Embedded Files
The Kiss, Gustav Klimt (1907)
In addition to the literature and film elements of each course covered, often students find that musical interludes can illustrate important concepts, and demonstrate the development of culture, mirroring literature, film, and art. Students of Literature can appreciate the dedication and precision of writing and developing music, similar to the rigors of writing, editing, and reading literature. Students of Film can respect the artistry and personal style that are exhibited by each musical artist and genre, mirroring the detail and efforts that are also put forth in the act of filmmaking. All students can revere and emulate the development of form and function, of science and artistry, of matter and essence that defines the medium: harmony requires a partnership between instrument and lyric, between various note sounds, and between the joining of oppositional sound elements.
Much of the music listed here has been played incidentally in class, between class periods or during class activities. Often, I personally use music from this list during periods of work, study, or even for relaxation.
Studio Ghibli Jazz and Bossa Nova #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jWRrafhO7M - The soaring melodies of the films of Japanese director Hiyao Miyazaki, created by master composer Joe Hisaishi, pair nicely with the gentle taps, rills, and rhythm of jazz from the southern United States and the energy and drive of the genre of bossa nova music from Brazil. This track, from the channel BGM Cafe Music, encapsulates and reimagines the best and more enjoyable tracks from Studio Ghibli.
Studio Ghibli Jazz and Bossa Nova #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK8NphFMu7U - Similar to the above-linked track, this set of Studio Ghibli songs are a little more jazzy and a little more instrumental. The compositions of Joe Hisaishi in the films of Miyazaki are still the focus, and are taken from the most popular Studio Ghibli films, like Howl's Moving Castle (2004), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1990), and Spirited Away (2001).
Greatest Hits (1988) by Journey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa8u5N6VLFM - Known for massive pop music hits like Don't Stop Believin' and Separate Ways, Journey revolutionized music in the 1970s and 1980s through their power ballads and reimagined rock n' roll sounds. Pairing soaring vocals with techno synths and rock instrumentals, the best and catchiest of their anthems are great for studying, for relaxation at home, or for whatever you are doing wherever you are.
Poké & Chill (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DVpys50LVE - Tuned to the beats of low-fi (or low-fidelity) music production, and mingled with elements of hip hop and pop music, these tracks from the popular Pokémon video game and anime series are produced by music producer Mikel, who has produced other video game-related content, to create a "chill vibe."
Ratatouille Pixar Ambient Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZiMZSkPeY - Filled with delightful melodies that are reminiscent of the city of Paris, and the idyllic surrounding countryside, this track also uses similar music to the Disney and Pixar film Ratatouille (2007), specifically its theme Le Festin, written by seasoned composer Michael Giacchino.
Midnight in Paris (2011) Soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRYEKuD2qlo - The engrossing and enjoyable music selections in Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris (2011) simultaneously showcase the lively music of the 1920s and the quaint atmosphere of Paris, the City of Lights. This soundtrack makes you want to meet your favorite Lost Generation authors, artists, and poets at your favorite café to talk about life and truth and the nature of love.
God of War (2018) Soundtrack by Bear McCreary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOmHpI0MMKE - The long-awaited sequel to God of War III (2010), this new adventure finds Kratos in Midgard, immersed in the realm of Norse mythology. As players delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding the Aesir gods and their powers, this soundtrack by Bear McCreary is mythological and ethereal, while thrumming with action and adventure to tie players to their main quest as Kratos is accompanied by his son Atreus to bring final rest to his late wife. The soundtrack features classical instrumentation, combined with callbacks to traditional Norse music and other kinds of folk music, to emphatically emphasize the emotions wrought by the gameplay.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) Soundtracks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SBQvd6vY9s - The Lord of the Rings film trilogy are among the most popular films of all time. Combining soaring scenes of epic grandeur that coupled with the moving and fantastical storyline of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, the film trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson in the early 2000s, collected over a dozen Academy awards, and scores of others. Master composer Howard Shore's soundtracks are likewise sweeping, thematic, and genre-defining: listen as the Theme of the Ring threads throughout the trilogy, upsetting the leitmotifs of the Fellowship and the Hobbits, but eventually leading to the ultimate showdown of good vs. evil.
Night Drive (Instrumental Edition) (2018) by Timecop1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGCluKbW1AY - Born from the electronic age of the 1980s, synthwave featured music derived from electronic and digital instruments, not physical instruments of metal and reed. The band Timecop1983 recreates that classic sound that makes you want to drive with your sunglasses on, with the windows open, and holding a cold can of Dr. Pepper.
Multiverse (2022) by Timecop1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIUTZwgOrGg - Filled with yearning for an ultimate purpose, surrounded by the endless voids between impossibly distant points of light, this synthwave album by the band Timecop1983 channels the science-fiction thrill of hopping dimensions and charting the darkest depths of space and time.
Metropolis (2024) by Timecop1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDquZpJhpB8 - If cities have urban growth, can they evolve into a higher form? Imagine driving a high-tech superhighway through a megacity of scintillating lights, vibrant holographic sights, and mechanized secrets. Timecop1983 hits their listeners with another album of synthwave, pairing human heartbeats with the very pulse of a metropolis.
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) by Aphex Twin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw5AiRVqfqk - Ambient techno, a subgenre of techno and electronic music that focuses on the rhythm and layered sound production of eletronica, is heralded by artist Aphex Twin, or Richard D. James. His debut album, linked above, showcases a wide berth of his work, and is created entirely from synthesizers. The tracks of the album show a mysterious, calm, and atmospheric quality that is rarely explored in techno.
