Semester 2

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics  2/18/24 Hip Hop Aesop: A Musical Aesop

#music #hiphop #theatre

Through this short film, I was able to see a new perspective on folklore stories. The people in this video decided to align a hip hop beat and rhythm to the telling of "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg." I saw this as very similar/comparable to the jazz poety presentation done in our scholars class.

The goal of the people in the video was to take advantage of the storytelling and implied rhythm of Aesops folkore (as a whole) and to make it into the hip-hop genre. Through my scholars workshop "Harmonize your Mind Playlisting" ive learned about the elements of music, and the way music can affect the brain. Learning that certain types of music can affect the brain in many positive ways, I can connect the idea of giving folklore a fun upbeat rhythm to go along with it as a way to make it more interesting. One thing I really liked about it was how they had kids and adults to rap the words, I feel like it really completes the aesthetic of 'folktales.'
As Ive previously said, this idea seems comparable to the jazz poetry done in our arts scholars. They wanted to bring these words into life with sounds. We can see that they put a ton of work into the beat selection, along with getting everyone to rap on beat (i can imagine it was tough for the children to do so.)

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics  LeVar Burton Reads "Kin"

#levarburton #podcasting #kin

For my triathlon, I decided to listen to an audiobook hearing from LeVar Burton a passage from a book called "Kin."

Learning that this man is a trendy audiobook reader, now I understand why! The special effects and the soothing sound his voice conveyed were exciting to listen to. The story is about a little kid asking a special assassin alien to kill a man threatening his sister. The way they explain the alien sockets popping and twisting was very immersive. I appreciated the different voices he used for each character, which made it very easy to imagine the scenario the book was explaining.

The main message this passage was explaining was the two dynamics. The honest yet threatening personality of the young boy, against the murderous yet understanding personality of the alien. Seeing how the assassin alien respected the boy's wishes even though the boy was lacking the necessary payment to pay the alien was confusing. We learn that it's because the boy was compassionate and kind despite asking for a kill. This was refreshing and made the alien curious about the boy. 

What I liked about this passage was the intriguing plot and setting of the story. It seemed to be a time in the future when aliens were more common, along with space travel. On top of that, aliens that assassinate humans seemed to be normal in that world. While it's not a world I want to live in, it was fun to imagine myself doing so.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Event Logistics: Craft & Chat - Pen Pal Letter

#penpal #letter

The event holder TA Belle told us that pen paling was/and is meant to be a fun way to communicate with a friend. She gave us an example by presenting what she wrote to her pen pal. To my surprise, it was a very decorative and expressionate couple of pages. This revealed to me how pen paling in its time was meant to be a way of expressing what was happening in your life to a distant friend. 

That example of hers gave me the idea to write to my cousin Anthony. To give some context on why, he's been moving from state to state since 2018 and we haven't sat down and talked about what's been happening in our lives. So I decided to catch him up on my college life and also what I've been through since we last spoke. On top of what I wrote, I was able to put stickers and plasters on the paper to make it look more personal. Just like what was taught in CPS I learned a new form of expression by trying a new medium. (I never wrote a letter, or a pen pal-styled letter before then).

During this activity, I was able to learn how much fun pen paling must've been in its prime time. When I thought about it, I remembered my mom telling me how much fun she had with her pen pal in school. They should bring that back! Anyway, this activity was fun, and I'm excited to send over my letter to my cousin.