So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight

Looking back on the entire course of public speaking, I have seen a huge improvement in myself and my ability to give a really good speech.  The goals that I had for myself at the beginning of the class were, 

Goals:

1.) One goal that I wish to achieve in this class is being able to speak confidentially in front of any number of people.  I am not the worst public speaker, but I am never really confident that what I am saying is important or if it is any good.  I want to learn how to be comfortable in front of a large group of people, or if I'm nervous (which it is normal to be), I want to learn techniques to present a calm front and be able to communicate my ideas or beliefs eloquently and confidently.

2.) Another goal I have for this class is to control my body language while speaking in order not to distract my listeners.  When I get nervous I tend to blush, play with my hands, rock back and forth or not make eye contact.  I wish to be able to control these habits so that the people listening will only be paying attention to the message I am presenting, rather than being distracted but my mannerisms instead.

3.) My final goal in this class is to be able to memorize a speech and deliver the message as if I am taking on the character I need to be to get the meaning across. I have always just read my speeches word for word, rarely making eye contact, and it seems robotic and not fluid.  I wish to be able to know what I want to say and have a general idea of what the speech will include, but to also take on my message personally, getting into the speech even if I need to improvise every once in awhile.

Now looking over time I see that I achieved my first goal, to give a confident speech.  I have given many speeches over the course of the year and each one I have been less nervous and more secure in front of many people.  The speeches that stick out to me the most are the one I gave in front of the whole school and the last speech I gave for my Ted Talk.  For both of them I was passionate about my topic and wasn't nervous to talk about it.  I was able to get through with a clear strong voice and people loved both speeches.  I saw a huge improvement in myself in both of them.  Another goal I accomplished was my body language. I learned from this course to use body language only when it is effective so as not to look nervous.  In my final speech for the class, watching myself, I only used my hands a couple times for emphasis but otherwise I looked calm and confident.  My last goal was to be able to memorize of take on a character to give a good message in a speech.  I even accomplished this both in my monologue and also in my spoken word poetry.  Memorization isn't as scary as it was when I first started the class, and looking forward to giving my senior speech, I am confident I will combine all my accomplished goals to be able to really give a great delivery.  

One thing that I have gotten better at but always need to be conscious to continue working on is my volume and speed of my speech. In the beginning of the class, I was very quiet and barely audible. Not make matters worse, I also read my speeches extremely fast and really lost the audience in places.  At the end, I have made a conscious effort to speak more slowly and I am very proud of myself for this.  I have also learned to be confident and speak loudly which is also helping me give effective speeches for audiences to enjoy.  

The biggest things I will take away from this class is all of the techniques that go into a great speech and also the many different types of public speaking. Going forward, I will always use these techniques because I will always have to speak publically in my life, so now I feel that I can give a great speech with all of the tools I have learned.

"How to Save a Life" Through Music- TedTalk

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tHRIvpdBHAA

Final Delivery of Speech

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uTex3BDiF1A

When Will My Self Reflection Show

After giving the final draft of my speech in front of the class, I felt very confident in its quality and the progress I have made since my first draft.  I feel that the content in my speech has come together really well, incorporating the research I did on music but also capturing my ultimate love for it perfectly.  I hope that when giving the speech, my excitement for music and the hapiness I get when talking about it is visible in my presentation of my speech.  It was something I worked on to really convince my audience how passionate I really am about this topic, but then I realized I really didn't need to work on showing my enthusiasm because after I was comfortable giving this speech I wrote, the excitement part was easy and very real.  One major thing that I was concerned about when giving my speech was reading it too fast and losing the attention of my listeners.  After giving my final, recorded speech though, I felt really confident when speaking, was able to add all of the effects and emphasis to certain points while I talked, and also I felt as if my pacing was perfect.  Whenever I felt myself speeding up, I was able to slow down and really give a clear depiction on how I believe music is one of the most powerful outlets in life.  

Even though we were able to read our speeches in front of us, I felt that I still had a really firm grasp on what I was talking about and also what I had written.  While reading, I found mistakes in my writing and also there were times where the promoter went a little slower than I was reading. I'm felt as though I was able to continue with my speech smoothly because I knew what was coming next in result of me really knowing my speech well.  I was able to fix my mistakes on the spot and also added a couple things here and there while I was talking if I felt as though my speech needed it and it worked well in it. I was also able to control my body movements as well even though I was nervous when giving my speech.  My feet stayed perfectly planted on the ground the entire time I spoke, and I was able to use my hands only when necessary.  I used my hands sometimes when I was emphasizing a strong point or if I was showing excitement for something I was saying, but I didn't not fidget with my hands in a way that would make me look nervous.  

