The Undeserved Detention

I was in the fifth grade, I had finally settled down at Forest Oak Elementary School.  I had only arrived there a year earlier.  I was interested in playing an instrument because you were allowed to in fifth grade.  My mom took me to the music store to pick out an instrument.  At the time I had the motto ‘the bigger the better.’  I picked out the biggest instrument my mom would allow me to.  I picked out the bells, part of the percussion set.  They were about 20-30 pounds, heavy for a fifth grader.  I joined band at my school and began to play the bells.  I learned how to read and play music.

I had to walk upstairs with my bells and outside twice a week.  I didn’t enjoy carrying the bells at all.  I played the Harry Potter theme as a solo during one of the concerts.  I enjoyed playing the bells.  I enjoyed the sound that vibrated off the keys, the light hearted notes always made me happy.  Since the bells were heavy I would occasionally use the elevator in the school.  One day a girl from my class came up to me.  Her name was Katie.  If I ever had a true bully, it was her.  On the first day of school she turned to me and told me, “We can either do this the easy way or the hard way.”  She made my life hard sometimes, like the story I am telling you now.

Katie and her friend approached me one day after I came off the elevator.  She had told me that I wasn’t allowed to ride the elevator anymore.  She said that if I did she was going to tell a teacher and that I would be put in detention.  I said I wouldn’t, and I didn’t.  I walked up the stairs the next time I had band practice.  As I was leaving the stairwell Katie and her friend approached me.  She said that she saw me using the elevator today and that she was going to tell the teacher.  I tried to tell her that I used the stairs and that she saw me leave them but she wouldn’t have it.  She just wanted me to get in trouble for whatever reason.

I ended up getting detention that day.  I sat in a classroom during recess.  I had my arms folded on the desk and my head laid between them.  I cried silently trying to figure out why I was in detention.  I didn’t do anything wrong!  I listened and followed directions.  I didn’t use the elevator when I was told not to and I still got in trouble.  To make matters worse the next day announcements came on and said that students (unless disabled) are not allowed to use the elevator unless given permission.  This is a day I will never forget, the day I got detention that I never deserved.  

Elevator Music

When watching 'Elevator Music' I felt two different purposes.  One was a plain purpose of respect others and they will respect you.  The other purpose that I saw was that people are diverse, and no matter what we can't make everyone uniform, but we can make people respect each other's diversity.  I lean towards my second purpose because I feel this lays a bit deeper than the first.

When looking at the video you see a diverse population.  You have a young woman, an elderly man, a middle aged woman, and more.  I believe the director made this film as a way of telling people that acceptance is necessary no matter what race, gender, or sexuality one holds.  It is obvious that the people in the elevator have different tastes in music.  There's rap, classic, electronic, etc.  The music represents the diverse culture in the room along with the diverse group of people.  In the end a man comes in with a boom box and everyone turns their music off and they seem to begin to get along.  I believe the director made this video as a way of telling people that acceptance takes everyone, but can be instigated by one simple action.  I made this assumption through the culturally diverse group and how they began fighting with their music, but in the end they were tied together by one common factor.  I believe this factor was their love for music.  Everyone listened to it, and even though the music is diverse, they all love music.

The target audience of this video is basically everyone, everyone who thinks they're better than someone else based on their culture,  This video is telling people to show respect no matter how culturally different you are.  The video also is saying that no matter how culturally different you may seem there is always something that ties everyone together.  That is why I believe the intended audience are those who believe that they are superior due to their culture.

If I were to pick ten songs that described my life they wouldn't actually describe my life.  These songs resonate inside me and bring back memories (whether good or bad).  When these memories are brought back I look at them from a different angle each time, and each time I have a different thought and feeling about them.  So, the top ten songs that describe my life (that appear in no particular order) are as follows:

1.) Beer for My Horses by Toby Keith (Featuring Willie Nelson)
My family introduced to me to country at a very early age.  They would constantly listen to it no matter what they were doing.  They would especially listen to it in the car (until Rihanna sneaked her way in).  Now just know that when I say country, I am talking about early 2000's.  I am talking about the good country, the country that didn't remotely sound of pop.  Nowadays my family is not what you would consider a typical family, we were never a typical family to begin with.  I have my mother and our side of the family.  I have (had) a step dad, step sister, a step brother, and their side of the family.  It wasn't until recently that I went from being a middle child to an only child.  This song is a reminder that what we had wasn't bad, we had good times.  Though I still love them and always will it is just my mom and I now.  All I know is that this song makes me smile because it was one of my first and favorite songs as a child and reminds me that though things have changed in the present, nothing changes in the past.  I may not be close to my step family, but I was, and that's all that really matters to me.

