1/4/24 - Advanced Harp

Today in harp we listened to the concerto my class will learn for our Spring concert. I like that it is upbeat. I believe the parts sort of echo back and forth with each other. In other parts of the song, it sounds very intense. There are several scales that I believe will be challenging to keep in time. Nonetheless, I am very excited for such a dramatic and upbeat piece. 

11/28/23 - World Literature 

Today in world literature,  we analyzed the second portion our book "How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent."  The main idea was to find major points that were discussed in the book.  The major points further explain the girls' experiences in the America, how they felt out of place, and times where they began to assimilate.  We used these topics to write different tasks for our future literature circles, where we will discuss the book together.

10/27/23 - Visual Arts

1) In this class I have learned about mandalas, and what they represent in different religions. This closely relates to AP World History, where I have learned about the rise and expansion these religions. 

2) I have completed several projects this year that demonstrate my deep understanding of the Principles of Design. However, one project that stands out is the Mandala project. I portrayed different principles throughout the layers, such as pattern in shapes, and contrast in the colors. 

3) I  experiment with different possibilities by creating several color pallets and playing around with different values to follow color theory. I can show my process through the several drafts I draw before deciding on my final idea. 

4) I have learned about the very famous artist, Vincent Van Goh. He was a post-impressionist artist. He used incredibly vibrant colors, and painted visible strokes, rather then blended colors. 

10/17/23 - World Literature

In the project–Shaping Our World–we learned about how to write a play based upon the research we did on our ancient civilizations.  The main idea of the topic is using our understanding of different parts of a plot to create an engaging play that depicts conflict to take place in our civilization. Not only did we have to rely on our own knowledge about our civilization and precedent research, but also out or comprehension of different parts of a plot within a story. Some facts about our -Shaping Our Word- project include how important teamwork was as we created our films. We used different costumes to portray different characters of our civilization, Egypt. In the world, hieroglyphics created by ancient Egyptians are used as the foundation for the modern day alphabet. The  modern alphabet contemporarily used are derivatives of the Egyptians hieroglyphics. I wonder what architecture is still seen today. I am curious to research if commonly used and historic places, such as White House or even my school, are inspired by the architecture of Egyptians. 

9/28/23 - Entry to Nutcracker 

I know the main character is Clara. Her uncle gives her a Nutcracker that comes alive. The most important part of the entire play is when the Mouse King and the Nutcracker fight. The entire ballet has a storyline but contains no dialogue. 

• There are 2 acts.

• At the beginning, the tree grows, the Mouse King arrives, and the Nutcracker also grows. 

• The travel to the Land of Sweets, where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

• To thank the Nutcracker for returning, they put on a ballet of different sweets. The chocolate dance comes from Spain. The coffee dance was from Arabia.  The next was the tea dance from China. Nextly, there are candy canes from Russia. Then, Marzipan Shepherds playing flutes. Then Mother Ginger, who was the large skirt. Last, ]the waltz of the flowers. 

After listening the music, I believe the dancers will jump at every beat, considering the notes are very sharp. I hear a lot of cello, violin, viola, and base. In the ballet we watched, the dancer was very graceful. She danced very well with the beat and made it look as though she was flying when she landed. 

9/27/23 - Visual Arts 

Today in class, we researched Mandalas. I learned several things: Mandalas are used to represent attributes of different deities in Eastern religions, such Hinduism and Buddhism. Mandalas serve as a representation of the universe and a guide on the path to enlightenment. I am able to see all of the different elements and principle's, as mandalas greatly vary. However, the most common are rhythm, pattern, and contrast.  I use the different patterns to show different energy shells.  

9/15/23 - World Literature 

My group and I finalized our scripts. We were able to successfully write our falling action and exposition, as well as cast roles. To finally ensure we would receive full credit, we proof read the script. 

9/11/23 - Visual Arts 

 I believe AI art is both very harmful and very helpful to art. It is harmful because it does not encompass any feelings or emotions when it  creates. However, it could be very helpful because it generates "art" in a matter of seconds, where it may traditionally take longer. 

9/7/23 - World Literature 

We learned about different parts of the plot, such as the climax and exposition. We used our knowledge of organization of a plot to arrange our scene ideas. 

