Introduction

Travel Experience

Review

Photo Essay

Video Tutorial

Work Cited

Welcome to my ePortfolio!

My name is Laney Legum, and music is a huge part of me. Because music is so important to me, I wanted to incorporate it into my portfolio somehow, so I am doing a theme of music by including a travel experience in going to my first concert, a photo essay on how to play the guitar, a video tutorial on how to have access to music, and a review of one of my favorite songs.

In creating these elements, I want to be able to show others the importance of music to me.

Tears For Fears Travel Experience

My best friend’s mom randomly called me one day. She only said a few words to me, “Do you listen to Tears For Fears”. I answered her with a “Yes of course”, and she said, “Perfect because I just bought me, you, and Maggie all tickets to go”. Tears for Fears was a band formed by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in 1981. The band broke up in 1991-1992, Orzabal and Smith had a fallout and parted company due to their manager claiming bankruptcy. Though Tears for Fears reunited in 2000. 

On July 7th, 2023, my life changed. Tears for Fears went on tour at Virginia Beach Amphitheater, and I got to see this band perform live. Since 18 years of retirement, The Tears for Fears duo,  Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, reconciled and released their newest album, The Tipping Point, on February 25, 2022.  They went on tour in 2023 with this new album and I was lucky enough to watch them perform it. I would have never known they went on tour, I didn’t even know the artists were still alive if it weren’t for my best friend’s mom. 

Getting to experience my first concert with my best friend and her mom, listening to the music that helped bond us all together was magical. Tears For Fears have been making music for over 50 years so there were various age ranges surrounding the stage. The experience of seeing different generations all singing songs together and enjoying themselves was so sentimental to me. I had the best time of my life and it seemed like everyone around me was too. The wide variety of songs being played and emotions that were created, hit the audience like a tsunami. When they performed the mainstream song “Everybody Wants to Rule The World”. Which was a song my dad introduced me to as a child that I’ve grown up being able to recite word for word. Everyone around me stood out of their seats and sang with them. The band would stop singing and you could barely tell because of the audience’s roaring.

The person to the right of me was a stranger, an older woman, and a child, who seemed to be her grandchild, both stood the entire time and danced together. Tears for Fears’ performance had all different kinds of genres, they were considered new wave synthesizer bands but later started creating mainstream rock and pop music. Therefore, I found it extremely sentimental that no matter the emotional delivery or rhythm of the song, the strangers still swayed back and forth to the pace of the rhythm. I am so grateful to have experienced this band’s live performance before I no longer get the chance.

The Tears For Fears concert was truly the best day of my life. I will forever be grateful for my mom’s best friend who surprised me with concert tickets as a going away to college gift. Music truly bonds people together and the ability for me to witness and live it all at the same time was a blessing. Immersing myself in the music, as others harmoniously do the same, lights flashing everywhere, and people screaming songs at the top of their lungs, I found myself filled with joy. Tears for Fears was the best first concert I could have ever received. 

Learning the Basics of the Guitar

1 Identify the parts of the guitar.

2 Hold the guitar correctly.

3 Tune the guitar.

4 Practice fretting the strings.

5 Hold the pick

Playing Chords

1 Learn first-position chords

2 Learn finger placement for the chords.

3 Practice getting a clean sound from every string in the chord. 

4 Strum with loose, relaxed motion.

5 Learn barre chords. 

Sticking with it

1 Manage the finger pain. 

2 Learn to play some songs.

3 Learn how to read guitar tabs. 

4 Learn from others.

Born October 23, 1985, in Los Angeles, California. Miguel Jontel Pimentel is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. Miguel began making music because he fell in love with his parent’s music as a child. His music career began in 2004 as a backup vocalist for R&B singer Usher. On June 29, 2015 released the song “Coffee” which is from his third studio album, “Wildheart”.

Coffee by Miguel is filled with multiple interpretations and figurative language, especially metaphors within his work. Within this song “coffee” is used as a metaphor for sexual desires. The opening verse of the song is Miguel confessing that he has “got the coffee”,  revealing that he is prepared and yearns to satisfy her in bed. As this song progresses, it is implied that this couple’s morning coffee routine is more than indulging in a caffeinated beverage. Instead, they’re making love. The coffee then begins to represent the spiritual connection that the two lovers are sharing on a physical and emotional level during intercourse.