2.) Angel by Shaggy
Whenever I hear this song it brings back memories of my mom and I in the car.  When this song came on we would sing it (as much of it as we could)!  We still sing it whenever it comes, but it doesn't come on as much as it used to.  This song makes me want to break into a smile and laugh.  This song is the definition of happiness for me.  The only thing I can think about when I listen to this song is my mom and I jamming out to this song, laughing and not having a care in the world.  It was just us in a car -mother and daughter- singing "Girl you're my angel, you're my darling angel," completely off pitch.  Though this song has only multiple repetitive memories it defines my happiness.  This song will continue to have added memories of pure happiness, which is something you usually have to look for.  Pure happiness appeared to me, I didn't have to look for it.  The other thing is that you can't be happy all the time, you don't listen to this song when you're sad because you know it will taint your pure happiness.  You listen to it when you're already happy because it reminds you that happiness comes at the most random times.

3.) I'm Gonna Getcha Good by Shania Twain
Going back to my family and country music!  My Pop Pop introduced me to Shania Twain when I was young.  Of course everyone knows her for "Man! Feel Like a Women" but I know her for this song.  My Pop Pop introduced me to her greatest hits album and I love every song on it!  My Pop Pop has done a whole lot for me over the course of my life and I can't thank him enough.  Not only did my Pop Pop introduce me to Defiance College but he is also helping pay for my education.  My Pop Pop was diagnosed with a type of lymphatic cancer a couple years ago.  It hit my family hard, and it changed my Pop Pop.  He realized that he didn't spend a lot of time with his grandchildren and that he was going to change that.  He now comes to Delaware for his chemo or doctors appointments and stays with us for a couple of days.  He can out talk anyone, but he always has a new and interesting story to tell.  He loves Jib Jab, Netflix, and Fritos.  Shania Twain in general reminds me of my Pop Pop and what a huge influence he has had on me.  This song reminds me that the decisions I make in life are decisions I can't take back.  I have accept these decisions whether they turn out good or bad, I just have to be able to turn these decisions into positive one like my Pop Pop has done.

4.) Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone
This is a song that is sung by a Romanian band (sung in Romanian, just in case you were wondering).  This song is better known as Numa Numa and there is a viral video of a man dancing to it (which is pretty entertaining).  This song is a love song, but has a very catchy beat that you would think it was about happy rainbows and puppies.  This is a song that I can play around my friends and we can sing both the English and Romanian lyrics.  This song just screams crazy and fun to me, or friends in other words.  I can always listen to this song and think about something random that my friends and I did (and that is a lot).  This song reminds me that no matter how dull the world is around you, if you want some color you got to add it yourself.  As the chorus goes "When you leave my colors fade to gray."  You have to keep these colors and not let anyone take them away from you.  These colors are your identity, don't let anyone strip you of your identity.  So yeah, I come off a bit weird to people, but I am not changing that.  I do not want people to accept a false me and then have to adjust when I feel like I can show them my real self.  If people don't accept the real me when they meet me, then that's that.  Overall this song represents my crazy group of friends who taught me to paint my own colors and not let anyone paint them gray.

5.)  Red Is the Rose by The High Kings
This song is a rather Celtic love song.  This song reminds me of my heritage.  I am German, Irish, and Scottish.  For the past two years I have been going to the Scottish Games in Maryland.  When I go I see a part of my culture that I can connect to.  I am proud to have some Irish and Sottish in me.  The Scottish Games have held many memories that I am quite fond of.  This song makes me overwhelmed with how much culture there is in the world, and how different every one can be.  This song reminds me to be proud of my heritage and to not forget where I come from.  I get overwhelmed with pride and excitement when I sit in the bleachers and watch as hundreds of bagpipes and drummers march playing a wondrous song.  I feel a connection to everyone there even though I do not know them, and that is the exciting part.  When everyone comes together because they have something in common.

