Response to Student Projects #3 I really enjoyed group number one's presentation on Bob Dylan. It was nice that they didn't work together on one single collaboration, but instead each shared all of their own views on Bob Dylan and his songs. I really enjoyed learning about Bob Dylan's history, he is a very facinating person to me. I also liked how they showed a clip from the movie Dangerous Minds, to prove Bob Dylan is very prevalant in our society today. I definitely agree with this, Bob Dylan is still a very important artist in our society and very prevalant in the music world. I know this firsthand as I am going to see him in concert with Paul Simon at shoreline on June 19th. I look forward to seeing him perform his songs live. I also really like the connection that was made between Kurt Cobain and Bob Dylan. Kurt Cobain had the same effect on me as a teenager as Im sure he did on many teens during the 60's. They both encouraged teens to question authority, and to question our society. They were both the representational voice for the feelings of a generation. Cobain's death effected me greatly, as my generation no longer had a spokesperson to speak out against all the injustices, paradoxes, and ludicrous activities occuring around us. It caused great doom for many many people my age. The rap Current Shanannigans was also very very creative. It related well to Dylan's songs in that it too spoke out against wrongful things in occuring in our society. It's funny how so many bad things in our society pass by almost unnoticed or unhighlighted in our society, but when an artist does speak out against them he gains so much popularity and respect because there are so many of us that can relate exactly to what he or she says. Artists like Dylan and Cobain along with many others are spokespeople. They represent the voice of a generation who wants to be heard, but just lacks the means to make themselves heard.

Kali Grech

I felt that the first group to present did an excellent job of using various media to show the persistence of the music to which we listened in class. The music of Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan may not appeal to the typical person belonging to Generation X, but it would appear through their presentation that the message, its influence, and often the songs themselves can be appreciated. The film clip of "Dangerous Minds" did an excellent job of revealing what many parents face with their children in real life. Specifically, the dense and often evasive imagery in the music of the 60's is powerful and meaningful to those growing up in that era, but those growing up today can't or won't understand the message. I think the clip spoke volumes about Dylan's work as, with little prodding, the urban highschoolers in the movie readily examined and revealed much of what may have been the originally intent and meaning of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" When one of the presenters played Billy Joel's hit "Piano Man," it made me understand the true influence Dylan had on the popular culture of his time and of mine. Musically, as the speaker noted, Joel's style in highly influenced and, at times, imitative of Dylan's. Either way, I began to understand the message and the relevance of Dylan's music through the his influence on contemporary music. The rap performed and recorded by one student of the group was interesting in that it was very much unlike Dylan stylistically, but I found the message of social discontent and abhorrence of general societal apathy to be very much similar to that of Bob Dylan. This particular presentation held my interest throughout its duration through the use of music and film. I think the entire group did an excellent job of diversifying presentation materials while still conveying a unified message.

-Kevin Sigmund

I personally liked the first group the best. They were very creative and I liked all of the things they incorporated. I remember watching Dangerous Minds and enjoying the part about Bob Dylan because at the time I didn't know the meaning behind Mr. Tambourine Man. I liked how they tied in different artists to show the influence of Bob Dylan on todays popular music. The guy who wrote and played his own song was great, it was straight to the point and full of truth. They did a great job! I also liked the fourth group. Their performance was really good. I like how they also tied in popular and current artists to show the influence by Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Fitzgerald. The music was good and well selected. The sheet added suspense and some background. It was very well thought out and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The group that did the game was fun. It got everyone involved. I think we all had a great time during that presentation. It was a good idea to get the professors involved. It was also interesting to hear some facts about the sixties. It helps you put into perspective what the artists were experiencing. It's hard to imagine now the intensity of everything going on in that time. It's an intriguing era with so many interestings events. The group analizing Billie Holiday's songs did a great job of breaking it all down. The pictures were a good representation. I think all the groups deserve applause, their presentations were interesting and stimulating. Good job to everyone!!

