Week 15

Throughout this semester of English 104 my writing has definitely changed. I feel like before I took this class my writing was not a structured. I would not always follow the logical lines of explaination to get my point across, I would try to make it interesting rather than informative or both if possible. I suppose what I'm saying is that this class has taught me it's okay to simply explain, or report, on what I've gained from my research. I don't have to necessarily entertain my audience all the time. I have also learned a lot more about incorporating my research into my writing. This was not a skill I was particularly good at before I too this class. I would do the research and then forget to put it into my paper entirely. Now I am better at bringing my readers along with me in my research rather than telling them everything I know from my own knowledge bank. I believe this is a skill that will help me appear more credible in any circumstance where I'll need to write. Something I could still work on is citing within my paper. I've definitely grown in doing this more frequently, but there's still a part of me that hates doing it. This has been a great class, but actually a little overbearing. I don't want to appear lazy or anything, but almost everyone I've spoken to in other English 104 classes have not had near the workload that we have had throughout the semester. I think maybe you could back of just a little. For most of us this is simply another core class, and we aren't ever going to put the same heart into it that we would in the classes pertaining to our majors.

Cut-up Story

Hip-hop is a business owned by business men./ Those days are long gone. A lot of rappers now a day have the same goal as the powerful business men so they do what they have to do to sell music even if that means stepping on toes in the process and starting "beef" with other rappers./They all discussed LaRosa with me like I was some celebrity in a movie!/ I just dont have the time or the patience for something like that./ When I think of that day, I think of the sunny, clear skies that hovered overhead; I think of the parking lot jammed full of car, which were at one point jammed full of people hoping to get in a few rounds on this gorgeous day./ My band had always been popular in the high school band world, but to find out that didn't end with college just amazed me.

Week 13 Post

Finding the most significant experience I've ever had at my fieldsite was a difficult job. There's so much I've learned from so many of the times I've been around these people. I suppose the one I find the most significant was when I was standing outside the band room with several other band members, and one of them found out that I was in Lawrence Central's marching band. He immediately asked if I was in LaRosa. I told him that not only had I been in LaRosa, but that I had the oboe solo at the beginning of the show. He stared at me with disbelief and then began to grab every band person who walked by, telling them excitedly that I was the oboe soloist in LaRosa. Every person he grabbed shook my hand congratulating me! They all discussed LaRosa with me like I was some celebrity in a movie! I knew my high school marching band was one of the best, but finding out that people from even the most remote schools knew everything about us was unbelievable! Not only did these people know all about LaRosa (that was the show my band won Grand Nationals with), but they knew almost everything about every other show LC had done within the last 5-7 years! To find out how important following a high school band was to them was almost unexpected to me. My band had always been popular in the high school band world, but to find out that didn't end with college just amazed me.

6 word stories

Personal
I will sing for a dollar!

Subculture
Drum roll, horns up, and march!

My Great Uncle Hal

I often hear a lot about my great uncle Hal. I don't hear much about him at all from my parents or grandparents, except maybe a slight mention. I know he must have done something great though because everytime I meet a new band director of some kind, or anyone invlolved in the high school band world, they ask if I'm related to Hal Meurer. I say yes, though I've never actually met the guy, and I don't really know what makes him so great to everyone who asks that question. It's like some increadible secret society of band directors who know what he's done, but everytime I ask I get the same answer: "He was a really good band director." I have a feeling he was more than that. He must have done something really great for everyone, and I mean everyone, in the band world to know him by name. I come from a long line of band directors, on my dad's side. My grandma and grandpa, and about five of my grandfather's siblings were band directors. My parents are both band directors as well. There are times where people will exlaim excitedly that I'm related to my dad or grandfather, they are both incredible directors, but the minute people realize I'm related to the great Hal Meurer that's all they want to talk about. They go find other band directors and say "She's related to Hal Meurer!" They shake my hand then go off together talking excitedly about my great uncle. They don't take any time out of their conversation to share with me what makes my uncle so great, they just talk about him as if he was some increadible celebrity that's on TV every night. I've come to terms with the fact that all I'll ever really know about him is that he was a "great" band director, but I am curious to meet the guy someday. Oh well.

