Evelyn Glennie blog post

The main thing that I'll remember about Evelyn Glennie's performance is that she's deaf. She can't hear anything through her ears, and yet she makes perfect notes and knows exactly what each note will sound like. That's freaking Beethoven-status. That was absolutely amazing that she could do that.

It was very very intense listening to her play her piece. She made music that moved through your soul, just by the sound on the marimba. She could alter her playing so that it sounded like an organ, instead of a mechanical ding. Not to mention, she could make single notes, even while using slight cords to produce the organ sound.

The elements that influenced the audience's impression of the sound were how loud she played, how hard she hit the keys, and how she had her arms positioned. If her arms were positioned really tightly and close to her body, then it would be a harsh, metallic sounding note. But if she held her arms freely and loosely, then the note would reflect that.

By that, she meant that everyone feels the music differently. Some people feel it in there hands, some through their ears, some through their heads. I feel the music in my head, which is where I compose most of my music and listen to songs. After enough times of hearing the song, I can listen to the entire thing, drums, piano, guitar and all in my head exactly as I would hear it from a video.

Farmers' Market Visit

On May 2nd of this year, my family and I visited a Farmers' Market that sets up on Sundays in Point Loma. I interviewed a couple that was selling spices:




Q: What is your name and your role here at the farmers' market?
A: My name's Jan, and I sell seasonings here.

Q: Why do you choose to support/sell at this farmers' market?
A: Well, this is our business, it's how we make money, and this way, we get the spices to a direct target, instead of having a middleman.

Q: When did you first start coming here [to this farmers' market]?
A: We started coming here around 2 years ago.

Q: What would be your advice to get others to do what you do?
A: Take a chance, follow your dream. It's kinda cheesy, but that's my advice.


Here's some reflective questions that I am also answering:

Q: What struck you about the location you visited? Was it what you expected, or very different?
A: Well, I thought it was pretty cool how there were so many stalls that sold so many different things. Most of them had samples, so you could see whether you wanted the product or not. The only thing that I hadn't thought would happen was the place being outside. I was thinking of different stalls, but inside a building.

Q: Which items were cheaper than you expected? Which were more expensive?
A: There weren't any items that were more expensive than I'd anticipated, but I thought that my family got a really nice deal on the jam that we bought. It was only five dollars a jar, and it tasted WAY better than the stuff you buy from Albertsons or Vons.

Q: Do you think you will start going to a farmers market more often? Or using a community garden? Or supporting a CSA?
A: I think that we've found one that's really close to our house, and it opens on Fridays, which means we could pick up stuff on the way home from school. If the stuff at that farmers market was as good as the stuff at the Point Loma farmers market, then I DEFINITELY want to support it.

Q: How do these locations fit into our essential questions of "Why Don't People Live More Sustainably?" and "How Can I Convince Them To Do So?"
A: Farmers markets may be farther away, and they might be more expensive than your local Albertsons, but they are definitely worth the price and the walk, because they taste better, last longer (sometimes), and they are definitely better for your health. (I just made a thesis with a concessive :D)

School Garden Blog Post

On Thursday, our class went to see the Seniors' garden where they grow all kinds of plants. Here are some of the questions that I asked and the answers that were given:

Q: How does this garden tie in with learning?
A: We're learning Environmental Science this year and it's great because, even though you can learn in a closed off classroom environment, it's much more interesting to go out and actually experience the stuff that you can do with environmental science, like growing a garden.

Q: What do you grow?
A: Lettuce, basil, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, and a couple of random plants.

Q: What happens during the Summer?
A: Nothing I guess. If John were here, he'd probably take care of it, but this is his last year [teaching], so I guess it just dies.

Q: Do you guys do anything with the plants (e.g. sell them, eat them, etc.)?
A: We eat the plants sometimes. But last week, for example, we fed lunch to a lot of people from just the garden, and they each got a good amount of food.



Here are some reflective questions that I'm also going to answer:

Q: Do you want to continue the Seniors' work?
A: I would love to do that, but according to my third question, the garden is going to die over the summer, so my class might have to start anew when it finally ends up our turn.

Q: What struck you about the garden?
A: I thought it was really cool how they could grow all kinds of different plants, like fruits, trees, vegetables and spices all in the same area.

Q: Did this inspire you to start your own garden?
A: I guess not exactly a garden, but it inspired me to plant a couple of trees with fruit on them, so I could have fresh tomatoes, strawberries and a grapes, and if olives count as fruit, then those too.

Q: How did this garden remind you of sustainable living?
A: I think the garden was sustainable because instead of giving money to someone else (which cannot make plants), the seniors are growing their own plants, so that they take from nature, but they also replant the seeds, thus creating an equivalent exchange process.