Music Monday

Good morning! :D How are you all? I'm currently enjoying the early morning sun whilst wrapped in a blanket. XD

 So, it's Music Monday again! I wasn't actually going to post anything for it, but I changed my week plan after hearing the new album that my parents won. So, you guys get a new favourite of mine to listen to! :D

 The song is by Kitty, Daisy and Lewis. They're a family band who's music is influenced by styles like Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Swing, Hawaiian, blues, etc. I heard them for the first time in 2013, and I've enjoyed their music ever since.
 Their new album, "The Third", was released recently, and my parents won a copy of it along with tickets to see the band live. Unfortunately my brothers and I couldn't go too, but we got to listen to the album.
 The song for this music is "Whenever You See Me", which is the first song on the album. I love the feeling in the song and the tempo, and I can see some pretty awesome characters being formed in my minds eye just from thinking about the song...

 Another few good songs done by them are "Going up the Country", "Messing with my life", "Bitchin' in the Kitchen" and "It ain't your Business".

 Plus they record all their albums at home. How cool is that?!

Okay, I'd better go, I was supposed to have started school half an hour ago...

 Bye!
Spinj xoxo

Music Monday + Rant

 Hallo everyone! :3 How's school going? I'm using my lunch break to write this. It's been fun so far, started planning what I'll do for science (I have to record the weather and show it in a graph).

 So, it's Music Monday! I actually wasn't going to post anything, but I remembered a video that I quite like. It has some swearing in it, so it's probably not advisable to watch if you're under 13, but it's very good. I remembered it because I'm learning about more Chords in music, and I am always surprised at how unimaginative people are when making new songs. You'll see what I mean...

 Like, c'mon, why must [some] pop songs use the same chords?! 
 
 And I have another rant, inspired by my "Why I Want To Do Performing" post. And today seems a fitting day to do it.

 Some people think that being a musician is really easy. All you have to do is listen to some pop songs, sing them as best you can, and go onto the X Factor or something like that if you think you're good enough. And if you win? Instant fame and a career as a famous musician.
 However, most people don't seem to realise just how much hard work is put into becoming a musician. We spend hours each day, doing warm ups, practising repertoire, finding new songs to play. We spend years practising to become good enough to get work.

 Not only do we spend years perfecting our art, we also spend thousands of dollars on equipment, lessons, etc. We try to get the best coaches, he best instruments, the best equipment, and the best servicing groups as we'll have the best experiences learning, and then we'll have good equipment for life.
 One thing that especially bugs me is the way people react when you tell them how much it'll cost to get you to perform for them. I was hired to sing at a wedding at the beginning of the year, and when I told the lady how much it would be, I could literally hear all the excitement from her voice disappear in a flash when she said "oh, right". I'm not just singing a song. I have to practice the song that you requested, travel out to the location, find the equipment I need, etc.

 I've done unpaid work, but I intentionally volunteered each time to do it. The two shows I've been in recently were for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, which is a not-for-profit group, and I knew that I wouldn't be getting paid, but it would give me experience which I need at the moment. But once I'm doing this professionally that will change.
 And the people telling me to go on talent shows. Yes, it's nice you think that I would go really well in it, and it's great that you'd vote for me if I went on, but first of all, why not just support me by paying me properly or giving my a few coins when I'm busking, and secondly, those talent shows aren't there for the musicians, they're there for themselves. So while it's nice, I think I'll pass.

 OK, rant over. Hope that gave you something to think about...

 I'd better get back to school. See ya, and stay safe,
Spinj

Music Monday Again

Hello everyone! How are you since I saw you all yesterday? :P

 It's Music Monday. Again. Yeah, sure, I don't write that many Music Monday posts, but I only have so many favourites!! Plus I feel as if I have to do the whole Music Monday thing because I run a blog. Or maybe it's an excuse to go on the computer more. I really don't know any more xD
 But yeah, for me it goes: Music Monday, Tune Tuesday, Writing Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Flashback Friday, and the the Wonderful Weekend (well, the weekend one isn't really one, and MMon and TTues are practically the same thing, as are TTurs and FFri. But whatever. Who cares? :P).

Anyway, I'll give you two songs for today. First is... The Salley Gardens!
 It's an Irish song, arranged by Benjamin Britten for an orchestra. I only learnt it recently, and sung it yesterday at my audition. Unfortunately I couldn't find a recording of it that I liked on youtube, so no video for this one! D:

 Next is... aw, can't pick - The Last Goodbye, sung by Billy Boyd. It's a very sad, but sweet and wistful, song from the last of the three Hobbit movies. It's definitely a song that get's right into the feels...

