Media and Music, Day 4

Today we got into the thick of things with Media instructor Ms. Christine asking us what our favorite shows are. We talked about how great shows tell great stories, and how directors and producers imagine the stories on storyboards before filming begins. Similarly, our goal for the day was to listen to the current edition of the song, and begin developing a storyboard for its music video.

We watched tutorial videos that showed how storyboards are drawn and used to think through camera angles, character movements, and camera movements. Storyboard conventions use red to indicate actions, blue arrows to indicate camera movements, and a small description underneath the drawing to explain the scene. Everyone was given their own storyboard template to write and draw their own ideas of how the music video should take place. 

After pizza helped satiate our lunchtime appetites, Mr. Randy, Bronx-bred emcee and our Music teacher, took over. He started off his class by saying that his first and only rule in the classroom is respect, and then went around the room to get everyone’s name. He introduced his cajon drum, an Afro-Peruvian drum created during the slave trade as an inconspicuous instrument to be used away from the prying eyes of slave owners. Then we worked on freestyle rapping exercises, before returning to the draft of the song lyrics.

We talked about what makes our lives, and the lives of our neighbors, valuable, and how to translate those ideas into lyrics. He urged us to think about how to increase the value of our lives, through arts, family, education, and other types of enrichment.  He also introduced songwriting and performance techniques, and taught us about 4/4 bars, vocal consistency, tone consistency, and volume. We ended with him making a beat on his drum, and freestyling around the room.

At the end of the class, students recounted what they enjoyed most today.  Freestyle rapping, recording with the mic, learning how to write bars, and brainstorming ideas were among their favorite activities.  The students then dispersed after a productive day.