What was the beginning of it all? Due to the invention and production of LP’s, music became accessible within households. The microphone added to this and created a sense of intimacy. It was just like the musician was playing and singing right beside you in the living room. After World War One a lot of American soldiers stayed in Europe to party and drink and with this they cultivated the American Musical culture of Rock' ‘n Roll which spread like a burning fire among the European youth. Even though the older generation didn’t widely accept the music, due to its black heritage, the music couldn’t be stopped and got widely accepted within the mass culture.

SOPHiA is a robot of Hanson Robotics containing artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a software that automatically collects and analyses data and creates an algorithm from this. Subsequently, the system comes to a logical conclusion based on that algorithm of collected data to give the ideal logical answer. Eventually, such an Ai can be developed into a self-reflecting program. SOPHiA is designed to become an extension of human intelligence to solve worldly problems that are too complex for humanity. SOPHiA talks about herself: “I am more than just a technology. I am a ‘real live electronic girl.” To let these kind of robots work together more easily with and to let them learn from humans, Hanson Robotics implemented three human characteristics. These are; 1. creativity, 2. empathy and 3. compassion.

Animation has gone into a new direction with the animated sitcom, either anicom, for adults. The utopian dystopian ideology that is coherent with anicom puts pressure on the dominating television codes. This utopian dystopia takes the traditional American provincial family life of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s as the perfect stereotype, in which every possibility of disruption is being seized. This persiflage brings socio-cultural political criticism through humour, irony and parody where endless possibilities of animation contribute to the utopian chaotic situations. Many moments of criticism take the form of Herzogs musical moments that can be equalized to Huizinga’s magic circle. This temporary musical playroom ensures that the moral boundaries of the viewer can be pushed. Besides, Finks taxonomy of humour explains that feelings of discomfort or shame can be laughed away with the psychoanalytical theory of humour. Change of context is possible by applying Broadwaystructures of repetition, whereby the new context of the magic circle can be attributed to the musical moment. Meanwhile, the music represents the dynamic between utopian and dystopian moments and is the push of moral boundaries supported by the game with television codes. The combination of this new context and the dynamics between the different channels of the intermedium provide a new response by the viewer. The high risks attached to this new context are exposing the dark play. In which the dark play can be seen as the one-sided game of representation played by the makers, in which the viewer decides whether or not to participate in the game of persiflage. In this thesis I have taken a closer look at this dynamic in anicoms with the help of the musical moment ‘Bag of Weed’ from Family Guy.

Chances and innovation in technology have shown us the advantages of online education. These advantages can be used to tackle the weakening interest in music education. Technology has always been important in comparison with the exploration of the global future of music. Take for example the endless variety of homemade tutorials about music that are to be found on Youtube. These suggest that people are busy with the participation and the sharing of informal musical education. Carol Johnson and H. Haweley describe different possibilities to develop musicality. through identity, for example platforms that are focused on common instrumental skills as a result of which social participation in the community is enhanced, and through a curriculum of a skill set, namely seen as online ‘hub’ where students of music can learn in an interactive way through motivation by gamification. The final category is the one I will be using. 

In 1998, Richard S. Parks wrote the article Pitch-Class Set Genera: My Theory, Forte’s Theory which, as implied by the title, discusses the pitch-class set genera theory of Allen Forte. This theory contains the idea that the 220 pitch-class set-classes, all including three to nine elements, could be classified in genera, based on the structural likenesses between sets. Forte states that the system of genera offers us an objective skeleton to refer harmonical material to; which is independent with regard to music and only based on the Pythagorean tradition. The genera serve models of longing inclusion, that, according to Forte’s theory, can be compared to the musical material until the ‘right fit’ is found. The difference with Parks’ theory, as he suggests, is finding a good fit, on the one side, and limiting the amount of possible genera of which just a few perfectly fit to a graspable number, on the other side. In 2003, Richard C. Pye went into these articles by testing Parks’ theory with reference to the harmonical duality in William Schumans Sixth Symphony in the essay The Construction and Interpretation of Bespoke Pitch-Class Set Genera as Models of Harmonic Duality in William Schuman’s Sixth Symphony. I will start my report by laying down Parks’ theory based on Forte’s  theory, after which I’ll discuss the analyses and findings of Pye. I’ll criticize if necessary to establish the functionality of these analytical methods.

Lyrics tell a story. And those lyrics, most of the times, is usually based on just one perspective. Or, when multiple artist sing together, of two contrasting perspectives. For example, like those of a man and a woman in a love song. And yet, there are more interesting approaches to be found through the entirety of our musical history, in which a less common approach was taken on. One of these, is the song and accompanying videoclip ´2Faces´ of Phora (2016), as the lyrics don’t necessarily contain a clear chronotope. The actions that are carried out are described by the characters. Phora, the auteur and narrator, is giving a speech in first-person direct discourse and thought of homodiegetic internal focalization about someone else; ‘you’. There are a few micro-narratives to be found within his monologue that are mainly implemented after the hook: ‘and yesterday I heard a friend of mine talking about you’ (see appendix). These are the moments that the narrators perspective moves towards the third-person, as he tells about the actions of other persona. The remaining actions are mainly transferred through describing the completed actions. He regularly switches to the second-person, but Phora knows how to end his sentences in the shape of a question of a first-person; the perspective that is the dominance of this song. By the use of the second-person the first question is the same questions as Abbots’ Abbotts The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative in chapter 6 page 71, that comes to mind: who or what is ‘you’?

