeper meaning of the song. It is clear that this song is a form of self-expression and not a formal organization like classical music. It is packed with emotion and tells a story. Without the musicalized voice, the lyrics of the songs themselves would not effectively represent the deeper meaning of the song. The culture of classical student singers is one that is not commonly understood by many people, especially other students. From a student’s perspective, opera seems like a distant practice from the 17th century that is not relevant to a young person’s life. However, I am interested in the culture of classical student singers for this very reason: because opera singing is an extremely impressive art form, and I would have never thought that young adults like me could perform such challenging notes with great intensity. Upon closer inspection and observation into the culture, classical voice training is a highly specialized discipline in which singers create, expand, project, perfect, and express their voices, testing the strengths and limits of their vocal cords. The culture of classical student singers is useful to study because it showed me how voices are made, specifically non-traditional voices that we do not typically hear in everyday encounters. Studying operatic voices is a great way to explore the performativity of voice, how voices can be used for storytelling, and how to turn thinking into feelings that are delivered to the audience.
To gather information about the culture of classical singers, I first read about this history of opera in Richard Wistreich’s Vocal Performance in the 17th Century and learned about different types of male voices. I also read about pushing the limits of voice and body and about the difficulty and precision that comes with training the operatic voice, especially in extreme conditions like Julianna Snapper’s underwater opera performances, in Nina Sun Eidsheim’s Sensing Voice and “Situating Snapper’s Five Fathoms Deep Opera Project.” In addition, I observed an interview between ethnographer Lauren Vanderlinden and opera singer Naomi Merer. In this interview, I noted how in order to express yourself, you have to have a solid technique behind your singing voice; an operatic voice is one that is unnatural, it is curated. Naomi Merer taught me how when you are performing, you must express yourself, and to express yourself, you must sing comfortably. Gaining technique and becoming comfortable will come from dedication to the craft and practice through voice lessons. To further gather information about the culture, I observed a live voice lesson led by voice professor Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian to UCSB student Terra Giddens. Observing the voice lesson gave me insight to how challenging, disciplined, and specialized the act of opera singing is. I learned how positioning your mouth slightly differently can completely change how the voice sounds. I learned that you may fail over and over again before reaching the perfect note, but to not give up on your craft, as it is all part of a difficult process and results in angelic sounds. Overall, observing the interview and the voice lesson pointed out how much control, discipline, and skill desirable opera singing requires. To participate in this culture, one must be fairly educated and know how to read lyrics and notes. Further, many operas are written in foreign languages, and I learned that it is essential to fully understand every word in the opera to effectively express the story and feeling to the audience. The singer must be educated enough to be able to translate the opera from one language to another, and to channel their curated voice to perform the story in a convincing way. Another key requirement to participate in opera singing culture relates to demographics, including both social status and financial resources. First, opera is known as an elite practice, as the word “diva” originally described a female opera singer with extraordinary talent. Also, because opera singing culture is highly disciplined and specialized, it requires countless hours of training to master the techniques. This means that the singer has to take singing lessons or attend a music school, which will be very expensive, requiring the aspiring singer to fall within a certain class level with the appropriate resources. Lastly, through both the interview and the singing lesson, I learned that to participate in this culture, one needs to have high levels of confidence in what they are singing and how they are singing. Confidence comes from practice, from being comfortable with your skills, and from clearly understanding the scene being performed, the emotion intended to be delivered, and most importantly, the words being sung. While observing the voice lesson, I learned that voice and soul are deeply connected. Dr. Bayrakdarian revealed how the soul is wise, and is released through operatic singing. The soul is channeled by understanding the words you are singing and acting out, it is cultivated by relating to the words and character you are performing. This information taught me that opera singing is an extremely specialized talent that requires a substantial amount of training, control, and confidence. As our voices are used for expression, and the body is the carrier of the voice, opera singing is a skillful way to story, to transform thinking into feeling through specific positioning of the mouth and tongue, and to cultivating the soul. February 5, 2020 |
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