Music

OK OK…this week's blog isn't so much about saying that one kind of music is better than the other…but more to just pose the question of what makes “good” music. A Facebook friend of mine made the point that I came to adopt back in college - music “is supposed to communicate something to the observer/audience.” Over the last year I've found that for me communication and making connection is really what life is all about.  Looking at what music is communicating and how it's communicating to us (consciously and subconsciously)

No this is not a blog about how people blare the music in their cars too loud.  Rather it is about how we decide to appreciate what really is around us. While music can be a wonderful tool for art, for communication, for fun and much more, sometimes finding the silence can be just as good.  Now I know Wichita isn’t like one of the nation’s biggest cities, but sometimes living in the city can become so…..urban I guess is the word. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt for some of us to get outside the city and enjoy the music of nature.  To listen to the birds, running water and maybe even catch a moment of silence.

LIV Fest is going to be at the corner of 1st & Broadway here in Wichita (200 North Broadway St. #102) at the Orpheum Theater. (if you get a chance I interviewed Adam Hartke from the Orpheum Theater on The Playlist a while back)  Friday evening is going to be a great evening for the arts community because not only will there be great music but Tallgrass Film Festival will be showing films in the Orpheum Theater between sets. The catch…..the films being shown are a secret. Who doesn’t like surprises?

Do noises bug you? Every little sound get on your nerves? Maybe you need to change your frame of reference.  Check out the musician I found on the CBS News website.  This is the second story on a man who hears music in every day life, first a tree and this time a dry cleaning business.  Watch it here .

Most people have seen the 1965 film version of the musical The Sound of Music. But Wichita's Heights High School brings a more complex version of the story to the stage Friday and Saturday night along with the favorite musical numbers. “It's about Maria really trying to find who she is, what her life is all about, and what God has sent her to do,” says Carley Larson, who plays Maria Von Trap. “At first she thinks she is meant to be a nun but she soon finds that she falls in love with someone.” The story is based on a true story about a young woman who wants to be a nun, Maria, but is sent to be a governess to widower Captain Von Trapp's seven children.

Wichita School Board members approved a $14 million dollar bond project for Wichita South High School.  The school will get a new P.E./athletics complex and swimming pool. The money will also be used to build a new music facility. Board members approved the project in a 6-0 vote Monday night. The additions will be complete in the summer of 2013.

Ellis ishome to a rich history and many residents have interesting stories to tell.  One man fought hard enough to get out of Germany during World War II to share his gift of music with western Kansas. Fritz Kramer remembers much of his childhood ducking from gunfire and finding shelter from bombs.  He says it was pure hell growing up in Germany during the war.  "There was so much brainwashing going on.  Every family in Germany has suffered by this idiotic guy named Hitler," he said.

One of my professors in college would take time in our music class to talk about the importance of surrounding ourselves with not only quality music but also quality art, literature, film, poetry and such.  That class changed my life. I suspect this same class also changed Joãl Alexandria Cachero's life too. We both studied jazz at WSU over the last few years and it sure seems like we were opened up to new ways of thinking and looking at the world. This week Joãl took some time to answer a few questions for us: What was your first musical experience?

With the first Friday of every month comes the event First Friday.  This Friday there will be no lack of music in downtown Wichita.  Now one place that is a definite must to visit is Oeno Wine Bar.  Reason being, drummer Tatsuya Hidano will be playing there.  Tatsuya is originally from Japan, but the most important thing to know about him is he can play like nobody’s business! Earlier this week Tatsuya Hidano was kind enough to take some time and answer some questions for us: How long have you been playing music/what got you started?

Is there a song that most reminds you of your Father? The question comes from a story in the Boston Globe, asking readers to name a song they associate with their Dad.  It made me think back, to the early 1060's and groups like the Christy Minstrels, the Limeliters and even the Smothers Brothers.  One song I remember hearing a lot, and enjoying, "Crabs Walk Sideways"- a love song about a lobster and a crab. Also, Roger Miller and "King of the Road. " What songs remind you of your Dad?

This is the time of year Cody Hanna lives for.  "This is it," says Hanna outside his Clearwater home.  For Cody, it's all about lights and each year he has a goal.  "Get bigger. More lights, way more lights. " At 13, Cody formed a passion early. "He's liked lights since he was a baby," says mom Michelle. "When he was seven he decided he was going to start decorating his room. " His display now goes beyond a few extension cords.  Cody spends all year planning and saving for a light display on the outside of his home.  It includes music broadcast through an FM signal all run by a laptop Cody saved up to buy.  "It's cool.

Bag it up Wichita. That's the message behind a catchy music video and PSA from city environmental officials. The play on the 1990s hip-hop hit "No Diggity" is designed to encourage dog owners to pick up their pet's waste to promote overall health in the community. Watch the "Dog Doogity" Video Officials say Wichita pets create 50,000 pounds of waste per day.  Much of the doody eventually finds its way to the Arkansas River, threatening the long term health of the river and its Eco-system.  It can also create a human health hazard by spreading bacteria and diseases.

The Wichita State University Summer Orchestra brings dramatic characters to life at this weekend's concert featuring Tchaikovsky, Weber, Sarasate, and Surinach. The musical ensemble is made up of 60 professional musicians, WSU students and high school instrumentalists. A virtuoso violin setting of the famous opera Carmen, about a seductive Spanish gypsy, is created by WSU master's student Leo Adamov. He says the piece is challenging but the great emotional contrasts make it fun to perform.

Three brothers from Saline County took a break from harvest to make a music video.  They wrote their own words to the LMFAO song 'I'm sexy and I know it'.  Their version is 'I'm farming and I grow it'.  For three minutes, they sing and dance in the fields and among cattle. Greg, Nathan and Kendal Peterson created the video and the group known as "Peterson Farm Bros".  The goal is to promote agriculture and the importance of it.  The brothers say they owe all of their sucess to blue collar attitude they picked up in the world of agriculture.  "We didn't think it would go all over the place, that was a surprise", says group member Nathan Peterson.

Ellis ishome to a rich history and many residents have interesting stories to tell.  One man fought hard enough to get out of Germany during World War II to share his gift of music with western Kansas. Fritz Kramer remembers much of his childhood ducking from gunfire and finding shelter from bombs.  He says it was pure hell growing up in Germany during the war.  "There was so much brainwashing going on.  Every family in Germany has suffered by this idiotic guy named Hitler," he said.

Most people have seen the 1965 film version of the musical The Sound of Music. But Wichita's Heights High School brings a more complex version of the story to the stage Friday and Saturday night along with the favorite musical numbers. “It's about Maria really trying to find who she is, what her life is all about, and what God has sent her to do,” says Carley Larson, who plays Maria Von Trap. “At first she thinks she is meant to be a nun but she soon finds that she falls in love with someone.” The story is based on a true story about a young woman who wants to be a nun, Maria, but is sent to be a governess to widower Captain Von Trapp's seven children.

OK OK…this week's blog isn't so much about saying that one kind of music is better than the other…but more to just pose the question of what makes “good” music. A Facebook friend of mine made the point that I came to adopt back in college - music “is supposed to communicate something to the observer/audience.” Over the last year I've found that for me communication and making connection is really what life is all about.  Looking at what music is communicating and how it's communicating to us (consciously and subconsciously)