The “man in the mirror” is a song that was written by Michael Jackson and released in the year 1988. The song talks about making a positive impact and personal redemption to the world. Besides, the writer of the song tries to explain that changing the world is possible, and it can start from a single individual who will then inspire others to spread it across the globe (Brinn). In the song, there are a lot of social issues that he refers to, but the one that stood out was poverty. This paper will describe the song and its social-cultural consideration as well as artists who have done an almost similar task in bringing change.
According to Michael Jackson, the values and norms in society are violated by individuals with no change being made at all. In the first verse, the singer states that “I am going to make a change,” which describes the need for the possibility that it is not too late, but the change is required to be made immediately. Besides, at the beginning of the song, it states, “I see the kids in the streets/with not enough to eat,” which indicates that there are homeless children in the streets that have nothing to eat because they cannot afford both of them (GradesFixer). This shows that the values of society and its norms are not being followed; that is why all of those things are happening. Besides, it indicates the level of poverty that is experienced by other individuals in society.
Furthermore, there is another verse that talks of “just lift yourself” and “I am going to make a change.” Even though society defies values and norms, the individuals affected should just lift themselves for real change. Such a change would bring to an end their sufferings. The verse “a widow deeply scared, the broken heart of somebody” also explains the way in which the society is failing to act coherently and sanely that was once viewed by the society to be correct. Such actions aimed at affirming the way people fail to live to the norms of society. In their article, Clennon and Boehm (8), notes that the rules of conduct are much similar to the norms. Besides, they give suggestions on the way individuals should be acting in a given society. In the song of Michael Jackson, such rules of conduct play a significant role in questioning some of the actions that violate certain norms in society. Additionally, an infringement of the norms and values of the society is also evident in verse, “it is the time that I realize.” Here, the song says that one should not pretend to be blind. The society is aware of how other individuals suffer. For this reason, everyone must act quickly, “starting with me” to save the situation.
The song symbolizes the fact that all individuals in the world are not the same, and life is hard for other members of society. The song shows a man is trying to alter his ways before embarking on the journey to make a change in the world. One thing that is clear in the song is that the writer had come across several factors that required to be addressed, but no one seemed to care about them (GradesFixer). For example, it was necessary to offer food and shelter to children in the streets, but nothing was being done. Due to that, he feels the need and desire to make the change by starting it himself.
The song “the man in the mirror” is a reflection of what individuals are struggling with to becoming better, upright together with upholding the morals in the society, which is significantly changing. Besides, the song raises issues such as the role of an individual in making a change in the world, and if changing oneself can consequentially alter the way the world is for better (Brinn). Additionally, the audience of the song is subjective, but one of the intentions of the song was to inspire others to help themselves before helping others. This is indicated by the lines where the writer says that he will start the change.
Furthermore, personification is used by the writer in “my mind is being blown by the wind.” Here, the wind is given some qualities of humans by the utilization of the word “blowing.” Besides, it serves as imagery for portraying his state of mind. Rhetorically, the writer questions himself, “he wonders who he is to be blind.” This sentence acts as a figurative language hence a metaphor. Even though the writer compares himself to the blind people, he is not blind himself. Probably, the writer has seen such street children on several occasions
Some of the artists that have used the same genre as Michael Jackson are Christina Aguilera in her song named “change” and Matthew West in his song “do something.” Their songs are also about making a change in the world to make it better for all individuals. Michael Jackson was a multi-talented musical entertainer who becomes the best American songwriter and dancer in the United States. He was born in a modest African-American family in 1958 and started his music career at the age of 5 years (History.com). Besides, his music projects such as Black or white, was full of inspirations and intrigue just as his life. Christina Aguilera, on the other hand, was born in 1980 to parents with a German origin. She lived together with her family, which she alleged that her father was abusive. Her parents later divorced. She aspired to be a singer and won her first talent show at the age of 8 years, and in her music, she stated that her music included portions of her personal life, something she did to inform others that they are not alone. Matthew West was born in 1977 and started as an independent musician late 1990s as a contemporary Christian singer. He played baseball and hoped to get a scholarship to Baseball College but ended up getting music scholarship.
In conclusion, the song by Michael Jackson carries a lot of social concepts, among others. Besides, it focuses more on the idea that concerns the reality of social construction. It shows that there are things that required to be changed, but it needed to start from each individual for it to be realized. Also, other artists such as Matthew West and Christina Aguilera have talked about the same issue of change in some of their songs. Therefore, the man in a mirror is a good song because it brings into attention the current society, and it aims to inspire others to bring change in the society.
Works cited
Brinn, Alan. “Michael Jackson: ‘Man in the Mirror’ Lyric Analysis.” Prezi.com, 8 Dec. 2016, https://prezi.com/nm2qpnmuoakr/michael-jackson-man-in-the-mirror-lyric-analysis/.
Clennon, Ornette, and Carola Boehm. "Young Musicians for Heritage Project: Can A Music-Based Heritage Project Have a Positive Effect on Well-Being?" Music Education Research, vol. 16, no. 3, 2014, pp. 7-9. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/14613808.2014.909395
GradesFixer. “A Critique of Man in the Mirror, a Song by Michael Jackson: [Essay Example], 1569 Words GradesFixer.” GradesFixer, 2018, https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/a-critique-of-man-in-the-mirror-a-song-by-michael-jackson/.
History.com. “Michael Jackson Is Born.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Mar. 2010, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/michael-jackson-is-born.
Manner composers and performers to end their music
Composers and performers work in the creation and performance of musical works. The only key difference between these two is that composers write their original works while performers integrate their own interpretation of the work of composers and how both decide to end their music is different. Hello by Adele will help in exploring some of the ways performers and composers choose to end their music. Hello has been performed by many performers apart from Adele. Adele does not close her song with rhythmic phrases nor does she close her song with a cadence of repeated melodic phrases. Rarely do composers end their songs with a V chord, she closes her song in the tonic chord since it is the most stable condition to close a song, the dominant chord at the end of a progression would have made the song sound incomplete at the ending (Music practice and theory, n.d).
The song does not end her like it is fading out of familiar materials, the technique of ending a song with a slow decrease in volume over the last few second was commonly used in the 1950s (Weir, 2014). Instead of using a fading volume the volume of the song is higher during the last few seconds. Lastly, she does doesn’t close her song with a loss of interest and this can be indicated by the high pitch she used the last few seconds. Several covers of Hello have been performed overtime. One was performed by Nicole Cross, just like Adele she doesn’t close her performance of the song with a cadence of repeated melodic phrases or rhythmic phrases in order to deliver it just like the original composer, Adele did. For the performer to make her song sound complete she does not close the song with a cadence linked to a chord progression ending on the home tone that is preceded by a dominant (V). Unlike Adele the composer uses a fading out volume in the last few seconds of the song. Lastly, the performer closed the song with a loss of interest.
Black musicals of the 20th century-stereotypes, themes, and progress
Introduction
All through the 20th century, black Americans showed their efforts to attain autonomy and equality. For many years, black Americans have been trapped in poverty, discrimination, and they have been stereotyped as foolish, irresponsible, violent, and lazy, among other degrading stereotypes. The root cause of the stereotypes is the negative portrayals in the media. The presence of blacks in the motion pictures presents unfavorable light against minorities, and as a result, society views blacks as second-class citizens. Note that the media play an important role in presenting the morals and values of different cultures. In addition, it the role of the media to construct or shape public attitude toward other cultures since people use the information presented by the media to define Blacks. Since the media present negative images, the public perceives the Blacks as inferior and threat to the society. However, black Americans started their mobility toward attaining identity, equality, and autonomy through social and literacy practices. The primary purpose of engaging in musical theater was to perform theatrical practices in form of rituals, acting, dancing, among other practices to resist stereotypes, claim their identity, and celebrate their cultural values and heroism. In the period of 1920s to 1960s, black Americans expressed the collective memories of the trauma they experienced, and their struggle for heritage through cultural and artistic resources.