 Well, those are my two songs for today! I hope you liked them, and I might be back again on Wednesday... with writing tips xD

 Stay well my friends!
 Spinj xoxo

Cirquest Circus School!

Hello guys! :D

 How are you? Enjoying your first day of school for the week? :P

 Well, I have had a busy weekend! I went to work on Saturday morning and instead of teaching classes I sorted through pictures from a few of the circus shows from last year. Then I went home, didn't go to the Medieval Faire, and went to my Cousins' 21st, which was loads of fun: we hung around the camp fire, roasted marshmallows, baked pizza, and chatted for hours. I ended up getting home at 1am and didn't get to sleep until about 1:20.
 And then I was half asleep for most of yesterday's Pirates rehearsal. xD

 But today I thought I'd tell you about Cirquest!

 So Cirquest is a Circus School run by Disco Cantinto. They do lessons for anyone between the age of 0-60 (I dunno, I actually haven't seen anyone over 30 at the lessons, but they do have lessons for all ages), and teach Aerials, Acrobatics, Acrobalence, and more.
 I've been teaching there since... 2013, I believe! And recently I realised that they don't have a Youtube Channel. Sure, they don't have to have one, but they're always trying to get more people to come and join them. They never really post much up on their Facebook, so I decided to ask my boss/teacher if I could set up and run a Youtube Channel for her, and she said yes!

 So it's set up, and has a few videos on it. I'll be posting videos on it whenever someone sends me one or I film something/put together a new slideshow of photos. So far the page only has one Sub (me!) but if you like Circus, please Subscribe to the Channel! Plus you can follow them on the G+ page I've made, or you could follow them on Facebook:

 Cirquest Circus School | Youtube
 Cirquest Circus School | Google Plus
 Cirquest Circus School | Facebook

 And here's a photo from one of our previous shows:

 I'm in the flute video on the channel: One the Trapeze in the black dress. :)

 I've also remembered that today is Music Monday! I'll give you guys a few songs, because I haven't done a MM for a while, and I've also got three new favourites!

 First up is Boys Like U by Ali Brustofski and Like the Movies. I've been obsessing for the past few days! XD :3

 
 Second is Top of the World, by Greek Fire. My friend intorduced me to the song. :3

 And third is All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor! I really like it, because it tells girls that it's acceptable to be curvy - you don't have to be a stick (sorry...) to be liked.

 Well, it's the top of the tide, and I must be off - I have some tidying to do, plus I have another Pirates Rehearsal. The Show starts in 2 weeks, so I'm pretty pumped up about it!
 Well, I'll probably be back on later in the week, and I might post up some more on my LEGO Blog - maybe even a few more chapters from Rise of the Nerds! You never know..

 Catch you all later!
 Spinj xoxo

Music Monday Hairdos!

Hey everyone!


First of all, Happy Easter! (I know, it's a little late...)

Did you all get lots of chocolate eggs and bunnies? Did you have Easter parties, or did you do what I did and go to a rehearsal? :P

 Now, I have an announcement to make: This is my 30th post on here! :D How epic is that?!

 ...

Haha, ok, whatever, I suppose it isn't that impressive. :P Anyway, let's keep on going!

So, for Music Moday, I shall give you...

It's my favourite Narnian song. :3 I heard it (properly, that is) for the first time about a week ago, or maybe it was two weeks ago (?), and I just kinda fell in love with it. It's so wistful and sad and kinda sweet sounding. Lovely, Beautiful, and Heartbreaking. :'( :P

And now, I'm sure you all noticed that I mentioned "Hairdos" in the post title *watches as a few of you double check the post name* So now I will explain that. :P

 So, as of the past week or two, I decided that it was time I learnt to do more than just how to put my hair in a plait or ponytail. You see, being homeschooled, I don't have to put my hair up every weekday.
 But one of my friends (if you're reading, you know who you are, Lulah-bell) always seems to have some lovely hairstyles up her sleeve, and I decided it was time I learnt how to do some too. So I started surfing the web for some easy hairdos.
 I stumbled upon a site, called Cute Girls Hairstyles, and I looked through their stuff, rather in awe of the amazing styles. So I searched for something simple, and I came across Bailey's Dorothy Braids | Hallowe'en Hairstyles and thought that they looked really cool and stylish, not to mention simple, so I tried them out!
 I had a problem with the fact that I have a fringe, and it won't stay in the twist, and the fact that I have no hairspray, so it didn't stay in place as nicely as I had hoped it would, but it actually looked really cool with my fringe hanging out of it! Also my hair isn't very thick. (It used to be, though...)
 The Dorothy Braids look cool as a ponytail as well. :3
 I also finally learnt how to do a fishtail braid. XD

 Well, I have to go, we're having the chocolate hotcross buns I made for today's breakfast, and I don't want to miss out on mine!

