The Night Parade

Car with electric decoration, a photo by pelican on Flickr.

Feature Article



In Moab Utah they celebrate Christmas differently. They have a parade at night. But wait, at night you can’t see a parade. Well you’re right. But in Moab they found a way around that.

Each December Moab has an Electric Light parade. The floats are covered in lights and decorations and they light up the streets as they go by. But it’s not just floats that get all the action. Farms spruce up their tractors with a string of lights, bicyclists decorate their tires, and car owners make their cars shine. Even Saint Nicholas himself gets dressed up for the festivities. He shows up at six PM sharp every year to march down 100 West to Main Street.

If you want to participate in the parade the registration is free. But if you’d like to just watch everyone is welcome to come. Each year is more creative then the last. Some favorites include the Red Rock Stars, decorated Miniature Ponies and the Moab City Float.

The Mayor Dave Sakrison will be personally riding on the Moab City Float this year, and the float will have a new surprise costume. Chamber officials hint that “The best of Moab will be out in style.”

And this year Allen Memorial Hospital and the Friends of the Moab Teen Center are teaming up to provide everyone with hot chocolate as they watch the Parade goes by. The prophets made by these funds will help the Moab Teen Center with their activities.

If you are feeling the need to travel at the beginning of December, Downtown Moab is a good place to start. To check out some pictures of the Moab Electric light parade go to
http://northofandorra.blogspot.com/2007/12/moab-electric-light-parade.html



The photo is courtesy of pelican on Flicker. To see their file please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pelican/5673784035/in/photostream



My Sources: http://www.moabtimes.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Winter+Sun+Festival+helps+to+spread+holiday+cheer-%20&id=724901

http://northofandorra.blogspot.com/2007/12/moab-electric-light-parade.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7FOfy1J8Rc

Music Therapy and its Uses

Music - an art for itself - Headphones and music notes / musical notation system, a photo by photosteve101 on Flickr.

Editorial

Did you know that you can use music as a type of therapy? And did you know that you probably use it already? While there is a difference between professional musical therapy and personal self-made therapy, the results are the same.

Professional musical therapy is defined as: “The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” That’s a lot of big words right? Well essentially it’s saying that you use a program made by someone with a college degree to help you accomplish what you want to do.

Personal music therapy is well personal. Have you ever been driving and turned on the radio, or listened to one song over and over again because it makes you feel better? Well if you have then you’ve used music therapy already!

Music therapy is simple yet effective. Its cost ranges from almost nothing, to thousands and thousands of dollars, depending upon which type of music therapy you use. Regardless of whether you use professional music therapy or personal music therapy there are five ways that have been scientifically proven to give you results.

First you have the option to create your own music. You improvise without rules or restraint and express yourself through what you create. Does that sound familiar? It should. Nearly everyone has messed around on the piano or guitar at some point in their life. This is a type of music therapy.

Second, you can re-create music that has already been made. People get up every day and play their instruments. Why? Well there are many reasons but those who persist in doing this do it to feel better. They play Mozart or One Republic, something that has meaning to them, and this releases their emotions in a way that cannot be done anywhere else.

Thirdly, you can compose a song. This is different from the first option because you actually create something you can play again, and have the potential for others to play it as well. This can include writing the music, lyrics or audio tapes.

The fourth option is in simply listening to the music and responding to what you feel as you listen to it. For example if you’re listening to jazz you might draw how you feel or while listening to classical music you might do meditation poses or exercises.

Fifth and final, is simply to talk about music and how it affects you. Do you ever talk about music with your friends? Do you suggest songs to each other and tell your friends how a certain song made you feel? Well there you go simple music therapy that hasn’t cost you a dime.

As a general rule of thumb most people provide themselves with personal music therapy every day without realizing it. But let’s not forget professional music therapy. Sessions of Music Therapy can benefit people who have:
-Drug and alcohol programs
-Alzheimer’s disease
-Brain injuries
-Physical Disabilities
-Development or learning Disabilities
-And mothers in labor

That’s quite the list don’t you agree? You can take group sessions with other people or you can take individualized sessions. And it’s very possible there are many facilities near you to provide help. Just go to the American Music Therapy Association website at http://www.musictherapy.org/about/ to get started.