Jennifer Padelford

The first presentation had a lot of variety to it. I liked the different approaches the group members took in giving the presentation. Starting out with a background on Bob Dylan was a good idea. It reinforced and refreshened everything that was said in the class lecture about Bob Dylan. The clip from "Dangerous Minds" was another interesting look at Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". I thought it was helpful to see that the things we were discussing in class are present even in movie classrooms. I do not recall ever hearing the song "Piano Man" before but when it was played in class I could hear the similarities to Bob Dylan's song. I could see how Bob Dylan could have definitely been an influence on Billy Joel. The next group member took Bob Dylan's song "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and rearranged it to make a shorter version of the song. I thought the audio remix of this song was pretty good. I could barely even tell that the song had been manipulated. The Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was another interesting part of the presentation. It was very creative to see the song like the first Bob Dylan video. I thought this was a very good idea. The last part of the presentation was very creative. The flow was good and I wish I could have seen it performed live. Overall, this presentation was filled with interesting thought and exploration of Bob Dylan. I also liked the other presentations, the Jeopardy presentation was very entertaining. Thanks for the candy.

Marc Shimamoto

Of the four presentations presented in class, if I had to choose one favorite, it would be the first presentation. Each member of the group gave their own interpretation of songs by Bob Dylan. First, they showed a clip from the movie Dangerous Minds. I thought it was great how in movies today, they are trying to incorporate ideas that were created years ago. This was a great example of how Bob Dylan's thoughts are still very alive today. The next member of the group mixed parts of The Tambourine Man together and played a tape of this new version. It basically condensed some of the important ideas in the song. This narrowed the song down into small, basic themes of the song. Next, they played the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Professor Cushing had discussed in our last meeting the connection between the two, and this presentation re-emphasized this meaningful connection. Both Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain (sp?) were important figures in their own generation. Nirvana started a new trend that is still here today, just like Bob Dylan. They are trend setters for their own generation. The last member of the group wrote his own song called "Current Shannanigans" that talked about current problems in today's society. It was funny yet it touched on many issues that people are not willing to talk about. One example is the Clinton comment at the end. No one wanted to seriously talk about it because it was so ridiculous of an issue. They ridiculed the event, but it was a major event that will be in history books for years to come. Bob Dylan had to use code to get his ideas out in the world, but now we can just express ourselves however we want. The song was creative and I really enjoyed it. Altogether, the presentation was well thought out and the speakers knew their subject. The group presented the material in a way that we could all relate to Bob Dylan in some way, even if he did come from a different era.

Keren Shane

I think Group 1 (Sean, Broam, Nelson, Todd and Danny) put together an interesting presentation and certainly put the class off to a good start. The best thing about their presentation as a whole was the variety of ways they used to share their personal insight to Bob Dylan's songs. The brief history on Dylan leading to the use of his work in present day media was a good connection. "Dangerous Minds" was a nice touch! I think Dylan will always be with us, somehow influencing the way we think, set our minds, the actions of individuals and the country. The similarities between "Tambourine Man" and Billy Joel's "Piano Man" were well pointed out; this was a good example of Dylan's influence on others. Both artists speak from their heart and soul and tell things how they are. Songs like these that speak of experience are important in the growth of individuals and our country. I liked how lines from Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" were mixed up and reorganized into a new and personal creation. That was really creative and I enjoyed listening to the finished product! The Dylan-based video with the Nirvana song was funny yet a really creative way to, again, show his influence on other people. Props to "Current Shannanigans," that was so funny! The references to class material, the class in general and politicians were great. Nice beat too.

Janwyn Toy

I felt that group number one did a good job with their creative project. They had a good balance of analysis of Bob Dylan's music and creative work that related to the music of Dylan. The group started off with Brian giving us some background on Bob Dylan and his music. He told us everything from where Dylan was born to what he was trying to achieve with his music. Next, Todd was showing the class how Dylan's music might have influenced other musicians. Todd played Piano Man by Billy Joel and then explained the similarities that the song has with Dylan's Tambourine Man. It is always interesting to see the relationships between two artists works. The next presenter in the group was Nelson who did a song mix of two different songs. This was very creative, but a little hard to follow. Danny then did a Bob Dylan video to a modern song. I thought that this was very creative and the class seemed to really enjoy this. Group one did a great job by saving Sean for last because this was the high point of the presentation. Sean made his own song in the spirit of Dylan, but with a twist of rap. The lyrics that Sean wrote were similar to what Dylan would write. Not only was this a good idea, but it was a great performance. The best way to represent Dylan is to express yourself.

