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American artists have always felt free to speak their minds, even when their opinions touch on controversial topics. During the Vietnam War, the politically-conscious Edwin Starr sung out, “War, what is it good for?” to protest America’s place in the bloody battle. And leading up the 2004 presidential election, Green Day recorded ‘American Idiot,’ an entire album devoted to the dissatisfaction with George W. Bush’s presidency, and subsequently, the ever-changing America. Today, Polarity/1 is no exception.

Polarity/1, a multi-instrumentalist/arranger/composer/producer, was one of the early voices warning of the impending debt crisis, having composed most of the score and served as Music Supervisor for Danny Schechter’s feature-length documentary ‘In Debt We Trust’. Focused on America’s dangerous addiction to debt and the predatory nature of our credit and loan industry, the film predicted over two years ago the economic meltdown being experienced today.

Proudly speaking his mind through his music, Polarity/1 uses freedom of speech to express his opinions on America with five songs featured in the documentary. The music — “Free Money,” “Charge It,” “Winter In America (Chills To The Bone),” “I’m So Broke,” and “Free Money Blues” — touches on topics ranging from poverty, to homelessness, to drug abuse, all the while allowing his bold statements to shine through the various sounds of each track.

In traditional twangy blues style, complete with a woeful chorus of melancholy men, “Free Money Blues” tells the financial burdens of the average American. Listing off dream items like flat screen TVs and new video games, the track reveals the pain of Americans, stuck in an economy where the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. In Polarity/1′s strained voice, listeners can feel the frustration at life in America, where money is abundant, but among all people, somehow the dollars don’t add up right.

On the rock track “I’m So Broke,” Polarity/1 continues to wail about finances, forcing every listener to understand how it feels to have nothing in such a wealthy country. Commenting on the homelessness problem, he says: “What’s left in my pocket goes to keep me off the docket.” Screaming “I’m so broke” over and over, listeners are left to think about the current state of America, as they must try to find solutions that will balance out the distribution of wealth in the country.

Taking a turn to rap, “Winter in America” also deals with the issue of homelessness, though this time taking a more drastic approach as it describes the brutally cold weather that they must endure. Once again proving the seriousness of the situation, Polarity/1 introduces the problem of drug addiction facing poor young people, suggesting that the country is to blame, and not parents: “You tried to raise ‘em right, but before you know, they’ll be suckin’ on a crack pipe.”

Through all five tracks, Polarity/1 continues to reflect on the crucial issues facing Americans today, as those in poverty keep struggling to survive, while the government does little to help out. With such political music, it’s obvious that Polarity/1 is doing his part to change the face of America. And by listening to the music of “In Debt We Trust,” we are also invited to do the same. Enjoying the songs and its message is only the beginning, though. In a country where debt is quickly becoming the only thing we can trust, Polarity/1′s album functions as the ultimate personal question: What are you going to do to fix America?

All five songs are available for free download at http://www.reverbnation.com/polarity1

You’re a singer looking for great audience songs for women. Have you thought about a “House song” from a Musical?

A House song bridges the gap between the audience and the singer, when the character comes out of the story on stage and speaks directly to the viewers, know that he (and the drama) is being watched.

In Musical theater there are not many real House songs, but there are a number of songs you can alter to make your performance cross that invisible fourth wall between you and the audience.

In this article I suggest 60 songs for women from the Musical Theater repertoire that could be sung as a House song. They fall into three categories: the true House song, the audience number and the soliloquy.

In the first category, the true House song, the musical is written deliberately for the character to step out of the drama and speak to the viewers. Think of Diva’s Lament from Spamalot, or You Can Always Count On Me from City of Angels. When You’re Good To Mama from Chicago springs to mind immediately. Other true House songs include Big Spender from Sweet Charity (originally a chorus number but can be sung by one person), I’m Still Here from Follies, Broadway Baby from Follies, I Just Wanna Dance from Jerry Springer, Jonny One Note from Babes in Arms, and Nobody Does It Like Me – the Cy Coleman song from the musical SeeSaw. And Miss Byrd from Closer Than Ever shares her secret across the fourth wall.

Many of the songs from the Victorian Music Hall era work as house numbers including Waiting At the Church, If It Wasn’t For the ‘Ouses In Between, and even ballads such as The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery. Then there are the songs written in a Musical style such as Girl in 14G, and The Alto’s Lament.

In the second category, the character sings to an audience in her world as part of the plot. Good and Evil from Jekyll and Hyde is a great example as Lucy sings to the drinkers in the pub where she works. Then there’s Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Evita), I Speak Six Languages from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Beat Out Dat Rhythm from Carmen Jones, Man Wanted from Copacabana, and Blow Gabriel Blow from Anything Goes. The Saga Of Jenny from Lady in the Dark is sung in a courtroom, and you might just get away with Life of the Party from Wild Party.

