Check out a little mini series I created called “Word Origins” where I explore the origins of a couple words. Tell me what you think and please subscribe.
Tag: school
Are Current Attitudes on College Healthy?
On most articles on about the pros and cons of college, money is usually the main focus. That will not be the case here. I want to discuss the idea that our hype about college can sometimes harmful to kids who aren’t ready to handle the responsibility.
I have not graduated or currently attend college due to both immaturity and lack of vision upon leaving high school. In high school, I knew I was destined for greatness. I had the highest ACT and second highest SAT score in my class by a distance of 50 points. At one point I had a principal make a home visit and tell my parent I had Harvard level potential. What happened? My answer is naivete and external pressures.
Every year, students are told that they should work hard to get to college and it’s implied that if you don’t you’ll become a social degenerate; a failure. The concept of college is awesome, but the way in which we execute it is flawed and stressful. In my opinion, college isn’t as important as vision and education, but we sometimes stress the idea of “getting into college” more than the concepts of the maturity, independence and goal setting that college allows us to explore in a more controlled environment. This leads to many otherwise promising students dropping out of college, not from lack of intelligence, but lack of maturity that only time and experience can give.
In my case, my father stressed college heavy from day one and after high school he wanted me to get into school ASAP. He didn’t care where as long as it was college. I felt differently I wanted to wait, but I was convinced otherwise. I should have stood my ground because I ended up wasting a load of people’s time including my own. I didn’t have a vision for my future since I didn’t stand for anything I fell for everything. I would got to a bigger college campus and party with my best friend at the time. I would go to class and interact, but I wouldn’t do the homework due to its perceived irrelevance to my life. I was naive, immature and lacked vision resulting in a lack of motivation and my eventual drop out from college.
I also found it interesting how many people expects children who were once raising their hands to speak and potty to be able to manage and plan out their entire life within the several months between graduation and fall semester.College isn’t for everyone and sometimes those people just need time to mature so, to the parents and teachers out there: Do you emphasize college as a life investment that one should take time to consider or do you add fuel to the hype and emphasis college for colleges sake?
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Magnum Opus – Our Great Work
At age 19, I came across the term Magnum Opus meaning “great work” in Latin. It usually refers to an artist’s best or most iconic piece for example Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. I’ve interpreted the term in my life to represent my purpose. The great work that I am to do in the world. A year later, after frustration with college, I had an idea of a “creative “sanctuary”, a place where people could educate themselves and express their interests in S.A.M.M. (science,art,math and music). It would have an auditorium to host shows and seminars. A library/book store for people to access knowledge. Possibly even include piano labs for musicians, and whatever else possible as the idea grows. It’s a place with no goal other than to release creative urges or hone a skill among others with similar (or even better dissimilar) interests. A creative community of sorts. Upon hearing this most people say “isn’t that what school/college is about?” Yes to an extent. Schools do hone skills and have vast creative resources but that fact is overshadowed by the pursuit of the degree. I was listening to a talk by Alan Watts on the futility of Self-Improvement. He said the joys of learning French should be “the ability to speak French…and having fun with French people” and when you put a degree on it “the degree becomes the main point in a game of one upmanship”.
The root of education is latin for “to bring out” or “to lead forth”. sadly college usually “brings out” the capitalist ideal of competition and profit motive rather than “leading us forth” along the road that leads to the love of learning, knowledge and creativity. Whenever my family tries to convince me to go to college they mention the degree say I need the “credentials” so I can be successful rather than the community of like minds and resources I could use to further myself. Honestly, I’d rather not be in the college community because it’s tainted by most people’s worries of repaying loans and finding a job and if worry is misuse of imagination college culture cultivates and attitude opposite to my goals which is the expansion of the imagination. For this reason, I quit college in order to pursue my magnum opus.
Amazing half court shot
James Revels IIII and the amazing half court shot
Modern Tragedy featuring James Revels Composer!
So, An acquaintance of mine, Jesse Magill, needed some music fast for his short film because his last composer was taking his sweet time. So, he hit me up for help and of course James Revels Composer came to the rescue!!! I let him use a couple songs (embedded below) for the film score and here it is. My debut as film composer *Puts on Cool Shades* Watch it! Love it! Share it!
The songs in the film in order of appearance
Ocean Watching
Watching Stars Dance
Defeat!(A War has Begun)
Know any good Educational resources?
So im looking for educational sites that teach s.a.m.m. (science art math or music
) to add to my site http://www.pyromovement.squarespace.com. if you know any post the link to site or youtube channel (channels please not the individual videos). If you would like to know more about pyromaniac productions and our movement go here http://www.pyromovement.squarespace.com/about
Thanks in advanced for your help.
M.C. Escher – When Art meets Math
Early in my musical development, my Mom, a graphic designer, let me read her book on M.C. Escher because early on she noticed my affinity towards math and applying it towards music. I loved the book because it gave me an example on how to use fractals and further develop my music in something that moves with time as opposed to loops of the same structures and melodies like a lot of popular songs. The picture below is a visual example of how I think music should develop, but oddly enough this is also how sound develops on the micro and macro scale. (Soon I may do a James Unedited where I zoom into a sound wave to show this). Basically, I think music should start of with a simple, abstract motif then over the course develop itself into a more complex and refined structure (or vice verse). Below the pictures I have a video briefly explain the concept behind Escher’s design and an embed for the song depicted in the images of the waveforms below
Audio SeXXX 