During the end of the 18th century (the 1800s), black slaves would gather in New Orleans and connect themselves with their ancestors through songs and dances. During the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, African American performers entered the musical theater to respond to the suppression and prejudice showed by the European-Americans (Juang et al, 378). At the early 20th century, black musicals such as Bert Williams and George Walker presented the black ethnic group through minstrel style. Playwrights such as Granny Maumee, Eugene O'Neill, Ernest Culbertson, among others presented the Black's renewed interest in the musical. Since they were strong enough to resist the stereotype and false images, these playwrights could not reinscribing the black stereotypes (Juang et al, 378). In the musical theater, black Americans' primary focus was to re-establish the African settings. Note that during the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans reclaimed their identity, expressed their self-determination, and resisted prejudice and discrimination. During this period, African Americans moved to urban regions where they gained economy opportunities and their life flourished. Since some of the migrants were artists, writers, and musicians, African Americans entered in the theater to express the African histories and their need to participate in the socioeconomic, and industrial field (Juang et al, 378). Dorothy C Guinn, Willis Richardson, Shirley Graham, among others participated in the musical theater to present the African-American community culturally and artistically.
During pre and post-civil rights era, African Americans had started to participate in the socio-economic and political arena. Thus, they were interested in redefining their cultural and artistic values and they focused on presenting their symbols (Juang et al, 379). Since they had succeeded in the civil rights struggle, the black artists and playwrights such as Amiri Baraka, Joseph A. Walker, Ntozake Shange, among others presented the African image. Their practices such as dance and meditation played a significant role in strengthening African Americans, promoting spirituality, and redefining cultural values. In black plays or in other words, black theater, African Americans portrayed their experience through different forms including songs, acting, dance, movement, rituals among other forms (Juang et al, 379). However, the most used form was rituals since they believed that it brought communal bonding. The second common practice that blacks practiced was drama. Heroes and heroines participated in the African American drama to symbolize strength and defiance. In the drama, they resisted racism and sexism, and more importantly, they reclaimed their theatrical heritage that is rich in dance, song, ritual, sermon tradition, among other important elements (Juang et al, 380). The dramatists were against the Euro-Americans rules and models that hindered blacks from attaining cultural and sociopolitical needs.
Downs & Ramsey (52) talks about theatre and cultural diversity and asserts that not all people enter in theatre to reflect their culture but rather, theater allows people from the dominant culture, government and people from the upper class to present art and entertainment. For example, throughout the years, only individuals from the dominant culture have been allowed to write, play, and conduct drama, among other practices. On the other hand, minority racial could not write plays or participate in theater (Downs & Ramsey, 52). Thus, males from the dominant culture dominated the art and women who were playwrights were excluded. Today, biases and stereotypes exist in modern theatres in that only 15 to 16% of women work in Hollywood compared to the number of male writers in Hollywood (Downs & Ramsey, 53). However, it is important to understand that the role of theater is to allow all people to perform art and create cultural awareness. Theater plays a significant role in promoting multiculturalism in that when people from different cultures share their culture through art forms, other people understand and recognizes the cultural differences, and as a result, cultural diversity is promoted within the society. Cultural diversity then eliminates all form of discrimination and people within the society lives in peace and creates a pluralistic society. Note that conflicts between human beings emerge from the beliefs that a certain group or culture are inferior. Each group views themselves as correct and superior and as a result, people use stereotype while defining others (Downs & Ramsey, 59). However, the theater eliminates all stereotype as it allows different cultures to celebrate their differences. The author states that in the theater, culture expresses their cultural identity and allows other cultures to experience the culture's traditions and history. There is also a theater of protest where the dominant cultures allow the minority culture to express their social economic and political views (Downs & Ramsey, 61). The third type of theatre is a cross-cultural theater where different cultures mingle with a common aim of understanding each other.
Having understood the types of theater; theatre of identity, theater of protest, and cross-cultural theatre, it is important to note that in African American musicals, blacks entered in the theater to seek identity through expressing their experiences, and culture (Downs & Ramsey, 57). Note that the white cultures stereotyped and discriminated the blacks and for this reason, blacks expressed their voice, their defeats, their regrets, and demand for their freedom. Note that blacks are a diverse population who have been discriminated by Americans for many years. For this reason, African Americans created a theater of identity where they presented plays by blacks and about blacks in the 20th century (Downs & Ramsey, 57). However, before the 20th century, whites stereotypes blacks in the theatre through theatrical make-up such as ‘Blackface', ‘Yellowface', and more. For instance, during the 19th century, the Blackface minstrel show gave rise to racial stereotype. Note that the Black minstrelsy was the popular form of entertainment where urban white male presented the images of Negroes and black life. The white's performance laid the groundwork from black's stereotypes that endured in the American consciousness (Downs & Ramsey, 58). However, the Black musicals superseded the minstrel show since African Americans developed a new black show and changed the material and tone. For example, Black produced The Creole Show, The Octoroon, Black Patti's, among other shows that expressed how Blacks were treated by whites, their expressed their dark-skinned slaves, and their struggle for artistic independence (Downs & Ramsey, 59). By 1920s, Blacks had dominated in and artists, musicians, writers, gather at Black theater in Harlem to express their cultural history.
It is important to understand that initially, the American Theater did not contain national identity but due to sociopolitical and economic changes, there was a modification in that the theatrical practices were turned to be self-representation (Jones, 1). However, movements such as the Renaissance brought positive social changes since African-American could represent themselves artistically. In addition, there were able to attain natural and cultural values, and more importantly, they could recognize themselves as Americans. Today, African American theater present how race and stereotype have operated in American society throughout the ages. The theater is not only a social protest but it serves the role of changing the black lives, finding oppressive conditions, and creating cultural memory (Jones, 1). Note that during the 20th century, there was Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theatre-means that there were regional theaters and small theaters where actors expressed their culture and traditions. The minority could enter into these spaces and produce plays that reflected their reality, anxieties identities and protest against prejudice and discrimination (Jones, 1). For example, Hansberry's play ‘A Raisin in the Sun' presented a protest against the society full of prejudice. In this play, the author demonstrated the need to fight racism, and the need to value the dream. Blacks struggled to tolerate the oppressive circumstances and to obtain happiness. It is worth saying that African American theater is a powerful site where blacks constructed their identity. Despite the oppression and stereotype, blacks could still present their reality using art productions (Jones, 1). In the 20th century, African Americans experienced a positive change socially and musically but before then, they had to endure minstrelsy in the 19th century. However, despite the stereotyping by Southerners, blacks entered the entertainment industry. Today, Africa American Theatre is enriched by West African folklore, rituals, theatrical practices, among other important elements (Jones, 1). Black can now enjoy African American identity and traditions through entertainment and practicing rituals, songs, and more.
It is important to understand that in the 20th century, Africa Americans made a great advancement but the Great Depression affected their progress (Hatch & Shine, 257). For example, black musicals such as Shuffle Along, Chocolate Dandies, and others disappeared. By 1931, a large number of Black performers who worked in theater lost the employment. However, the Federal Theatre Project was launched in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration and four companies were established. African American artists received employment and they could portray the black society, its cultures, and traditions (Hatch & Shine, 258). Note that the blacks' beginning was associated with stereotype and discrimination but by the 20th century, there was a great success. Hollywood industry was white dominated until in the 1960s when the black actors fought for their presence in the theater. The American Theatre was characterized by color line or in other words, Americans such as Jim Crow South discriminated African-American talents (Hatch & Shine, 258). However, Blacks have great accomplishments that shape African-American experience today. For example, plays such as ‘A raising in the Sun’ play a significant in the African American community since blacks gain a sense of dignity and pride when they remember the freedom they gained against race and discrimination.