John Jenkins

please forgive me..somehow i managed to lose my notes on the presentations, so i have to go by memory. I chose to do a response to the first group which presented. Overall, i think they did an excellent job in their interpretations. The only points i would add constructive criticism to would be to the beginning of the presentation. It was a timeline of the life of Bob Dylan, and it seemed a little dry because the reader was just reading off information and facts. It would have been a little more interesting if the reader could have improvised more instead of just reading off facts. A part of the presentation i thought was particularly creative was the comparison of The Tambourine Man to Billy Joel's "The Piano Man." I think they do have similarities and i thought it was especially perceptive for someone to pick up on that...The part of the presentation i enjoyed the most was the rap song that one of the member's wrote. It was definitely creative and clever, and it sounded good. It was interesting how he took the concept behind Subterranen Homesick Blues and converted it into a modern day expression of society's flaws. I also thought the comparison of Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain was creative, as well as comical. All in all, the presentation was excellent, and uh, if it were up to me, i'd give em an A.

M. Siegal

Bob Dylan, like many great artists, set a new course for music for future generations, but also grasps elements from the past to do so. Group one's presentation of Bob Dylan reminded me of what I learned in my Art 112: Survey of Western Art class. Each great painter, scupultor, poet and architect rarely produces through his own ideas alone, a masterpiece or movement. They must instead draw from the past. The artisans of the 15-century renaissance looked back toward the classical, Graeco-Roman era for inspiration. Michangelo did this but added his own ability to express emotion into his frescos and sculptures. He not built upon what the ancients did but surpassed them by adding his personal touch to create an original work. Bob Dylan did the same according to the group presentation. The Nirvana song performed by one group member had the same beat, tempo and general style of Mr Tambourine man with different lyrics. Dylan combined folk music, a laid-back style with and intellectual twist. Both were seperate entities that borned the child that was Dylan's music. Dylan then inspired other artists to follow his direction. The strange thing is that Nirvana can somehow be tied back to Bob Dylan. To look to the past must be a the given in math. You have a piece of the model not all each artist must decide to add a similiar term to produce a like model(different intercepts but same slope) or add a completely new term to produce a new model(Linear to Cubic). Each generation recieves a gift from the past and adapts it to its own expression; much like how the various group members found contemporaries of Dylan and made comparisons.

Christopher Yeh

I was impressed with the first groupÕs presentation of Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan. They were quite creative in their presentation by not only giving information about their subjects, but by also showing a video, playing a song while imitating one of DylanÕs early music videos, and by even playing a song written by one of the students themselves. The two students that impressed me the most were the two who played a song for the class. I enjoyed the first song that was played. This first song was a spliced compilation of numerous lines from the original version of one of DylanÕs songs. I was impressed at how well that particular student took an already-existent song and using only what was available to work with from that original song, made an entirely new song of his own by mixing and splicing specific lines together. This took great creativeness. I also appreciated the last studentÕs presentation of the song that he had written. I thought the song made an excellent point of how we as humans too often take things too seriously and always think we are experiencing such trials and hardships. The song compares our mistaken views of hardship to the truly trying experiences of Kosovo and the like. The song expresses how mistaken we are to complain about our English assignments when other people are experiencing such turmoil across the globe. Both these presentations were meaningful to me since they not only use creative energy, but also tell of the experiences often suffered through human life. I always enjoy putting my creative talents to use. I enjoy writing creatively, as both these students have done. I also enjoy singing and making music by playing trumpet in the University Jazz Band (from a couple years ago). Creatively telling a story of human experience is an excellent way to use these talents. This is much the way Bob Dylan and Billie Holiday didÑThey used their creative talents of singing and song writing to share their experience and views on growing into adulthood as well. It is always refreshing to see such a use of talent to share about peopleÕs experiences.

