The Music I Make

The dictionary defines value as the worth or cost of something. However, what if the worth of something is infinite? How is value defined then? I think, like many others, that the value of something can become so great that it is priceless, that money no longer has any affect on the giving of something so valuable. But what has so much value that it could be considered priceless? I think the best way to find out would be to find something priceless, but we would have to find something priced.

Ever since I was in the 6th grade I have played the Tenor Saxophone as my main instrument, and I have always loved it. It is still a shiny golden color and I use it in the school’s concert band. It has a great sound and I like using it in jazz pieces and I love playing with the band, and playing it brightens up my day. I consider my tenor saxophone an item of worth, and very important to me. I (and by I, I mean my mother) recently bought it for around $900, and is by far my most expensive instrument. It is priced because it is replaceable, although for $900 I would rather not. I like it but there are things that are worth much more to me.

Finding something thats priceless is a little more difficult, but still doable, and priceless things vary much more from person to person. One of the things that I consider priceless is my music, actually sometimes the music I make with my saxophone. I always liked music, and getting to play and make music is one of the best experiences that I have, and I get to do it almost every day. I have always had an interest in the arts, and even though I like sports, I have always been much more interested in the arts. Acting and music are my favorite things to do. What I like about music is that it is so diverse and distinct and can have such feeling and emotion that it is never the same. Music has the power to make people feel emotions without talking, and the can be happy or sad, angry or calm. I like to play music because, first, I like to be with other musicians who like to play music like I do and who understand the impact music has in some peoples lives and how music is good for people. Second, I like to play for people to make them feel happy and sometimes sad, or at least make them feel something because that is the beauty of music, that it can make you feel. No amount of money is able to replace making music because making music with people who understand why music is so great is one of the best things to do and for those who have never gotten to make music, I would surely recommend it.

There are usually differences between items of different values, but there are usually similarities too, even between priced and priceless items or experiences. While one be touched and one cannot, and one is real and one isn’t, both my tenor saxophone and my music make me happy, they are things that make make me happy. I prefer to think that happiness is the true determination of worth.

So what if you don’t think making music is priceless? Or have never thought of an instrument of something of value? Well then first off I’m guessing you probably have never made music or played an instrument. If you have and still aren’t convinced then I suggest you do try and find something priceless if you haven’t already, because every time you find something priceless, money becomes less and less important and understanding that money is not the most critical piece of a good lifestyle is something a lot of people could use.

Speak Final Assessment

Speak Final Assessment

    1.One time, I was at lunch, about to go sit with my friends in some time around 4th Grade and I was pretty new to the idea of popularity. Some of the more popular kids wanted me to sit at their table, even though I was about to sit with my friends (the friends I had already). My inner voice told me to sit with my friends and ignore them because they were probably jerks anyway. I wanted to walk away, but I my outer voice couldn’t say no to them because I looked up to them, and I sat them. So I ended up sitting with the popular kids over my friends and they turned out to be really cool and nice. For some reason I thought my friends would be be super angry, I mean hey, I was young, I didn’t know how my friends would react to this. Obviously my friends didn’t mind and now some of the kids I actually sat with are now my friends too so while sometimes inner and outer voice conflicts go badly, I was lucky enough to have had everything work out.I made some new friends and with no harm to me or my old friends.

    2. I was playing baseball earlier this year, and I was playing against a fairly tough team and I was up to bat with men on second and first base. I got two strikes and ball and the man at first got picked off so that now there were two outs. I had to get a hit. I knew in my head that I had to swing or I would get out, he was going to throw a strike. So I got ready as he drew his arm back to throw. I could see it coming down the middle. I reared back, ready to hit it. I got my arms around and made contact for a long double into left field. The man that was on second scored and I was so fast I could have almost made it to third. I had done well because I had listened to my inner voice’s instincts. If I had let that ball go by, I would have let down the team and myself. The moral of this story is trust yourself and listen to the voice inside your head because it is the most important voice you hear and you have to be with it your entire life.

    3A. “ I just want to sleep. The whole point of not talking about it, of silencing the memory, is to make it go away. It won’t (81). This is inner and outer voice discord. Her outer voice says she doesn’t want to talk about what happened and hide away. She says that going to sleep will solve her problems. But her inner voice actually does want her to talk with somebody, that she needs to get her feelings off her chest. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she is emotionally damaged and needs to let it go by learning to speak.

NOT Left for Dead

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, Atria Paperback, 2011.   Genre: Science Fiction.

This book is about a zombie named R, who can’t really remember anything about his past life and feeds on the living, until he meets a human girl named Julie. The book is set in future San Francisco, after humanity has fallen and there are only tiny remnants of civilization remaining. R and the zombies live in an abandoned airport and Julie lives one of former San Francisco’s stadiums.When R meets Julie he feels remorse for what he has done and tries to be a little more human. However as Julie learns to care about R despite the fact that he is a zombie, the rest of the city, especially her father do not. Meanwhile bringing a live human into the airport unharmed causes great unrest. Now R and Julie are all alone with no help and they must survive.

“I never thought I could care so passionately for a zombie.” says Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series, on the back of the book.

I have not read any other books by this author, as this was his debut novel, not self published. This book is not like any I am familiar with as Marion puts all of his idiosyncratic personality into it, making the book unique and fun to read. He has a great way of storytelling that can captivate an audience for hours.

“She is Living and I’m Dead, but I’d like to believe we’re both human. Call me an idealist (42).

I feel that the theme is that everyone, no matter how different looking, can be human, humanity comes from the heart not from the body. People who are considered ugly or different are human if they are kind and generous, but bullies, even if they look more human, are less human because they don’t have a kind heart.