Conclusion
Focusing on Black musicals, the research paper has shown that in U.S Theater, blacks were discriminated and they were not allowed to enter on stage. Instead, whites stereotyped blacks through theoretical make-up such as ‘Blackface' to present the ethnic characters. Before the 20th century when Blacks created the black theatre through the influence of the Harlem Renaissance, the minstrel show was the common form of entertainment throughout the 19th century. In the minstrel show, white actors could present comic scenes, sentimental ballads, among other images to show white's negative perceptions about black. However, blacks came out of the white stereotypes and discrimination and reclaimed their heritage through the New Negro movement in the 20th century. The primary aim of the Harlem Renaissance was to embrace theatrical rituals, musical arts, and cultural awakening. They claimed their civil rights, socioeconomic opportunities, black heritage, and art development. As a result, Blacks were able to create a theatre of identity where they could express their tradition and cultures and rejected the white stereotypes against blacks. Despite the stereotype and all form of discrimination they encountered while trying to define their identity, they maintained their theme of social protest and social change. They demonstrated against stereotypes by whites and their aim was not to entertain but to demand justice. Today, black musicals have increased its popularity as it presents significant and important aspects of black culture and traditions.
Work cited
Juang, Richard M, Noelle Morrissette, and Melissa Fullmer. Africa and the Americas: Culture,
Politics, and History : a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-
CLIO, 2008. Internet resource.
Downs M. William., & Ramsey E. Wright. The Art of Theatre: Then and Now. Cengage
Learning, 2012
Jones, John B. Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater.
Hanover: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England,
Internet resource.
Hatch V. James., & Shine Ted. Black Theatre USA Revised and Expanded Edition, Vol. 1:
Plays by African Americans from 1847 to today. Simon and Schuster, 1996
The song is sung with an aim of outlining a concept of winning. It is also illustrating about the fact that there must b e troubles in life and the last concept is that trusting in God is the best solution that will change their cases and make the winners. It is gives illustration that at times many people are threatened by their enemies and when they look in all directions, they cannot see hope in life. The concepts outlined tries to tell that the enemy maybe against your life and it comes a time when you feel like you end is approaching. This should not give doubts in to someone’s life because so long as there is God in heaven, at the end of it all there shall always be victory.
The lyrics directly illustrate the concept of winning by encouraging people who have gone through tough times in life. They may have reached a point where they feel desperate and see like there is no hope. It is meant to strengthen the hope of believers by telling them to remain strong and as the lord will change their cases. It is also illustrating that when the lord interferes with the cases in the lives of people, everything do change. Sometimes in life people face periods and happenings which are not appealing and find life being so difficult to handle. They are usually at a high probability of suffering from stressful life moments because they are not in the position to handle the situations. Only those who are able to persevere emerge to be winners in the lives sociologically. Sociological consciousness connects with the lyrics by the forces of motivation that have been impacted to people leading to their lifestyle. People are made to do their actions by motivating forces as outlined by Marx Weber. There is great perseverance while coping with the tough times in order to survive (Ferrante-Wallace, 2008). Hurtful moments are meant for a while because at the end there is usually a song of victory. The hands of the believers become blessed to an extent that everything they touch in their lives is also blessed. Everything that concerns the people becomes a blessing as God will have already blessed their lives.
The lyrics illustrate that those who do not get happy with prosperity in the lives of others might surround them from all directions. “ the enemy came against your children, the enemy came against your character, the enemy came against your home, the enemy came against your name” (Jekalyn, 2017). These lyrics are trying to show that the enemy might come against all lives experiences in someone and this may lead to emergence of fear or start of wondering on what do. Sociological imaginations connect with the message in the lyrics by the presence of disorganization which has been caused by hard times (Morewitz & Goldstein, 2014). The song also illustrates that no matter how much the enemies might surround the lives of people, the fact remains that they shall emerge to be winners because the God will be help them, “it is your season, you’ve got God to carry you” (Jekalyn, 2017). This tells the people that so long as the lord is there to carry them through the tough times, they must emerge to be winners.
The paper is passing a strong message to the people. At times people go through tough times and they feel like there is no hope. They feel that they have reached the end of life and nothing good can happen to them. There is the need to know that no matter how life appears tough, there is usually a God in heaven who is able to carry us through the tough times. Even in normal sociological aspects of life, people had been obedient and ready to pray for assistance from God even when they had been facing tough times (Felix, 2005). They had been having the knowledge that their assistance would only came from Him. Finally, after the Lord has interfered with the tough cases in people’s lives, the next thing they will be talking of is winning. This message is meant to encourage people when they are going through difficult times in life. They should not quit or feel like they have reached the end of life. What they should do is to know that there is a God in heaven who carries people through tough times “there is God to carry you” (Jekalyn, 2017). He enables the people to be strong and walk through the tough times and finally emerge to be winners.
This message has the ability to change the attitude of the people in the societies. Some people have the tendency of losing hope when they happen to go through tough moments in life. They feel that there is no need to live again and majority end up regretting with life. There are many cases of suicide where people have lost the hope of living and the next thing they think of is death. The message in the concepts in this song can change people’s attitude with life completely. They can be able to come in to term with the real meaning of life and how life is worth living. The message tells that when tough times get into the lives of people, there the need to remember that there is a God in heaven. They should call upon Him and their cases will be settled. The Lord has the power to solve every situation no matter how tough and complicated they may seem but the fact is He will make them to emerge winners. What will be the final experience is a song of winning.
Conclusion
In life people happen to go through hard times. There happens that enemies threaten the lives from all the directions. There is the need to stay strong and have the believers will emerge to be winners finally. There is the need to know that there is God in heaven who knows about all the life situations and how tough they are but He is the only one who has the power to settle the cases and make the lives comfortable. He has the ability to carry people over the hard times in life and make them sing a song of winning.
Reference
Ferrante-Wallace, J. (2008). Sociology: A global perspective. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
In Foucault in an Age of Terror (pp. 14-42). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Felix M. Podimattam, 2005, where is God when it hurts; theoretical considerations,media house
Jekalyn c. (2017). you will win, Trigoly Christian.
Morewitz, S. J., & In Goldstein, M. L. (2014). Handbook of forensic sociology and psychology.
The video I choose to analyze is Pretty Hurts by Beyonce which was released in 2013. Melina Matsouka is the director of the song. I choose this song because Beyoncé is one of the most inspirational musicians. Pretty Hurt's audience is eye-catching, and appealing to many audiences, especially female teenage girls in the society. The video reflects the struggle women and young girls go through in their quest to conform to the society's high beauty standards. The music video contains a nonlinear storyline, which includes both flash-forwards and flashbacks. This gives the audience a clear picture of what is happening in the encounters, by featuring the past stories, while focusing on the future. Beyonce is a beautiful woman, who feel unsatisfied due to the societal definition of "pretty". Beyonce results in damaging her body in order to fit in.
The music video uses a setting of a beauty pageant, which gave the video a real-life approach. The video shows Beyoncé contesting in a beauty pageant. Her fellow contestants are constantly trying to polish their looks to "perfection". During the pageant, women are trained on how to talk, walk, and wear. Many women are extremely cautious of what they eat and end up falling into depression and eating disorders in their attempts to win the next competition. Physical beauty becomes more important than inner beauty. Clearly, Beyonce is not contented with her physical looks and spend most of her time exercising to keep feet. It is seen that Beyonce has acquired a lot of trophies, but she is unsatisfied as well as unhappy. At the end of it all, the inner beauty of an individual is what matters. Pretty Hurts reveals society issues and the psychological effects they have of an individual. When a woman is alone, without makeup, the reflection of who she really is stares right into her.
This song has two genres; power pop and soul. Both genres contemplate well with the song. The genre has Beyoncé’s strong voice which makes the song outstand from other similar songs. The video uses a lot of video techniques from close-ups to show emotions on the performer's faces to long shots which show Beyonce lying down after losing the contest with her trophies on the floor. For instance, a bird's eye view is used to film Beyonce making herself sick in the toilet. The bird's eye view shows how people would look down on her as a weaker person. The editing of the video shows various shots where Beyonce is trying hard to maintain her beauty. The editing shows the audience flashbacks of what Beyonce was going through before joining the pageant and her motive for joining the pageant. In the flashbacks, she becomes sick and using makeup to hide her weak state.
Use of Digital Effects. A dark lighting effect used to show Beyoncé's sick state in the toilet, to show her struggles in trying to cope with the pressure of the pageant. On the other hand, the lighting on the stage is bright to boost her confidence while performing. The brightness makes her happy and gives her a bring feeling, instead of doubting her abilities. The lighting shows the artificial happiness and beauty Beyonce portrays in the song.