David Lang

Dylan's influence lives on! That was the theme of my favorite group for this round of presentations. As a whole, this group presented this theme in vastly different ways from member to member. That was the aspect, which so firmly grasped my attention. They covered everything from Dylan's influence in music videos to Dylan's influence as shown by Hollywood, to Dylan's influence on the themes of other music artist's songs, to Dylan's influence over the creation of a unique rap. The most poignant parallel was Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" to Billy Joel's "Piano Man". The plea to the music maker to play a distraction was an important but surface similarity. The two songs likeness goes far beyond that one point, which can be extracted from the title along. As Todd pointed out, both are songs of experience. We discussed in class the way Dylan's song reflects a transition from a world of experience to a world of innocence, only the perhaps return to experience in the end. To relate "Piano Man" to this, what better place is there to symbolize experience than a bar scene? Due to the age requirement to get into a bar, it can be expected that you have some level of experience if you're there. In addition, bars are where one goes to search for a mate. This represents the struggle to hide from life's loneliness. Everyone wants to find someone to be with for the rest of their life. This "want" can only be understood from the perspective of experience; in innocence, we have no sense of loneliness or of needing another person. In innocence, the people that we need are always there, so we don't realize how it would feel if they were gone. Billy Joel expresses this issue clearly, showing that he, like Dylan, knows "experience" and pain.

John Valente

I was most interested in the first presentation about Bob Dylan. The comparison of Mr. Tambourine Man to Billy Joel's Piano Man was very interesting. The similarity in the title, and the sound of the song was very similar. I am sure that if you took any current music artist with any kind of substance to their lyrics and music, you will be able to trace back some of their influence to Bob Dylan. The performance of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit was nothing short of comedy. It made me remember the INXS video Mediate which they did exactly what Dylan did and the teens of America loved it. Lastly, the rap song that one of the members made was off the hook. The creativity of using current technology to create music and lyrics while tying in the experience of the world around us was hilarious. I thought the entire group of presentations on Thursday were creative, funny and a perfect way to end our quarter.

Jimmie Johnson

The presentations on Thursday were creative and interesting. Everyone had completely individual viewpoints of what was being shared through the music of Billie Holiday, and Bob Dylan. I thought Group 4 was quite creative. Their presentation was different, making it stand out in a positively unusual way. Group 4 was individual since they were all "into the music greats" and acting out the scene in front of the room. When Brook Mc Curdy related Janis Jopplin to Billie Holiday, it had me think of their music in a different way. Both female legends were strong soulful women, but I personally had never thought of comparing the two. The comparison made me curious to see the similarities in their lyrics, so when I came home after classes I pulled out my Janis C.D.'s and my E253 orange book to look up Billie Holiday's lyrics. To have a presentation actually make me think and curious was impressive- Good job!!! I was also impressed by Sean Lavery's rap/Bob Dylan reflection. His use of words was clever and went along a similar theme of Dylan's original lyrics. The words made one think about our generation and how screwed up it actualy is in some ways- but so incredibly powerful in other ways. The generation that doesn't get enough credit compared to others....

Erin Kreitz

I really enjoyed the first presentation given on Thursday. Particularly I was impressed with the creative ways in which each individual in the group presented their interpretations. Each person took a different approach and it was fun to see how it would relate. Comparing Bob Dylan to Nirvana was very interesting, yet effective. I think that it was an effective connection because Nirvana was a band that many of our classmates feel that they can understand better. Our generation seems to have some sort of fascination with the band; what else can explain why that video is still number one on all of MTV's music video countdown lists, except that this band had a huge impact. I also thought that rearranging the lyrics in Subterranean Homesick Blues was very interesting. The song in it's intended order is unique, yet when the lines were moved around I believe Dylan's point still came across. I found this very interesting because a lot of times when the order of something is rearranged the meaning may change. Perhaps the meaning remaining constant no matter what order the lyrics are in speaks to something of the time period or Bob Dylan's abilities. No matter which way you say it, it still means the same thing. I think that a lot of bands of this current generation have a hard time saying what they mean, or rather getting their point across. People are always looking for the right way to say something rather than just saying it and the moment passes by. I guess that I was really impressed with how the meaning seemed constant while the order of the lyrics changed. And last but not least, the original song written for this assignment was impressive to say the least. When the song was introduced, he spoke of how Dylan's song that we looked at were about things he saw wrong in this world. With that in mind it was interesting to get a glimpse into the songwriter's mind to see what he views as problems our world is faced with today.

