A Mozart Story
Some time last week we went to a concert showcasing the life of Mozart. An ensemble would play Mozart pieces as a storyteller dressed as Mozart would give bits and pieces of the composer’s life. It was a wonderful piece of history musically presented to be enjoyed by young viewers…adults as well. There were a lot of his pieces played, would list them one by one – upload them on youtube...
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Piano keys
They say when you play piano your fingers get longer and slender. Can’t prove that but I do know that playing the piano makes my daughter happy. This is her in one of her piano sessions last semester. Need to take photos and videos of her again as she plays. She’s wearing a white chiffon top over white longsleeved shirt as it was still cold then. – Sharing...
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Most Recent Articles
MiniPiano for Kiddie Music Fun
Exposing kids to different toys and activities helps a lot in rearing well-rounded kids. Parents usually buy classic toys like dolls, action figures, cars, blocks, and puzzles for their little ones. Role play toys like cooking sets, doctor’s kit, handyman tools, or musical instruments are normally bought depending on the child’s interest. Now that techie gadgets have entered the playing field, parents are given more tools to keep their kids entertained and trained while at play. Those who have little ones that show interest in playing the piano can download the MiniPiano App and let their kids fiddle around with music anytime and anywhere.
The MiniPiano App by Junpei Wada works just like a real piano toy. The black and white keyboards are displayed on the screen and the notes are played by pressing or tapping on the keys. Kids who would like to try out their musical skills can play around with a total of 14 playable notes that are available in the app. Adults may also find MiniPiano as an entertaining app simply because of the realistic looking keyboard and sounds in the app. The one octave limitation in the notes that can be played can be a turn-off for those who would like to play more than just the basic tunes with their mobile piano. Kids on the other hand will enjoy playing their do re mi’s and nursery rhymes with this app on their fingertips.
This app may be a long way from being a great virtual piano, but it does the trick for educating little kids on basic musical notes and simple piano pieces. It is also good enough to tap their interest in playing music and keep them engrossed during long waits or road trips. Best of all, it’s free! Parents who would like to expose their kids to a variety of apps to play with, can consider having the MiniPiano around as one of the musical apps in their mobiles.
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Making Amazing Videos from Home is Easier Than Ever!
As technology continues to progress at astronomical rates, producing something as simple and routine as a home video or recording a relatives sporting event has turned from vague and boring to vivid and exciting. The introduction of portable, high-definition recording devices with the assistance of massive video databases such as YouTube and Vimeo to a society continually thirsty for fresh and rousing video content has created a pandemic of video production across the globe.
The Technology Behind the Video
Once upon a time, creating a visually appealing video required a bulky and heavy video camera, something to record on, such as a disc or cassette, and something to hold the camera with. Though this feels as though this was technology from centuries ago, we only recently made the transition to small, compact, high-definition cameras that are capable of holding hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of video on a memory card the size of a thumbnail. This just goes to show how rapidly technology is advancing and how swiftly it continues to progress. For instance, it took only 6 years after the introduction of the first tapeless camcorder to create a camcorder capable of producing 3D video.
High-definition video cameras today come in an incredibly vast array of shapes and sizes and can range anywhere from $50 to $50,000 depending on the quality of the video able to be produced and the functions the camera is capable of performing. Though traditional video cameras are obviously still purchased and used all across the world, the popularity of a single-function video camera is decreasing year after year. Why? High-definition video cameras are slowly losing their luster as smartphones and digital cameras are incorporating not only functional video cameras, but recording abilities that are swiftly approaching the clarity and definition of video cameras.
Now, of course our iPhones are not capable of producing movie-quality video. However, the convenience and increasing quality of the videos that is able to be produced on portable cameras and smartphones is more than enough to catch milk come out of your friend’s nose or create that video blog you have been dying to start. There is a time and place for every camera, however. Of course there are some instances that may deem more important and require a better camera; pulling out an Android to record your son’s baptism may not be the best device to capture such an event.
Society and Its Video Obsession
Unless a cave has been your primary place of residence for the past 5 years, then you have probably noticed the explosion of video content being posted on the Internet. The entire world, not just the United States, is absolutely obsessed with producing videos in the hopes of seeing them go viral. Many of today’s celebrities became such by means of a viral video of them falling down the stairs or creating a silly video blog. This addiction has spurred the advances in technology; we are always searching for easier and more portable devices so that we can capture each and every moment that may later be deemed as a viral video. And have you noticed how incredible the quality of these videos on YouTube has gotten over the years? The majority of them were shot with smartphones or Flip Videos, devices that can fit in the back pocket of your skinny jeans, proving that the Average Joe has shot and recorded quite entertaining and visually appealing videos with such “basic” camcorders.