The book starts off slow but has a great story and lots of action. I give Warm Bodies 5 paws- Devour it.

Speak Reflective Reading Quiz

Closed

5 words that describe Melinda

• Exasperated
• Sarcastic
• Scared
• Alone
• Closed

I said that Melinda is exasperated because everything in her life is a nuisance. She goes through life and nothing goes her way, she has to keep dealing with all these hardships.

I said that Melinda is sarcastic because she doesn’t care what is going on around her. She thinks that all her classmates are morons, and that most are much dumber than she is, and she expresses it through sarcasm.

I said Melinda is scared because of IT. When Andy Evans, who is believed to have raped Melinda, comes up to her she becomes afraid, and feels like vomiting.

I said Melinda is alone because she has no friends. Even the one person who would talk to her left her.

I also said Melinda is closed because she is shut out from the outside world. She wants to hide away from everything and everyone.

I think the best word to describe Melinda is alone. She has no friends or social group and her parents don’t care about her much. She thinks that instead of being with others it is smarter to be alone. Melinda says “ It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap button your lip can it.”(Melinda, 9) She doesn’t share her feelings with other people.

Melinda doesn’t just try to shut out the world and be alone, she also tries to shut out the world. “ I just want to sleep.” (Melinda, 81) She thinks that avoiding her problems will make them go away, and that hiding it is the safest option.  She wants to ignore the world that has been so cruel to her, and she really just wants to be alone.

The Battle School

Ender from Ender’s Game

Junior from Absolutely True Diaries of a Part Time Indian

It was just after a battle at the school. Ender got the message that there would be one more member coming to their squad making an uneven 41 for dragon team. “What’s the news?” Crazy Tom asked.

Ender replied “We’re getting a new player.”

“Why do they keep trying to mess us up?”

No team in the school had 41 players, it was just another disadvantage. Sure another player would give them a sheer number strength but other than that everything else was drawbacks. For starters he would probably be a launchy a weak new player to the game. Second, Ender had five squads of eight guys, one more would throw off balance. Topping off the cake there was no time to train him meaning he wouldn’t know Enders tactics and just be in the way.

Junior was playing one-on-one basketball with Rowdy when an odd man in a suit came up to him.

“Hello” the man said in a casually.

“You’re white” Rowdy said out loud. Rowdy and Junior had sort of mended their relationship over the past month or so, even though their relationship was so weird that nobody could tell. Rowdy still had no problem making his opinions vocal.

“I am from the battle school” the man said in a politicians voice.

“Is that supposed to mean something fart face-” Junior stopped him from elaborating.

“What do you want?” He asked suspiciously.

“To keep it short the battle school looks for gifted young minds to train into warriors in the war to keep the alien race we call the buggers away from Earth and the human race. We fear a bugger invasion and are doing everything we can to be prepared in case of emergency.”

The laughter that emanated from the basketball court could be heard for miles around. Junior laughing because this man claimed to be an alien fighter and Rowdy laughing because he called Junior gifted.

“Keep moving white guy” Rowdy said, tears in his eyes.

“Junior, you need to come with me.”

Junior shrugged, he didn’t really care, and besides he was white, had a suit, and he had a badge on his chest. It also looked like he might have a gun so he decided not to push him, even  if he was diagnosably insane.

He got in the car with the man and made sure Rowdy told his parents where he had gone.

About an hour later in a long stretch of desert road he turned on to an unmarked dirt path. Then he saw it, a space shuttle.

If it was possible for a space launch to be boring then this was it. Junior knew he should be excited about going into space but he just …. wasn’t. He got in and prepared for launch. At least they weren’t lying about the space part he thought.

The shuttle stopped moving and all the lights turned on as a couple older boys started getting out. The strange place must have been a space station, he thought. Another white man gave him directions. He entered a room full of boys all younger than he was.

A chorus of “Sup bro” and “Hey” and even “Ho there” went up. Who said “Ho there”?

“I’m Ender your new commander”

He looked down to see a nine year old boy looking up at him. He could tell it was going to be a long day.

“First off you’re, like, six years younger than me, so bug off. Second, What do mean commander.”

“Wait, are you new to battle school?”

“Yea, I just got here why?”Junior answered.

Ender was speechless, they couldn’t do this to him, not again. He wasn’t even a launchy, he wasn’t from battle school At all! Plus he was older so he probably thought he was all high and mighty. This was just another obstacle not a gift, but he had already known that.

They trained for the day and Junior didn’t really learn anything but in the morning there was a battle. Junior got up and got ready because he wanted to do well, then maybe he could leave. They walked to the door and Junior prepared himself, flash gun in hand. The door opened. Junior was instructed by Ender to stay out of the way of the squads so he would hide behind a star, a little square, to protect him. He fould cover shot from behind it. He didn’t want to get hit so he didn’t look, just shot in their direction. He didn’t know how many he got but he got flashed after What seemed like an hour, which meant he couldn’t move. It ended only a few minutes after that.

He was proud and some of his teammates didn’t seem to like it. He supposed they hadn’t expected a rookie to do well. He got a note later saying he could leave. On the shuttle back he asked why he had to go.

The man said “They are our best team and you were a challenge to overcome.”

“Well it looks like your plan backfired.”

“Actually we expected them to be able to win even with you on the team.”

“But I did well, I lasted a long time and shot some of them.”

“Junior, I hate to tell you this, but you didn’t shoot any enemies, in fact you shot six of your own teammates and even though it seemed like a long time you got flashed after about 30 seconds.” Then Junior went home.