Music List of my Life

If my life was a movie I would have many soundtracks that would describe my childhood, teenage years, and the present. Out of millions of songs I chose several songs that would pretty much summarizes my life from birth to the present. A song that describes my childhood is “Hakuna Matata” by Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M. During my childhood Walt Disney movies were popular among little kids and every child had watched one or two movies. Besides “hukuna matata” Walt Disney produced many other songs that I still remember like “You have a friend and me” in Toys Story movie and “Hiegh ho” in the movie Snow White.

                “Volver, Volver” by Vicente Fernandez reminds me of my teenage years. When I was young I traveled with my mother to visit Guadalajara , Mexico to meet my grandparents house where they raised animals and wheat.  My grandparents were born in a small rural town, which is populated by people who listen to Mexican traditional music. I stayed at Mexico for a few weeks and learned a little bit about living in the rural without technology. When I returned to America I brought moral values that I believe create a good person. Among hundreds of the famous Mexican artist, Vicente Fernandez sings about the beautiful land of México and several moral values which I connect with. The song “Volver, Volver” incorporates instruments like trumpets, violins, and guitars to create a style that other traditional Mexican used in their songs. Vicente Fernandez grito, or shoot, is a signature shout that all traditional Mexican artists, especially mariachi artist, yell to show honor for those who fought in the declaration of independence of Mexico. When I hear Vicente Fernandez grito, I remember the land my grandparents lived on and moral values my grandparents taught me while I was in Mexico with my mother.

                Recently, I listen to music that fall in the category hip-hop genre. Artists that fall in the category hip-hop include J. Cole, Ludacris, Drake, and Big Sean. My Favorite songs from the previous artists are “Dance”, “Quikie”, “Headlines”, and “Workout”. I listen to hip-hop songs because the lyrics of the song have meaning that I can relate too.  From my childhood to the present, I have listened to many songs that illustrate how my life has been for eighteen years.

Opinionator 2

Drugs and alcohol are nothing new to today’s society; people have used them before the discovery of the United States. Both drugs and alcohol affect the lives of people who consume them. According to scientific experiments they both are addictive substance and are hard to withdraw. Many researchers have shown that teens are more involved in the use of drugs and alcohol than the older men and women. Some teens do not know the consequences of doing drugs and alcohol, and those who do know the consequences they continue to use them on and off school campus.

            What are drugs in general? According to the dictionary, drugs are chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well being. Teens want to relieve stress from school and work and decide to use drugs. There are many types of drugs includingdepressants, hallucinogens, inhalants, antidepressants, narcotics, steroids, stimulants, and tobacco (Thegooddrugsguide.com). Almost all of these drugs are dangerous, but the most devastating drug is heroin (“Healthtree”). People usually buy these drugs illegally. These drugs are mostly transported from one place to another, or grown in the back yards of the drug dealers, who then sell it in the streets to young teens. It can also work the other way teens sell drugs to other teens on and off campus. If any of these dealers are caught in the state of California they get processed for the possession and selling illegal drugs, and might end up in jail for a few years. These consequences should make teens think thoroughly before dealing with dangerous substance. There are other activities students can be involved in to relieve the stress caused by work, school, and maybe family.

memories #2 (revised)

  When my parents were teenagers, they listened to Spanish artists such as Celia Cruz, Señora Dynamita, Vicente Fernandez, and Marco Antonia Solis. They did not listen to English music because they lived in Mexico up until they were young adults. My dad lived in the main capital Mexico D.F and my mom lived in the rural area of Guadalajara, Mexico. My mom lived far away from the urban life, so she listened to mexican bands, romantics artists, and mariachi. Unlike my mother, my dad was exposed to the newer current music during his teenage year such as techno, rock, salsa, and cumbia. As a teenager my dad was a rebel, making him want to listen to techno and rock bands becuase he could relate to them. When my parents decided to come to America their taste of music changed. The United States had a big influence on my father's choice of music. For example, my dad enjoyed going to clubs to meet new people when he recently arrived to America. When he would go to clubs, the DJ would play artists such as Marilyn Monroe, Gloria Estefan, A-HA, and Dead or Alive. After constantly going to clubs he listened to more English music than Spanish.  Over the years their taste of music has changed, now they listen to urban Mexican bands, corridos, and some English genres.

                My taste of music has also changed throughout my life. When I was eight years old I used to listen to the type of music my parents listened to. Now I listen to artists that rap, sing meaningful lyrics, and music with quick beats that want people to stand up and dance. Every time my siblings and I listen to Hip Hop or artist like Lil Wayne, my mom says, “When I was young I did not listen to people that rapped, or cursed in public.  Music produced by famous artists during this century are horrible.” I can understand why she believes current mainstream music is horrible, she did not grow up listening to artiss thatt curse in English and indirectly offend one another through music. My grandparents taught my mom the moral value to respect those around her.

Scholarly article (Revised)

    Rock 'N' Roll artists created diversed music for all listeners during the 1960’s. DJ players would play variety of artists, both white and few black. In the scholarly journal, "Miller apologizes to Black community for Rock 'n' Roll Promotion",  the anonymous author claims that Miller Brewing apologized for excluding African American artist from the 50th anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll. From the information obtained by the author, Miller says that the anniversary will feature Black artists such as Bo Didley, James brown and Lennny Kravitz. The author mentioned Dr. William McKeen declaring that African Americans were not excluded from the 50^th year anniversary. At the event there were beer cans that had famous Rock 'n' Roll artist from different ethnic backgrounds. Brewing gives another qoute from McKeen that claims African Americans were shown on the cans of beverages at the event of the anniversary, along with other famous Rock 'n' Roll white artist. Dr. McKeen also asserts that the music of Rock 'N' Roll symbolizes the interactions between white and black. Rock 'n' Roll blended two different cultures, that of African American rhythm with white county music. Thanks to Rock ‘n’ Roll, African Americans are known for their change and dedication in the music industry. Most African American artists had to face many obstacles to reach the top of music charts in comparison to white artists.