Rap at Westminster?

posted by: David

David Leifer, reporting again. Today began with a discussion in Music History Since 1900 about Hip-Hop music and its roots in the Bronx. This was probably the most entertaining class we have had all semester! We got to listen to music by rappers from the 1970s all the way to the late 1980s. I especially liked listening to Rapper's Delight, and The Message, by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. My favorite part of the song is where the rapper says "Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge. I'm try-ing not to lose my head!" Those words stuck with me all through today. It's such a catchy beat! Other highlights were finishing the remaining notes left to learn of the Berlioz' The Damnation of Faust in Symphonic Choir. The score is like a textbook, no lie! Even so, we have finally reached our goal- to sing through ALL of our notes of the score. Now we just have to get it all to sound good together! Performances with the NY Philharmonic are just around the corner. I had chicken fajitas for lunch - not bad! Sour cream and salsa added a lot to the flavor. The hearty vegetable soup was pretty good, too! Finally, to top it all off, we had the funniest conducting class with Dr. Jordan today. We sat on the Swiss Balls to stay balanced, and we practiced 4, 3, and 2 beat conducting patterns. Everyone was so giggly because he made so many jokes while we were *attempting* to make the right gestures. What a great class to end the day!