 Cuddles and Sunshine!
Spinj xoxo

Knitting and Music

Hey guys!

 How are you all?

 So last time my blog post was about knitting - I put up some patterns and stuff. Well, today I'm doing what I did with my Ninjago Monday post - I'm mixing up a Music Monday with something else I really like - knitting!

 So how did you all like the patterns? They're pretty cool, aren't they? I can't wait to get on to some more of them - just one more pair of fingerless mittens before I can move on. Next I'll probably do the Corset Gloves, because they look really awesome. :D

 Three of my friends asked me to make them some of the fingerless mittens, so I've been working hard to make them some. :) The first pair were purple, but I hadn't followed the pattern properly - I missed some of the instructions. :/ Thankfully my friend didn't mind. Second pair were blue, and they were made following the pattern word-for-word I kept double checking the pattern. :P Here's a photo of the gloves:

Model: myself Photographer: my brother

They took about four days to make, which I was quite pleased about. I also managed to sew up over half of the left glove without a sewing needle. It was hard, but I managed it!

Now for the music side of things! :D

So, as I mentioned in the last post, I've been listening to Lindsey Stirling. Her music is amazing, it's really impressive. I've been obsessing over it - well, her music and The Fold's music.
 So the song I'm going to recommend for you all to listen to is 'Shatter Me'. It's a really good song, featuring Lzzy Hale.

Plus it has a really cool music video. ;P

 Also, I've been wanting to get back into playing violin, and listening to Lindsey's stuff is rather inspiring. I can't wait for our bow to get rehaired!

I gotta go now, my school work starts in twenty minutes. :)

 Catch you all around!
Spinj xoxo

Ninjago Monday

Hello!!

 Now, I would normally just do this post as a Music Monday post, but I've decided to include my favourite topic in this - Ninjago. So, you'll be getting an extra special post today - A Ninjago Monday! :D

 So, how many of you know what Ninjago is? :) None? A few? Everyone?

 Well, it's totally fine with me if you don't know what Ninjago is. It's disappointing, sure, but if there's a reason I'm alive, it's to tell people about Ninjago. :P Well, maybe it's not the only reason that I'm alive, but I'm sure you get my drift. ;P (They don't call me the Nerd of Ninjago for nothing...)

 Ninjago is a LEGO theme about five Ninja (Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay and Zane) who have elemental powers. They are Masters of Spinjitzu, and are often running around, fighting off villains, having fun and being generally awesome. :P
 The theme came out on 14th January, 2011. It also had a few pilot episodes come out on Cartoon Network in December, 2011. They were a huge hit, and the Ninjago TV series has continued on ever since. Ninjago celebrated it's 4th birthday this year.

Ever since then, thousands of people (between the age of 6 and 30) have been watching the TV series and using the LEGO sets. The majority of it's fans tend to be between 13-19.

Due to the fact that it has been such a popular theme, Ninjago has continued on for longer than most themes, and is even getting it's own movies, the first of which comes out on the 26th of October, 2016, and the second sometime in 2018. Therefore we can expect the theme to continue into late 2018 into early 2019 - possibly into 2020, if we're lucky.

There are two groups of people who make music for the Ninjago TV series - The Fold and Jay Vincent (the latter working alongside with Micheal Kramer).

 The Fold is well known for making various rock songs for the theme, with "The Weekend Whip" being known as the theme song for the TV series. They have worked with series since 2011, when the pilot episodes came out. Since then they have made an array of Ninjago songs, a lot of which don't appear in the series, and are just exclusive songs for the fans to listen to. Their most recent one is "21st Century Ninja".
 
 Jay Vincent and Michael Kramer are responsible for the more classical side of the Ninjago music. Just like The Fold, they have been working with the series since 2011. I don't know what their most up to date song is, but you can find their most recently up loaded song on Soundcloud: Zane's Resurrection

 And now we come to the "Music Monday" part, where I give you one of my favourite songs. :P

 Today, I'll give you two - and maybe a few names as well. X3 And, as you know, It's going to be Ninjago related!! :D Yay!! ^~^

First up is... 21st Century Ninja!!! It's my favourite song today, and probably will be for the next month or so, considering how excited I've been about this song. X3

 Take a minute to listen through it. :3 You will get hooked. I promise. >:3 :P

 Next up is 'Storming the Tower' by Jay Vincent. This is my favourite classical Ninjago song!!! It's so epic, and... and... well, you'll get the idea when you listen to it. ;) :P

Isn't it awesome??? :D

 Another of my favourite songs is "The Anacondrai Remix Weekend Whip", which you can find if you spin over to The Fold's youtube page. ;D It's totally worth listening to!