Overall, I really enjoyed creating and presenting this speech because it was about a topic that I love to talk about.  One of the requirements to graduate is to give a senior speech that works under the "This I believe..." format.  I feel as though this speech will work perfectly and I will not be nervous anymore to present it.  If I read it over time and time again, I will become even more comfortable with it and the memorization will come more easily.  I am excited to add all of the elements in my Ted Talk that will make this speech from really good to great.

"How to Save" a Draft

One strength that I have in my speech is the research I was able to include but also without just throwing it into my speech. I was able to reference the article or information briefly but this research also added to the content of my speech. It made my speech credible but also interesting and supported my own personal ideas.  Another strength I had was adding my own personal connection at the end. It helps to keep my readers interested and also shows how passionate I am for this subject. Not convinces my audience and keeps their attention.  I also think the singing at the end will really excite my audience.  Everyone seems excited to hear me sing and I know it will both add to my speech and make the ending interesting but also memorable.

One thing I need to work on that is wrong with my speech is going from written to spoken. When writing an essay, things are ordered and phrased to be read, not spoken.  When first reading my speech aloud, I noticed that certain things I wouldn't say the way they were written and had to go back and fix a lot of the phrasing.  Also, i have to work on not sounding like I am reading from the TelePrompTer.  At certain points, I tend to rush, so by slowing down and taking pauses, this will make the speech flow better, be easier to understand, and also keep it seeming like I'm not just reading. 

It is going to be both easy and a challenge getting the readers to feel my passion when I am speaking.  I am extremely passionate about music and get so excited when I get to speak about it, but sometimes I get so lost in my speech I lose the feel I am trying to convey.  I need to be more animated without feeling silly to really convince the audience that music is my life and what I love, which really shouldn't be that hard with a little practice because both of those statements are true.  I am also really good at using my body when speaking.  I feel that when using your hands in a speech or walking around a little bit back and forth, this is a more interactive form of speech and also shows your passion for the subject you are speaking about.  The only trick here is that I don't want to appear nervous or figity when doing this.  I have to practice and get into a rhythm so it feels rehearsed or natural and not out of anxiety.   

While watching the Torres in the class, i san how we'll they paced their speeches and I want to achieve that when I deliver.  It was easy to follow most of their speeches without getting bored or lost.  Also, watching My showed me the kind of interaction with her body language that I feel is affective.  I want to use some of this when I deliver my speech.

"How to Save a Life" through Music

So girls, how many of you have seen the TV series, One Tree Hill? And boys, let's face it, you all know you've probably heard of it too, don't lie.  One of the main characters of the show, Peyton Sawyer, had a traumatic life as a young adult growing up. There were many times where she hit rock bottom due to the trials and tribulations of life, feeling so depressed, so mad, or so scared, that she felt she could not go on any longer.  Peyton had a strong passion for music, though, and in a quote from her to her unborn daughter, she explains how her love of music had saved her, as well,as the power it has to save others.  She says, "The Honorary Title, Matthew Ryan, The Cure, Audio Slave, Hayley James-Scott, they are all on here.  It's music to set your life to, and music always helps, no matter what you're going through.  So, if you flunk a big test, or you have a really bad breakup, or you just miss someone so bad it hurts, then listen to my playlist '100 Songs to Save Your Life,' and it should help." For those of you who know me by now have definitely heard that, just like Peyton, music is my passion.  It is one of the things I love most in my life and it, too, has saved me during my hardest, and darkest times. I believe in music.  I believe in music so strongly that I know it has the power to change, to save a life, any life, and also it has the potential to be a major factor of importance to anyone and everyone, across the globe and around the world.