The unifocus song is the third type of House number – it’s usually a soliloquy in which the character is asking questions. One of the most well-known songs is I Cain’t Say No from Oklahoma. Then there’s I’m Shy from Once Upon A Mattress, Everybody Says Don’t, and There Won’t Be Trumpets, from Anyone Can Whistle, and I’m A Stranger Here Myself from One Touch of Venus. Check out Holding To The Ground from Falsettos, My Brother Lived In San Francisco from Elegies for Angels Punks and Raging Queens, I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate, and My Strongest Suit from Aida. For the more old-fashioned amongst you, there’s I Think I May Want To Remember Today from Starting Here, Starting Now, Tale of the Oyster (Fifty Million Frenchmen), and The Physician (Nymph Errant).

You can use a strong story song like Waiting For The Music To Begin (Witches of Eastwick) if you use it to tell the audience your story. Another perfect example comes from A Chorus Line, where Diana Morales sings Nothing to Zach who is seated in the (real) audience throughout the show. It’s therefore very easy to turn it into a house number and address the audience directly and individually. Other songs include Gimme Gimme from Thoroughly Modern Millie, I Know Things Now from Into the Woods, Defying Gravity from Wicked, and Always The Bridesmaid from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

Back to Sondheim again for The Ladies Who Lunch from Company, The Story of Lucy and Jessie (from certain productions of Follies), and Can That Boy Foxtrot (a duet that can be sung as a solo) from Marry Me A Little, or cut from Follies, depending on who you read.

Then there’s Everybody’s Girl from Steel Pier, Old Fashioned Love Story from Wild Party, When You Got It, Flaunt It from The Producers, and How Did I End Up Here from Romance Romance. You might consider One Hundred Easy Ways from Wonderful Town, or My New Philosophy from You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, and experiment with a song like Cockeyed Optimist from South Pacific.

Another great source of House songs is the revue musical. Closer Than Ever by Maltby and Shire is a good example for songs like Back On Base, or The Bear, The Tiger, The Hamster and The Mole. Or you could consider Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown for I’m Not Afraid Of Anything. You can also do what the musicals are doing currently and raid the pop/disco/rock scene for suitable songs – Holding Out For A Hero started as a Bonnie Tyler song but is now in both Footloose and Shrek II

It is unusual for a slower song to work as a house number, but here are a few suggestions: Maybe I Like It This Way from Wild Party, That’s Him from One Touch Of Venus, Why Him from Carmelina, Bill (from Oh Lady! Lady! and versions of Showboat) and of course, Funny Girl from Funny Girl.

Remember that the point of a House song is to speak directly to the viewers, so make sure you look your audience in the eye while you perform.

Enjoy.

Music teaching tips should be accurate and precise at all times. No matter how great or little they can be, they should serve their purpose of helping the recipient get the improvement and growth they truly deserve.

The earliest music was probably connected to religion according to historians. Long ago, people believed the world was controlled by a variety of gods. Keeping the gods happy was deemed very important to survival. Singing was among the first things humans did to show respect to their so-called gods.

Singing is still an important part of most religions. Buddhists, Christians, and Jews all use chants and/or songs in their religious ceremonies. The Christian Bible instructs those who love God to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord…” and other religions provide similar instructions. If you have ever sung a song – religious or otherwise – you know that singing is fun. The feeling of joy that comes from singing must also have made ancient people feel happy.

Singing was also done before with different activities. Another time people sang was when they worked. One of the best examples is the mining activity of Snow White’s seven dwarfs. Soldiers likewise sang as they marched into battle. Farmers sang one song as they planted and another when they harvested. Singing made the work less burdensome. People used the tunes to pace themselves. Sometimes, they followed instructions through songs.

Music brings entertainment so as singing. Today’s singing compared to ancient times’ is more polished – from an a cappella to a more different singing accompanied by musical instruments. With a tradition conventionally taught by the ancient people to many generations, music schools provide advanced teaching principles and learning techniques to aspirant musicians and singers. If before, it was purely imitating the ways of the elders; now, developing your own creative style through music teachers is highly recognized and appreciated.

These music schools or centers use music teaching tips so they can simply help their students learn music. Music teaching tips tackle the different ways of furnishing music knowledge to students in the perspective of the educators. Music learning has always been easy with the help of the people who know more about it – the music teachers. Certainly, that what music schools mainly offer.

The advantage of readily available music teaching tips is that teachers do not have to improvise teaching techniques to their class. The tips themselves are techniques and just have to be enhanced for outputs that are more effective. These music teaching tips focus mainly in playing instruments, singing, and other related topics.