Here are some useful Ninjago links for you!

Ninjago
Ninjago Wiki
Spinj's LEGO Blog (It's mainly about LEGO in general, but trust me, there will be a lot of Ninjago related stuff on there... )

I also highly recommend following +Jurassic Gem Castady, AKA "Ninjago's 1# News Reporter". She somehow knows everything that's happening Ninjago-wise before anyone else, and she's an awesome person!

 OK, I'll have to stop now, I can go on about this subject for a long, long time, and my Dinner will be ready any second now. I hope you now have a slight interest in Ninjago!

As always, rock on!!!

Spinj xoxo

Music Monday

Hello everyone! :D

How are you??

I thought I'd post up a song for Music Monday! :D I've been having trouble picking a song though, because there are so many songs that I like. xD But hey, I there are tons of Mondays all the time, so I can keep doing it each week!

OK, so my songs for Music Monday are... Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand) and Dark Waltz (Hayley Westernra)!!

First up Is Take Me Out. Its my favourite song that Franz Ferdinand do, although the first time I heard it I was about 6, so I just liked it for the tune, not for the words. :P

Next is Dark Waltz. Its a lovely song that I first heard in 2013. Hayley has a lovely voice, and she can really hit those high notes! I'm focusing on getting that good with my singing.

 I had an audition yesterday for Pirates of Penzance. I think I impressed them with my singing, but I messed up my monologue. x( Oh Well. Anyway, all I have to do now is wait to see if I get a part.

Well, I have to go, I have to finish my music for the day.

Cheerio!
Spinj

I'm 15!

Hey Everyone!

Guess what? :D I'm 15! :D I had my birthday during the week. ^-^ Shall I tell you how it went? :)

So I woke up very early. It was about 5 am, I think. Then I just kinda sat around, waiting for the hours to pass by.
 About... 4 hours later everyone else was up, and we got to open the presents! No that was exciting. I got a new skirt (pink with blue castles around the edge), a necklace, a blue eyeshadow and a green eyeshadow, and some chocolate. My younger brother Arden says he's getting me a late birthday present, so I still have one to look forward too! :D
 After that I had breakfast, then spent the rest of the day doing stuff. I checked the mail (just a parcel for dad), and then sang First Time In Forever and the reprise over and over again.
 Then my friend Drew came over, and he wasn't in the house for too long before I whisked both him and Gabriel (another brother) to town. We were headed for Koko Blacks (a really good chocolate shop) but we kept stopping off so I could introduce Drew to all the buskers in town that I know.
 We got to Koko Blacks, had a chat to one of my friends (who works there), got free chocolate, then I bought some chocolate, and we left.
 Then I literally bumped into my friend, Alexandra - or maybe she bumped into me. Anyway, by the time I noticed her she was nearly on top of me. I then followed Alexandra around for a while with Drew and Gabriel, and we listened to her and her brothers and sister busk.
 We had to leave after a while, as Drew, Gabriel and I had to get home in time for dinner.
 It was a very good dinner - roasted duck. My grandmother phoned up just as I finished, so I had a chat to her while everyone else finished off their own dinner. Then we had the cake and went to see Les Mis.

 Now, I was disappointed with Les Miserables. Hey, it was OK, but nothing what I had expected. The singing was pretty good, but it lacked character. But the set was awesome, there is no other word.
 But the first half was the worst. I actually swore.
 The second half was much better. I actually shed a few tears, which hadn't been expecting to do. xD

 I ended up getting home at about 11:30 PM, and didn't go to bed until about an hour later.




And that was my birthday. :P


Anyway, I had better go in a few minutes to write my other blog post of my LEGO blog. But today is music Monday, so I'd better give you a song! Hmm, how about this one:

 Absolutely hilarious. XD It's one of the best song I've ever heard, and the video never fails to make me laugh.

And here are my three newest edits:

I hope you like them. ;)

Catch you later!
Spinj xoxo

Music Monday

Hallo lovely readers! :D

 It's Monday again. :P The day school starts, and we're all feeling flat. :P

 Well, I thought I'd brighten up the weeks with "Music Monday"! Every Monday, I'll post up the link to a random song I like. If you want to get involved, share your favourite song for the week in the comments.
 Next year I'll also start a "Band of the Month" thing. Once a month  I'll post up the "Band of the Month" and a list of their best songs.

 For the first Music Monday, I shall give you "Fast Car" by Malachy. He plays it really well, and I love his voice. :3

So that's my song for Music Monday!! :D

 Well, I must go, I have to do some musical stuff of my own, plus I have to do school work. :P

 Be good, and don't get into too many food fights while I'm gone. :P

 Rock On!

 Spinj xoxoxo