On the “Harmony” page of the Introduction chapter, scroll down until you see  “Listen to the example” box for  Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Union and the second example,“The Star-Spangled Banner,” performed by South City Voices.  Click and listen to the Gottschalk & the South City Voices examples. 

Questions: Do you prefer the Gottschalk version of the SSB, or the South City Voices version of the SSB?  Why or why not?  The last audio example is a version of the SSB that Stravinsky, a composer arranged.  Can you hear the slight change of harmony that Stravinsky uses in his version of the SSB? (You may not clearly hear this – it’s a very slight difference to what we are used to hearing.)  Now listen to Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock version of the SSB on Youtube.  Do you feel that either Stravinsky or Hendrix’s versions of the SSB are offensive?  Why or why not?  Why do you think people may have been offended at the time either of these versions were performed?

Answers: Personally, I prefer the Gottschalk/Union version over the South City Voices/ Star Spangled Banner. To me, the South City Voices was just a lot slower and more monotone of a SSB than what I’m use to. I’m use to hearing all the percussion instruments and a nice fast tempo, this piece just lacked that for me. The Gottschalk/Union is my favorite of the two, because this piece kept me more engaged than the other one, and it sounds more like the other SSB’s I have heard. (I do not know where the Stravinsky version is in the book, so I googled it?) Yes, I can hear the slight change of harmony that Stravinsky uses in his version of the SSB. Lastly, Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock version of the SSB is not my favorite. It’s very, loud & obnoxious in a way. I wouldn’t consider this version offensive, because some people may like it, just not me. People were probably offended by this version of the SSB, because it was something they just weren’t use to hearing, they’re more comfortable with the more soothing & slower tempo versions.

In the introduction chapter, we compare our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” (SSB) with the elements of music.  You will be asked to respond to some of the Listening examples in your eText. 

Question: In this blog entry, if you have grown up in the United States, please tell me how you learned the SSB & what does this song mean to you? (75-100 words).

Answer: I became very familiar with the SSB around the time I was in elementary school. Every morning for morning announcements, we would sing a “patriotic” type song. I became familiar with the melody & lyrics, but I never learned all of them. I would say when I got to high school is where I learned the real lyrics. Playing varsity sports, you hear the national anthem before every game, & as the SSB would play, my team would sing the lyrics out loud, quietly. Doing that for 4 years & now in college, I have become quite acquainted with the SSB. Honestly, whenever I hear this song, I tie it to sports, so that’s what it means to me.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.