Imagery is portrayed in the dressing where they use color yellow. Yellow is used to portray happiness while on stage, but behind closed doors, the contestants suffer in silence to get to where they want to be. Also, makeup is meant to make them more attractive and hide their flaws. Long hair symbolizes maturity and beauty, as in the pageant, no one has short hair. A flashback is featured showing Beyoncé's award-winning speech when she was younger. She had short hair and never cared about what people thought about her, because her mother had told her what's in her head doesn't matter. The flashback shows how as kids, looks don't matter but as women grow older, they become cautious of everything that happens to their body.
Sonic Analysis
The song is given the title "Pretty Hurt" for a reason, it's based on a lady who is doing everything to make her comfortable with herself. The first thing she says when asked in the contest asked by the host is her dream in life is to be happy. The lyrics focus on Beyoncé's satisfaction with how she looks. She recalls how her mother used to encourage her as a young girl telling her to brush her hair and work on her teeth, because what she wears if what matters. She is featured brushing her hair and applying Vaseline on her teeth when she sings the lines saying that this time she is gonna win the contest without failing. Beyoncé's goal is to secure the first position and be crowned ‘Miss Pretty USA'. She feels the need to appear perfect, that she ignores the pain she passes through to feel great in order to win the pageant. The Tempo of the songs starts off with the slow sounds of the piano as the audience view shots of Beyonce. On the stage, she starts by singing the lyrics of the song and the judges are shown writing down comments. At that time, there is a depiction of Beyonce preparing for the performance, where she blow dries and sprays her hair. After her performance and everyone claps, there is a flashback of her throwing up in the toilet, and smearing her makeup. The songs start, and the background song becomes a catchy R&B/ Hip-Hop, and Beyonce begins her lyrics. The other contestants see Beyonce as perfect but she struggles to show them that she is not perfect. When she loses the trophy, it proves that she is not more beautiful than the other girls.
Pretty Hurts contains a Hip Hop groove and an R&B undertone. The use of synths, minor chords, and drumbeats enhances video's background. The music is played in common time, with a 65 beats per minute tempo. Pretty Hurts uses the B major composition. The song was likened by Beyoncé's vocal in 2008. Beyonce uses the tonal code F3 and E5.
Ideological Analysis
The main theme that is presented in this song is woman empowerment. The video discusses the beauty standards in society and a woman's body image. Self-image is a huge factor in any woman's life. Women strive to be the best version of beauty. Communication forum like televisions, advertisements, and social media plays a huge role in giving society the idea of what people should look like. Beyonce shows how painful it is for women to portray perfection in society. Pretty Hurt shows the negative effects of perfection on different people.
At the beginning of the video, the pageant girls are fighting and giving bad looks to each other. A man is shown taking Beyoncé's weight measurements. Unsatisfied with the results, he begins thorough coaching on how the girls should walk, how to talk, and clothes to put on. The video shows the disappointment in Beyoncé's face when she steps on the scale, despite her efforts to constantly work out. When the pageant's host asks Beyonce what her inspiration is, she is featured drowning in water confused on what answer to give. Finally, she says her inspiration is to be happy.
Also, the next scene in the video shows an unsatisfied Beyonce, who smashes all the trophies she won from other contests. Girls swallow cotton wools steeped in orange juice, while others vomit the food they had eaten in the washrooms. Girls spray themselves to smell good and to have shiny hair. In addition, Beyonce gets a facelift, but despite all her efforts, she does not win the pageant. Beyoncé's failure shows women that the painful struggles for u unrealistic beauty are not worth it. The video shows how women have focused on their flaws, forgetting that they are beautifully and wonderfully made. Also, the video shows how society's perception of beauty does not positively build a person but slows down a person's progress.
The Pretty Hurt song gained a lot of support from the society, because people wanted someone to talk about the fatal effects beauty perfection has on young women. Showing people the negative consequences of perfection plays a vital role in helping people accept themselves the way they are. People learn to do what pleases them, and not based on peoples' opinions. The breaking of the trophies is a symbol of Beyonce breaking away from the societal view of pretty. She shows the importance of self-love and acceptance. Also, the trophies constantly remind her of the struggles and pain she had to go through in order to win the contests. The trophies are meant to give her a sense of achievement, but she feels empty inside. The video poses as more effective than the lyrics and people can see the emotions in the performer's faces. It creates sympathy in views for the young girls in the society.
Also, postmodernism is revealed in the song. The video shows that the media and reality have come together to create the most unrealistic version of beauty. In the song, Beyoncé shows hoe the TV suggest bigger is better, and thinner is better. The media plays a big role in the need for perfection because they only feature petite women. This gives the viewers the idea that petite is better, and they aspire to get thinner. According to research, a big number of women turn into plastic surgery when they feel challenged, and do not have the power to naturally change their outlook. Many aspire to look like TV personalities who seem to have perfect everything. Therefore, the media should aim at promoting self-love amongst viewers by featuring average sized women in shows and advertisements.
Beyonce- Pretty Hurts
"Ms. Third Ward, your first question: What is your aspiration in life?"
"Oh, my aspiration in life would be... to be happy"
Mama said, "You're a pretty girl" What's in your head, it doesn't matter Brush your hair, fix your teeth What you wear is all that matters
Just another stage Pageant the pain away This time I'm gonna take the crown Without falling down, down, down
Pretty hurts We shine the light on whatever's worst Perfection is a disease of a nation Pretty hurts, pretty hurts
Pretty hurts We shine the light on whatever's worst We tryna fix something but ya can't fix whatcha can't see It's the soul that needs a surgery
Blonder hair, flat chest TV says, "Bigger is better" South beach, sugar free Vogue says, "Thinner is better"
Just another stage Pageant the pain away This time I'm gonna take the crown Without falling down, down, down
Pretty hurts We shine the light on whatever's worst Perfection is a disease of a nation Pretty hurts, pretty hurts (Pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts (Pretty hurts) We shine the light on whatever's worst We tryna fix something but ya can't fix whatcha can't see It's the soul that needs a surgery
Ain't no doctor, or pill that can take the pain away The pain's inside, and nobody frees you from your body It's the soul, it's the soul that needs surgery It's my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far Then you break when the fake facade leaves you in the dark You left with shattered mirrors And the shards of a beautiful past
Pretty hurts We shine the light on whatever's worst (Pretty hurts) Perfection is a disease of a nation Pretty hurts, pretty hurts (Pretty hurts)
Pretty hurts (Pretty hurts) We shine the light on whatever's worst We tryna fix something but ya can't fix whatcha can't see (Pretty hurts) It's the soul that needs a surgery
When you're alone all by yourself When you're lying in your bed Reflection stares right into you Are you happy with yourself?
Stripped away the masquerade The illusion has been shed Are you happy with yourself? Are you happy with yourself?
The song is common among Christian congregations and this short essay will discuss two different versions of amazing grace.
Amazing Grace Version 1
This version of the Amazing Grace sang by Fellowship Independent Baptist church contains the usual musical tunes of Amazing Grace. The congregation sings the song with the help of a chorister. It is an Acapella version and does not contain any musical instruments. None of the musical components of the song is innovative and the versions retain its aesthetic theme and composure throughout the entire song (Amazing Grace 1 mp3). The congregation sings along with the lead singer hence it is not multifaceted. From the beginning to the end of the song, the tone is level with no emphasis at any section of the song hence the song ends up being flat with very minimal variations here and there.
Amazing Grace Version 2
The first version sang by New Bethel Baptist church contains call and response with syncopation. Call and response is closely associated with Black American musical customs namely blues and hip-hop (Music 505 lecture). In some sections of the song, the phrasing sounds like a musical conversation where the lead singer chants out, ‘ Amazing grace how sweet it sounds’ and the backgrounds voices reiterate with an answer , ‘yeaaah, amazing grace, sounds, grace, how sweet it sounds’. The main voice goes on to lead the rest of the song in the same phrasing while the rest of the congregations joins in with a reply harmonizing the sound of call and response. In terms of syncopation, the rhythmic stress gives it an overall tune and its musical language. In addition, it has a blue tonality (Amazing Grace 2 mp3).
