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I joined MacJams on February 7, 2010. Yeah, I know today is no sort of anniversary for me. Lately I’ve just been reflecting on my time here. I came upon MacJams quite by accident. While checking the GarageBand message boards at the Apple website I saw a thread regarding where one could post music online. I followed some links and opened accounts at three of the suggested sites. I searched around each, listening to music, commented a bit, and most importantly watched the way people interacted with one another. This included watching the chat windows and reading comments people were leaving on each other’s songs.
There was just something about MJ that seemed inviting. It was clear people genuinely enjoyed interacting with each other. So on February 10th I took the plunge and posted my first song. Now at the time I had no original songs to post. I had done a bit of writing. But those songs were just live acoustic recordings done with a field recorder. I wasn’t brave enough to make my first post something so raw and sparse. Worse still, the only songs I had to post were public domain children’s songs I had recorded for use in my class. I selected one and went ahead and posted, waiting to get slammed for posting childish nonsense.
But that wasn’t what happened at all. The handful of members who commented were positive and welcomed me to the community. From that point on MJ became a regular and important part of my daily life. Commenting and downloaded have all but replaced listening to commercially available music. Collaborating with MJ members took the place of gigging. And I must say it is much more rewarding. I’ve made friends and have grown as a musician thanks to so many of you. I hope I have been as supportive of others as so many have been to me. And my accounts at those two other sites now collect Internet dust.
Maybe it’s the start of a new school year. Maybe it’s other things entirely. But I feel a need to hit the reset button. Every now and then it’s healthy to take a real honest assessment of ourselves. While it’s fun to dabble in songwriting and record production, I’m a 1st grade teacher first. And I think I’m feeling a need to focus on that side of whom I am. So it’s time to post another children’s song.
All of my children’s songs were recorded during the summer of 2009 (although I remixed this one recently). I would select a song and then come up with a less than typical genre to set it in (Dwight Yoakam does Little Tommy Tucker, Thin Lizzy does The Muffin Man, GnR does Old MacDonald). It was just a way to try out different methods of recording and production ideas while providing myself a laugh and lesson planning. On this one I wanted to do something bluesy and feature and electric slide guitar part. The changes had an “It Hurts Me Too” flavor. So I went for an Elmore James does Little Miss Muffet. I know it’s out there. But what little girl wouldn’t get the blues from a big ugly spider?
I did the guitars, bass, and vocals. The drums are heavily edited MIDI loops.
Oh…the artwork came from a series of Levis ads. So in an effort to avoid being sued…….BUY LEVIS!
There was just something about MJ that seemed inviting. It was clear people genuinely enjoyed interacting with each other. So on February 10th I took the plunge and posted my first song. Now at the time I had no original songs to post. I had done a bit of writing. But those songs were just live acoustic recordings done with a field recorder. I wasn’t brave enough to make my first post something so raw and sparse. Worse still, the only songs I had to post were public domain children’s songs I had recorded for use in my class. I selected one and went ahead and posted, waiting to get slammed for posting childish nonsense.
But that wasn’t what happened at all. The handful of members who commented were positive and welcomed me to the community. From that point on MJ became a regular and important part of my daily life. Commenting and downloaded have all but replaced listening to commercially available music. Collaborating with MJ members took the place of gigging. And I must say it is much more rewarding. I’ve made friends and have grown as a musician thanks to so many of you. I hope I have been as supportive of others as so many have been to me. And my accounts at those two other sites now collect Internet dust.
Maybe it’s the start of a new school year. Maybe it’s other things entirely. But I feel a need to hit the reset button. Every now and then it’s healthy to take a real honest assessment of ourselves. While it’s fun to dabble in songwriting and record production, I’m a 1st grade teacher first. And I think I’m feeling a need to focus on that side of whom I am. So it’s time to post another children’s song.
All of my children’s songs were recorded during the summer of 2009 (although I remixed this one recently). I would select a song and then come up with a less than typical genre to set it in (Dwight Yoakam does Little Tommy Tucker, Thin Lizzy does The Muffin Man, GnR does Old MacDonald). It was just a way to try out different methods of recording and production ideas while providing myself a laugh and lesson planning. On this one I wanted to do something bluesy and feature and electric slide guitar part. The changes had an “It Hurts Me Too” flavor. So I went for an Elmore James does Little Miss Muffet. I know it’s out there. But what little girl wouldn’t get the blues from a big ugly spider?
I did the guitars, bass, and vocals. The drums are heavily edited MIDI loops.
Oh…the artwork came from a series of Levis ads. So in an effort to avoid being sued…….BUY LEVIS!
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magnatone
LOL - as you know already, i absolutely LOVE this andrew! AND, i am SO glad you found MJ and have stuck around - you bring so much to the community via your fabulous music and also by being the wonderful, supportive, hilarious and kind person that you are. this Miss Muffet should go viral!!