It can be said that ‘music teaching tips’ are also ‘music learning tips’ for when teaching is learned, learning is most likely to follow.

When Bill Monroe, widely regarded as the “Father of Bluegrass”, released the Blue Moon of Kentucky (1947) he could not imagine what was coming ahead. Country music, a raw music with a basic ensemble of guitar, bass, drums and trumpets conveyed a message of freedom reflecting the poverty-smacked inhabitants of Southern Unites States.

Simple, yet powerful lyrics like “Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining, shine on the one that’s gone and proved untrue; Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining, shine on the one that’s gone and left me blue…” reflect the sadness of an abruptly-ended relationship, which is looking for nemesis under the blue moon light

Johnny Cash, a distinctive country music persona, well-known for his deep voice and his dark clothing, otherwise known as The Man In Black, or the boom-chick-a-boom or the freight train, and religiously starting his concerts with the introduction “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”, released another smash hit of country music, Ring of Fire (1953).

Ring of Fire remained in #1 of the US Charts for seven consecutive weeks. Its straightforward lyrics like “Love is a burning thing and it makes a fiery ring, bound by wild desire I fell into a ring of fire”, anchored by melodic strings and slight trumpets, made Ring of Fire one of the best 30 Country songs ever written. Encompasses the soul of Johnny Cash, talking about love, faith, and the agonies of a love affair, Ring of Fire is a little diamond in the history of country music.

Male dominance in the country music scene was interrupted by a distinctive mountain soprano with colorful dress code and conducive figure.

Dolly Parton, a Tennessee born female country music singer, songwriter, actress and author achieved multiple Grammy-award winning, 25 #1 hit singles in the US country charts and 42 Top Ten country albums in the history of country music. Her big hit Heartbreak Express (1982)describes a woman, who leaves her boyfriend and a strained relationship, departing on the “Heartbreak Express” feeling independent and free to choose her destiny. A completely revolutionary song.

As time went by, the Texas trio Dixie Chicks achieved multiple Grammy-award winning (Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Best Country Album and Best Country Performance by a Duo or a Group) being the highest-selling female band in the history of music with a record sales of over 36 million albums.

There’s Your Trouble (1998) was a traditional twang with soft melody, instrumental anchorage, foot-tapping rockabilly and pop harmony reflecting Chick’s instrumental virtuosity. The song had made a great impact as Dixie Chicks, famous for their outspoken political comments, have insulted George Bush for his political acts and the war in Iraq.

With the ever growing popularity of Country Music and their inevitable subgenres spanning out across the globe, the desire to break into the music business as a Country Music singer has become a popular ambition. But breaking into the music business is hard in any genre, so how do you ensure your success?

Talent:
Talent can not be overrated in Country Music, you need to be able to sing, because more often than not the backing track is a single guitar playing simple chords, unlike other genres, where the back track is loud and overpowering instrumentals and the voices are hardly heard at all. In Country Music, your voice will make or break the song, if it is less than perfect, consider another career.

Instrument:
You will need to be able to play an instrument yourself, Country Music fans will expect you to be able to pluck a few chords on some stringed instrument as you sing, so work hard learning to play, it will show the world just how dedicated you are to becoming a true Music Singer.

Name:
If your name isn’t right, people will simply not remember you, you need a catchy name, a name that says “Country Singer “and one people will be able to remember, this might mean changing your name, or singing under a different name – it’s up to you.

Practice:
You can never practice too much, practice, practice and then carry on practicing, because you can never get a song too perfect or too well played, when it comes time to play for your career, you will be grateful of all that practice, and remember record yourself often so you know how you sound.

Be a Song Writer
Give yourself an edge and write your own songs, rather than relying on other people’s songs to make your career, listen to a million Country Music songs is you have to, to get a feel for how to write, study the lyrics and understand that the music has to come from the hear t – especially with Country Music. If you can write, sing and play your own songs, you have a good start.

Take any Gig
Starting out, there is a distinct possibility that you will need to take either very badly paid gigs, or completely free gigs, just to get your name ‘out there’ and put something down on your otherwise blank résumé. You cannot afford to be picky when you start out in any business, but in the music world, it’s all about getting your name recognized. So take every opportunity to sing in pubs, clubs, or even recreation centers, wherever will take you.

Work Hard and Don’t Give Up
Face it, if you want to be a singer, you will be working 7 days a week, most weeks, it is not a glamorous life (at least not at first) and there will be many set backs along the way. There will be times when you think you just won’t make it and feel like giving up, be prepared for rejection and don’t stop promoting yourself, if you want it never give up!
There are no guarantees in the music business, and even when you break into the charts there’s the possibility you are a one hit wonder and nothing more. You have to have thick skin and a strong mind to live with all the rejection and failure, but it can be done.