Music Therapy is powerful. And it’s right on our door step. Let’s take advantage of it!
Pictures courtsey of photosteve101. To see more of his work please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42931449@N07/5771025070/
Sources
http://www.temple.edu/musictherapy/home/program/faq.htm#a
http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/  
http://www.musictherapy.org/faq/#40

Musical Notes

Don’t Fence Me In.

Let’s discuss song writing. More specifically my own song writing. You see I know next to nothing about music theory. No let me take that back, I know less than nothing about music theory so according to a lot of people my songs should be garbage.

But I don’t think they are. Of course that could be because I created them and I’m a tad proud of them. But setting that aside I don’t think the fact that I can’t quote music theory at any given moment hurts me.

See we live in a world that is very structured. There are rules for driving, for eating, for walking, for school, for home, for friendship, for life, and now everyone is telling me that there are rules for music. And I don’t like it.

You see to me music is the one area of my life where there are no rules. I can do anything I want make it sound horrid if I want and no one can tell me it’s morally wrong. The only rules in music ought to be the ones I make for myself.

There’s nothing wrong per say with adding another set of rules to the world. But don’t add rules to something that doesn’t need them. Keep your music theory to yourself I say cause I don’t want to hear them.

Besides rules are made to be broken. So even if I did learn the rules I would still break them, and act like I didn’t know them. Why waste all that energy?

                                       

But perhaps you’re right. Maybe I could go farther in music. Maybe I could sound better and do more. But I’m not ready yet. I don’t want those rules. I might want them some day. But for right now please excuse me; I need to play my guitar.

                                                                                                  

Photos courtesy of: steved_np3. If you'd like to see more of steved_np3 please check out his website at: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/steved_np3 

My Sources for this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_(periodical)

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Newspaper-Column

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_theory

Comfort

Mother's Comfort VS Curiocity, a photo by Yogendra174 on Flickr.

News Article:
Woman Run over by Bus Comforted by Cop

If you’re ever pinned beneath a bus Kevin Peck is the man to help you. Three days ago on Monday December 12th Peck responded to a call just around the corner. Someone had been hit by a bus.
When Peck got there he realized that the person hadn’t really gotten hit by the bus. Rather the bus had run her over. She was pinned beneath the bus and she couldn’t feel her legs. Her name is Aryann Smith. She’s 24 years old and she was crossing the crosswalk to visit her mom when the bus driver failed to yield.

Officer Peck assessed the situation then crawled underneath the bus himself to take her pulse. She was alive and scared. Peck held her hand stayed with her to provide comfort. They were right next to a tire and Peck was praying that the bus wouldn’t move.

Peck commented that Aryann was “very brave” and she stayed remarkably calm for her circumstances. It only took the fire crews a couple minutes to get the bus lifted off of them but Peck said it “felt like a bit longer than that.”

Aryann was rushed to the hospital. Good thing too. While holding her hand Peck noticed that he could see her knee cap and muscles in her legs. Aryann said she couldn’t feel anything which was probably a blessing. Aryann is not expected to lose her legs and Peck believes that Smith was “very lucky.”

The bus driver was on paid administrate leave until yesterday because an internal investigation was being held to determine the right disciplinary action and or the possible cancelation of their job.

Photo courtesy of Yogenra174 on Flicker. For more work from this author please click: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogendra174/5899609875/in/photostream/ Sources: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705395836/I-told-her-I-would-stay-says-officer-who-crawled-under-bus-to-comfort-pinned-victim.html?pg=2
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/broadcast_news/news_article_formula.cfm
http://journalism.about.com/od/writing/a/storystructure.htm

An Explanation:

This is a blog...(duh)... written by a teenager for her journalism class. She is learning about Citizen Journalism. Her first assignment was to create a blog. Check. Stay tuned; it's going to get interesting.