Ireland and Me

While studying in Ireland for my Mass Communications degree I decided to take in the local scene. So I sang- in pubs, in class, on a boat or where else I could. The music is in me.

Easiest way to be a rock star

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”

–Billy Joel

Everyone does love music, however, not everyone can make music. Garageband is an application that can make anyone a rockstar. Garageband is a application that allows the user to create music, podcasts, or any type of recording. The software application is available on every Mac computer.  The application is the perfect editing tool as well. The user can MIDI files in Garageband to edit or enhance the files.

The best tool in Garageband is the ability to export your recordings into your iTunes. For an aspiring singer/songwriter, this tool really makes you feel like you are accomplishing something with your music. Garageband ’11 is the newest form of Garageband in stores. Garageband ’11 has new features such as “make your own ringtone.” You can edit your media to create a ringtone for your phone!

Software can be hard to use but tutorials can be found, thanks to the Internet. Apple provides a helpful tutorial for Garageband. Not only does the tutorial tell you about Garageband and its functions but it also shows you in print on the screen and a step-by-step video of how to complete a task in Garageband. With this tutorial you can choose the topic that you are having trouble on, for example starting a new project or how to add a loop in your recording.

It’s hard to explain just how amazing in a short blog post, so here are some great musical features:

1. Magic Garageband: This magic band is an easy way to hear what each instrument does in any genre. First you pick what area of music you want; rock, jazz or even reggae. Next you “audition” or play with each instrument to create your original sound.
2. Autotune: You can rock like a robot by checking out the loop browser. Once you record a voice, add a loop enhancement to autotune your voice track.
3. Built-in electric guitar: Put away your keyboard and guitar because Garageband includes a built in version of each. Plus you can enhance each instrument to make a robotic or classic sound.

“I’ll keep you my dirty little secret”

“I’ll keep you my dirty little secret”

–All American Rejects

The guilty music pleasure, we all have them. Face it, when the radio plays one of your all time favorite songs, the beat makes your foot tap. The truth is that the songs that make you, according to Lil Jon, “get out of your mind,” may not be the coolest songs around.

One part of music management is enjoying the sound of every type of music, even music that is not always appealing to the public. Once you hear those non-appealing songs being played over and over, they get stuck in your head. Your mind craves the horrible songs and finds a reason to keep playing them. That is the science behind the guilty pleasure songs.

The secret songs are different for everyone. My boyfriend, for example, loves The Cranberries. For some reason he looses control when his iPod shuffles to “Zombie.” I may never understand his fascination with this girl singer band but he craves the band like food for his ears.

Although I may never like The Cranberries, I still have a guilty pleasure playlist of my own. Listed below are five of my dirty little secret songs. When any of these songs play, my inner geek breaks loose and becomes a rock star for a few minutes because “we all just want to be big rock stars.”

1. “What I go to school for” Busted

Busted is a good way to start off with my guilty pleasure playlist. “What I go to school for” is a completely vulgar song about a teenage boy falling for his teacher.

2. “Rockstar” Nickleback

Almost any song that Nickleback sings is a guilty pleasure song. For me, I love the song “Rockstar.” The song reminds me that I am not the only person in the world that wants the fame and fortune of the Hollywood starlets.

3. “Hey Juliet” LMNT

LMNT created the song “Hey Juliet” in the 90’s and it defiantly should have stayed there. “Hey Juliet” is a stalker song about a boy that wants to date a girl in his class but she wants nothing to do with him. When I hear this song on my 90’s radio station it makes me feel like I am back in the 4^th grade scanning the room for my Romeo.

4. “Build me up Buttercup” The Foundations

I do not know a single person who does not like this song. The Foundations are a very old band but all of their music is timeless to me. I discovered this song when I was in 5^th grade. I brought it to my friends and it soon became our theme song. We would put this song on and jump on the table screaming the lyrics. Classy, I know.

5. “Kidnap my Heart” The Click Five

I know that this song is embarrassing but I love The Click Five. When I am in the car, by myself, I blare their music. Something about this band makes me feel like I am at the beach, catching waves out on my surfboard. The Click Five makes amazing music, very romantic and totally energetic.

I may have embarrassed myself in this blog but it’s okay because after researching for this article I found people have a guilty pleasure playlist worse than mine.

The Music Lifestyle

“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans”

–John Lennon

Starting in 1958, The Beatles rocked the planet. Even today The Beatles are still played over the radio and on TV.  When I read the quote above, I think about how busy my days can be. Being a PR student, focusing on event management, I am very organized and have every minute of my day planned.

Planning is the biggest part of organizing an event. Doesn’t matter what type of event it is, if it’s not well-planned and organized the event will fail. Event planning is not always as easy as Ehow makes it seem.

Here’s a list to get a broad idea of where to stop panicking and start planning:

1.  Get the big picture

It’s hard at first to not think about all of the little details about the event but it’s extremely important to take a step back and assess the situation.  For example planning a concert, think about other concerts you’ve been to and start with the question ‘what did the concert have? ‘ By asking this question it is easier to get a broad idea of the event.

2.  Answering the question

Really just answer the question, continuing with the concert example, “what did the concert have?” The concert had a band, a venue, a theme, a time and a date. Again, this is just a broad idea of what the concert needs.

3.  Get your organizer

Time to put your thinking cap on and get to work. Think about the little details. If the event is a concert, think about ticket prices, food and beverage, safety hazards, staff etc.

4.  Do the research

Don’t do a projects without research. Research what goes into planning a concert and what are all the materials you will need. Find out more about the band. Basically grab every piece of information you can about the event.  You will be the “go to” person during the event know the information so you can have the answer.

5.  Market away!

The best way to have an excellent turnout to any event is to market it. Go crazy with marketing because if the event known about there will be better attendance.  Create a flyer that is appealing and has all the information. Marketing is best if its local. Go to coffee shops or bus stops and put a flyer up. More of a trend now for marketing is online. The current time demands that marketing be online. Try social networking sites or create a video at YouTube.

6.  Finishing touches

Done? Not yet, there are still some finishing touches that need to be made in order to have a successful event. Make sure that there is nothing you left out, nothing that you pushed aside, and nothing that you forget to bring. Make sure to bring a pad of paper and a pen to the event, you’ll never realize how much you’ll use them.