I believe that music is underappreciated.  Many people believe they know exactly what music is, but there is so much more to music than what meets the ear. To some, music may just be a bunch of songs, sounds or melodies that people can listen to, sing along to. Music is so much more than just background noise though.  In an article called, "Music" from Grolier Online, music is described as an art, that communicates ideas, feelings or states of mind that has the purpose of influencing and stirring the listener.  This description of music is one of the most important aspects, in my opinion.  It has the power to make someone happy when listening to a happy tune, but can instantly make one sad when listening to a sad ballad. Music has been used widely in more everyday activities than most people stop to think about.  It is used in military and athletic activities, education, dance, and is even a huge part of religion.  In an article called "I Believe in Music," the author Sandra Wilder states, "music is a powerful vehicle for transferring emotion.  It's scope of influence can be seen in a broad, public sense and shared with many people simultaneously.  Or, it can convey the most private, intimate thoughts that only two people can share.  One piece of music can mean the same thing to different people at the same time, or it can have different message to the same person at different times depending on what's going on in their life.  When I look around my life and my world, I find countless examples of how music is familiar, but new; timeless, but ever changing; publics, but very private- all at the same time." (Put up quote on PowerPoint) I couldn't have found a better quote to exemplifying exactly how I feel about music.  This woman, like me, has a strong passion for music, but sees its dual function in the world, on people, and this quote really captures the multiple powers of influence that music has over people all over the world, or just one person in general.  

I believe that music has the power to save lives.  One example of the power of music globally is the program El Sistema.  El Sistema is a program that is dedicated to introducing music and instruments into the lives of undeserved or at-risk children.  This program is centered in about 54 different countries.  This shows that music has the power to be a distraction, or a relief from the struggles of daily life.  It has the power to give children hope in order to find hapiness in an unfortunate situation.  One of the most interesting studies I discovered while researching music one day was the use of music as therapy.  Music is now being used in order to heal patients who are traumatized emotionally, mentally, and physically.  Music can helpe premature babies drink formula more and also help babies to sleep.  Music can help cancer patients, people suffering from chronic pain, and people who have suffered brain injuries.  Music can even be used in order to work with autistic patients.  Therefore, it is clear that music has many functions throughout life and it is important for people to realize all of the beneficial qualities of music in order to appreciate it more often.  It is important not to take advantage of music and its importance in our daily lives, and start to recognize the benefits in order to use them to our advantages.

I also believe that music has transformed my entire life and also my entire being.  I remember many times in my life where music was my only outlet for my feelings.  When my parents got divorced, I listened to music in order to get through it, angry music, maybe, but it still helped me cope. When I went through a terrible breakup, you can't even begin to imagine how many sappy love songs I listened to in order to heal. There are times though when I was happy, like when starting a new and healthy relationship.  Listening to romantic and happy, or just fun music is my way of expressing emotions in that respect.  I also love to dance and without music I wouldn't be able to move around to anything! Music is a vital piece in my life.  Ask my family, there isn't a moment that music isn't playing from my phone, from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to bed.  I literally feel empty without it playing, crazy ik!, but so true. I tell my best friend almost everyday, "I wish I had a background track for every moment of my life, just like in the movies, it would make my life so much more interesting!" One day I hope to be able to work in the music industry in order to use my passion to spread that passion to others around the world for others and also let it be my daily job.  I have so many future passions and dreams that I hope to pursue in the near future, but all of them express my creativity and are not just typical aspirations.  I want adventure and excitement in my life and a perfect song that exemplifies this is from my all time favorite play and movie, Beauty in the Beast. This song is Belle the Reprise and in this song, Belle sings of wanting more just like me and it goes a little something like this:

(Sing Belle Reprise.)

Thank you. 

                                                                   Works Cited

"Music." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2014. Web. 10, Nov. 2014.

Juslin, Patrik N. and Va ̈stfja ̈ll, Daniel. Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. http://nemcog.smusic.nyu.edu/docs/JuslinBBSTargetArticle.pdf. 2014. Web. 10, Nov. 2014.

http://www.elsistemausa.org/el-sistema-around-the-world.htm(El Sistema Website, about tab)

 

 

El sistema [videorecording] : music to change life

a production of EuroArts Music International in co-production with ARTE France, NHK and SF, SVT, YLE, ETV, TVP and Knowledge Network, Wilder, Sandra Call. "I believe in music." Student Research Center. EBSCOhost, 2014. Web,. 9 November, 2014. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=745abdba-2429-4f97-99af-fc9c4da271cc%40sessionmgr110&vid=0&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=khh&AN=9605282159

Mix it All Together and You Get the Makings of a Ted Talk

During my research on the Library Catalog, I found a DVD there is an El Sistema DVD on the power of music to change life.  This will be useful to me in my speech because I am discussing how music changed my life and how it can sometimes save people in their lives.  This includes a bit on how people introduced music into children's lives who come from poor backgrounds.  These children have nothing in their lives but with the power of music and the introduction of instruments into their lives, it had the power to heal them or inspire hope in their lives.

