News!

Hey guys,

Just thought I would write a quick post to explain that I have set up another version of my blog Music Matters with the blogging site Blogger. I will keep posting here on WordPress also but I decided to do this in the hope that I can gather more of a following as I know many people who already have blogs over on that site 🙂

So as always, do let me know your thoughts on my posts and contact me with any suggestions! 

Happy reading! 😛

Bee X

Hit The Replay Button

So as we all know, this season is of course exam season! Which leaves tonnes of grumpy teenagers going stir crazy sitting indoors revising for most of their precious youthful hours. And it was on one of these days whilst already feeling like banging my head against the wall due to looking at the same four walls for far too long, that I suddenly heard in the background on the TV a song on the BrandAlley advert that made me stop what I was doing. I don’t know whether it was the quirky but beautiful voice or the folkie feel through the use of the ukulele that caught my attention but I just thought, ‘I have to hear more of that!’. So straight to Google it was where I instantly discovered the name and artist of that song *drum roll* which happens to be an Aussie who goes by the name of Vance Joy and the song I’m loving addicted to is called Riptide. I’ve added the video of the advert clip below 🙂

So to my amazement, this song was actually quite a big hit in the UK but it had somehow escaped my radar sadly! Currently still standing as number 1 in the UK Top 30 Indie Singles Chart, the vibrant track is showing to have real longevity. First released in March 2013 in Australia and having now gone three times Platinum there, the singer-songwriter, otherwise known as James Keogh from Melbourne can now say he has officially pursued the career he dreamed of when he was back in University as a law student.

The single is known for it’s quirky music video which is actually a literal depiction of the song lyrics, being an unusual idea but refreshing change. This was probably for the best as the story line of the song has been described by James as a “stream of consciousness” explaining why it’s been quite hard to interpret by people at times, as they have had to really get into the mind of what James was thinking. Take a look at what I think is a brilliant song and music video below and let me know your thoughts! I hope to hear lots more from Vance Joy!

UK Top 30 Indie Singles Cha

Giving Back To A Subject That Has Given Me So Much

So this is my little space to discuss other points of interest as I was curious to see how this would work. As a first post in this section, it seems fitting to discuss what seems to be a recurring issue and a constant debate within my media class. This of course is the value of media as a subject in schools and universities. Now, this is an issue that is close to my heart, having taken GCSE Media Studies and on the homestretch of my A2 Media Studies, there is nothing more annoying than when someone boldly states, “Ha media’s just a doss”…. Excuse me. Let me just hold my anger because I literally feel like exploding when this is said. We must remember that this is normally proudly declared by people who don’t know the first thing about what media students do in their lessons… Just sitting around watching Harry Potter, right? …

Well, if you’re one of these people, don’t worry, I’m not going to get angry! But hopefully I can at least enlighten you a little on what most of my day’s with media involve……

Well, I can’t even begin to explain how much I have learnt from media studies and what an impact it has made to my general life. It changes your whole outlook. Often, we watch documentaries on important world issues such as When The Levees Broke – looking into the devastation that happened in New Orleans when the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina. Topics that open our minds and things we would never normally consider watching outside of the classroom – it puts you out of your comfort zone in the most comfortable way. More importantly, we learn about topics that you couldn’t learn from just looking at a text book. Subjects we have looked at range from the topical  issue of capital punishment, degenerating diseases such as alzheimers,  the issue of pornography in this ever-expanding technologically advanced world and last but not least, a subject I can certainly relate to; the representation of women in the media industry.

I think every young person could benefit from learning about these subjects, especially in a world where the media is everywhere. How could you possibly argue it’s a pointless subject? These are often sensitive subjects that are hushed aside and not looked further into or explained to a vulnerable group of girl’s why Miley Cyrus feels the need to flash half of her backside on the latest front cover of Glamour or why Iggy Azalea is portrayed to have to use sex in her music video to get anywhere in life. These are real life issues, not just fictional stories, everyday issues which affect all of our lives and they need to be discussed. After all, do we want to create a society of youth who are brainwashed by the ways of the world or do we want to create intelligent, inquisitive, young individuals who are aware of the world they live in and will be strong enough to withstand it?

Not only this but the coursework enables us to create something like the existing media products, for example, I recently finished my coursework piece which involved making a sample of my own magazine. I decided to make a music magazine (if you have read any of my other posts on this blog, the reason for that will be obvious to you) and whilst trying to make this look as professional as possible, I feel this gave me some very valuable skills as I got to experience a taste of the production processes when making real magazines. Whilst this may not be useful for everyone, it certainly was for me as I’m hoping to end up working with magazines. Therefore, a subject like this helps young people who wish to go into the creative world of work build skills which will come of great use in a field that is competitive to say the least. I have displayed a picture from one of the pages of my coursework below.

The front cover

Unfortunately, media as a subject is now having to fight for it’s recognition in children’s education in Britain due to these misconceptions, meaning the possible future of media could mean that there will be no GCSE or A level option anymore. This brings me great sadness, as it’s not only a subject I have worked hard in but one that I owe a lot to as it never fails to bring intrigue, making my days that bit more interesting.

Well, if nothing else I hope I have enlightened you a little and saved the name of media to at least some people.

Follow and leave a comment below – please I’m interested to know your views! 🙂