Glossary of the Marching Band

Mark Time: Lifting your heel off the ground, but not going anywhere (marching in place).
Ten Hut: Call to attention
Order Arms: Holding your instrument out in front of you, halfway from your side to your face.
Arms Up: Holding your instrument up to your face, after you've been at order arms
Blocks: Patterns or sequences where the group marches in a block together, these are memorized and used in practice
Drill: The entire marching sequence of the show.
Charts: The individual pictures displayed by the band standing in formation
Roll Through: To move the foot completely from heel to toe or toe to heel, moving across the whole foot.
Roll Off: The lead snare drum will play a pattern that signals us to bring up our instruments and begin marching or playing.

In Class 3/19/09 Clips

1. I really don't think there would be a lot of differences from the research done then and if I were to do it now. There would be some words that are simply just not used anymore, but not really a difference in the accents. I suppose it's possible that from that time period till today's there might be more people presently spread out across the country with different accents living in the same place.
2. I feel like the study was done mainly on the differences between the far north and far south. There was some of the Mid-west in there, but it concentrated on places like New York and Texas. They could spend more time on maybe some of the slight differences in like the west.
3. According to the study there were a lot of people who really didn't like others because of their accent. People think that others are stupid or not as polite as others just because of the way they talk.

3 Questions

1. My informant pulled my right into the middle of their culture. She brought me to band parties where most of them gather to hang out. She parades me around as I am obviously a face that most of them don’t recognize, and she’s constantly introducing me to everyone she sees.
2. I have my own ideas about how marching band should work. These are based off of my own experience in high school marching band. My informant is part of the trumpet section so she may not know a lot about how other sections in the band interact or how the leadership of the band might view things differently. She was also in high school band, so I’m sure at some point she had to face some of the differences between the two. My informant and I have a strong bond as roommates and best friends. I’ve known her since I was about 4 years old, and there’s almost nothing she won’t tell me.
3. Her speech is very similar to mine.

Blog 9

Some of the most difficult points in my research have been finding a lot of information specific to Ball State’s marching band, The Pride of Mid-America. There’s information out there about marching band, and I can always do interviews with people in Ball State’s band, but if I want to find something written about the band, that’s a lot more difficult to find. The easiest part of this project has been actually getting to feel welcome in my field site. Having a close friend within the band has helped a lot in trying to feel comfortable with the marching band people, and helps them all to feel more comfortable with me. I suppose if I could change anything I would’ve tried to set up more interviews with other people. I’ve learned a lot from Marta, my roommate, but I haven’t heard a very different perspective from Marta’s. Keeping a blog has really helped me to follow along and keep up with my research. By having to answer the blog questions I know if my research is up to date or if I’m falling behind.

Blog 8

One of the main themes I’ve focused on throughout my research is the difference between high school and college marching band. I was a part of high school marching band so I understand a lot already about this subculture, but I have never participated in college marching band which is the subculture I’m studying, Ball State’s marching band to be specific. So, though I am very familiar with one side of the marching band world, there is a part of this culture I know almost nothing about. As I keep learning I hope to uncover those differences to better understand all sides, especially my subculture. I think a lot of the people within my subculture recognized the differences between high school and college marching band. Most of them made this transition, though there are a few who have not. As a freshman it is difficult for some of them to get used to a new director, new friends, and a completely different way of running things. Throughout this learning process I have grown closer to some of the people in the band. We have a lot in common and spend most of the time talking about high school marching bands. Once people realized what high school I came from, we always have something to talk about. (My high school was considered one of the best there is by everyone in the band world) I don’t know if I would consider myself almost a part of their subculture, but I often feel very included. They’re really accepting of me because I share a love for their art.

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.