9/5/23 - World Literature 

Today we continued our group projects. My group decided on African Societies, specifically Egypt. We researched important dates and structures of the iz, such as society, pollitics, and location. This helped us create possible bases and conflicts for our plays. 

8/31/23 - World Literature 

Today we are beginning a new group project. To not only keep things fair and consistent, but also to achieve the best grade, my group and I came up with 5 different norms. We all signed the contract that reads as follows: 

1. Everyone has to do their fair share of the work. 

2. Everyone will try their best to collaborate. 

3. Everyone will listen to one another. 

4. Everyone will stay on task. 

1. Everyone will respect their fellow team members and their space.

8/24/23 - AP World History

1. The Neolithic Revolution was groundbreaking, however, it led to several racial, religious, and gender inequalities. As the population grew, people began living in larger settlements. With different technological advancements, such as transportation and metals, more extensive governments were created. People were able to do other tasks and jobs, such as merchants and artisans, accumulating  different wealth. With this, began social stratification. For example, it can be seen that Royals had better dental health than that of commoners. Furthermore, government was often patriarchal and put women at lower status. This could be seen when women were forced to have more kids for more helping hands in the field. This drained their health. Lastly, with the rise of more differing beliefs, most did not practice toleration. Disputes and prosecutions over beliefs rose. For instance, Jews were held captive in the civilization, Babylonia, for 50 years. They were then attacked by Romans because they wanted to lead themselves. 

2. The Neolithic Revolution introduced several new technologies such as irrigations systems and wheels. Irrigation systems were wonderful for agriculture. It was a more efficient way water crops and plants, even with distance from water source or expected drought. The wheel was made for efficient transportation of crops. Both advancements  enhanced trade and efficiency of agriculture. 

3.  Interregional trade routes led to the spread of religions. More communication between different civilizations spread not only good, but also ideas. For instance, the Silk Road, a network of Eurasian trade routes, developed trade between China and surrounding regions. The network spread Han's innovations and Confucianism. Furthermore, the Mediterranean Sea lanes, another trade network, fostered great connections between Phoenicians, Greeks, and people of North Africa. The connections facilitated the exchanges of goods, culture, and religion. 

4. In a centralized government, one unit makes a decision for all. It ensures uniformity, however, it may ignore the specific needs of individual regions. On the contrary, a decentralized government transforms power from higher to lower levels of government. While it does sacrifice uniformity, regions are able to make autonomous decisions for their specific needs. For example, in South Asia The Mauryan began was centralized. They ruled the large area by uniting under one unit of government. Later, the Gupta Dynast ruled with decentralized government, as they eventually allowed local leaders for each region. 

5. Important Terms: 

• Bureaucracy - Government, or a hierarchical chain of authority

• Democracy -  Control by all citizens or members of a population

• Patriarchy - Control by men

• Codification - Arranging rules according to a system, kept many religions alive

• Irrigation - Advancement for crops to be efficiently watered

• Religious Toleration - Non-prejudice actions on those of other religions so all can get along 

8/22/23 - Advanced Harp

I know weddings are when people vow to spend the rest of their lives loyal to each other. As a harpist, I know I usually play during the bride's reveal. Cannon in D is the most popular song and often requested. I also know that the bridal march is able to be played in C-Major. 

• Prelude - Played before the wedding (Some songs are not appropriate in churches; depending on the church, classical music is normally very safe)

• Processional - Entrance as follows:

1. groomsmen/officiant

2. mothers/grandmothers

3. ring bearer/flower girl

4. bridesmaids --> maid of honor

5. bride 

• Ceremony - As follows:

1. welcome --> message --> readings 

2. vows 

3. unification practice

4. ring exchange

5. pronouncement

• Recessional - Exit as follows

1. couple

2. bridesmaids --> groomsmen

3. family

4. audience

8/1/23 - Advanced Harp

Today in class we listened to the incredibly intense recording of Siciliana-Andantino orchestra piece. It reminded me of a soundtrack for many films reminiscent of medieval times. It seemed the music started soft but then had a dramatic climax. Next, it returned to a beautiful soft melody. I am incredibly excited to play this piece as an ensemble. After further listening, this time to the harp arrangement, the song makes me thing of the word angelic. The rolled chords and graceful plucks of strings are delightful and mysterious.