Lauren Nicolella Capstone
SLA Mentor: Mr. Hernandez
Topic Summary:
Figuring out how to effectively create a club at SLA, with there being a focus on reducing students’ stress levels based on the activities.
Project Abstract:
I created a karaoke club that would consist of students being able to sing and dance along to their favorite songs in a judgment-free zone. I began with putting up posters around the school, asking a friend to design one for me that would catch the eye of those who were interested. As it was only possible for meetings to occur during one lunch band, it was difficult to reach a larger amount of students who were interested in attending. I held four meetings, with required surveys for students to complete before and after they experienced the club. In the surveys, there were questions regarding their level of stress, how they felt, what they do to help themselves, and what can be improved in the club for next time. Each meeting was different because the number of people who attended was not consistent and the energy was either very high or significantly low, all of which affected the way the group as a whole participated. It was difficult trying to contain everyone and the kinds of music and activities we ended up doing when it came to deciding on a song or video on Youtube, it spiraled a little out of my control. I attempted to make changes, which included a judging round but it didn’t work well since people didn’t enjoy it, or want to participate. Ultimately, I decided to keep the genre of music to pop for a more universal reach as a constant throughout each meeting.
Videos of club:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1QTgeLF3Cn4ZWtSLVFlalU5S0N5Q0FOZVdIU0dFUkh3RFFn
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1QTgeLF3Cn4cFZJZVk0aFFYcTlFQ0ZXWFNQekxrMERfVElv
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1QTgeLF3Cn4azBUc3doWEczY3lOWEZHa2ZJT0pBRkh4YWxJ
[Author removed at request of original publisher]. “Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication.” University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing Edition, 2016. This Edition Adapted from a Work Originally Produced in 2010 by a Publisher Who Has Requested That It Not Receive Attribution., 22 Mar. 2016, open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/6-2-the-evolution-of-popular-music/.
For one of my club meetings, I want to include pop songs that are from the early 2000’s and 2010’s and this source goes into the evolution and how it has become different over the past century. It surprisingly goes into copyright issues, and the formation of laws in America to prevent copying, and to make more money and produce original songs. Genres like Jazz and the Blues were very popular in the 20s, and eventually the radio began to play different kinds of music once musicians started creating other sounds and lyrics. It went from saxophones and trumpets, to electric guitars and soundboard rhythms.
B., Kay. “History of Pop-Punk Music with Timeline.” Spinditty, Spinditty, 27 Oct. 2013, spinditty.com/industry/History-of-Pop-Punk-Music-with-Timeline.
This source is crucial since it is going to be a main part of how I am introducing my club and sharing with others of how I love pop-punk. It explains in depth of the origins from the 70’s and 80’s, and the difference in how ‘hard’ it used to be with vocals and instruments. There was a line of what made a band either pop-punk or hardcore, with certain characteristics to categorize them. The main era of pop-punk from more recent years started in the 90’s, with huge success from bands like Green Day. It evolved more as the years went on, bands like Blink 182 and Simple Plan became more popular and it continued growing into lots of more exposure and growth in the genre.
Hagan, Abigail. “The Power of Music Therapy .” Belmont University, Belmont University, www.belmont.edu/burs/pdf/Music - Hagan.pdf.
I found this research paper from a student at Belmont University, and she wrote about music therapy and how it actually works and is effective to those who are interested in using that process. It has become more established overtime in the world of healthcare, and targets specific situations such as relieving stress, pain, memory, and communication. It goes into multiple fields like psychology and physicians, so it is not limited to one career only. I thought it was so interesting that students are becoming more intrigued by researching the cause and effects of music, and how there is a lot of data to back up the way it helps a lot people out.
Iyer, Pico. “Daisuke Inoue.” Time, Time Inc., 23 Aug. 1999, content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054546,00.html.