The Long Beach Symphony' offer social spaces where one listens to live music while eating and drinking. At the Long Beach Symphony', an individual gets the opportunity to attend to musical performances such as classical masterworks and modern music. On the other hand, at The Symphony hosts musicians who can perform classical or traditional, blues, folk, and any other type of multicultural music.
Music is an ever-evolving art, and an orchestra has to pay close attention to some fundamental things to bring out the intended sound. To convey a classical sound at a concert, the musicians made use of instruments such as violin, piano, trumpet, and other electric devices. The combination of the instruments produced the soulful sound associated with classical music as the musicians sung and performed hits from well-known tunes.
An orchestra is simply a combination of various musical instruments with the aim of producing a specific sound. While performing live classical music, there is the use of few electrical instruments. Classical music can utilize voice in acapella type of compositions; brass section and the four trumpet are common in performing classical. The reliance on the apparatus to bring the rhythm is critical to classical music. The performers focused on singing covers of other well-known classical musicians such as the second movement. Classical music does not need a singer, but the instrumentation is one of its distinct features. Once the instrumentation is right, everything else follows through. The performance was an orchestra that produced light classical music. The performance was regarding homophobic tunes, which means that one rhythm played by all Musical instruments at the same time, unlike rnb where tunes produced through a layering of other sounds. The music was regular and contained a theme. The string section of the orchestra commences the music and set the tone for other instruments.
Performers used a guitar, drums, trumpets, and the xylophone to bring out a melancholy sound. The violins and bases enabled the performers' convention calling and responding kind of music. The instructor of the orchestra gave music sound a unique rhythm. Thus, they bring out highly sentimental or emotional feelings. More so, the lyrics designed along three lines. The first lyrics are not that different from the rest of the lyrics. The performers engaged instruments such as the banjo and piano to give the performance a more recent sound that would entertain young revelers at the concert. To bring performance into life, the musicians used the variety of modern beats on the background to set the mood of the concert whenever the w took a break from singing. The dependence of blues to rhythm and a singer's personal touch is vital to bring the message into the limelight and retain attention. In other words, blues relies heavily on the delivery than standard sound. In the middle of the blues songs, the s performers sung some folk songs.
Performance combined language and instruments to raise awareness on the message. For instance while the mood was good and the performance portrayed a as message, they brought it out using their words and body language. Another common thing between the orchestra performances is the ability to tailor music to such the event and not just adhere to the rules and norms associated with specific genre.
In short, the delivery of the music has to pay attention to details that retain the genres of the music. In addition, classical songs can utilize electrical instruments .Orchestra makes use of different instruments to bring about one sound. Classical songs are not aggressive but use themes to convey messages to the audience.
Sacred dance is a dance that a group of people forms and practice in unison to perform in the adoration services. Sacred dance was common in prehistoric times with belief support in account of older testimony. Is a sacred dance also known as worship dance that is made in the perspective of a religious service of worship. It can be done in group known as choir. Liturgical dance is found in both Christians way of life, Judaism and Hinduism. Sacred dance is skill performed by individuals or a group, presented by people in time and space using flow and force, human body is the instrument in this matter and progression is the intermediate.
Art of dance was well expressed practically by King David upon his return from the battle with the Philistines he entered the city of Jerusalem and danced before the Lord with all his might. Dance has been a very essential part of worship for many world religions and spiritual practices in centuries. The major purpose for the use of dance in history of many world cultures is the use of dance in worship. Movements such as leaps, turns and uplifting of arms were used in beginning as a way to express, to praise, to question and to communicate with forces of nature, gods and spirits (Wellford, 2016). Anthropologic studies of early cave and rock paintings from the Mesolithic period record very physical dances of humans dancing in religious or spiritual celebrations.
Liturgical dance in the selection and treatment of subjects prophetic for their periods have been influenced by twentieth-century dance forms from the 1930s (Diane & Adams, 1990). Dancing in worship resonates with the earliest prophetic practices of humanities coming to God. Dance as religious studies reveals assets for the art of liturgical dance in terms of both performances and learned explanation. Group dance was normative in worship but such dance allowed a range of personality differences. In political and cultural life the emerging role of women was foreshadowed in the dance and continued as major emphases into early 1960s (LaMothe, 2018). Many people who have difficulties in accepting dance as way of worship also have difficulties in accepting spiritual union and other sacraments in worship. Dance and eating the body of Christ have similar apprehension. As we come to understand Christ’s action of incarnation and communion as a force toward of activity, complexity, and community, we come to recognize not only aspect of the word but also the Implications for direction of our words and movements for worship. One effect of taking the Holy Communion and dancing in worship services is to make us remember the bodily base of all the life. Dancing and eating in worship creates awareness of our material nature and hence our solidarity with and commitment to the word. The decisive factor for preaching, dancing and other worship activities is whether they have the effect of crucial awareness of the better community and pledge to the expansion of the world. The recognition through the body was used to increase Christian intentions and to convert them into actions.
According to Kurath affirmation on the moral values of Anishinaable music and dance, teaches people how to attain health and well being on this earth (LaMothe, 2018). As she affirms that, rituals and ceremonies are Kinetic processes that manifest and preserve religious patterns or spiritual aspects of the tradition. In other words, the act of doing the dancing and singing provides people with a sensory education on how to move in relation to one another, this is in relation to the powers that sustain life, and in relation to the earth and her creatures. These actions creates social and cosmic conditions conducive to sociality, healing and well being.
With the anthropology of dance itself, the fork dividing religion from dance appears again, separating anthropologists who study world dance from those who study western dance forms of modern, ballet and jazz (LaMothe, 2018). Most dancing that falls under the category of ethic is integral to religious life, while dancing in the modern west is most often renowned from religious conviction as an art. What appears in this limited selection from religious studies and dance studies are parallel trajectories in which scholars exclude dance or religion in the name of better scholarship. In so as scholars in religious studies solidifies the status of their field by excluding from consideration what appears to them as dancing, so scholars in the field of dance studies cordon off what appears to them as religion. While not universal, this dynamic is common and influential enough to perpetuate a conceptual difference between the two, as Kurath acknowledges, leaves intact a primary conduit of colonial authority.
Dancing changes the world. The act of wisdom and repeating pattern of progress represent and prescribe efficient conduits in African rooted traditions for the most important distinctive values and knowledge. Spheres of experience and meaning come into being and bond together as a result of dance performance. Specifically, dancing affects the relationship with divinities. When people dance divinities appears (Daniel, 2005). As divinities appear, people’s bodily selves are transformed. In transformation people learn and change their body movement and behaviors. Liturgical dance on the other hand gives a transformed consciousness of who lives in a given community. While body swing in harmony and arms are raised in prayer, the people attending worship become aware that the Holy Spirit is at work and get a revelation that they are part of the creator (Adams & Diane, 1990). Experienced by a liturgical artist, sacred dance serves as a means of expression of an individual being. During the dance session the observer is in contact in action of dance, giving out configuration room, outward appearance and group behavior.
Conclusion
Liturgical / sacred dance has been an important thing that has been embraced since ancient times. Many people in Christian community have tried to ague of its existence in their way of life. Dance on the other hand has its advantages, as discussed above, liturgical dance help people to attain well being. Liturgical dance gives an encounter with the divinities while dancing. It has the power to let one feel free from stress of ways of life by reliving the mind of both the congregation and the dancer.
References
Adams, D., & Apostolos-Cappadona, D. (2001). Dance as religious studies. Eugene, or: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Daniel, Y. (2005). Dancing wisdom: Embodied knowledge in Haitian Vodou, Cuban Yoruba, and Bahian Candomblé. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
LaMothe, K. L. (2018). A history of theory and method in the study of religion and dance: Past, present, and future. Leiden: Brill.
Wellford, J. C. (2016). Moving liturgy: Dance in Christian worship, a step-by-step guide. Eugene, Ore: Resource Publications.
Music is something which is widely known for all cultures. From the fact that the majority of people including the isolated tribes have a form of music, the truth is that music is one of the factors which have the potential of presenting the cultural aspects and the background of people. As a result of that, music has been noted to be one of the fundamental constituents of the modern human life. In other words, the culture of music has been noted to be greatly influenced by various social and economic institutions which enhance technological advancements.
