I just had the most amazing, fun, creative final I’ve ever done.  This class in general allows me to tap into my creative abilities, rather than spit out memorized information.  I feel accomplished and glad with myself, every time I complete a project that makes me smile.

We went through several topics of computer usage, including composing music on Finale and Sibelius, utilizing neat programs to put together digital movies, learning how to blog, and, by the end of it, being able to create my very own “musical” movie.

I have never felt so accomplished with any other class in my entire life.  I am truly right-brained, so this experience, to put together project that require thinking outside the box and abstract thoughts, was just the perfect class for me.  I recommend it for anyone who has the time and motivation to delve into their creative capacities.

I just wanted to mention that this class is also very enjoyable because our Professor loves it.  I couldn’t help but laugh because, as she ushered us out of the room this morning so she could put together the final, she looks so excited.  I think this final might be one of the coolest projects to grade, like ever!

~Emily VanSickel

P.S.  I’m not sure if this project was fair use or not.  I did try to download a certain video from YouTube, and it didn’t let me. I think it  would have been unfair use on my part if I had found a way to download the video anyway.  In my opinion, the videos that we are allowed to download might be alright, unless they haven’t actually yet been checked by the people who work for YouTube.  In addition, if we did unlawfully take clips, it’s technically for our knowledge and understanding. And we aren’t going to sell or try to copyright our finals.  I think it’s alright.

What if a classmate murdered another in spite and envy, and caused him to be haunted by its ghost?

What if?

Check it out:http://music.case.edu/mediagallery/rivalry.php

It’s astonishing what people can do to each other when they’re angry.

They Vacation Too.

What if?

What if aliens invaded earth?

What if?

My friend asked a question that everyone wonders, time and time again. What if aliens from outer space come to earth?  I think the possibility of there being life on another planet far outweighs the possibility of there not being life anywhere else in the universe.  That goes on forever. And is expanding. Actually, when I think of aliens coming down to earth, it’s never a scary subject matter.  People never scream, and aliens don’t freak out or kill any body.  I can see two green uniquely-formed aliens with slicked back hair and exotic glasses, sitting in the front window of a small family-sized saucer, floating gently down at a fast food window and inquiring about their vegetarian menu.  My mindset is that, to any thing too small, too large, or too far away to matter, we are aliens.  True, we’re pretty scary looking, but pretty foolishely scared of anything that looks scary to us.  Perhaps the aliens are lingering, waiting to come talk to us until our technology is advanced enough that they can actually communicate.  I wonder what the first historical succesful alien to communicate would say.  Maybe something like, ” Excuse me, I’m you’re next-door neighbor.  Can I borrow a cup of sugar?”

Emotional Notes

What if?

What if speaking were replaced by music?

What if?

This is a fascinating question, as it has to do with the most important form of communication for humans in this time period.  What would happen if our basis for communication were stripped and replaced by musical recordings?  I think people would begin to first symbolize certain pieces that stand for certain emotions, such as Beethoven\’s Fifth Symphony for raging anger, and Schindler\’s List for sadness.  I think after much blustering about, playing recordings of songs with no one having an inkling of comprehension, someone would construct a musical code, very much like the alphabet, or Morse Code.  The musical recordings would eventually become short as Morse Code blips, signifying certain letters, words, emotions, or ideas.  I think, in time, this musical language would become just as efficient as Morse Code or Sign Language, using a more abstract form of communication.  It would definitely work, though.  I can’t decide which form of communication would be more irritating to listen to- idle chatter of cave men not understanding each other, or mindless musical sounds and noises of men trying to communicate.  Probably the musical language would be more annoying.

The Sprit Child Hurts for His Kingdom

What if?

What if all the world’s misery, pain, and suffering could be taken away, except that it is all focused and condensed into one small child?

What if?

This is a very intriguing question by my friend Chris.  Maybe  a certain society had the means to rid itself of suffering, pain, misery, and anger, and hurtful feelings, but in order to keep it contained, they would have to place all the dark emotions inside a child of light and innocence.   The child would have to be strong-willed, innocent, and full of a bright light, in order to safely contain the rampant bad feelings of the world.  The child guide is chosen once a year, and is looked upon as fearful and kingly.  The spirit child never lives longer than a year, however, as the foul and toxic memories of the world weigh upon his shoulders, bowing him down like a hunchback, staining his hair white with fear, and wizen-ing his face with jade, age, suffering.  The One , the Spirit Child, the Woe Bearer, the Sacrificial Lamb.  All nicknames for the child, signifying importance, lordship, ebbing of strength.  The child, with a permanent grimace, bears the physical and emotional pains of his creation, and observes his kingdom of adults frolic and play.

