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HuMusic Honors Seminar -†Fall 2016 Live Performance Final



Every fall a team-taught Honors Seminar, known colloquially as the HuMusic Seminar, combines HIST2322 World Civilizations II and MUSI1306 Music Appreciation. It is a course which emphasizes creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; including academically rigorous projects such as a research paper utilizing primary and secondary sources as well as creative projects such as learning Chinese calligraphy, making African-inspired clay masks, and writing original music. One of the themes throughout the course is the connection between historical events and artistic expression. Part of the final examination for the course includes a live performance component. Students are asked to present a musical/creative presentation which has meaning and relevance to them personally. Below are the presentations for Fall 2016. Enjoy!

Presley McClendon............................................................................†Three of a Kind

This is a piano piece written by†me, Presley McClendon, for†my sisters and I to play. Each part clashes with each other due to different ideas, personalities and even keys because†my sisters and I are each different in our mindset. The piece comes together at the end when we finally figure out how we†belong together and can get along finding a similar ?note? or idea. The piece†starts in age order and ends in the order of us graduating high school. This piece is special to†me, because in†junior high I was a brat and didn?t appreciate family†and through different experiences learned the closest friends are the ones†my name gets confused with and who share blood with†me. Thank you for listening to†my sisters and†me today!

Chelsea Chalk.......................................................................................†Left Hands

For the final performance, I will be reading a slightly humorous poem about being left handed. I started reading poems about ?lefties? because I was once challenged to find something different about myself and turn it it to something that puts me at an advantage. By reading poems written by fellow lefties, I was made aware of the many challenges left handed people face in this right handed world. Prior to finding The Lefty Chronicles, I thought everyone had ink smudges on their hands after taking notes, but no that's just a lefty thing.

Melody Mott......................................................................†The Green Dog

For a freshman choir student in High School, the most terrifying and prestigious vocal performance competition in the state is Solo and Ensemble. Students spend months rehearsing challenging madrigals and individual pieces to achieve a coveted golden medal at state. However, the competition has levels, and regulations. To receive a gold medal at state, you must preform a class one piece, the highest level of all musical pieces. To preform a class one piece, you must first preform a class three, then a class two piece. To advance to state, you must make a one on a class one piece at the regional level. The Green Dog has sentimental value to me, because it is my coveted one at a Texas State Solo and Ensemble Competition, held annually at the University of Texas at Austin. This song is a reminder of the fun and joy I associate with choir, as well as the strong relationships I built throughout my time in the program. This is why the song is a vastly important part of my past, and why I choose to sing it today.

Tanika Santos-MacSwain................................................................................................†Poem

This poem uses my passion for soccer to embody my journey through life and how the sport/journey has helped shape me into the strong, determined and unique person I am today. The ?fire inside? is a representation of the struggle between being an outsider and needing to prove people wrong. Eventually, I realized that being different is why I love myself and this wasn?t something I needed to prove to anyone. The purpose of this poem is to motivate the audience to follow their passions, let the journey teach them lessons and be confident in their individuality.

William Jones.....................................................................†Classic Christmas Hymns

Almost everyone that celebrates Christmas has had that classic†?Charlie Brown?†moment. That point in your life where you question what the holiday season is really about. The people around you are always scrambling to get gifts or decorate their houses. But just like that 1965 Peanuts Christmas special points out; the Christmas season is so much more than that. For me it has always been a special time of year where friends and family gather around tantalizing smells, good food, and joyful music to celebrate the birth of our savior. One of the newest ways I celebrate the season is by playing classic Christmas hymns on my violin. Today I?ll be sharing with you three of my favorites:†O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Silent Night.

Cailee Davidson.................................................................†Poem: Northeast Texas Sky

Growing up in rural Texas has been such a great blessing for me. I can enjoy the beauty of nature anytime I want. I love being able to walk outside and see the beautiful East Texas sky. No matter what time of day, God?s craftsmanship can be found, whether it?s found in the millions of stars or in a beautiful sunrise. I chose this piece because of the meaning behind it. It?s not just a few lines describing the night sky. It paints a picture of how wonderful and vast nature can be. If I were to live in a crowded city, I would not be able to enjoy what God has created. After reading this piece, I hope for listeners to appreciate the little things in life like a rural home town or a sunrise.