The Best of Mozart's Symphonic Pieces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inaLmrmsfOY - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart remains at the pinnacle of composers and musical geniuses in western history, and his works influenced musical theory for centuries after his death. Writing symphonies and concertos from an early age, Mozart combined harmonies and melodies in new and unheard ways, creating music that stunned and awed his audiences. Even today, Mozart remains at the forefront of artistic expression, like the Shakespeare of music: listen in as his pieces inspire, question, thrill, and commemorate your humanity.
The Best of Chopin's Piano Pieces
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn09UdSb3aA - Frédéric François Chopin might possibly be the most skilled and most talented pianist and piano composer of the Romantic era, praised as a virtuoso and magician with his keystrokes. His style has elements of classical composers, like Beethoven, Hayden, and Mozart, while also exhibiting his own personal musically-poetic ornamentation for his music, which remain some of the most difficult pieces to perform to this day.
The Best of Frank Sinatra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nhiRPdpFME - The posterboy crooner, Frank Sinatra was smooth and cool to his listeners, combining jazz and big band with his own unique and full-throated voice. His songs signified love, both good and bad, as well as pushed the ideals of individuality and experience. The King of Swing has a storied and full-bodied musicography, and some of Ol' Blue Eyes' most popular singles are used in the above-linked set.
The Best of Dean Martin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IwsflFM1jI - Smooth, lovable, warm, and genuine, Dean Martin was another major player in the art of crooning, and his focus on inclusion of Italian culture made his singing about love and heartbreak even more believable and emotional. His songs also involved a playful and relaxed tone, and laid the groundwork for his own (rather famous) national variety show. Listen in as Deano effortlessly belts and thrills and enthralls as only he could do-doobie-do-doobie-do.
Chant (1994) by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3T8V-IM4Xk - The rhythmic and harmonic chants of the Benedictine monks of the Spanish monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos reached peak popularity in the 1990s, and this album featured their traditional hymns and prayers in Latin, sung with slow passion and reflective intent. While you listen, you can imagine the gentle susurrus of robes against the sandstone and limestone of monastery hallway walls, and the voices of the brothers magnified by the same stone as they sing in ritual and prayer.
Rex's Playlist #1 from Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9tY0BWXOZFv5C4K6OgwpSsOSEKuzJmiq - Perhaps one of the most well-developed "themed" lands in any Disney park, Galaxy's Edge creates a totally-inclusive and atmospheric sense of wonder with Star Wars and Disney fans alike. Oga's Cantina, which usually boasts hour-long wait times for a table, also includes old faces: R-3X, or "Rex," the pilot droid from the original Star Tours ride in Tomorrowland, deejays a mix of eclectic Star Wars and electronica-themed music that includes alien languages and thrilling beats, all wrapped in exotic and otherworldly, yet familiar and fun, musical styles that complete the vibe for the cantina.
Rex's Playlist #2 from Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_npPUDG__NnZTI7o-ZPZBXw0MT4Tnj9IAI - Returning with a second grouping of original Star Wars hits, R-3X, or "Rex," the pilot droid, continues to deliver a host of enjoyable and alien toe-tappers that encompass a variety of musical styles, instruments, and languages in a way that definitely makes you feel like you really are waiting for the next off-planet transport in Oga's Cantina on the planet Batuu.
Stardew Valley (2016) Soundtrack by Eric Barone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKZF5k5cqOs - Quite possibly one of the most popular video games ever developed, Stardew Valley allowed players to explore the world surrounding a farm in Pelican Town that they inherited at the start of the game, but the game also promised (and delivered) an open-ended world of frivolity and fun. The soundtrack pairs dozens and dozens of simplistic and descriptive melodies with each activity or location, making the players enjoy the soundscape almost as much as they enjoy the landscape of the game itself.
A Day at the Mall (2023) by BeatBot Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiyRR8mFJX0 - With the advent of artificial intelligence, the humanities remain ever vital to the development and voice of humanity and their experiences. However, as a tool, A.I. can be quite helpful, and this playlist of "mallsoft" and "vaporwave" tracks will take you back to the turn of the millennium, complete with neon lights, lo-fi beats, and teen drama storyline ("Did you hear about Marissa and Ryan?").
Rat Detective Boogie #1-9 by Stellar Cruise
An overnight sensation, these albums combine neo-noir thematics and downright funky instrumental beats to create stellar and enjoyable tracks to groove and grind. Explore the seedy underbelly of the Rat-verse as only a detective can, knowing that, in the end, any tall tale that you are sold will have more holes than a block of Swiss cheese.
Rat Detective Boogie #1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4hjX6ZsplU
Rat Detective Boogie #2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OosKObxNqkQ
Rat Detective Boogie #3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gHd0vNh53A
Rat Detective Boogie #4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRYuBEDF0f0
Rat Detective Boogie #5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXiXWwtJDU0
Rat Detective Boogie #6 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYhUWblNnoY
Rat Detective Boogie #7 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf_n2AOuCRA
Rat Detective Boogie #8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTcSuDDZvnk
Rat Detective Boogie #9 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWysIHIKiOo
Rat Detective Boogie #10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKOwy_2IyNI
Rat Detective Boogie #11 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCvr2uDW10
Rat Detective Boogie #12 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrPx_ZUiPi8
Rat Detective Boogie #13 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VXSH3y2CDU
Rat Detective Boogie #14 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdOWAADr4Ho
Google Sites
Report abuse