“When I was young me and my mama had beef Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place Suspended from school; and scared to go home” (Kinni, 2015).
Considering the song “Dear Mama” by 2Pac, the intent of such as a song is mainly to attribute the love he had to his mama. Within the song, the artist has the potential of detailing not only the childhood poverty they had but also the motherly addiction he had. Regardless of that, the funniest thing is that he ends up arguing that the deepest respect and love she had for her mum ultimately supersede bad memories.
On the other hand, the emotions as well as the ideas which are expressed by 2Pacs lyrics in this song are mainly composed on regional backgrounds. Considering his lyrics, it is evident that 2pac had the passion of praising the courage of her mother through arguing that all mothers worldwide share the same trait regardless of the ups and downs of the past. This the implies that such an hip hop song not only have some historical grounds but also have the potential of illustrating the manner in which male musicians have the opportunity of stating their reverences to their mothers (Meili, 2011).
Statistically, it implies that a large percentage of disproportionate African-American householders are ultimately headed by single mums. Therefore, this implies that it is their role and symbol of bravery in their children which results to a symbol of eternal love. The reason for that is because the rapper lived a life struggling to be drug free but that was in vain thanks to mother’s love (Ezekiel, 2010). Despite the fact that it he kept on valuing her mother’s love as he continues to mention her afflictions within the song, his refusal to lie as he keeps on praising her courage is all reveling. Further, considering her lyrics, 2Pac seriously takes a strong stand about living a fatherless life.
"No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there / He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger wouldn't let me feel for a stranger." (Imarisha & ProQuest, 2016).
According to this line, the truth is that it ends up resonating with the black males’ generation who ultimately felt to be estranged from their fathers. It is thus the creativeness of the beats which have the potential of reflecting the mood of reminiscence of the listener. This is the same scenario when his mother used to be taken for granted (Pate, 2010).
"Suspended from school, scared to go home, I was a fool with the big boys breaking all the rules." (Kinni, 2015).
Nevertheless, although 2Pac and her sister had different fathers, what he kept on lamenting about is the poorest life they used to have. To the modern society, the idea of 2Pac entails ensuring that her motherly love has penetrated the hearts of those who truly regard the parenting they receive from such individuals. The reason for that is because the song has the potential of pulling the society into the son-mother symbolic relationships. In other words, through the song, it is easy to narrate the manner in which the dominant memories of our beloved mother have been wonderful to us. The intent of this is to revitalize the appreciative attitude a person can be having towards her mum (Bryant, 2007). Basically, due to the fact that the cut itself is extremely transformative, the truth is that it mainly ensures that the society has seen their mothers differently through appreciating and understanding the efforts they could have made to raise them.
It should be noted that social media believes that the qualities of this work is one of the musical genres which earns a place in today’ hip hop repertory. Although some may perceive that the song “Dear Mama” has the possible of encompassing some of the musical messages opinionated about it, but the truth is that it has the potential of appreciating motherly love the author tries to express to humanity (Slatton & Spates, 2014). However, it is clear that 2pac’s piece of work is an excellent piece of work regardless of who it is aimed to enlighten.
As much as life is concerned, the struggle that a child undergoes always transcends ethnic grounds. Conversely, the intent of his song to the society entails ensuring that children have the acknowledged the reasons for appreciating their parents. This should take into consideration the struggles they go through with their families as they grow up. Although parents cannot be proud of what their kids could have done all the time, they still deserve to understand that their children always appreciates and keeps them in their hearts forever. The song reminds the society that everything in life is not all fun or all beautiful (Jasmine, 2010). There are a lot of drugs, killings, and so on, which makes the modern generation to perish.
From the lyrics of this piece of work, it implies that 2Pac’s song “Dear Mama” is an excellent exploration of the numerous ways through which the modern hip hop could be combined with a one’s historical background so as to display expertise which had not been experienced before. “Dear Mama” by 2Pac is one of the outstanding pieces considering its editorial interventions and the manner in which it keeps on educating the younger generations (Tupac, 2009). Additionally, the idea behind this song is to emancipate the community, especially the manner in which the modern artists tries to educate the young generation on matters dealing with parenting. The reason for that is because some work which is done by various artists remain to be criticised by some individuals not taking into consideration the message they try to express.
On the other hand, the work done by 2Pac has the potential of recapturing some of the parenting traits that individuals desire to express to their society. Because of that, it implies that it is essential for genres to ensure that they have had the capacity of educating the upcoming generation on matters dealing with the straggles our parents undergoes while offering the best parenting they have. As musical artists, the truth is that this needs to take into account some of the contextual elaborations of the various themes it contains with respect to its musical feelings and ideas (Monjauze, 2008). Finally, due to the fact that each stance has a different message, it means that the author had the opportunity of expressing his musical ideas in various ways considering the life he lived. This is what makes 2Pac’s song to be one of the interesting artwork in the modern history.
References
Bryant, L. C. (2007). An exploratory study of the self-efficacy of African American adolescent males with emotional behavioral disabilities.
Ezekiel, J. W. (2010). Reminiscent of a Familiar Face: A Conversation Worth Having. Author House Press
Imarisha, W., & ProQuest (Firm). (2016). Angels with dirty faces: Three stories of crime, prison, and redemption. Edinburgh Oakland, CA AK Press
In Slatton, B. C., & In Spates, K. (2014). Hyper sexual, hyper masculine?: Gender, race and sexuality in the identities of contemporary Black men.
Jasmine, G. (2010). Afeni Shakur: Evolution Of A Revolutionary. Simon and Schuster, 2010
Kinni, K. (2015). Pan-Africanism: Political Philosophy and Socio-Economic Anthropology for African Liberation and Governance: Caribbean and African American Contributions.
Meili, J. M. (2011). Kunst als Brücke zwischen den Kulturen: Afro-amerikanische Musik im Licht der schwarzen Bürgerrechtsbewegung. Berlin: De Gruyter.
Monjauze, M. (2008). Tupac remembered. San Francisco, Calif: Chronicle.
Pate, A. D. (2010). In the heart of the beat: The poetry of rap. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.
Tupac, S (2009). The Rose that Grew from Concrete. Simon and Schuster Press
The Nutcracker is a musical involving a two acts classical ballet. It involves classic plot patterns with backstage musical with the main characters being singers and dancers who perform for an audience in the story. The characters also dance and sing ordinarily not aiming to bringing out a show in the story.
Overall theme
The overall theme of the Act is about coming -of –age, which includes overpowering fear and darkness so that one enjoys sweetness of love and light. Coming of age happens at a prosperous moment in the typical family which can be seen in the opening scenes of the ballet. The home is adorned with a beautiful lit Christmas tree, and the extend family is celebrating with many gifts that symbolizes abundance (Zajączkowski, 1987). There is enough for everyone and the fussiness of the gifts illustrates a prosperous time and confidence in the flourishing future.
Storyline
The Stahlbaums are embroiled in the preparation for the Christmas Eve party and awaits the arrival of their guests. The guests arrive to a decorated house with the Christmas tree at the center, and have come bearing many gifts for the children including Fritz and Clara. Clara is presented a special, a nutcracker, while Fritz is offered a beautiful drum. Out of jealousy, Fritz snatches the nutcracker and it breaks while he is playing with other boys. Drosselmeyer fixes the toy for the now upset Clara using a handkerchief. The guests leave after the party and as the family is going to bed, Clara ends up falling asleep with the nutcracker in her arms, under the Christmas tree. At midnight, Clara wakes and notices everything is growing bigger, and large mice begun circling the room and the tree and toys come to life. The Nutcracker also comes to life and with other toys he engages in a fight with the muse army. The King Mouse attacks the Nutcracker but the king is defeated with Clara’s help. Later the Nutcracker becomes a human prince who drives Clara through a snowy forest and the snowflakes become dancing maidens.