6.) I'm Already There by Lonestar
This song gives me mixed emotions depending on the events that took place over the day.  This song gives me a purpose.  This song makes me want to be a better person, I want to be there for people and help them when they need me.  The lyrics of this song show the strong bond between a man and his family.  The message I get from this song is that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you should always be there for the people you care about.  I always want to have open arms and let people know that I am there for them, because I am.  I want people to know that they have someone to talk to.  I also want to know that I have someone to talk to as well.  Not only does this song make me want to have open arms but it makes me want to have someone who will open their arms to me.  I don't have many memories when I listen to this song.  The feelings I have for this song remind me that not only do I help my friends but my friends help me, and that is all that I want when I listen to this song.  I know that I am secure, and that is how I go through my day.  I know that I am there for my friends and that they are there for me.

7.) Try by Colbie Caillet
All of my life I have had self esteem issues, and they're not fun.  Some days I feel good about myself, and other days I don't.  This song reminds me that I go through life thinking I need other people's approval, but in reality I have been looking for my own approval.  Listening to this song makes me look back and realize that I didn't need anyone's approval other than mine and I have been denying myself that.  Though I still struggle trying to give myself approval, this song let's me know that it is possible and that it will happen.  This song encompasses my self confidence, I don't need to try to be accepted by other people because the only person who needs to accept me is me.  I realize this, and that is what I live by.  I will live the rest of my life giving approval to myself rather than having other people approve me and that is what I need to do.  This song reminds me of this every time I listen to it.

8.) I'm Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance
This song reminds me of a good amount of the struggles I went through throughout my life.  This song reminds me that I don't have be okay all of the time.  I always had to pretend I was okay because I that was the person I threw on myself, the person that was always okay.  This song made me realize that no one is okay 100% of the time.  I just need to accept that fact and embrace it.  This song has helped me realize that something is wrong. Sometimes I put on a facade that I myself forget is on and it isn't until I click this song that I realize something is wrong.  By listening to this song I can come to terms with my feelings and accept them.  I decide to take action or let them sizzle down (because it isn't worth confrontation).  As I have stated earlier I have gone through some tough times (who hasn't?),  I think if people realize that they're not okay, and that this is normal (it's part of life, not being happy all the time).  I feel like if we accept this fact we can better deal with our situations.  This song has helped me, by reminding me every time.  This song helps me solve most of my problems even when I'm not listening to it.  I will just singing the song in my head and readjust my point of view on the situation and see what actions I should take, and I am grateful that I am able to do that.

9.) River Flows In You by Yiruma
This song is the song that made me fall in love with music again.  I don't mean listening to music, I mean playing music.  I used to be a percussionist and I loved it.  I stopped after 6th grade because I my bells were too heavy to lug on the bus.  It would have been just too much when I joined softball my freshman year.  Not only did I play music but I also sung.  In fourth and fifth grade I was in my schools choir.  I was Alice in Alice in Wonderland in fifth grade, and I loved it!  I even loved to draw.  All of this artistic talent got me into a school of the art (Cab Calloway) for middle school.  I tried out for vocals and visual arts.  I didn't go though, I followed my best friend (and we're still best friends).  Hearing this song made me want to play the piano, and that is what I am doing the second semester of my freshman year in college.  This song not only entails a renewal of lost loves, but it also reminds me that I need to relax.  I take on too much stuff to keep myself busy.  If I'm not doing anything I feel like I should be doing something and I freak out a bit on the inside.  This song reminds me to take breaks and remember the things you loved.  I remember playing in concerts and singing in choir and having a blast in art class.  This song has helped me settle back into the things I love and relax.  I need to stop stressing myself out.  I need to have some free time and just delve into my hobbies.  This song is a reminder to not let my love of art go because it is part of me.

10.) Let it Go by Idina Menzel
This song encompasses a lot of the songs I have already stated.  Sometimes I need another boost after listening to these songs and this is the song I go to.  This song encompasses all of the obstacles in life that I have overcome.  It doesn't represent the struggle, but me overcoming them.  This song reminds me of all of these times and allows me to overcome the next obstacle in my path.  This song reminds me that I can't let people judge me because I can only judge myself.  I just need to let it go.  I need to overcome my challenge and move on.  I can't let this stop me from moving on forever, I need to get past it.  This song allows me to.  Overall. this song is like my inspiration song, it allows me to break though my troubles and embrace the welcoming world on the other side.

Though these songs don't necessarily describe my life in a sense of specific memories, they describe the feelings I have, which in turn describe my life.  My feelings are what makes me me.  Without them I wouldn't have the moral or values that I have.  I have to thank these songs for helping me through my life when it was tough.  I have to thank these songs for reminding me of the good times.  These songs encompass my life by not only bringing back memories but feelings as well.