Category: Music Facts

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.