Kiya Heartwood

Kiya's class was very eye opening to the music business. Her story could be a movie. It would be a great way to open people's eyes to the world of money, backstabbing, greed, and music. It seems unfortunate that the music is not the top priority in this business. Only what sells. And sexy women sell, not women like Kiya, no matter how good their music is. Kiya's music is really good. It was amazing to hear her talk about how she writes music. It is very true that traditional Western notation is very limiting. I very much admire her for going back to school to learn things she hasn't learned about music. She is a true musician, and good for this school for recognizing it. There are things I don't know about the cultures she tries to replicate in her music. I wonder how she went about researching different cultures to emulate them in her three movement choral work. I wish we could have printed it out and sung it. Even though technology is good, and those sound files weren't bad for sound files, there is something about performing choral music with real voices that is so much better than listening to it through finale. I really admire her desire and effort to bring music to amateur choirs that don't have very much skill. Her whole story of getting into the music business, and getting out to start her own publishing company is inspiring, and one that should be told more often. I can't wait to see what she does in the future.

Coffehouse for Women Singer/songwriters

Last night was the last even for “Women in Music Week”. SAI put on a coffeehouse of all women singer/songwriters on Westminster Campus. The first woman to perform sang a few songs that were fantastic. Her chord progressions were very standard, but the lyrics and melody she put above them were unique and interesting. Her song material was in the vain of figuring out the world, love, and life in general. After discussing this idea in Music Education lab, it was very interesting to see this in action. We discussed the difference between boys and girls in the songwriting process. The women’s group was concentrated on their love lives, and the subject matter was introspective. An alumnae of Westminster, who had only been writing for two months, wrote some very interesting material as well. She wrote for piano instead of guitar, which every other performer of the night did. Her music was bluesy, and her slow vibrato added to this affect. Her material was also very introspective in love and life. One song was about the idea that everyone is told when they are young that they can do anything, and ends with the question of what happens when one loses their way and doesn’t know which star is for oneself. The night all in all was a huge success. One of the faculty members did an expose of Melissa Ethridge and Amy Grant. It was a great showcase of women and their role in popular music.