This song is about passion. Miguel’s music creates a sensual and soulful vibe, music that is both meaningful and pleasing to hear. He has personally become one of my favorite artists due to this. Coffee was the first song I’ve ever heard by him and I immediately fell in love with his music. This song perfectly portrays intercourse as soul bonding experience. Miguel’s wordplay creates a sense of love and motive behind his sexual desires, which many artists and songs lack today. Music can depict filthy views on how men objectively see women. Which then creates fear within women that they may be used. 

You can feel the passion between the two lovers within the lyrics. The lyrics feel more like poetry that has a rhythm, words, and a beat cooperating as one. An example of this would be “ A cold flame, the thrill of no shame”, “We both could say goodbye all night”, or “I’ve never felt comfortable like this”. Miguel said sex and spirituality are synonymous for him. He believes sex should be shared with honest connectivity, even when it’s lustful. So ‘Coffee’ is a referring to lust in it’s most beautiful sense.”

The music video for the song was released on June 16, 2015. His girlfriend, Nazanin Mandi, and he appear to partake as actors. At the beginning of the song, they are in the shower together and then go to different settings like a room and in front of the headlights of a car. The majority of the song set is the two underneath the sheets and on top of a bed. You can see the desire for his girlfriend as he sings to her. 

Miguel strives to create authentic music that reflects his personal experiences, journey, and emotions. Connecting with his audience on a deep, emotional level and conveying messages of love, acceptance, and self-expression through his music is something he is intense about. I found the song Coffee to be one I never will get tired of connecting with.

Adams, Nicolas. “How to Play Guitar: 14 Steps (with Pictures).” wikiHow, wikiHow, 10 Oct. 2023, www.wikihow.com/Play-Guitar. 

Ek, Daniel, and Martin Lorentzon. “Spotify Premium – Spotify (US).” Spotify, 23 Apr. 2006, www.spotify.com/us/premium/?utm_source=us-en_brand_contextual_text&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=alwayson_ucanz_us_performancemarketing_premiumplus_brand%2Bcontextual%2Btext%2Bus-en%2Bgoogle&gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4ujR-vEKemNNL_ZnvmE4fSopdMxRyhJMo5JpknIWm8p62TqNUOYRsmAaAuInEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds.

Guevara, John. “Music Aesthetics.” 20th C. Mexican Music Seminar, 24 Jan. 2017, mexicanmusicseminar2017.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/music-aesthetics/. 

Ingalls, Courtney. “Tears for Fears Coming to Virginia Beach July 7.” 10 On Your Side Wavy, 23 Apr. 2023, www.wavy.com/living-local/tears-and-fears-coming-to-virginia-beach-jul-7/. 

Ivie, Devon. “The Most Existential and Therapeutic of Tears for Fears, According to Curt Smith.” Vulture, 10 Feb. 2022, www.vulture.com/2022/02/interview-curt-smith-on-tears-for-fears-and-roland-orzabal.html#:~:text=Following%20a%20bitter%20creative%20separation,Tipping%20Point%2C%20on%20February%2025. 

Leswing, K. (2022, February 1). How to quit Spotify and what you give up if you do. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/01/how-to-quit-spotify-and-what-you-give-up-if-you-do.html

RCPlanes59. (2010, August 7). 15 minutes of the jeopardy think music. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuABhumm6fY

Rosen, Craig. “After Tragedy and Recovery, Tears for Fears Come Back.” Tidal, 23 Feb. 2022, tidal.com/magazine/article/tears-for-fears/1-83471. Varga, George. “Tears for Fears, Back with First New Album in 18 Years, Extend a Middle Finger to Music Industry Conformity.” Tribune, 29 May 2022, www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2022-05-29/tears-for-fears-back-with-first-new-album-in-18-years-extend-a-middle-finger-to-music-industry-conformity. Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Maps, October, 25, 2023.