Box 19

· She’s wearing a brownish watch that’s of a bigger size
· It has a black face and white hands.
· She wears it on her right wrist as opposed to her left wrist
· I wonder if it gets in the way while she writes
· It’s very stylish and different, which could mean that she likes things like that
· The numbers are displayed as roman numerals and are silver
· The watch is very classy, but also kind of different
· She probably bought it at a more popular clothing store, but I don’t know the story behind it


1) It reminds me of a watch my dad used to wear only his was silver
2) It seems to sort of cross between feminine and masculine
A. It was probably bought at a store more like Fossil, Abercrombie, or Aeropostle as opposed to a store like Forever 21.
3) It almost mimicks the style of a rolex, but not


1. Where did you get that watch?
A. Fossil
2. What do you like about the watch?
A. Color (Bronze)
3. Is that your favorite store?
A. Yes
4. Do you buy a lot of things there, or is that the only item you’ve bought there?
A. Everything she’s wearing (She works there)

This artifact is a watch that she bought at fossil most likely using her employee discount. She works at fossil and buys a ton of clothes there. Everything she’s wearing right now was bought at fossil, and it’s her absolute favorite store. She seems to love that store and has definitely created an individual style for herself based of off the clothing in Fossil.

Blog 7

Marching Band does something for our community that almost every community needs in some form or another. Marching provides an afterschool experience for kids to keep them busy. It's an opprotunity for students to learn how to give their all for something as a team. They learn discipline by having to stand still and play only when they're told to. They learn how to respect adults and resond accordingly to what they're told to do. What I could give back to this marching band community would be to maybe go help at a school, like my former school, and just help run rehearsals. When I was in the group it made a huge difference to have people who graduated come back to help us during our rehearsal time to be even better. Later on in life if I ever have more money I could donate money to help marching bands with buying the things they need to grow and be the best they could. When I was in my high school band we had this incredible woman who was very wealthy who donated and payed for tons of things we needed. Because of her help, even though we were a public school, we had one of the absolute best music programs around!

In class 2/19/09

My first impressions, for the most part, were accurate. I knew a lot already about marching band because I was in one myself and I have a close friend in the specific marching band in which I’m doing my field study. I understand the factors that play into the way a band room is formatted, for example. The band room was created to have acoustics that would enhance the sound of the band, and give them a good spacious area to practice.
At times I feel very comfortable with these people because a lot of them are my friends. They accept me and make me feel part of the group because they know I was once part of a marching band as well, but when I meet people I didn’t already know they don’t feel as comfortable around me because they know I’m not a part of their group. They don’t know that I was in marching band, and that I’m friends with so many of the people in their band.
I am still able to tell that I’m an outsider though. When I’m with a group of my friends just talking they will begin talking about sections of their show. They might start singing the music and getting excited about other things they’re working on which I know nothing about. I’m invited to some of the marching band parties, but not all of them because there are still people who aren’t even aware of my existence. Marching band is more of my past then it is my present, and sometimes I forget that when I’m with people in Ball State’s Marching Band. Then there are other times where I seem to smacked across the face with that information.

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Blog 6

"Pride of Mid-America Marching Band." Facebook. 18 Feb. 2009. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pride-of-Mid-Ame.

Nolder, Autumn "Strutting with 'Pride'." Ball State Daily News 27 Sep. 2008. http://www.bsudailynews.com/home/index.cfm?event=d.

My first source with be very handy in finding first hand experiences on what goes on within in the Marching Band. It wouldn't help for finding out a lot of proven facts, but it's definitely better for trying to find out about the personalities of the people within this sub-culture. The second source is an article put out by the Ball State Daily News. The article talks about some of the responsiblities put upon the student leadership within the band. Also, it explains few traditions that the band follows together. The author interviewed a couple of people, mainly one of the drum majors, but also a couple section leaders as well. They talked about their experiences of being in Ball State's Marching Band as well as their past marching bands. The information was first hand so it seems like a very reliable source.
These are both great sources for my ethnography. I can use the facebook page to contact people and possibly perform group interviews. I can also use it to simply observe how they interact with one another on their wall, a space where they can post thoughts and comments to each other. The article is a wonderful source because she has done some of my work for me. She interviewed the drum major which I probably would not have been able to rig for myself. She has different perspectives from different people than the ones I will be interviewing.

Box 18

They all file into this one room, which no matter how many people go in, it never seems to fill up. Every day music majors from my classes grab their instruments and squeeze into a room that doesn’t seem very big, but manages to find a place for each of them. There’s not a lot to say about this room when it’s empty; just four white walls and a hard wood floor. There’s one large window at the front of the room that’s usually covered with a long white curtain so that your mind won’t wonder as you’re supposed to be focusing on their music. What makes this room spectacular is when it’s full to burst with people and their instruments filling the room with music. In this room the band director becomes king and dictator, and everything he says must be followed by his loyal subjects. The room is also buzzing with his minions; for example there’s the percussion minion, the brass guy, the woodwind specialist, (etc.). These people are there to make sure that each and every section is pulling their weight to keep the band at its best. The band room is a key focal point for a marching band. This is the place where they grow and learn about their music and about each other.