Kason Newman.................................................................................†Joyful Memory

I will be playing a guitar piece that my grandfather would always play for me when I was young. As I grew older, he taught me the piece but I thought nothing of it at the time. Now, years later, my grandfather is not with us anymore so I added a little more to the piece he taught me and will be playing it in his memory.

Emmalea Shaw.......................................................................†THE SMALL TOWN LIFE

Growing up as a coach?s kid, I changed towns and schools several times. †Each time was a new adventure with new friends and new memories to be made. When I moved back to Northeast Texas to attend school, it instantly felt like home. More than the physical beauty evident with every change of season, the deeper beauty is the sense of belonging. I chose this poem because it embodies everything I love about this little corner of the world. I hope by sharing, others can see Small Town Life for all it has to offer.

Alecia Spurlin.............................................†singing and signing ?Adore Him? by Kari Job

Ever since I was a child I have loved Christmas and the music that comes along with it. To me, Christmas is not Christmas without the song ?Adore Him? by Kari Job. The song talks about what occurred in order for us to even have Christmas, the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the reason for this season. Santa Claus, Rudolph, and Christmas carols are great, but the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus. ?Come let us, Adore Him? together.

Ryan-Rose Mendoza...............................................†Poetry:†One Form of Communications

There are many different ways to artfully express one's†thoughts†and feelings, poetry is one of the best known and most understandable ways. †My poem focuses on a topic very important to me; education. †Poetry is important to me because†as a Mass Communications major, its my job to help people to see things and learn about things they may not have known previously. †I have focused my poem on the students I have had the privilege to†meet as a tutor and a lab assistant, and deserve to have their stories told.

Kassy Martinez................................†Como si fuera mi ˙ltimo dÌa (Like if it was my last day)

The song I will be performing on my guitar explains through the Spanish lyrics (This song is also Christian based), the meaning of living our life?s to the fullest as if it were our very last. This song touches my heart and brings me into perspective, sometimes we let things get in the way like being too busy for those who love us and surround us, or the lack of showing how much they mean to us. Also, the fact that the song is written in my native language brings me to experience a much deeper meaning. This song also encourages to not wait for tomorrow, but to live life to the fullest. I believe that this is the exact mindset that should be implanted in our hearts where ever life takes us and in any situation that we find ourselves. Whether it is finishing getting our PhDs or Masters, or simply showing our love ones and those who surround us on the day by day basis how much they mean to us, and that there is purpose in life, and that is to Love. Here is the English translation of the lyrics:

As if it were my last day,I?m going to live with a sincere loveAnd show those close to me how much I love them.As if it were my last day,I?m going to fight for my dreams,Living without fear and treasuring every minute.I?m not going to wait until tomorrow because all I have is the present.If there wasn?t much time, I would stay and take a momentTo show you that I love you and that I am fully content that I have you.And if your joy depended on me, I would give everything I can to you to make this day the best day in our life.If this was my last chance to look at you again,I would make this moment the most important in your memory,Because in the times of difficulty and stress of this life, we miss the details we later wish we could remember.And then regret that we?ve forgotten these experiences, and mourn that we cannot recreate them.If there wasn?t much time, I would stay and take a momentTo show you that I love you and that I am fully content that I have you.And if your joy depended on me, I would give everything I can to you,And make this day the best day in our life.I would enjoy all that God has given mefriends, family and love,and I?ll make this day the best of my life.

Tanner Jones............................................................†The Man in the Arena

I chose to recite this poem from Theodore?s Roosevelt?s speech given at the Sorbonne in Paris. It is not really classified as a poem but it has great inspirational meaning. It has been modified to help carry on the motivation message that it portrays. The excerpt is about never giving up even if the odds are against you and that you and you alone are the determiner of your own destiny. I know that it is easy to give up and take the easy way out, but I am trying to fix that in myself. Hopefully†this piece will help spread the word so that others will join me.†This spoke to me and should speak to others as well because everyone could use some motivation in their lives to give them a push in the right direction.

Fall Honors Seminar Students......................................................†Jingle Bells (modified)

A unique feature of this class is that every student is given a guitar for the semester. Writing music, like Mozart did, and learning a few chords helps drive home the differences in historical genre and changes over time in music.††The entire class will be playing their own modified version of Jingle Bells to end the program.