Post #15

I feel like I have really improved on my grammar skills and detail when it comes to describing specific ideas or topics. At the beginning of the year, I had a lot of trouble with these two specific concepts. As a result of this class, I have a better understanding of proper English structure, and I feel these improvements show in my writing. Also, I am a lot better at organizing my ideas and putting them in a proper order as a result of this class. I used to have no idea where to put specific ideas in a paper. Now, I have a better idea as to where specific things should go in a paper as a result of Professor DiSarro's teaching.

There are a few things I still struggle with in my writing process. First, I still have trouble with repeating myself. Every time I write a paper, I always end up repeating something I already said earlier in the paper, giving the paper no variety and making it very repetitive. Also, I have trouble staying on track when it comes to writing a draft or paper. I always end up procrastinating and doing it at the last minute, which makes it very hard to write a paper. I feel like I write a better paper under pressure, but it is still very stressful. In addition to repetition and writing papers at the last minute, I also struggle with the way I conduct research. It is very hard for me to summarize what I have found in my research. I still have a tendency of writing too little or too much about what I've found in my research. As a result, some of my papers if not all of them lose depth that they could've had.

After having this class for 15 weeks, I feel like I have a pretty good understanding as to how this class is taught. Some of the things I like about this class is the teacher is very open to questions, answers your questions very well, always answers your e-mails, and gives really good feedback and advice on drafts and final papers. 

Some of the things I would change, however, is I would have more conferences for the students. This way the students can talk to the teacher more one on one than via e-mail. Also, I feel like the mini-ethnography could be a little more specific in the sense of what exactly to put in it because some people get confused by reading the directions. I would explain the ethnography more in class and give a few examples to show the class as to what I would be looking for in a mini-ethnography exactly. Other than that, I thought the class was a very effective class. The teacher was always well prepared for class, answered all questions asked by the students, and gave great advice on the drafts and final papers to help the students with their writing process.

Post #14

My favorite piece of data that I have used so far in my research would have to be my interviews. The interviews I have done for my mini-ethnography have been very helpful towards proving the points I am trying to make in my mini-ethnography. For example, I went and interviewed my former choir teacher yesterday. The answers I got for my questions were very helpful. I asked him why choir was important to him, and he said "Choir is important to me because it is what I love to teach." It is my life and my passion and because of choir, I wouldn't be where I am today." I asked my brother, who used to be in choir,  the same question and he gave a very similar answer. Roger, my brother, told me "Choir has helped get me to where I am today." "But, in addition to helping me get on the right path, choir is also an important aspect of my life because it gives me a way of expressing myself without using words." "Choir is a way to express emotion and also relaxes your nerves, at least with me it does." 

These are just a few examples why the interviews I have done are my favorite piece of data. Through my interviews, I've got a better feel for how important choir really is and how it is viewed in society today. As a result, my mini-ethnography will be much more effective because I will be able to back up the research questions I have through real life examples, making the paper more effective and credible.

Cut-up

I went to watch the Varieties Show that all the musical choirs at my school were doing together. I remember the atmosphere being very dark and eerie, the air being very cold, and to top it all off, all the people in the choirs slowly coming onto the stage in a march, clapping slowly with the rhythm of the music. Anyway, as I sat there in the audience, observing the show the choirs were putting on, I began to see why I was in choir in the first place. It gave me a sense of purpose and belonging, as it did the Japanese captors in Sumatra I've found in my research.being very dark and eerie, the air being very cold, and to top it all off, all the people in the choirs slowly coming onto the stage in a march, clapping slowly with the rhythm of the music. Anyway, as I sat there in the audience, observing the show the choirs were putting on, I began to see why I was in choir in the first place. It gave me a sense of purpose and belonging, as it did the Japanese captors in Sumatra I've found in my research.

Potential Titles for my Mini-Ethnography

Singing it Loud

Choir: and its Benefits to Society- focuses on what the theme of my paper is going to be about, which is the benefits choir provides to our entire culture as a whole

Making Music

Music Education Redefined

The Importance of Musical Choir All Across the Globe- focuses on what my paper is all about, which is why choir is important to have in society. In other words, how would it benefit society and if it is a benefit to society, why is it important.

I'm a Nerd, and I'm Pretty Proud of it

Post #13

I remember a few weeks ago when I visited my field site. I went to watch the Varieties Show that all the musical choirs at my school were doing together. I remember the atmosphere being very dark and eerie, the air being very cold, and to top it all off, all the people in the choirs slowly coming onto the stage in a march, clapping slowly with the rhythm of the music. Anyway, as I sat there in the audience, observing the show the choirs were putting on, I began to see why I was in choir in the first place. It gave me a sense of purpose and belonging, as it did the Japanese captors in Sumatra I've found in my research. It made me want to be in choir again, and it also showed me how important choir is to our society today. It gives audiences entertainment, as David Patrick Stearns talks about in his article titled "Donald Nally, and a choir with intelligence,"a heart-warming message, and shows the audience why choir gives people a sense of belonging and purpose, an example being the Japanese prisoners in Sumatra that I stated earlier. 

