This concert included both classical and jazz techniques on solo harp and with a jazz ensemble. I enjoyed the use of the harp to add to the melody and natural flow jazz has naturally. It truly felt like each piece gave Brandee Younger's expert technique and improvisation time to shine. The addition of vocals in the piece "A Brand New Life" added a sense of relaxation and ease to the overall mood. I noticed techniques such as rolled chords, arpeggios, cadenzas, and harmonics. Her solo pieces were expertly played and I loved the inclusion of her piece "Unrest" which was composed in the context of the George Floyd protest of 2020. When the percussion and bass joined in, it added another dimension to the beauty of the harp's cadenzas and rolled chords.

This is a classic lullaby used all over the world. I have heard it many times before, but not in its full orchestral arrangement. I enjoyed hearing the full orchestration and how it fleshed out the sound of the piece overall. The harmonies truly complemented the familiar melody, and it gave the piece a warm feel. I am very excited to learn this as an ensemble piece with my peers.

This piece reminds me of montage scenes in a movie in which a team is carrying out a grand heist from an art gallery. The piece is very rushed and it seems the harppart works to accent the melody brought about by the orchestra. The harp part settles in the higher octaves and seems both devious and playful. My personal goal for this piece is to be able to count my rests properly and come in on time based on my counting.

We focused on the vocabulary around and calculations made with polynomials. We learned about things such as degree, which is the highest exponent of a coefficient in a polynomial. We also studied adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing polynomials with the distributive property and FOIL. 

1. Describe how the Neolithic revolution led to injustices within religions, social classes, and between genders. Please provide examples for each analysis. 

The Neolithic revolution led to injustices due to the human desire for hierarchy after establishing permanent settlements. This created disparities between the roles of males and females as the stronger males established patriarchy over the women.  Over the time of settlement religions formed that encouraged social stratification and influenced acts of hatred in the name of one’s faith. Eventually, the switch from bartering societies to money-based economies created economic classes used to discriminate against others. 

2. Describe early Neolithic technology and inventions. Please provide examples for each analysis. 

Early Neolithic technology mainly had to do with agriculture due to it being the source of livelihood for so many permanent settlers. An example of this is the ox-driven iron plow, invented in the ancient Chinese Zhou dynasty. Another invention to do with the Neolithic revolution is the hoe, which was used in the agricultural process, and was thought to have been invented in prehistoric Mesopotamia. 

3. Describe the rise of Interregional trade routes and how that led to the spread of religions. Give examples. 

Interregional trade routes, such as the Silk Road that connected China to Western civilizations, assisted the spread of religions and ideologies such as Buddhism and Taoism due to the cultural exchanges that naturally occurred with trade. Cultural exchanges like these led to the origins of religions that used the ideologies of other religions such as Hinduism after the Aryan invasion. 

4. Explain the difference between centralized and decentralized governments. Please give examples of each. 

A centralized government has one central power ruling over the entire state or territory without subdividing or separating power into different regions. Centralized governments usually occur in smaller territories and states that are simpler to manage under one ruler. Decentralized governments have many different rulers (as in a confederation or federation) that rule over subdivided regions of a state or territory. Decentralized civilizations include classical Greece, which was made up of democratic city-states. Centralized governments are exemplified by the historic Mongolian Empire, which was usually ruled by one Khan and his advisors. 

5. List and explain six (6) significant terms that you should remember going into Period 1.

Codification- the written record of the precepts or tenets of a legal system or religion

Prehistoric- the period of time before written or recorded history

Hellenistic- the culture spread by the conquests of Alexander the Great, the classical Greek language, art, religion, and culture

Neolithic Revolution- The rise and spread of agriculture, leading to sedentary lifestyles and the development of civilizations

Early Pastoralists- the groups or tribes who continued to hunter-gatherer lifestyle and facilitated the first cultural exchanges and trade

Egalitarian- a society with a lack of inequality or oppression based on gender, race, or religion

Today in class, we worked in our groups to research Ancient Civilizations through a template called G.R.A.P.E.S. This helped us get a snapshot of history at that time and decide upon a narrative we wanted to tell in our play. We decided on the story of  Cleopatra to highlight ancient Egypt and Rome. 

On this day, we studied plot diagrams and how to construct a compelling story. We applied this knowledge to our Shaping Our World story constructs as our work is on our scripts is ongoing.