Monday's Music Moves Me: How Music Educates Us

I open this week's Monday's Music Moves Me with Pink Floyds "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2."  This week's theme being How Music Educates Us as March is Music in Our Schools Month.

"We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Hey Teachers leave them kids alone"

We do need education, Perhaps we don't need thought control, dark sarcasm, and some teachers do need to leave those kids alone. Music teaches discipline, provides a creative outlet, and provides another way students can find self confidence. It can be woven into other studies math, science, and theater. However if we aren't careful we are going to lose music in our schools(and other arts).

Over the weekend I saw two musicals performed by two different high schools. I was pleasantly surprised by the talent. One of the musicals was Godspell, Here is a clip from Ramsey High School in Purchase, New York.

Yes music in schools brings culture to the community.

Some kids are full of musical talent like "Taz"

"My Revival"

Look him up, I have seen him live and the kid has talent

Brandon "Taz" Neiderauer.

Music can inspire! So let's keep it in the schools.

A to Z: Xanadu and the Landless Theatre

About two and a half years ago I reviewed a performance of Xanadu which was produced by the Landless Theatre Company. It was a fun, entertaining and crazy show. You can read my review here. I also blogged about Xanadu on this blog here as I would blog about shows I reviewed and add a little bit more in my blog.

I am revisiting Xanadu because today is the letter X on the A to Z: Challenge! Only two more posts to go on the challenge so the end is near. Xanadu was what kept popping up in my mind for X. After re-reading my original blog post I realized I really didn't give the Landless Theatre Company a proper shout out! Even though their production of Xanadu is yesteryear's news the theatre company is producing new shows which are worth mentioning.

How about a clip from Xanadu..here is Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) performing the title track..

Theatre and music fans might enjoy this song from the 2008 Tony Awards featuring Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler performing "Don't Walk Away" from the musical...

The Landless Theatre Company has continued to produce crazy, entertaining and fun theatre. This summer they are bringing their Prog Metal version of Sweeney Todd to the Atlas Theatre in Washington, D.C. Last year the shows debut was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards which are like Washington's version of the Tony Awards. You can learn more about this theatre group here. Interestered in reading a review about the prog metal Sweeney Todd? Here is one from Metaldisciple.com. Think about a musical being reviewed by a Heavy Metal site that is the craziness of Landless. I wish I could catch this show.

Stayed tuned as the A to Z: Challenge nears the end!

Battle of the Bands 14: My Funny Valentine

Since December my Battle of the Bands post have been pretty thematic. That continues this month as Valentine's Day strikes in the center of the month,  My selection this time around is Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine." The song is originally from the musical "Babes in Arms."

Before I get to the music let me explain what is going on and who else has battles!

Regular rules, listen to the song clips in the blog post. In the comment section vote for the one you like the best. Feel free to explain why you voted the way you did. The battles take place on the first and 15th and winners will be announced on the 7th and 21st. I will normally post the winner in the comments. Of course have fun and enjoy!

The below list is edited to welcome some new battles and unfortunately some battles have taken a break. If you are still looking for more musical fun after you vote, you can check out these sites for more battles:

DC Relief

Your Daily Dose

Tossing It Out

STMcC Presents "Battle of the Bands"

A Writer's Life in Progress

Curious as a Cathy

The Sound of One Hand Typing

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Far Away Series

I am changing it around this month, I am not posting the original song. Just two very different covers.

CHALLENGER ONE: FRANK SINATRA

CHALLENGER TWO: ELLA FITZGERALD

A battle of the sexes if you a like. A battle between two legends if you like. A great song covered by two great voices enjoy. 

Enjoy! Vote in the comments and I will see you soon!

A to Z: DC Metro Theater Arts

Today's letter is D. So I Thought I would dedicate to a place I write at called DC Metro Theater Arts.If you are interested in the performing arts in the Washington DC area I would recommend the site to you. They cover a bit beyond DC as well inccluding Fredericksburg, Frederick, Annapolis and Baltimore.

Yes most of the site is theatre related. The site does reach outside DC being linked to Broadway World in New York. The site does cover more than theatre covering dance, concerts, some movies, and more events. There are also well writen columns.

I've covered a lot of concerts. The music varies tro include authentic Irish folk muisc, Burmese rock, classical, jazz, country, rock, alt rock, bluegrass, show tunes, alt country, pop, and more. I have also covered (and of course the site as well) a lot of theatre including National Tours, International Tours, to cutting edge local theatre.

Other events I have covered for the site include a circus, a Chinese Dance Theatre event, commedians, children theatre, and puppets. The site covers a lot of stuff and posts daily.

Happy Birthday DC Metro Theater Arts

DC Metro Theater Arts where I write reviews of plays, musical, comedians, concerts and other events turns a year old on March 15, 2013. If you haven't checked out the site I invite you too. Here is a link. It really has become a leading site for entertainment arts around Washington. How will I celebrate the one year anniversary? I will be covering a one man play.

What are the other events? I've had the privilege of covering a circus and a Chinese dance drama. As the site embarks into their second year I look forward to contributing to the site in the future.

Just a short happy birthday, a brief post to mark this anniversary, a chance to mark this moment. I will be back in a few hours with a new post.

Reston Commuity Players Next to Normal

Over the weekend, I watched some theatre that didn't invlve subtitles and a production I actually wrote a review about. I caught a very entertaining performance of Next to Normal by the Reston Community Players. They gave a great effort, had a super group of musicians performing the music, and put a lot of heart into the prduction. You can read my review here.

The musical deals with mental illness and the family and has a rocking score. Even though it deals with a serious issues there are a few great one-line zingers in the script.

Here is a clip from the 2009 Tony Awards...

Well I will keep this one short and sweet and I will be back with a new post soon!