In another article from the Grolier database, it gives an over view of music in general.  It states how music communicates to people through feelings or states of mind to people's emotions or states of mind.  It also tells how music is important in many different aspects of daily life for different people, such as in athletic and military arts, religious ceremonies and also dance and drama.  It also states that music is intended to "stir and influence the listener".

In an article called, "The Healing Power of Music", it talks about how music is now being used in actual therapy to treat many types of people that need help in their lives.  For example, babies need music to fall asleep now,  to treat children with trauma relief or depression.  It is said that laughter is the best medicine but now music might be.  This helps my argument which is that music has the power to lift people out of hard places and get them to a better place.

Lastly in an article called, "I Believe in Music", it talks about how music transfers emotions. It is the purpose of song and the author gives a personal example, like I will do for my speech and may get good ideas from this article on how to structure my own personal story.

Ted Talk Critique- Ryan Holladay

http://YouTube.be/STrklslfqV8

4 Research Materials for Ted Tallks: Music

"Music." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2014. Web. 10, Nov. 2014.

Juslin, Patrik N. and Va ̈stfja ̈ll, Daniel. Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. http://nemcog.smusic.nyu.edu/docs/JuslinBBSTargetArticle.pdf. 2014. Web. 10, Nov. 2014.

http://www.elsistemausa.org/el-sistema-around-the-world.htm(El Sistema Website, about tab)

 

One Tree Hill Season 6 Episode 22 Peytons Goodbye Video - YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMjnRWECgJk

May 6, 2009 - Uploaded by Tinl

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7c/The_Fray_-_How_to_Save_a_Life.jpg/477px-The_Fray_-_How_to_Save_a_Life.jpg

http://berlinfilmcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Sistema1.jpg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rkBvhnri5s0

http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120702170001/disney/images/1/12/Belle_Reprise.png

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gn8fZNAvW-M

 

El sistema [videorecording] : music to change life

a production of EuroArts Music International in co-production with ARTE France, NHK and SF, SVT, YLE, ETV, TVP and Knowledge Network, Wilder, Sandra Call. "I believe in music." Student Research Center. EBSCOhost, 2014. Web,. 9 November, 2014. <http://web.b.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=745abdba-2429-4f97-99af-fc9c4da271cc%40sessionmgr110&vid=0&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=khh&AN=9605282159

What will you Ted Talk?

1.) music

2.) underage drinking, lowering the drinking age

3.) overcoming heartbreak and loss

4.) rules restricting minors when driving

The Universal Language of Song

http://www.ted.com/talks/daria_van_den_bercken_why_i_take_the_piano_on_the_road_and_in_the_air

This is the Ted Talk that spoke to me the most out of them all because, like me, this woman has a strong love and passion for music.  She sees the way music can make you feel a million mixed emotions and wishes to spread the beauty of this music around the world or to as many people as she can.  She brilliantly touches on the appreciation of younger kids when listening to music but feels that as people get older, they start to use judgment instead of just listening along to the music and letting it take you wherever it is supposed to, emotion-wise.

The way she talked, even with her thick accent was a good, slow pace and she annunciated the words most important to her purpose for speaking, which is inspiring people to love her music.  It was great that she interacted with the audience, playing the video and also the piano live, in order to keep the audience intrigued and entertained.  It was a moving speech that kept me excited to continue my passion for music and also inspired me to keep spreading my passion to everyone I touch in my life as well.  

When You Look Back in the Mirror, and the Image is Somewhat Changed

For the many people who believe a public speaking class can't really improve the way a person can present in public, this opinion was proven wrong based on the amount of growth I have made in my own public speeches halfway through the semester.  

One of my very first goals for this class was to be able to speak more confidently in front of a large number of people.  I had stated that I was not a poor speaker, but that I was never confident that what I was saying was interesting or correct.  Today, I made a speech about my summer when I pursued my venture, granted to me by the venture grant committee in school, and this is where I saw the most growth for me so far in the year.  Like normal, I was very nervous to go up and I fantasized every way in which my presentation could go wrong.  Although I was nervous, I was confident in my abilities to speak in front of an audience.  When I went up to the podium, I had PowerPoint presentations to look at and notes, but I was confident in the story I was telling and was able to keep good eye contact with my audience and speak from the heart rather than from reading. This was one thing I noted in my third goal that I improved.  I showed significant growth in my confidence, I didn't stutter, I didn't take long pauses that showed I lost my thoughts and I spoke loudly, clearly and at an okay pace.  The only thing I feel like I still need to work on is my pacing.  I was in a pressure situation today, so the pacing was okay to be a little rushed, but next time I would like to focus on speaking a little bit slower to make sure everyone understands me completely.  

