Category: Music Facts

Did you know that Madonna has an IQ of 140 and obviously hates the colour orange? She is well known for her favourite hits “Papa Don’t Preach, “Vogue”, “Secret”, “Ray of Light” and so many others. Madonna was born in August 1958, in Michigan. Her father was an Italian, while her mother was a French-Canadian. Madonna grew up in Pontiac, Michigan. She once described her childhood in an interview with Vanity Fair as a lonely girl looking for something. She claimed to be rebellious while growing up and didn’t wear makeup like other girls. Madonna always dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer.

Her nickname as a kid was “Little Noni” because she bore her mother’s name.

Out of six children, she was the third born. Madonna was a honour student and was a cheerleader at Rochester Adams High School. She got admitted on a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1976 to study dance. In 1977, the star dropped out of college and with just $35, she moved to New York. Madonna worked in various firms, including Dunkin Donuts, to earn a living. She performed with various dance troupes and went on to study dance with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Her first top 10 hit was with “Borderline” in 1984.

Music, an artistic work we all love listening to. Before getting the quality music we enjoy, it goes through several stages. A music studio is where most of the work is done. Making beats and recording audio are some of the things done in a studio.

There are some essential items a music studio cannot carry out its activities without. Some are not as crucial but their presence makes work easier and also helps in production of high-quality tunes. Some essentials include:

Computers

A music production studio cannot run without a computer. The key use of a computer in a studio is to record music. When the computer is connected with other studio items, then recording becomes easy. Any studio that is running cannot lack a computer. Computer functionality may differ and hence some computers may output better quality work compared to others. A computer can also be used in making the musical beats. Even simple studios need to invest in good computers. These do not necessarily have to be high end. A well-refurbished second hand Macbook can work well in a simple studio.

Digital Audio Workstation

Abbreviated as DAW, the workstation is the one that keeps the activities of the studio running. The DAW has several purposes in a studio all aimed at improving the musical work. The digital audio workstation has applications that help in sound editing and sound mixing. This item makes sound production an easy task. This item works hand in hand with the computer.

Microphone

A studio microphone is a studio item used to help record the music audio. Without a microphone, nothing related to music production would happen in the studio. Musicians usually direct the voice towards the microphone so that it may be recorded and transmitted to the computers for editing.

Headphones

When starting up a studio, headphones should be considered a priority. Headphones are essential in that they play a key role in listening to music and other things. In most studios, the place where musicians do the recording is isolated and thus they may need to listen to other sounds from different sources and this is aided by having headphones. Headphones are also important in studios in that they help prevent distractions by blocking you from hearing other noises. This helps you have a better concentration when producing music.

Microphone Stand

A microphone stand is meant to make it easy when recording music. From the name, you can tell that the stand is used to hold the microphone. It would be so tiresome if, when recording music, one would be holding the microphone with his hands for the whole session.

Cables

Your studio instruments cannot work unless they are connected with each other. Cables aid the connection between the computer, DAW and the microphone. You may be required to have some extra cables to make the studio connectivity better.

Every August the city of Oxford hosts a weekend of exciting folk acts. This includes indie up and comers, Morris dancers and well known names. Volunteers from the local community organise this event and help make sure it is as enjoyable as possible. People who come to the folk festival for the first time should read these tips to ensure a great time is had by all.

Accommodation

Whilst bigger festivals like Glastonbury have plenty of camping space, this is not the case for the Oxford Folk Festival. However, there are a few camping sites within driving distance. Alternatively, visitors may prefer to stay in a hotel or B&B. The great thing about this city is that there is a variety of places to stay. Some are quaint little cottages located in the countryside. Others are modern rooms in the centre of the city.

Staying Healthy

The most important thing is to stay hydrated when at this event. It is open air and there will likely be plenty of sunshine. This can increase the chances of dehydration and sunstroke. Therefore, festival goers should dress appropriately.

If people are concerned about the health impacts of festivals then it is best to talk to a doctor. This can be done using the livi app which allows patients to video chat with their GPs. It is a convenient way of accessing NHS services.

Itinerary

The festival is full of acts and activities to enjoy. With so much to do it can seem overwhelming for some. For this reason, it is a good idea to create an itinerary for the weekend. First the festival goer should look at the schedule for each day. Then they can pick which acts to see. Scheduling meal breaks will ensure that they have enough energy to enjoy the entire event.

Socialising

Festivals are great places to hang out with friends. Doing so can create life long memories. These are also perfect venues for meeting new people. Everyone there will already have one thing in common: a love for the folk music genre. Visitors are encouraged to mingle with locals and perpetuate a friendly and social atmosphere.

Alcohol

The Oxford Folk Festival is at its heart a family friendly event. The rules on drinking alcohol may vary from year to year. However, it is a safe bet to assume that there will be very little alcoholic beverages to buy on site.

Visitors may also not be allowed to bring their own booze. If they are thinking of doing this they should wait until the event is closed. Then the relevant rules regarding alcohol should be posted online. Alternatively, they can contact the organisers directly and ask about it.

We have compiled some interesting facts about Beyonce, which you probably didn’t know before now.

• Beyonce’s full name is Beyoncé Giselle Carter-Knowles.
• She was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston Texas.
• Beyonce was named after her mother’s maiden name.
• She comes from native American, African, Irish and French heritage.
• Beyonce is related to Joseph Broussard, the Acadian leader from her mother’s family.
• Her singing talent was discovered at age eight in a dance: class while her teacher sang a song; Beyonce ended it with high notes.
• At eight, Beyonce was introduced to her future Destiny’s Child band which included Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Robertson while they auditioned, and joined three other girls to form a group called Girl’s Tyme.
• As a kid, Beyonce won a singing competition in school with John Lennon’s song “Imagine”.
• She was depressed for two years but hid it around the period when Destiny’s Child won their Grammy.
• Beyonce partnered with Kelly Rowland to form the Survivor Foundation to provide relief for victims of natural disasters. She also built the Knowles Temenos Place Apartments in Houston.
• She has worked with many charities such as Chime for Change, Elevate Network, Girl Up, Girls Inc. Of Greater Houston, I Was Here and International Planned Parenthood Federation.
• Beyonce’s mother is her costume designer and hairstylist. Her mother owned a salon while her father started managing her music career in
• Beyonce won over 30 music and dancing competitions when she was a child.
• ‘Bootylicious’ which was a song title on her Destiny’s Child album was included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Her favourite singer is Stevie Wonder.

Melody

Melody is the most critical component in a song. The melody: is the tune, and it comes in various pitches, notes, and organised patterns. Every single note is usually determined by the rhythm of the melody.

Harmony

Harmony comes into play when pitches are vertically integrated into groups of three notes. Harmony is commonly termed as a chord or triad. Chords harmonise melodies and provide notes which go along with the melody.

Key

With keys, it refers to grouping pitches into families. All notes in a key have something in common. Keys are developed when a first degree (tonic) and fifth-degree (dominant) are combined with meaning and structure to the pitch elements in the song.

Metre

This element explains how time works in a song. The metre of the piece develops when recurring pulses of beats are created, and the effects are accented by time. When a song is playing, you can

detect the regularity of the beats in the music, and the metre organises the element of time in the music.

Rhythm

This is the most popular element which everyone is familiar with. Rhythm applies to the way in which time is used in the music. The melody notes have rhythm because of their varying lengths.