Hello, my name is Olivia. Most people who know me very well know that I love music.

However, since I listen to a wide variety of music, most people do not know what my favorite style of music is. My favorite style of music is definitely Jazz, especially Jazz from the big band era. This era of Jazz would include musicians like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more amazing artists! The big band era began around the time of the stock market crash of 1929 and lasted well into the late 1940s and 1950s. It was the music of the big bands that helped keep spirits up during tough economical times. By the time of World War 2, there were over fifty bands that were famous world wide, and there were hundreds more that were famous to smaller areas. The popularity of the big bands was greatly influenced by the level of professionalism and talent possessed by, who I would argue to be one of the strongest big band members, Benny Goodman. Benny Goodman, who is an extremely talented clarinetist, created his famous big band in 1934 and was a hit from the start. Performing all around the world, Benny Goodmans successful career lasted for over fifty years. Of his work, some of my favorites are Tiger Rag (1945), One OClock Jump (1937) and Frankie and Johnny (1958), but my absolute favorite is the one playing now, which is Goody Goody (1936). While Benny Goodman was very talented, my favorite big band is definitely Tommy Dorsey. Tommy Dorsey was arguable the most popular bandleader of big band era. Beginning at a young age, Dorsey and his musical brother had great success in music, though it was not until 1934 that The Dorseys created their full-time band. The two brothers did not get along very well, but together, and by himself, Tommy Dorsey managed to create many hits, such as The Dipsy Doodle (1937), The Music Goes Round and Round (1936), and Oh Look At Me Now (1941) and my favorite, Taking a Chance on Love (1943), which is playing now. As wonderful as these two musicians are, neither of them can compare to the vocal styling of Ella Fitzgerald. While she might not be classified directly as a big band member, Ella Fitzgerald, who was also known as The First Lady of Song was a life long entertainer who was especially popular during the time of the big bands and recorded covers of many songs that were performed by other big bands. Ella made her first stage debut at the young age of 17 at an amateur contest, and kept singing for the rest of her life, selling millions of albums and performing many sold out concerts. Her most famous songs are Darktown Strutters Ball (1936), Its Wonderful (1938) and How Long Has This Been Going On (1950), but my favorite, which is playing now, is definitely Lover Come Back to Me (1956). While there are many different styles of music and thousands of successful bands, there is no denying the significance of the big bands, and especially the work of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and the lovely Ella Fitzgerald. Not only has their music helped shape what is defined as success, but also they lifted the spirits of Americans during a time when many had very little.

Works Cited "Biography." The Official Web Site of Ella Fitzgerald. CMG World Wide, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. Gottsegen, Ted. "Benny Goodman." Benny Goodman. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. Ruhlmann, William. "AllMusic." AllMusic. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. Weinstock, Len. "The Big Band Era, Or How America Came Out Of The Great Depression And Went On To Win World War II." The Big Band Era, Or How America Came Out Of The Great Depression And Went On To Win World War II. N.p., 1991. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. Music Used in Podcast (in order of use): Benny Goodman: Tiger Rag (1945) Benny Goodman: One OClock Jump (1937) Benny Goodman: Goody Goody (1936) Tommy Dorsey: Taking a Chance on Love (1943) Ella Fitzgerald: Darktown Strutters Ball (1936) Ella Fitzgerald: Lover Come Back to Me (1956) Tommy Dorsey: The Music Goes Round and Round (1936)

Reflection: With this podcast, I really liked being able to talk about a subject that I am passionate about. I thought that the sound adjustments went really well, that the fade-ins and fade-outs were really clean. I am also proud of the inflection of my voice; I think that it turned out to be really natural and that my personality was portrayed really well. I tried to have music in the background of my podcast throughout the whole project, but it was difficult to manage this. I had a hard time making my recordings where I spoke about one topic last only thirty seconds or less so that I could legally have one song play throughout the whole segment. It was difficult because I had so much to say and I did not want to sound rushed. The dead spots do not detract from the overall quality of the podcast, but it was frustrating that I could only have thirty seconds of one song. I added extra songs that I was not planning on using in the podcast that fit the theme in some areas to help fix the issue, but there were still a few areas of about five seconds of silence in the background because I did not think it would sound right to have a song play only for a few seconds. Overall however, I think that my background music was coordinated fairly well.

I tried to time what I was saying to the music so it would fit and create a unique sound. I think that turned out really well, especially at the beginning around 22 seconds in, where I listed off the names of artists in time to a repetitive part of the music. I was really proud of this coordination! In general, I tried to play a variety of music from the three artists that I presented, and this turned out very well. I really liked how the songs fit together, that they complimented each other very well. I also tried to pick portions of songs that showed off that particular artists strength, so for example I picked music that showed off Benny Goodmans clarinet skills and Ella Fitzgeralds voice. I think that their skills were clearly audible without detracting from what was being spoken. This would be a great project for the start of a new class. Students could use this as a tool to get to know the students of their class. This could also be used in a music appreciation class to show off selections of music while also explaining them without the pressure of speaking directly to the class. This is also a great way to have speeches completed for students who are not able to attend class or who cannot speak in front of a class for some other reason. I can see myself turning to this tool in the future. I might use Audacity rather than Garageband, however, due to the expensiveness of Garageband for students who cannot afford the program. Either way, a project like this would be a great project for a unique way of presenting information.