I also improved my second goal.  I blushed but it wasn't as noticeable, and I didn't show uncomfortable body language.  I was able to make good eye contact with the audience and even though I used my hands a lot, it was not to play nervously with them, but to emphasize my passion for the topic I was discussing. 

One goal that I have for myself for the rest of the class is to continue projecting my voice loudly and confidently.  I have a tendency to be a very quiet speaker and when I'm nervous I present my speech like I'm not confident.  I'm doing a much better job with this already and want to be able to do it perfectly by the end of the class.   Another goal I have for myself is continue memorizing my speeches and have them come from the heart and memory.  I felt that my presentation today was powerful because I was clearly speaking not from what the slides behind me were saying but from my memory of the summer and how much I loved talking about what I want to do in the future.  The audience could feel my passion and by telling most of the facts by memory, people could tell I was credible giving my speech.  Although this is one of the harder and scarier tasks when speaking publicly, it is almost the most important.  Overall I am overly pleased with my progress and can't wait to make more as the class goes on.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble....It's Debate Time

My personal positions on the chosen debate topics are:

-homework should NOT be banned

-video games ARE too violent

Homework Being Banned: Pros and Cons

Cons:

-promotes good studying habits 

-reduces time watching tv, playing video games, texting, etc(using any form of technology which is less beneficial for the brain)

-gives practice for the lessons learned in class so that a student can get used to the material and also perfect it (muscle memory)

-helps students to get better scores on tests

-let's parents see what their children are doing in school

-life is always filled with things we don't like to do but we have to do them in order to get better or we have to follow rules

-teaches self discipline, time management and many more non academic life skills

-helps in preparation for standardized testing, which school systems are obsessed with (the results and scores)

-helps students think more deeply on subjects, reviewing notes 

Pros:

-students get frustrated if homework is not graded quickly and they cannot learn what they did wrong or if they are doing the material right

-causes stress and is more of a burden than it is helpful, most students just do busy work and are not really trying in their homework to understand, just want credit and good grades

-can interfere with family life and spending quality time with certain people (friends, family, boyfriends or girlfriends) and can also get in the way of helping out around students' houses (chores, shopping, etc.)

-students can cheat on homework and have family members, friends or tutors do it for them

-homework prevents students from sleeping enough, students go to bed too late doing homework or wake up early to finish, most students are too tired from the day to do more work and don't perform to the best of their abilities

-adolescents need to also have a social life to experience the younger, easier times in life( play sports, work, community service, hobbies like music, etc.)

-studies show that homework has no direct effect on performance on testing and grades

-takes the joy out of learning for students, makes school a second shift and students are less enthusiastic 

Video Games Being Violent: Pros and Cons

Pros:

-many kids know the difference of reality vs. fantasy so it is merely a form of meaningless entertainment

-if used in moderation, they can enhance motor coordination and can also help children to analyze a situation quickly and react even quicker

-can be a form of stress relief for children 

-helps concentration on visual ideas and images

-can help children with an interest in any division of the armed forced to get a sense of what they are about and can also prepare them for what being enlisted entails 

Cons:

-gives children a cold-hearted view of th world and people, may produce aggressive thoughts, actions and attitudes

-whe the game presents an image of the player being the shooter, it allows for the child to be desensitized in the sense of killing another living being( shooting, knifing, etc.)

-used to train in the military to get used to killing, not to train young boys for fun

-gets in the way of schoolwork and studying, chores, socializing, etc.

-people involved in school shootings were invested in "first-person" violent video games

-more fearful of the world and people 

-can also affect a child's diet and physical activity, unhealthy

ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html

http://homeworkstress.weebly.com

http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/video_games_cons_pros

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/The_Homework_Debate/?page=2

http://eduflow.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/homework-harmful-or-helpful/

Perfection of Spoken Word Poetry

 This spoken word poetry assignment was extremely helpful, a little more so than the monologue, in getting used to the reality of speaking to a public audience in order to persuade them.  It was less about taking on a character and more about conveying a message or a story to the listeners.  It also shows how powerful music can be when added to a speech or for audience members because it can really emphasize the general mood of the speech, getting the message across more effectively. 