In the scene, Clara and the boy grow friendship in a fateful encounter presented by their younger versions, while their older versions perform behind them a parallel dance. The adult gestures indicate concise romantic significance, with most moving seen in principal dancers’ elegance, a contrast to the movements of children that show unaffected innocence. In the dance the major characters including Clara, Fritz, Drosselmeyer, Nutcracker and King Mouse are well portrayed (Zajączkowski, 1987). The dancers’ hands are seen circling each other and rolling as arms move from the front to overhead. Clara’s arms start shaking and wakes up to find lit Christmas tree. The perils and joys are mostly seen at the snow scene, where snowflakes are seen as silvery costumes.
Musical Background, Costuming, set lighting techniques and color
The choice of background music involves fantastic everyday worlds relating to tonics keys separated by a tri-tone. Such music leads to Christmas part. The score is organized by key to make to ensure the character’s importance is understandable to the audience. The keys of the music progress following a routine, with changing tonal voices. The scores involves using large orchestra , libretto response and a conveyance of atmosphere , a reflection of structural clarity , and application of associated themes (Wiley, 1984). There is synergy in the costumes, lighting and sets color palette.
Application for Music Entertainment Needs in Indonesia
Introduction
According to an analysis by PWC (2017), it is without a doubt that the consumer market is growing rather rapidly in the emerging markets such as Indonesia. However, as many entrepreneurs have taken the risk to invest in businesses close to all the new businesses collapse before achieving profitability. Coming up with a business idea might be easy, but the ability to run a successful business is a challenging operation. Planning for the development of the business carefully is essential.
Entertainment is a venture that will never become outdated, and its success depends on developing strategic business plans. I have always been interested in running a business based on the potential of such investments. Over, the past few years an observation that has intensified my interest is the constant growth of the entertainment industry which is driven by technological advancement and globalization. Despite the challenges in the industry, I believe that the venture is feasible and gainful. After an assessment of the market in Indonesia, I have realized that the market is expanding gradually and the consumers are friendly to the industry that is dominated by a few well-established firms. The entertainment sector is very competitive and extensively diverse since the consumer markets keeps on expanding. Thus, this business plan will provide an in-depth analysis of both primary and secondary research that is carried out to examine the external and internal business environments, introduce strategies for running the business competitively and assumptions that will determine the viability of the venture and align some recommendations that will guide the operations for competitiveness and sustainable expansion in years to come.
Research – Business viability and Opportunities
Entrepreneurship mainly entails the ability to develop, identify and respond to market opportunities. Potential business ventures can be established in markets that are emerging with less exploitation. Such markets provides sustainability and competitiveness for the business that is strategically situated in the market. Thus the micro and macro market must be examined through thorough analysis to establish the suitability of the business and its ability to generate the required revenue.
Macro market Analysis
Within the macro environment of the industry, the assessment was carried out through a second study that sought to examine the state of Indonesia and Jakarta City while investigating on the market influencers through the use of PEST analysis Model. Also, this sought to establish the practicality on the level in which business operators are impacted by government based regulation, exchange rates changes, and technology advancement. Primary data was acquired through questionnaires and interviews that sought to generate maximum data within a short span.
Indonesia
With its population accounting to approximately 261 million persons, Indonesia is ranked fourth globally regarding its population composition (BBC, 2018 p.1). Even though the country is very diverse, it is mainly dominated by Muslims. The market is one that is characterized by a significant growth that has been increasing over the last years. Despite being an emerging market, Indonesia remains to be very authoritative regarding economic growth that is further boosted by the diverse businesses (BBC, 2018 p.1). The information is well illustrated by the figure below.
Source: BBC (2018)
Jakarta is both the most significant and capital city of Indonesia that is densely populated with a populace of over 9.6 million. The city is famous for its healthy population and fascinating nightlife that suits the needs of the populace. Its nominal GDP accounted for 483.8 billion dollars in 2016 which represents about 17.5 percent of the country’s revenue (Salna and Tassia, 2018 p.1). In this context, the city was graded as the 67th most influential city regarding its financial generations as a whole. This, therefore, illustrates a positive perception of the city’s potential in the next year. However, an assessment conducted in the last year demonstrates a slow growth speed that includes a consumer index drop of 0.8 percent to 3.2 while the unemployment level has decreased to 5.6 percent (Salna and Tassia, 2018 p.1). The demographics of the city is suitable given that it offers a diverse a competitive business landscape.
PEST Analysis
Indonesia has a high population, and some of the leading cities are Sumatra and Jakarta. The main language is Indonesia with most people being Muslims. This section provides a PEST analysis.
Political Forces
The political state of the nation is a democratic one where the president and his deputy are elected via the country’s parliament. The country holds favorable trade regulations that are believed to be contributing highly to the rising investments. The political state in the country is stable as it mainly encourages togetherness and fairness. Unlike most of the developing states that tend to set high tariffs to discourage foreign investment, the country is one that supports development. However, domestic firms are charged less which thus justifies the domination of domestic companies across different industries. Politically, the country relates well with the established and growing nations which facilitates trade development. The high population, however, is likely to lead to more unemployment levels from 5.6 percent in the coming years in the case that the country can no longer sustain the growth level.
Economic Forces
Indonesia as a developing nation under a stable democratic government has been involved in the implementation of different measures to boost its GDP. The government only consumes about 23.5 percent of its revenue and reserves the rest for development activities in the exportation of natural gas and crude oil the country is the 8th leader globally (Salna and Tassia, 2018 p.1). In the last three years, the country has achieved notable development accounting to the GDP increase up to 6.1 percent. The servicing industry generates about 37.5 percent of the nation’s GDP a sum that is very favorable (Salna and Tassia, 2018 p.1). The government has concentrated uniquely in FDI which demonstrates growth consistency and the authority of the economic market.
With the growth of the GDP, the retailing and servicing industry, in general, has benefited regarding expansion. With the economic growth, individuals earning has increased as well which means that their spending habit is rather utmost. It is estimated that the sector will experience a five percent increase in the next year if the state continues to be the same. The per capita growth increase between 2016 and 2017 is likely to lead to increased purchasing authority.
Social Forces
Indonesia has a vast and diverse populace which is rising with an account of about 1 percent. The lives of individuals are average. Most individuals mainly reside in major cities to secure employment.
Low illiteracy level
The government has invested much in education with an appealing literacy rate of 90.4 percent. The nation utilizes 3.6 percent of the revenue to support education. In this context, with more educated individuals this is likely to affect the performance of the entertainment sector as individuals tend to focus on more productive spending. In that, the individuals are well informed about the adverse consequences of entertainment on their fiscal spending’s which might discourage their spending.
High per Capita Income
With the stability of the economy it means that the public is earning more and thus, their earning is more essential about disposable capital. The individuals will spend more on entertainment due to the low consciousness of spending. It is worth noting that those that earn less are very sensitive when it comes to spending.
Rising Public Advertisement That Encourages Investment
The government wishes to increase the presence of the nation on the global scale through trade. Thus several initiatives that provide funding to individuals have been set up to encourage local and global investments. In this context, there is a likelihood that the entertainment industry will become highly competitive due to the entrance of more players. However, this is also an advantage to the business given that it will be operating in a favorable environment where the regulation supports government based growth (Wonsono, 2018 p.1). The growth of public awareness will also foster operation requirements. In that, the business must seek to differentiate its products to gain competitiveness over the others. The differentiation should not be profit oriented but should seek to meet the needs of the consumer to achieve loyalty from them. Consumers are increasingly demanding for quality and affordable services regardless of the industry an aspect that every entrepreneur should take into account.
Technological Forces
Technology is a crucial aspect of the contemporary entertainment industry. Technology can affect the kind and the quality of the provided entertainment and develops an extensively rapid speed surrounding that necessitates creative approaches to maintain the engagement of the consumers for them to stick around while attracting others.
Innovation Is a Vital Trend in the Entertainment Industry
Digital media is all about innovation (Wonsono, 2018 p.1). One has to be very creative in the differentiation of products. In that due to the increasing ranges of events in the contemporary society, the consumers are demanding a somewhat differentiated set of media products. When it comes to music, it should be presented innovatively. In that, it should not only be the latest but well organized as part of the entertainment.