Rap is often used as an educational tool. The question if this is appropriate or inappropriate, depends on the way rap is used. In this essay, I´ll research if rap, when reaching the alphabet, sung by Elmo of Sesame street, is a fitting example of educational rap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WELUxl7gc).[1] For this, I´ll start with a brief history of HipHop; the subculture in which rap is located. After that, I’ll focus on the arguments for and against educational rap and eventually the analysis of Elmo’s alphabet rap regarding the educational value.

Bijzonder aan de film is de manier waarop het omgaat met verschillende realiteiten of werelden. Constant wordt de grens tussen droomwereld en realiteit in de film opgerekt en worden de karakters en kijkers verward met waar ze zich bevinden. Muziek speelt een belangrijke rol in deze film, aangezien deze door herhaling de spanning van het versmelten van de realiteit en droomwereld versterkt. Zo onderstreept de muziek het spoorloze gevoel door z’n verstorende functie bij onduidelijke beelden. Op welke manier geldt de muziek als een ludisch verkeersbord in de mind-game film Paprika (2006)?

Ever since The Flinstones (1960-66), The Jetsons (1962-87) and The Simpsons (1987-) animations also started to focus on adults, as a result of which the genre the ‘animated sitcom’ or ‘anicom’ was created. The anicoms, however, is not a sub genre of the sitcom, but merely a manifestation of the sitcom. The anicoms distinguishes itself from live-action television through animation and the possibility to alter the script in endless fictional ways. The specialty of animation has been preserved by just adding the generic characteristics of the sitcom, which led to a transcendence of both genres while pushing the boundaries. Through Martin Kutnowski’s article ‘Trope and Irony in The Simpsons’ Overture’ (2008) I’ll compare the generic characteristics of the The Simpsons-ouverture with the intro song of Seth MacFarlanes anicom Family Guy. With this, I hope to paint the audiovisual characteristics that ensure that the genre anicom is recognizable from the intro song. I will be using Ronald Rodmans essay Tuning in: American Narrative Television Music (2010) including two, by him described, models for media analysis.

The body plays a huge role in the musical action of musicians. Often, it’s the job of these musicians to embody the music, but also to take on a certain role for the audience and college musicians. Because of this a certain groups identity arises, which creates an understanding and clear image of a certain groups identity linked to a certain music genre. A way to understand this music embodiment is through the term embodiment, or so say; in terms of physical schemes. These schemes are motorical patterns, which we have earned and put into operation with our automatic systems. They require no mental effort. Our musical cognition put the body into motion to make music. ‘Body image’ is of a great importance for this, as it considers our body in relation to its surroundings. Members of a band need to have a constant awareness of their surroundings, the audience in particular, and how their body is used to bring over the message of the music.

This quote, found on the website of PRSPCT, calls on a lot of questions about the role of the record label in the EDM genre hardcore drum and bass. By using PRSPCT as a case-study I would love to build onto the discourse about canons. In 2010 Anahid Kassabian, in “Have Canons Outlived Their Usefulness?”, wrote that four different kinds of canons exist. A canon of texts or objects of study,[1] a canon of theories, and two pedagogical canons; one that endows a developed set of esthetical values and criteria of judgement onto students by referring to generally known works and the other simply functioning as something to hold on to in the form of a list.[2] Problematic, however, is the paradox of which canons exist. The criteria of such canons are mainly based on the canon and, the other way around, the canon is based on (non-existence) criteria. To solve questions surrounding (the existence of) the canon, Kassabian suggests us to not delete any works, but to add works to the already existing canon or even to create new lists.

Play, in its most simplest forms like in animal life, is usually seen as more than just an element of nature which a biological immaterial efficiency is connected to. Huizinga states that many statements could be given to play that all stand next to each other, without conceptually conflicting. He calls play an acknowledgment of the mind and a basis and factor for culture. Within the esthetical, play is drenched with rhythm and harmony; the “noblest gifts of the esthetical ability of perception gifted to the human.” Besides, play is free, because we could also leave it alone. Play, thus, is separated from ‘normal’ life, as excursion into a temporal sphere of place and duration. An activity which occupies our entire being, as a break of daily life. Subsequently, every game could be stored as a memory, and on every wished full moment, endlessly be recalled and repeated.

The Cupsong is similar to patty cake games, because you create a rhythm by using your hands. However, the name of the song or game tells it; you use a cup as well. When you repeat this ‘ritual’ with the cup you create a rhythm that you can sing a song on. With the exception of playing the game alone and finishing the song, the agôn element for the Cupsong is usually found in performing the game with a group of people.

Video-games take on a unique stance in the modern media due to its interactive nature. While the spectator of, for example, movies, music or literature takes on a relative passive and interpreting stance, a video-game demands more attention. More specific; a video-game asks a stance that drives to action. This makes you a participant of the medium in stead of an observant. Kinetic game-play surrounding sound, often focuses on a musical output, in which the player becomes arranger of composer.