This source was important for me to include because it gives a large overview and information about the man who created the very first karaoke machine. It was a bit difficult for me to find sources that explained his life, because he is still alive so there isn’t a lot of specific pieces that could be researched. Daisuke Inoue had friends who were in a band, and he was inspired of how they could read music and retain the melodies and lyrics all from memory. He then made it a mission to save up money to have his own version of karaoke, and sing along to different tapes.
“Karaoke History - Do You Know How It Started?” DJ-BrianC - Music For All Occasions, www.djbrianc.us/dj-services/karaoke-dj/karaoke-history/.
My first step into doing research had to be about learning how karaoke came to be, and how it has evolved overtime. This source goes into different decades of how it began, and starts out in the 60s which was surprising to me. It has become a large phenomenon in America, but came from Japan and someone who is Filipino. This will help me understand how it spread quickly in a time when there was less technology to spread something like karaoke. I think that it’s very interesting of how there was a mention of stereos and equipment becoming more high end so that the karaoke experience is able to become increasingly better.
Schoenherr, Neil. “Discovering Why Study Groups Are More Effective | The Source | Washington University in St. Louis.” The Source, 13 Jan. 2016, https://source.wustl.edu/2006/07/discovering-why-study-groups-are-more-effective/.
This source immediately jumps into how students gravitate towards doing work in study groups, and how figuring out that there is a pattern to go along with this. It makes me think of how SLA is surrounded by working in groups always, using our collaboration core value to efficiently get a lot more work done rather than have a bunch of independent assignments. The two patterns were ‘the gaze’, looking in a certain way only at your notebook, or always up to show confidence and preparation. The other pattern is ‘absorbing the materia;’, including in depth discussions and allowing more room to understand and actually grasp the material they are learning.
Stangor, Charles. “Principles of Social Psychology – 1st International Edition.” Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition, BCcampus, 26 Sept. 2014, opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapter/affect-behavior-and-cognition/.
The biggest piece from this article that resonates with me and the planning of my club is how Social Cognition was one of the first pieces of vocabulary and information given. It’s when you try and understand or predict the behavior of others and yourself in social activities, and me planning out everything to happen for this club is me doing exactly that. It goes further into how people may interpret and understand that situation or event, and how every person has a different opinion and way of taking something. I find that super interesting because I intend on showing pop-punk as my first genre and although I may love it, others may not and find the music offensive in some cases.
“Why Do People Go to Karaoke Alone in Japan? – Japan Info.” Japan Info, jpninfo.com/120494.
This source goes more into the karaoke city of origin, Japan. It’s incredible that it directly translates to ‘empty orchestra’, being very self-explanatory about what the actions are for those who participate in it. It lists multiple reasons of why one should go to a karaoke bar, or rent a room called a Karaoke Box, and experience a real part of the Japanese culture while travelling. There is a brief mention of how lots of people even attend karaoke alone, and how it’s more of a bigger impact if you do so. It helps with relieving stress, confidence, and practising singing.
Frontiers in Psychology. The Psychological Functions of Music Listening. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741536/.
I found this website, and I was interested to read it because it is from the US National Library of Medicine, and National Institutions of Health. It explains how music is one of the most relaxing and important aspects to someone’s daily life. This source goes further into some history of music, and how it has been around for a long time, and scholars for years have been researching the way that music is purposeful. Music has evolved and become so different over the centuries, but there has been significant research about music becoming a way to bring pleasure and relaxation, but there is a certain limit to how far that can reach someone.
“Stress.” Mental Health Foundation, 7 Nov. 2018, www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress.
This source is from an official mental health foundation, so I knew it was a solid source to include. I wanted to have the knowledge on stress, mainly because it is what I am trying to “measure”. Stress is when your body is responding to an event or situation that exudes a lot of pressure. Having this source go specifically into what triggers and changes occur helps me understand what not to do when I conduct my club meetings. The questions asked were very specific to different mental and physical effects, and there are many solutions and tips that can try to ease someone experiencing high levels of stress.
