Author: Hermena Ibrahim

Last Thursday, we went to watch a jazz performance, which was performed by the Brooklyn College Big Band. I really enjoyed the performance. While listening to the music, I would nod my head and tap my feet to the beat. I loved the overall environment of the stage. All the band members came on stage laughing. I loved how the band members were encouaging and cheering each other on, and how even the audience were cheering on the band members. I also loved the way the conductor was leading the band members. He would give them words of encouragement while they played and lead them throughout the song. My favorite piece that they played was called the Wild Jungle. I loved how during this peice each instrument was played in such a crazy and funny way, which entertained the whole audience. I also loved the crazy sounds that were being made by the instruments during this piece. Overall, I really loved the jazz performance, and Vaughan did an excellent job playing the saxophone. He was right when he told us in class that we were going to feel a nice groovy vibe while we listen to the jazz performance.

I really enjoyed watching the Henry IV play. I loved the humor of the play, which made me laugh a lot throughout the play. I also loved the props that were used such as a teddy bear, a toy car, and many other children toys. The actresses played their roles so well that the play felt so real to me. They allowed the audience and I to be drawn to the play based on how well they were able to portray  their characters with such great emotions. For example, when the father mourned for the death of his son, I was touched emotionally and felt remorse for the father. The actresses also focused more on their roles in the play rather than the audience, which made the play feel more real as well. My favorite actress from the play was Karen Dunbar, who played Vernon and Bardolph. Whenever she spoke during the play, I would always die of laughter because of how she said her lines in a goofy and silly way. Overall, I truly love this play and loved how well the actresses played their roles.

Amanda came into class on October 27 to talk about opera. She explains how opera is over 400 years old and it started during the Renaissance, in Florence, Italy by a small group of artists and musicians called Florentine Camerata. She also explained how opera singers were mainly young boys who had their balls chopped off so they wouldn’t hit puberty and lose their high pitch voice. Poor families would do this to their children for money and for the fame that they will receive from their sons performing in operas. She also played for us different opera pieces, and she even sang a piece to us as well. I was so shocked in how talented she was at singing opera. It was so loud that I was afraid the glass windows were going to break. She also explained how opera is sung in so many different languages too. She also gave us a brief plot summary of the opera that we were going to watch on October 29, which unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend. I was really glad that she was able to visit our class and inform us about opera.

When we were told that we were going to the ballet, I thought at first it was going to be a boring trip, but once I entered the American Ballet Theatre and watched all three performances: The Brahams-Hayden Variations, Monotones I and II, and The Green Table, my perception about ballet changed. The American Ballet Theatre was so beautiful and the people there were very well dressed to watch the performances. For the first performance, The Brahams-Hayden Variations, it was hard for me to keep track of all the ballet dancers on stage and I was only able to keep track of one to two couples on stage. For the second performance, Monotones I and II, I paid a closer attention to the orchestra and how the ballet dancers were moving to every sound and beat of the music that was played by the orchestra. This made me realized that if there was no music being played or there was no orchestra for the performance, I would not have the same reaction or feeling that I would have when there was music. This showed me that music has the power to allow individuals to feel the emotion of the performance. For the third performance, The Green Table, I was honestly in love with this performance. I loved how the third performance was telling a story and the use of costume and props by the ballet dancers added well to the story. My best part of the third performance is when the ballet dancers shot their toy guns, it caught me out of my surprise and I jumped a little out of my seat. I really enjoyed going on this trip and it made me learn not to judge something before experiencing it at first. The Macaulay program is a program that makes you try and do things that you never did before, and that is why I’m glad to be part of this amazing program.

My favorite photo that I took at the Highline was Ryan Gander’s Zooming out, 2015, which is a bronze cast of a phone, wallet, and USB flash drive. When I looked at it from far away, I honestly thought someone must have forgotten his or her phone and wallet, but when I came closer to it, I started to laugh. I never thought a piece of artwork would make me laugh until I saw this. I then took out my iPhone 5 and began comparing it to the bronze phone on the bench. They both looked exactly the same. The bronze phone and wallet were so well crafted that he made them look so realistic. This is why this photo was my favorite.

My experience at the Brooklyn Museum was amazing and fun. I was able to make new friends and see old friends that I have not seen in a while. Before I entered into the Brooklyn Museum, I looked at the building and saw how well crafted and designed the building was. It reminded me of the ancient Greek temples. When I entered the museum, I was able to find my friends and form a group with them. When my friends and I decided to look for a painting to talk about, I suddenly saw a painting that was about four feet wide and it reminded me of the life cycle. I went to read the description under the painting. The name of the painting was the Web of Life, which was painted by John Biggers in 1958. I asked my group if they wanted to analyze this painting, and they all said sure. When I looked at the painting, I was trying to understand the connection that John Biggers was trying to make between African Americans and nature. I also saw how one side of the painting showed the winter time and the other side showed the summer time. Then my group went to check out the arcade exhibit. We had a great time playing all of the different games, especially the ping pong ball machines. We then went to the sneaker’s exhibit, where we saw so many sneakers. Each sneaker had its own story behind it. I personally had a lot of fun at the Brooklyn Museum, and I’m truly looking forward on the many trips ahead of us.

Movie on 9-10-15 at 9.23 PM

As a reminder, if you have not watched The Blind Side, you should watch it as soon as possible. You are missing out, if you don’t.