The most effective spoken word projects were the ones where the music fit perfectly with the mood of the poem and whose speakers were comfortable performing along to the music.  For example, Jade's poem was one of the most powerful ones for me.  After getting over the initial struggle of the memorization of the poem, it was more about being comfortable delivering the actual stanzas.   Jade delivered lines from a poem that told a story of the main character of his poem.  His voice rose and fell accordingly with the emphasis he needed on certain lines of the poem, we were able to feel the raw emotion, the sadness and despair of the slave, just from his words and his delivery.  The music was perfect for the poem and really emphasized the sadness of the poem.  He was able to keep a steady rhythm and delivering with a perfect pace.  Jade made great eye contact and seemed confident while performing.  He stood still and used his hands every so often to add emphasis to a line or two.  The memorization was perfect and he really got a handle on what he had to say.  I was really moved most by Jade's performance, it had made great progress from the first try and I enjoyed watching his takes.  

In my own performance I was very pleased with how I progressed from my first take to the final.  I felt better after this project even more so than I did after my monologue.  After finally memorizing all of my lines, which was easier considering I was delivering an original poem that I created, and picking the perfect music that was serious but had an even tempo for the message I was conveying, the rest was all about nailing my performance.  On my first take I stood still with my hands clasped and I wasn't into the true meaning of my poem, and I felt it could have been better.  It was tricky also to remember the words along with the music because it was hard not to get taken over by the speed and volume of it.  I then felt it would be more powerful if I were to move around from stanza to stanza, and also use my hands to act out some of the visuals in my poem.  This really intrigued the audience more and I was able to center my thoughts on delivering my lines really well.  I was able to work on speaking louder and I really was able to project my voice, even better than I did in my final take of my monologue. The only thing I could have fixed more would have been my pacing and my speed.  I tended to see that I rushed or said lines faster than I wanted to deliver them, so next time I would slow it down to get more emphasis and better pronunciation.  

Debate top choices from topics

1.) Animal testing should be banned (#52)

2.) Parents should be allowed to choose their baby's gender (#51)

3.) Video games are too violent (#39)

4.) Students should be allowed to leave for lunch (#11)

5.) Year round education is not a good idea for student learning (#6)

6.) All students should have an after school job (#1)

Spoken Word Poetry- Perfection

http://youtu.be/Va6Aus6nKkk

Perfection

Have you ever experienced perfection?

Not many people have,

and many dream of the different ways in which perfection can be achieved.

Perfection may be different for many people though.

Perfection can be as simple as the stars twinkling bright against the dark-black midnight sky.

Perfection can be the explosion of a firework,

its lasting image remaining high up in the sky, 

admired intimately by its beholder. 

Large grins spread across faces as the familiar echo of the inviting boom is recognized,

and it too is admired with great appreciation.

Perfection, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.

Perfection can be experienced in a moment of pure happiness,

and can be forgotten just easily as it can come.

A long, lost friend once said that perfection can come with a person.

This one person resembled perfection, 

and whenever that person was present, no other moment has ever been more perfect.

Everything at that moment falls into place,

just with the arrival of that one special being.

This next statement may seem crazy, 

but all of these smaller moments of perfection can blend together into one single moment,

with that one special person,

and then and only then,

has true perfection been achieved.

So I’ll pose the question again,

and think intently before you answer.

Have you really ever experienced perfection?

The Twilight Saga: "New Monologue"

        The monologues that worked the best during this week of presentations were the ones where the presenter could do more than just memorize, but they really  took on their chosen character to convice us. These presentations had the biggest impact on me.  Mi is a great example of a great presentation.  She had memorized her monologue early on, but that was not even close to the most impressive part. Mi had great pronunciation, she was able to amplify her voice to give us the words she was speaking very clearly.  Most of all though she took on her character perfectly and really made me see how crazy her girl was supposed to be.  I was engaged in her monologue because it felt as if she wasn't herself, but the character she was pretending to be.  She really had me scared for a little bit.  Mi made this monologue into a performance and not just a speech.  She did not lose the meaning either, making it an extremely impressive, well-done presentation.  

