By the way.... on human rights....

I found this great cartoon surfing the web....
Created by Betto (born 19 April, 1968) a Colombian cartoonist, whose work is unlimited, and as a reference, we may find him on "El Espectador" newspaper.

What relation has this cartoon with education? It's simple! Now we're dealing with elections, we must think once and over again about this decision. If we don't do it, we'll enjoy a new governamental period with lack of education development! (for children, young people, everyone!) :S

HUMAN r....i...g...g...h.....t......s......?

"Education should strive to promote peace and understanding among all people" What a good phrase :) Regrettably, here in Colombia education is not one of the true efforts from government to improve society. The recent Education Plan (launched by the MEN "Ministerio de Educación Nacional") is like a dream, but when it's time to see the reality, there is nothing but a great and lovely idea. The access to education is difficult for a large amount of people, and what happens mostly is that education is offered, but its quality is getting worse. Also, what deserves recognition is slowly being silenced.

Education is the real weapon to fight ignorance, war, violence,just as well as love and respect. There should be more productive educational plans to include everyone on the process to restart our education into a higher position. And it isn't only about mathematics or languages ( I mean, primary and secondary, university studies or technical ones), it must include support for families to guide them through this process of being the centre of society: because education starts with family, and it will be reflected in our development in the community.

So..... I want to be a guitarist!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf0Q897gWek

If you wanna follow this and look at this glorious song by Julio Nava, you will understand what I want :) (lol, I'm kidding, it's just another fantastic one from Mr. Nava).

Wishes...Regrets

I think there are many things I wanted in my life, but they didn't come true. However, I enjoy my lifestyle and all the aspects involved in my development as a human being. So...
I wish I had learned music as a child, because I would be able to decode with my ears everything! As you may know, to have good ear training for a musician is as vital as an anatomy class for a doctor. Now, I have to study twice, but with perseverance, I know I will do my best through my process in the music!

The thing I most regret in my life is being shy (laughs), but I can deal with that.So, I believe I regret when I don't study more for my exams or classes. If I study harder, I will be more productive in all the things I am learning at the moment… But I’m going nuts with laziness ¬¬. Clearly, I must arrange my days, so I will be able to order my mind, and give my daily routine some discipline, because sometimes I fall into temptation (rarely, but I do).

The Beatles When I'm 64

This song is perfect to introduce the article " By the time I'm 35". It was written by Paul McCartney. Released in 1967 on the gorgeus album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", it was thought McCartney wanted it on this record because his father had just turned 64. Enjoy this fascinating travel taken from the movie Yellow Submarine, by The Beatles!

By the time I'm 35...

-It's hard to think how I will have become when I am 35 years old. I feel on that way because my career it's kind of unpredictable, but my expectations for the future are greater than my uncertaintities. So... Here they are!

By 35, I will have finished all my "graduate. I hope to be a very complete musician, and my biggest ambition is to join the music business, composing and arranging for bands. My reference is well-known Beatles producer George Martin, because he was able to mix satisfyingly the "classical" music (he studied music since his childhood, and later, he would be an oboist and pianist, after quitting his facet as pilot at England's service in World War II) with such a popular movement which was just gestating, back in the 50's. I would be very happy if I accomplished this goal by 2026!

Also, I wish I would become a good composer, and I hope I will have worked as a teacher in that topic by 35. I will have been teaching for approximately six years, in order to get experience and more knowledge, because being an instructor also gives you a new experience for life and for your career.

In terms of family, I will have taken my mom, dad, sister, niece and little brother to know many places around the Earth! And, if possible, outside it! :) I would like to give them comfort and peace, because they deserve them.

Finally, by 2026, I really hope the Colombian people will have changed their minds in order to realize what we have as people on this beautiful country!

This is only what I think about the future. But... How would it be like?
I must find out by myself with the help on relatives, friends and the good energy from all over the world!

TV...?

It's true. Television has become one of the most important inventions ever developed by the human race. Such a new acquisition for people! Here in Colombia, back in the 50's, you should hace been very proud of having one of those "magic boxes". But, with the passage of years, having one is just as normal as taking a shower (for a big part of the population). TV has united families at specifical hours since then, and we have to admit although it's not the conventional or "right" way to get together, it has brought joy and entertainment for general public.

However, like every invention on human history, the TV is just another with more disadvantages than advantages. The way it has been popularized and almost deified it's just incredible! I think, we, people, have too mane potential to waste ourselves in front of the screen! Not just in order to read (which is fabulous), or to stay in family, but to create and bring out all our quialities. We'll be more productive if we just left TV even for an hour... There are many things we can do in that period of time - like sports, listening or practicing music, learning to play an instrument, sleeping :) - I mean, the world is outside "here", not inside "there" :S

In addition, if we just check, our Colombian television is almost exclusively produced to entertain, but never to inform about true events. It is just capitalized by ones, and we don't have the chance to change something. It is better to turn off the machine and rest. And if you want to know about news, or culture, anything else then I think radio works fantastic! Or the Internet... Even, it is more enjoyable to be on the streets and understand whats happens in our community, and get involved in true, real life (not as gossip ¬¬, as the way to feel the human race as it is!).

Buggles - video killed the radio star live 2004

To introduce the article from TV forum... This well-known song from British band The Buggles, here performed live... The original video for this piece was the first to be trasmitted by MTV ... ¬¬ on August 1th, 1981.

Entry Of The Gladiators - Julius Fucik

As a part of a homework from the asignature Advanced Grammatic (musical terms), in order to increase our cultural knowledge of what we're studying and dedicating our lifes (as musicians), the teacher encouraged us to find at least three different movements or whatever from "classical", "erudite" music (as you wanna refer to) in all the tonalities.
I was doing that research when I found out that the well-known tune we all associate with clowns at the circus is not just that "funny theme". NO! :) It is a military march composed by Julius Fucik, who was a Czech composer (July 18th,1872 - September 15th, 1912).
Fucik was also known because he spent his life directing military bands (brass bands). At first, he was musician at one of them (he joined the 49th Austro-Hungarian Regiment as military musician), after he left in 1895 to join as Second bassoonist at the German Theatre in Prague. He was also conductor of the Prague City Orchestra (1896). By 1897, he rejoined the army, but this time he was the Band Master. And, this year, he wrote his "Einzug der Gladiatoren" or "The Entrance of the Gladiators" (first called Grand Marche Chromatique, because of the use of chromatic scales in the piece, you can notice them between 0:03-0:05, 0:07-0:09 and they follow through the piece), but later became with the "Roman" name because of Fucik's interest in the Empire.
It is very "strange" to understand why some things came from where they really came! But it is entertaining, and obviously, interesting!
So, it's left to say ... it started to be named under "Thunders and Blazes" because a Canadian composer called Louis-Phillipe Laurendeau arranged the march for a smaller band, and selled it throughout the USA, and was popularized exactly by circuses!
Finally, it's hard to imagine the Gladiators coming out with that music! :) But, anyway, it's a fantastic composition! So, enjoy it!

Me!

Hi! my name is Lizeth Acosta, I'm at 2nd semester of Music-Guitar... Of course, I love music, playing my guitar, listening to every kind of sound on the earth :)... well, I have to accept that there are some genres I don't understand because of their contents: D Anyway, I also enjoy reading, mostly Sci-Fi... and I love spending time with my mother, my sister and my beautiful niece who also studies at National University... but at Kindergarden! Ok so I hope to improve my English, I think this course will help me a lot!