After the show, I talked to some of the people involved in the show and asked them how they thought the show went. One of the people involved in the show, Zach Dockrey, told me "I thought the show went really well." "I had a lot of fun, especially when I was dancing by myself on stage looking like a complete idiot." One other person, Derek Horvath, who is a member of show choir and a friend of mine, told me "I thought the show went great." "We have a lot of very talented people in choir, and hopefully the audience saw that." In addition to this particular question, I asked him some questions pertaining to my research. I asked him why he enjoyed choir and how does it benefit society. The answer I got from him was not surprising. He said, "I like being in choir because it gives me a sense of purpose, belonging, and a way to make new friends without being judged." "As for how it benefits society, I believe it gives society entertainment, sends them a wonderful message, and shows them exactly why choir is so much fun to be in." The statements Derek told me reminded me of my research and how choir gave the Japanese captors of Sumatra a sense of purpose and belonging and how David Patrick Stearns felt after seeing the musical choir the Crossing, and how excited and amazed he was with the choir's excellent blend and intonation of voices.

After I talked to some of the people involved in the show, I helped the cast tear down the set. Some of the things I had to tear down and load up included monitors, which were very heavy, curtains, which were heavy, long, and a pain in the butt if you didn't fold it right, and lights, which were of all colors and sizes. It was a pain in the butt to do, but I'm a nice guy. 

All in all, the experience was very entertaining and beneficial to my mini-ethnography. I feel the concert gave me a very good example as to why choir is important to have in society, it showed me how it gives people a sense of purpose and belonging, and it showed me why choir is a fun thing to do. I think the experience gives me a very good example I can talk about in my mini-ethnography, and as a result of the experience I had at the field site, I have an urge to be in choir again.

6-word memoir

About me: Lots of friends, bundles of fun

About subculture: Hard work, determination, brothers and sisters

Posting #12

My understanding of the word rhetoric is using language effectively through persuasion. It can be true or exaggerated, but most people who use rhetoric exaggerate what they say so they can have an effective speech or sound smarter. 

In my opinion, I feel like what constitutes rhetoric is the things we say as well as the way we act. If we say stupid things to people all the time, we are going to try to use rhetoric to try to sound smarter than what we really are. When we want to get a good job, we need to be able to use good rhetoric so we sound smarter and more convincing so that we can get a better chance of getting hired by an employer. In our society today, rhetoric is mainly used to sound more convincing and rhetoric is usually constituted by the way people act or talk in a society.

I hear the word rhetoric all the time from the media on TV stations such as CNN, NBC, and C-SPAN. Also, I've heard the word rhetoric being used as well as talked about at some of the speakers I've seen this year at Ball State. Plus, Comm 210 teaches you how to use rhetoric properly. The reason you hear about about rhetoric all the time as well as hear rhetoric in general is because rhetoric is a big part of our society. Presidential candidates use rhetoric to try to convince us to vote for them. News stations use rhetoric to make points about specific topics and candidates. The media tries to get you to do what they want you to do through the use of rhetoric. Rhetoric can be seen all over our society, and without rhetoric, candidates wouldn't be as convincing and public speakers wouldn't sound as good. This important aspect of our culture is what makes our news and speakers effective.

Rhetoric in our society is used in both a positive and negative way. It depends on what subject or idea the person is talking about or presenting. For example, when Barack Obama was trying to convince voters to vote for him, he would use rhetoric in both a positive and negative way. He would use rhetoric to explain why McCain should not be elected president, and he would use positive rhetoric to explain why he is the perfect candidate for President of the United States. Also, on news stations such as CNN and NBC, reporters use rhetoric in both a positive and negative way, depending on the topic. If they support a Republican candidate, obviously they are gonna use rhetoric in a positive way to support that candidate and negative rhetoric against the opposing candidate so they can make their candidate look better. Overall, rhetoric is used in both a positive and negative way. It just depends on the beliefs of the person and what they are trying to persuade to their audience.

I think there is some rhetoric in my subculture. Teachers use it all the time to try to convince people to join choir. They will tell them they will enjoy choir because everyone respects each other, you meet new people, do a lot of fun activities, etc. Also, students use rhetoric all the time so they can try to persuade their friends to join choir so they can have a friend in the class. So, to answer the question, rhetoric is used in the musical choir subculture all the time to convince students to join choir as well as try to show other people why choir is so beneficial and fun to society.

I could use rhetoric to persuade my audience to respect musical choir and maybe convince some of them to join choir as a result of my research. I need to try not to exagerate too much, but I can use rhetoric to convince my audience the points I am trying to get across to them in my mini-ethnography. As for my final portfolio, I can use rhetoric to make my essays more effective and meaningful. I can use more examples as to why musical choir is beneficial to society, exaggerating some of the points a little to give it more effect and meaning. I can describe my sources more in depth, making them more effective. In other words, I can use rhetoric to make my writings more effective and meaningful as well as more persuasive when it comes to trying to persuade my audience with the points I am trying to make in my mini-ethnography.