Companies able to produce these inexpensive, rather high-quality products that can produce great video are experiencing tremendous sales because of Average Joes like us. The ease and appeal of these products has caused an explosion of information and entertainment that can be uploaded in minutes to the Internet and accessed by millions the very same day. It’s not just a trend anymore; producing amazing, entertaining, high-definition and high-quality videos has become the norm for society. And it’s changing the world as we know it. More and more people are being exposed to information and entertainment that we never conceived possible. The only question? What’s next?
Katelyn Roberts is a video and music blogger who uses KoyoteSoft’s converter mp3 when creating videos and sharing them online. You can convert wma to mp3 converter from KoyoteSoft.
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Buying and Reselling Tickets Made Easy
Pink. Listed as #10 on VH1′s 100 Greatest Women in Music will be on tour in Europe this season. The multi-awarded musician will tour around Manchester, Paris, London, Dublin, Zurich, Amsterdam and some cities more in a span of two months. And if you’re a fan this is your chance to see Pink upclose. Booking tickets for concerts are easier nowadays but they get sold out easily too so better grab yours before that happens.
Now, imagine this scenario. You’ve been waiting for it all these months, booked your front row seat and even bought a camera just to see Pink perform. You’ve arranged vacation off work and hired someone to take care of your kids for the night…then, a week before the concert your boss tells you that you have to fly to your company’s newly opened branch in a far away city and you have to fly the morning when the concert would be held. Schade. That just didn’t happen, you say. You wouldn’t want to miss Pink’s concert but you can’t say no to the boss as it is a must! So what happens to the ticket you bought? Throw it away? Nope. Resell them. You can visit StubHub for Pink tickets.
Yes, you read it right. EBay’s “daughter” company, Stubhub, will make you sell your ticket at even less than a week. Fans who weren’t able to get a ticket before they were sold out would definitely be willing to buy those tickets that would be unused by you – the busy person who has to forego his chance.
On the contrary, if you are that someone who wasn’t able to book early enough, you can still find on sale tickets which are for the scheduled concerts throughout the coming months. There’d be some more being sold by fans who because of unknown circumstances won’t be able to use their pre-bought tickets.
Stubhub is an online portal for buying and reselling tickets which one would be reminded of eBay. When your ticket gets sold, you get a confirmation email and details on how to send tickets to the buyer. Like eBay, you can opt to send it via a trusted courier or meet up…but if it’s online then transfer would be much easier. Being under eBay, transactions are definitely legit and tickets are assured of originality.
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Getting Hooked on the A-Ok Music Video Game of Lyroke
Music lovers and Karaoke fans who are searching for a new way to enjoy their music need not look further as Lyroke is here to spice up their life. This application plays music videos from some of the most popular artists of today including some from the older generation. Users can sing along with it and test their knowledge of song lyrics by filling-in the blanks in the lyrics feed. It is an entertaining music video game that allows users to enjoy music in a unique way.
People who can only sing in the shower need not worry about a thing. They may not be able to hit the right notes but they’ll definitely score points for getting their lyrics right. Those who are new in the game can try their skills on the featured playlist, which usually includes a handful of recent hit songs. It also has a library of songs from other artists that one can choose from including those from Lenny Kravitz, Cindy Lauper, Janet Jackson, Pet Shop Boys and Rick Astley. Players can practice the game on their own then move on to the challenges and play with their friends. Having it available in Facebook makes it easier to connect and enjoy the game with friends. They can pit their skills against each other and find out who will rule the Lyroke scene.
The game rules are quite simple but one can easily get hooked on the challenges as it takes both speed and song mastery to get top points in the game. Those who want to take on the Lyroke challenge can easily download the application in their iOS or Android gadgets free of charge. They can get it through the App store, iTunes, or Google play then start rocking with the latest tunes and get their fingers tapping for the highest scores.
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Grammy Awards 2013
Record of the Year: “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye feat. Kimbra
Album of the Year: Babel, Mumford & Sons
Song of the Year: “We Are Young,” (Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost and Nate Reuss, songwriters (Fun. feat. Janelle Monae)
Best New Artist: Fun.