Trip

It was all so incredibly exciting! The lights, the sounds, the muggy air and the people who looked down when you acknowledged them gave this wonderful place it's air of "I'm too good for you" sophistication. There's no place like New York City! It was an absolutely freezing winter and I was ecstatic about every minute of it! The buildings were so tall they seemed to morf into part of the sky! The air was crisp, and with every breath of smog and sewage I knew this was a place I'd never forget. There are people everywhere you look in New York; the sidewalks, the streets, the park, and the buildings pack people in them like sardines. The people ride around in a hole in the ground! Nowhere else can you truly get the experience of shoving your way into a small metal tube that hurls you through the dark sewers at lightening speed, and you're constantly trying to regain the personal bubble you lost the moment you stepped foot in this glorious city.

Posting 5

I plan for my ethnography to spend a lot more time interviewing people, and maybe trying to get more perspectives on the subject than that of just my roommate’s. I might try actually going to a rehearsal and listening for awhile, not only to hear what they sound like, but also to better understand how they run their rehearsals. I’d like to find out what the band director might say to inspire them to work their hardest and sound their best. I would also love to see the reactions of the students, and how they respond; if they have any special ways of making fun of their leader, if they spend a lot of time just goofing around or do they spend more time diligently working? There’s so much I can simply observe, like their rehearsal patterns; do they simply just run through each piece, or do they take time to go over each and every note and section? The only I really worry about is maybe how I’m going to fill up 14 pages of things about my ethnography. I understand I’ll be putting several pages together, but I don’t know how much more I can really say about marching band. I suppose with a lot of research I can find more to say if I need to.

Box 15 re-written

The smell of the beautiful wood that covers the ceiling and walls of my church always trigger some of my favorite memories. I can remember that smell filling my nose as I ran through the halls, even though I wasn't supposed to run in church, brushing my hand across the rough textured brick walls. The smooth ivory keys of the piano in the drafty choir room moved up and down with ease at the light touch of my fingers. To wake up on a Sunday was so different from waking up any other day! I didn't have to drag myself to school, but instead I could go to the place I feel closest to my father in heaven! I would get to hear the glorious sounds of the choir and orchestra lifting praise to God! I'd hear the comforting sound of my minister's voice speaking so lovingly of the same father that we both share. I love that place.

Box 15

One of the places I feel the happiest is my home church. I’ve gone there as far back as I can remember! I’ve always loved it there. My church was full of adventures, one after another. My parents played in the orchestra, and they would bring my brother and me to rehearsals with them. We would listen and sometimes I would dance around the entire sanctuary! I loved all the beautiful hymns. We have always had a huge church orchestra. I would listen to the flowing sound of the strings, and get swept away into the beauty of the music. As we got older, my brother and I would leave the sanctuary and go exploring throughout the entire church! My church is still one of the biggest I’ve ever seen! We knew that church backwards and forwards. We knew where ever trap door was, and where to find anything we thought we needed at the time. There’s nowhere I feel more at home then in my church, and around the people I grew up knowing. When I’m in my church I also have the obvious feeling of being close to God. I could spend hours walking around sections of the church that no one’s been to in a year, just talking to God about anything and everything I can think of. I also loved finding a room with a piano in it. I would sit and play forever, because I was taking piano lessons at the time. These are just some of the wonderful memories I have built over the years about my church. I will always love that place. I plan to get married there. I love that place.

Blog 4

All marching bands share certain lingo that they use to get things done. Even though they all have language in common they are also very different. My marching band was very different from Ball State’s marching band. My band learns one show every year, and The Pride of Mid-America learns a new show every two weeks during football season. I’ve discovered that the people in Ball State’s band also act very differently from what I’m used to as well. They don’t share all of the same traditions as my high school band. While, in high school we spend every weekend at a competition, the people here spend their weekends at parties. When we were spending every day after school practicing for two hours, Ball State’s marching band practices only three times a week. A geographical factor is the difference between Indiana marching bands and Texas marching bands. Both states produce some of the best bands in the country, but the way they get to that level completely differs. Some Texas bands actually learn a show over a period of two or three years and when it’s perfected they come to Indiana to win every competition! All marching bands are slightly different, but still very similar in a lot of ways. There’s still so much I can learn about their differences.

Box 12

My Efforts

• The Best voice teacher at Ball State
• Tons of friends
• A Performing Arts Scholarship from my High School
• Getting to skip my first 2 years of piano

No Effort

• My family owns a piano
• My family owns several televisions
• The opportunity to go on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico
• A car
• My parents can afford my college tuition
• I live in a free country
• I live in a democracy- I have input in my government
• A good singing voice
• I went to a great High School
• My parents could afford to get me instruments and reeds for playing oboe.
• I look young for my age which doesn't help me now, but later on I will be thankful for.

I consider myself to be a very privileged person. Some of it is from hard work and dedication, but a lot of it comes from my luck of being born in a free country, full of opportunity, and having middle class parents with steady jobs that are able to support me. I was born into a good home and a good family. My parents can afford to send me to college without me having to pay my way through. I was lucky to be born in America where I have input into my government. I have the freedom to follow whatever religion I please. This is important because I was able to learn and hear about Christianity from my parents and church, and because my country supports me in my decision I am more likely to stick with what I believe without fear. I am a vocal performacnce major, but this was made easy because I was born with a beautiful voice. A lot of hard work has also gone into creating the sound I have now, but I wouldn't be able to sound this way if I wasn't born with that talent.