Songs I Love!

     According to Itunes, the majority of music I listen to is in the pop genre. Most of my music has a piano or acoustic guitar accompanying the singer. I think this gives the music a pure quality because it isn’t cluttered with a lot of synthesizers or electric guitars. It's very relaxing and usually puts me in a good mood. I always get really excited when I buy a new CD, so I listen to it over and over for a couple of weeks. My mom would get pretty annoyed in the car after she heard the CD for about the fifth time

     I find it very distracting to listen to music when I do homework, so I do most of my music listening in my bed before I go to sleep or when I’m just spending time in my room. Some of my favorite artists are Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, and Amanda Seyfried.

     Colbie Caillat’s music is a mixture of upbeat and slower songs. I can easily relate a lot of her songs to my life. For example, her song, “Realize,” actually had influence on my decision to get together with my boyfriend. I have two of her CDs: Coco and Breakthrough. I listen to these CDs when I just want to turn up my music and sing. 

     The next artist, Sara Bareilles, is a new favorite of mine. My amazing roommate, Caitlin, bought me the CD entitled Kaleidoscope Heart for my birthday. I love it so much! The first song, “Kaleidoscope Heart,” is really interesting because it is just Sara singing, but she has overdubbed her voice to add a lot of harmony. If you use your imagination, the song resembles a kaleidoscope. Bareilles has a really beautiful voice, and it’s fun for me to just relax and contemplate on her lyrics.

     The last artist I’m going to talk about, Amanda Seyfried, isn’t well known for her singing. She is an actress and has performed in a few movies such as Dear John, Mama Mia, and Mean Girls. She sings a song entitlled “Little House” in the movie Dear John. I am currently learning this song so I can perform it for my guitar class. I listen to this much more often than any other music. Each night I use it to pick out strumming patterns and chord changes. I’m also hoping that if I listen to it enough right before I go to bed, it will seep into my subconscious and magically allow me to play it flawlessly.  

     I don't get to listen to music for fun as often as I would like, but I really enjoy listening to songs and trying to relate them to my thoughts and experiences. I have actually found ways to handle some problems I've had by listening to lyrics. 

No drinking at 18!

            The transition into college is exciting, stressful, and an adventure. Students are no longer “watched over” by their parents, and they begin to explore their new lives as adult individuals. During this process, students become bogged down by homework, their social lives, and homesickness. Students do not need an easy access to alcohol in their new life. Professors assign homework to reinforce what was learned in class. If students are drinking instead of doing their work, they will not learn the material and probably miss other classes because of the after effects of alcohol. This could cause the student to fall further and further behind and possibly not be able to continue his or her education. Alcohol may provide a very active social life for students. They will meet a lot of new people who enjoy drinking with them and begin to feel like these people are their friends. Later in the semester, the student may realize how the alcohol has changed his or her life. The student will also notice that in the process of losing his newfound love for alcohol he is losing all of his “friends” as well. Students will probably feel less homesick as the semester goes by. This feeling can diminish a lot quicker with the help of alcohol. Students would not be able to continue their late night partying at home with their parents’ supervision. Alcohol should not be accessible to students beginning college because they are at a too vulnerable stage in their lives. After students become comfortable with balancing school, finding true friends, and developing strong family relationships, alcohol can be added into the equation. At this time of their lives, students are mature enough to handle the responsibility that comes with drinking.