Macro Industry Analysis
The servicing industry is the most significant economic contributor across the globe. However, in Indonesia, it is the third after manufacturing and agriculture. Its contribution is significant. The entertainment is the most dominant with a value of about 3 percent of the general contributions. Without a doubt, the consistent growth within the sector is very foreseeable in the Indonesia market.
Online Entertainment
The entertainment industry represents one of the largest and rapidly growing sectors in the Indonesian economy (Dahrul, 2018). The sector has been driven mainly by the economic development and increasing earnings in the nation which is a necessary level towards change. Also, the sector will acquire further development in the coming years. Online entertainment is one of the sectors that is growing slightly rapidly courtesy of technology advancement and globalization. Individuals can access a media from their comfort at ease than ever before. The online share is significant but has not been explored fully in Indonesia since the market is not very crowded. It is evident that the market has much potential which can be explored through a strategic focus as a whole.
Porter’s Five Forces
The threat of New Entry
The music industry both within the online and physical grounds has always retained a moderate entrants threats due to cost challenges. However, the norm is rapidly changing due to internet and information technology growth which offers more opportunities. In that, the online operations require less operating funds. The substitute for entertainment is online as well as
Supplier Power
Suppliers bargaining authority is high particularly in the production and entertainment sector when equated to other areas. The music industry is very populated mainly by the well-established operators who make the operation even tougher. Due to the customized settings of the sector favorite players are classified as the services suppliers while simultaneously acting as the human resource. Most of the leading operators are the ones that own accepted brands thus unveiling their excellent bargain power (Wonsono, 2018 p.1). Thus, the company needs to understand the entertainment culture in the Indonesian society.
Buyer Power
Buyer’s bargaining authority is intense since the switching cost is zero for those that are involved. Buyer’s bargaining authority is additionally driven by the immense nature of offers in the industry.
Threat of Substitutes
There are a wide variety of entertainment music mainly gaming, online platforms, and cinemas and so on (Amirio, 2016 p.1). The increasing adoption of social networking as a source of entertainment is an additional substitute given that individuals tend to rely on these sources. Thus, for the company to be able to gain more from the market, it should capitalize on differentiation to overcome substitution threat.
Competitive Rivalry
Competition within the global setting is high, and the leading firms in the sectors are well established regarding market share, profitability, and dominance. The market is not only saturated by small and large players, but there is a varying number of substitutes which further reduces the market forcing the operators to adopt strategies that enable them to overcome the challenges.
Results Analysis
From the above analysis of both the micro and macro markets for the entertainment industry in Indonesia, it is evident that the market is highly competitive although it has some significant potentials. The buyers have an immense bargaining authority given that the switching cost is zero and thus most of the players, therefore, rely on strategies such as cost leadership to sustain the consumers. Thus it is evident that the market is full of challenges which should be mitigated for high gain and sustainability in the market.
Recommendations
Based on the state of the market, it is thus recommended that the business should venture into the Indonesia market using customized products and goods. Also, the use of cost leadership would be the most beneficial because it generally leads to increased ability to attract more consumers while retaining the existing ones (Sarahtika, 2018). The approaches are essential in mitigating the competition while ensuring that the entertainment provided is suitable for cultural needs and consumer’s preferences. The business will be established as a unique and quality focused enterprise.
Conclusion
In summing up, it is apparent that the entertainment industry is characterized by rapid growth which is mainly fueled by technology innovation and globalization. The industry is a potential one for the business given that it will offer unending opportunities for the business with the ability to offer diverse products and services. The macro environment shows that the industry provides possible opportunities for expansion in general that will require the business to be strategically situated in the market respectively.
References
Amirio, Dylan, 2016. Indonesia’s cinema industry next big scene. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved From: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/26/indonesias-cinema-industry-next-big-scene.html
BBC, 2018. Indonesia country profile. Retrieved From: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-14921238
Dahrul, Fathiya, 2018. Jokowi, Seeking to Reshape Indonesia’s Economy, Eyes Film and Fashion. Bloomberg. Retrieved From: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-04/movies-in-spotlight-as-jokowi-seeks-to-reshape-indonesia-economy
PWC, 2017. Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2017 – 2021. Indonesia Data Insights. Pp. 1-2.
Salna, Karlis and Sipahutar, Tassia, 2018. Indonesia's Economy Improves Slightly as Exports Pick Up. Bloomberg. Retrieved From: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-05/indonesia-s-economy-grows-faster-than-estimated-in-4th-quarter
Sarahtika, Dhania, 2018. Film Communities: Shining Light of Indonesia's Film Industry. Jakarta Globe. Retrieved from: http://jakartaglobe.id/movies/film-communities-shining-light-indonesias-film-industry/
Wonsono, Anthony, 2018. Creating the Future of Entertainment. Globe Asia. Retrieved From: http://www.globeasia.com/cover-story/creating-future-entertainment/
After reading and listening to the work of Debussy and Mahler, I prefer the work of Debussy ‘Prélude à L'après-midi d'un faune’. I like the sinuous solo flute and how he represents the poem as an instrument of seduction. The abrupt shifts, the clarinet and the oboe solos among other elements made the presentation amazing and marked the history of the music. I have noticed that he presents the real music within the music by acting like the faun and more importantly, he presents the poem's nostalgia and light (SCHONBERG, 1997). In the video, Debussy presents the musical impressionism and the things I like in the impressionism are static harmony, melody, surface ornamentation and I also like the way he avoids the traditional forms of music. The music is a synthesis of the Mallarme's poem, and it is possible to understand the poem since he goes beyond to include sensuality and richness. One element that is intriguing is the instrumental timbres or in other words the sound quality (SCHONBERG, 1997). I like his tonality and structure as they play an important role in the formal structure and they present pictorial images and visual impressionism. The use timbre is very interesting as it shows color and mood. Things that inspire me to creativity include poetry, the colors in nature, musical performance and artists.
One of the color painting that supports the quote by Kandinsky is the Nocturnes by Debussy. In connecting the color painting with Debussy art, it is worth saying that Debussy did not focus on the realism in art, but he focused on the unity of effect (SCHONBERG, 1997). This means that people achieve satisfaction and delight from the beauty of color and they also feel psychological experience from the superficial impression and the latter produces a spiritual vibration. Another color painting is the watercolor painting by Mahler. He also supports that art is communication whereby the viewers see the beauty of the color and experiences a more profound meaning through psychological effects. In other words, the beauty of the color influences the soul and helps in recognizing the deeper meaning (SCHONBERG, 1997).
Reference
SCHONBERG, H. A. R. O. L. D. C. (1997). THE LIVES OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS. NEW YORK, NY: NORTON & CO.
The African American music became popular during the Harlem Renaissance and one of the popular musician during this time was Louis Armstrong. I can say that Louis contributed to the world culture by being defiant to the prejudice and struggling to create a sense of identity. He is recognized as a great man who moved to the nation's cities, set new goals and expressed his attitude that ‘Black is beautiful' through music. His autograph could help understand more on Louis' talent, his historical life and more importantly, look up to him. His spirit and talent moved beyond the African-American societies to white cities such as the New York and Kansas City. The reason as to why I would like to have Louis’s autography is because of his participation in the Harlem Renaissance through performing jazz music. I would like to know more about the African-American culture, the literary talents of the blacks and their life in the American society. I understand that the art and music have defined the black's social and racial status. Note that in 1920, American society was characterized by racism and segregation and the role of jazz was to challenge the status quo (Herringshaw, 2011). Remarkably, jazz was associated with a positive attribute such as the creation of informal relations between Blacks and whites. The major reason as to why I have selected Lous is because his jazz music was not only the best musical form, but it also gave rise to more racial equality. The jazz in the period of 1920s brought an enormous impact which made the period to be defined as ‘the Jazz Age’ (Herringshaw, 2011). Louis Armstrong's jazz was most appreciated because his work had a positive impact on the position of African Americans. As a popular musician and the greatest artist in jazz, he dislodged the racial issues among many challenges that African Americans faced in the South in the 20th century.
References
Herringshaw, D. A. (2011). Harlem Renaissance. New York: ABDO Digital.
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