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Set Fire to the Rain” (Live), Adele
Grammy Awards Red Carpet 2013
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye feat. Kimbra
Best Pop Vocal Album: Stronger, Kelly Clarkson
Best Dance/Electronica Album: Bangarang, Skrillex
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Kisses on the Bottom, Paul McCartney
Best Rock Performance: “Lonely Boy,” Black Keys
Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance: “Love Bites (So Do I),” Halestorm
Best Rock Song: “Lonely Boy,” Dan Auerbach, Brian Burton and Patrick Carney (Black Keys)
Best Rock Album: El Camino, Black Keys
Best Alternative Music Album: Making Mirrors, Gotye
Best R&B Performance: “Climax,” Usher
Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Love on Top,” Beyoncé
Best R&B Song: “Adorn,” Miguel
Best Urban Contemporary Album: Channel Orange, Frank Ocean
Best R&B Album: Black Radio, Robert Glasper Experiment
Best Rap Performance: “N****s in Paris,” Jay-Z and Kanye West
Best Rap Song: “N****s in Paris,” Jay-Z and Kanye West
Best Rap Album: Take Care, Drake
Best Country Solo Performance: “Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood
Best Country Album: Uncaged, Zac Brown Band
Best Blues Album: Locked Down, Dr. John
Best Reggae Album: Rebirth, Jimmy Cliff
Best Comedy Album: Blow Your Pants Off, Jimmy Fallon
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Best Historical Album: The Smile Sessions (Deluxe Boxed Set), Beach Boys
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Dan Auerbach
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Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/2013-grammy-winners-list-20130210#ixzz2LXjnaQRE
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Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce and Co at the Super Bowl 2013
photo via http://justjared.com
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Last nights’ performances at the Super Bowl were not just amazing, it’s rather extraordinary having three divas in one night for us to experience.
Alicia Keys performs the Star Spangled Banner during the 2013 Super Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday (February 3) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her rendition was powerful and moving, not to mention accompanied by her own tipping of the piano. We’ve seen critiques make a big deal out of National Anthem sang differently from how it is but Keys was able to deliver. Still didn’t go unscathed, this humble blogger thinks she did very well.
“I’m really excited about it, I can’t even lie,” Keys was quoted saying before Sunday’s performance. “I have to rehearse it totally, as if it’s a brand-new song, because it is actually a brand new song in the style that I’ll deliver it. I’m actually rehearsing it like a maniac.”
Jennifer Hudson also performed and it was an emotional rendition of “America the Beautiful” with the Sandy Hook Elementary School Chorus in memoriam to their schoolmates who lost their lives in the tragedy.
“Such a privilege to be performing w the Sandy Hook elementary chorus at the #SuperBowl today. We go on just before kick off!” Jennifer tweeted before the game.
And of course half-time would never be as memorable as the groundbreaking LED effects morphed multitudes of electronic Beyoncés into the real her – a totally complex feat!
Beyonce was on solo through a medley of her hits; “Love on Top,” “Crazy in Love,” “End of Time,” and “Baby Boy.” She was then joined by Destiny’s Child bandmates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland. They started with “Bootylicious” and worked through “Independent Woman” before collaborating on “Single Ladies”.
Following the controversy of her lip sync on a previous performance, Beyonce clarified ”I will absolutely be singing live, I am well-rehearsed. This is what I was born to do.” And she did.
All in all, it was a night to be recorded as one of the best in Super bowl performances, I say.
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Go Flip with Music, Friends and Fliptape
After getting Spotify, one might think that he has everything he needs in a music streaming service, but that is only until he discovers Fliptape. Bonding with friends through music becomes much easier with an application that combines music streaming and social network features. Fliptape allows you to find and follow friends who are also using Spotify, and strengthen your bonds with a fun and cool way to share music together.
This app was released in October 2012 exclusive for Spotify users. Adding it to your list of apps makes it possible for you and your friends to listen to the same playlist at the same time even if you are all situated in different parts of the country. Simply tap on the user’s profile and stream the current track on your gadget. The current song in the user’s track along with the rest of it will be played on your gadget in real time. It also has a featured artist option that you can explore with your friends and discover new music together.
There are three simple steps to get you started on a Fliptape habit. First is to download the app, then sign-in with Spotify, and finally, listen to music with your friends. It is important to note though that this app is only available to those who have a premium account with Spotify. Those who would like to try it out first before paying for a premium account can get the Spotify Premium trial version where they can enjoy the benefits of Premium for 30 days free of charge.
Aside from sharing playlists with your friends, Fliptape also makes it easier for you to explore new and trending music in the market or find out how many people like your playlist. You can even compare “likes” with your friends and see who has the most popular song selections or album in the group. Don’t be the odd man out, get into the Fliptape groove with your friends and go flip with music.
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