          I was extremely impressed with the outcome of my monologue as well.  I only had to do three takes and after the third one I had captured an extremely solid monologue from "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" spoken as the main character Bella.  The hardest part for me was remembering the sequences of my monologue but really taking on Bella's character while trying to also make it my own. The memorization wasn't as hard for me as for others because I had seen this movie many of times and loved it so I really knew the story and the characters well.  It was hard thought to get the proper lines in order though because my monologue was compiled of a series of different emails Bella sends to "Alice's email".  In order to capture the effect of writing to a person without expecting a response, but also keeping engaged with my audience, I decided to write letters instead for my monologue.  I also chose to write down the first line of every email to keep me on track.  Bella is both an easy yet hard character to portray.  In this monologue she is supposed to be going through the lowest point of depression, but at certain points better things happen than bad.  It was hard to maintain a tone of depression, but add variety while also ,asking it my own take on the character.  I felt that I also improved my volume, which was quiet on the first take, as I presented a couple times.  I feel like that is what I still need to work on going forward, really projecting my voice so everyone hears what I have to say clearly.

Spoken word poetry: Ed Sheeran "Take it Back"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_9S-213b0

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Monologue (as Bella)

http://youtu.be/PWS6BjvRnMc

Script: 

           Alice: you've disappeared like everything else.  Who else can I talk to, I'm lost.  When you left, and he left, you took everything with you.  But the absence of him is everywhere I look.  It's like a huge hole has been punched through my chest.  But in a way I'm glad...the pain is my only reminder that he was real...that you all were.

           Alice: I saw him.  Maybe I'm crazy now, I guess that's okay.  If a rush of danger is what it takes to see him, then that's what I'll find.

           Alice: I wish I had your real address.  I wish I could tell you about Jake.  He makes me feel better.  I mean...he makes me feel alive.  The hole in my chest...well when I'm with Jake, it's like it's almost healed...for awhile.  But even Jake can't keep the dreams away.

           Alice: Things are...things are bad again.  Without Jake, I...I can't stand it.  I don't see Edward anymore...will it ever feel like he never existed?  I will find a place where I can see him again.

           Alice: Is it possible that everything is true?  Fairy tales and horror stories?  Is it possible that there isn't anything sane or normal at all?

           Alice: I'm alright.  Until I'm alone.  And lately that's all the time.  Jacob's gone, he's hunting Victoria.  And Charlie's hunting Jacob.  And you're gone, and so is Edward.  And there's just nothing now.  But I realize where I have to go, what I have to do to see him again.

Andrew Fezza Art Gallery

After going to see Andrew Fezza and his gallery I learned a lot about the journey to being successful and how it happens.  Andrew went to school for a different major than fashion.  After a little while of college he switched his major and first focused on women's fashion while living in New York City.  This is something that reassured me because I am not one hundred percent positive of what I want to do and it is comforting to know that you don't have to carry out the profession you first decide when going to college for the rest or your life or if you end up discovering a different passion.  Andrew explained how he first started at the bottom of the food chain in a fashion company.  He told of how he watched as new designers would come in, design a line and then leave the company.m he was inspired by every different work and was able to see, being the lowest of the jobs, how the business worked from every aspect.  He explained that there was one woman who was of a high position in the company who he was especially afraid of.  Andrew said he learned the most about the business from this woman, especially from her intimidation.  She was actually an extremely good person who liked Andrew, wanting to help him be prepared to be successful in fashion in the future.  He then went on to explain how he really began creating his own fashion and lines.  It started with just a couple single pieces that soon people started to like and want more of.  Andrew explained the difficulty in realizing that creating your own fashion line entailed buying bulk of certain items in order to make multiple pieces not just one at a time.  It was necessary to get started by buying cheap materials in order to produce more clothes faster in a short period of time.  Mine of the major reasons he has been able to be so successful is because of a friend's mother who found out he was interested in his own fashion line.  She had promised him that if he were serious about starting his own line, she would start a partnership to help him out.  Andrew said that without this help, he would never have been able to get as far as he has.  It was interesting to see all of Mr. Fezza's pieces in the poster boards hanging around the gallery.  He has begun to focus on men's clothing and he has taken men's clothing from plain to fancy and fashionable.  His outfits are extremely professional but very stylish, there was so many people there looking at all of his designs.  This showed to me how important fashion is to everyone in their daily lives and it is important in this world to have talented designers like Andrew.  This inspired me because Andrew started off as a normal student at Cheshire Academy and is now an extremely noteworthy, designer.  I have faith now that it isn't impossible to follow your dreams even if they seem hard to reach.  It is important to go after what you love and in the end it may work out even better than you expect.