Keira Kirby

I liked all of the presentations. But I've decided to respond to Group 1. They started with a background on Bob Dylan and the sixties. It was good to hear another view of how things were back then. All we hear about the sixties is hippie this and the hippie's that. Peace and love and not too much about Vietnam. Listening to the music of that time is one way to learn about it. Group 1 also showed a clip of the movie Dangerous Minds in order to show how Bob Dylan's music is still around today. The movie showed his song Mr. Tamborine Man and related it to drug dealers in order to help today's youth understand it. They also compared that song to Billie Joel's Piano Man. Saying that both songs are about experience, lonliness and escape. And the group disected Bob Dylan's song Subterranean Homesick Blues. They also talked about Bob Dylan's affect on society in the sixties and related that to Nirvana and how they affected our generation. My favorite part of the presentation was the rap at the end. I thought it was really good, well planned and parts of it were funny.

Anna Still

I would like to respond to group #1 who presented on Bob Dylan. They provide backgound information, related Dylan to other artists, and then provided an orginal song for a personal touch. The background information about Bob Dylan was very interesting. Prior to the presentation I had know idea about Dylan's earlier life. I enjoyed hearing personal facts about him and it helps me to understand where he is coming from. Therefore, it is easier to interpret his music. The clip from "Dangerous Minds" was a good example of how Dylan's music is still affecting todays society. I think that that movie was a great choice because almost everyone has seen it so it was something we all understood. The movie itself discussed Dylan's song, "Tanbourine Man." It provides an interesting interpretation of the song. Before I saw the movie I never thought that the tambouring man was anything but a tambourine man. I had know idea that it was a code for a drug dealer. (knowing more about Dylan's background, like I do now, may have helped me to figure this out.) Next the group related "Tambourine Man" to Billie Joel's song "Piano Man." The two are ver similar. The both use the harmonica and they are both songs of lonliness and escape. William Blake would call these songs of experience. Dylan's music was also rearranged to show another song. One that rhymed. It was funny how the meaning changed with just a little variaion. Bob Dylan was then compared to Nirvana. Nirvana was a grunge band that made headlines and effected the rock era drastically just like Dylan did in his era. The final part of this presentation was my favorite. He made up his own song about today's problems like Dylan did except his was in a rap format. It was funny and personal. I liked it alot. I think that this group did a good job because they had a large variety of examples. They expressed themselves in different ways and this made the presentation interesting and fun to watch.

Stephanie Finkel

really enjoyed all of the presentations on Thursday. I especially liked the music in Group 1's presentation. I thought that the Piano Man by Billy Joel was an interesting counter to the songs of Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan. The use of "Tamborine Man" in Dangerous Minds was also really interesting, and I hadn't realized before that Dangerous Minds used Dylan's song. Most of all, I liked "Current Shannanigans." I thought that it was an expressive and well-put together piece, especially being original work. All of the presentations on Thursday were thoughtful, original, and creative responses to the text of our class.

K. Sprigg

The presentation I endjoyed most was group one's presentation on Bob Dylan. They were very creative and I liked all the things they incorporated. It was kinda like a "buffet presentation" where there was something for everyone. The background on Dylan was key to refresh everyone's mind, especially mine. I also liked how they compared Bob Dylan's work and how it influenced so many forms of art today. The comparisons of Mr. Tambourine Man to Billy Joel's Piano Man was very interesting. I thought that the person that did this really knew his stuff when they found the comparison. Their presentation was one of the best ones I've seen all quarter. I have never seen Dangerous Minds, but what they said and showed in class makes me want to see it. I thought they did a great job and they have sparked an interest in me.

Wilmar Tretasco

Once again we had a great group of presentations today in class. The creativity in all of the students just seems to be growing. I would have to choose the first group as my favorite presentation. Sean Lavery, Broam S,otj, Nelson Yu, Todd LaCasse and Danny Prodoehl all did a terrific job in presenting the works of Bob Dylan. With this presentation we were able to see many different peoples interpretation to Bob Dylan's work and how it affected everyone's lives in a different way. To start with the clip from Dangerous Minds was a great idea. I think this really helped a lot of us realize how his work had an effect on almost everyone in the nation, not just a certain group of people. Then, moving into the comparison of Bob Dylan to Billy Joel and Nirvana emphasized how much impact Dylan had on the movie industry. Both songs, The Piano Man and The Tambourine Man had so many similarities. They had the parallel of wanting to escape from reality and all of their experiences and almost just get away from society for awhile. I think the groups creativity really shined with their own creation: Current Shannanigans and the music "video" of Nirvana. We could all really relate to this song and it really helped us understand what exactly Dylan was trying to portray in his music. Great Presentation!

Elizabeth Lemky