What if the Germans had won World War II?

What if?

This question comes from my jewish friend Spencer (not that being jewish matters, except in terms of his horrifying question).  Hopefully, the answer is not that we would still be in a state of genocide, killing the jewish people, or anyone who had blemishes.  I can’t even imagine the Germans winning World War II, because I don’t think the Americans, being all nationalistic and stuff, would stand for it.  Maybe in order for the Germans to win WWII, they would have had to completely invade the United States.  This might have resulted in a much larger population of German heritage in the United States, and a severe weakening of the U.S. global power.  Maybe we’d be eating more weiner snitzel and drinking more beer.  Maybe the Germans in the U.S. would rally around another leader like some rallyed around Hitler.  Maybe the next leader would be a famous American hero, such as Martin Luther King, or George Gerschwin, or any American president.  Maybe if this were the case, the leader would rally the Germans to do good.

Adolf Hitler Rallying:

Martin Luther King Rallying:

She Can do it Too.

What if?

What if we had no arms?

What if?

My girl friend Jackk asked how life would change if the human race had no arms.  I don’t think it would change all too drastically.  Humans would find a way to cope by walking on their feet, and developing very, very strong toes.  They could learn to write, drive, put on clothes, and eventually even cuddle and hold “hands”, all with their feet.  I think this is probably the most reasonable outcome, because I saw a medical show where someone was born with no hands.  She did very well and was able to use her feet better than some people use their fingers.  She could cook, drive, handle money, turn keys, and so on.  One thing that would change would be the amount of physical games that would be altered do to the fact that they all require arm movements.  They would become more geared towards the torso, head, and legs.  I also think people would walk around barefoot all the time so they have full access to their toes.

What if gravity stopped working?

What if?

My Mom asked a scientific, but also imaginative question.  If gravity stopped working, that would be ultra bad news for almost everything on earth.  Gravity, somehow, is caused by the rotation of the earth at just the right speed and tilt, and the sun, which pulls it into orbit.  If gravity quit working, it might mean the earth got knocked off course, or the sun suddenly kicked the bucket, or any wild event that changes the delicate balance which keeps us alive.  I think we would suddently get sucked off the planet like a giant vacuum got hungry and started munching on earth.  Outer space would be full of suffocated bodies, animals, plants, floating, floating around like moon rocks.  Or, if I want to create a more comical approach, if gravity quit, humans would be able to achieve all their fantasies of wishing they could fly, or jump really high, or run up walls.  It would be quite entertaining, and we would weigh nothing compared to what we do now.  Or, as a really weird evolutionary thought:  Maybe if gravity quit just enough so everything on earth was able to fly easily, creation would continue in the air.  Perhaps the next big step in evolution would be the first creatures who could live on the ground. Interesting.

What if I was living in Singapore right now?

What if?

A geographical and cultural question came from my fellow CIM-er, cellist Andris.  She is from China, and pondered what it would be like if I, myself, were in Singapore right now.  I think I’d be going through the hugest culture shock in my entire life, like a slap to the face.  Sure, the food is great, but it is so overcrowded and poor in some areas.  Food sellers have been known to replace the insides of certain Chinese treats with ground cardboard, making people ill.  They eat absolutely everything over there, leaving no waste, but also a lingering sense of guilt if you are American.  We just don’t eat dogs.  They go to the bathroom in little holes instead of nice separate bathrooms.  I would need weeks, even months, to be able to fully grasp this culture and begin to appreciate it.  I would start to enjoy being immersed in a sea different from my own, learning speech and writing, and traditional crafts, such as origami.  I would appreciate the beauty of exotic wilderness like nothing before I’ve ever seen, and the roar of city life.  I think after the initial culture shock, I would attempt to fit in, even if the Chinese people bluntly stared at my blonde American physique.  For, this is what Chinese immigrants go through when first immersing themselves in American culture, and when we stare, not too politely, because they might not speak English.