When I signed up to take this class I was just trying to avoid taking IT104. I knew the class was called the digital past but I didn’t have the slightest idea of what exactly we would be covering. We have only had two classes with Professor O’Malley but I can tell that he is going to make this semester intellectually stimulating. I come from the south so when O’Malley started playing old country music on Tuesday I knew I would like his class. I have a little background in reading music, but it has been a few years. I played violin from 5th grade to senior year. The main point of discussion yesterday in class was the concept of compression. I thought it was very cool to hear music from years ago and compare what we heard to some of today’s pop music. In Katy Perry’s Firework song she starts off by singing quietly and then at the chorus she is basically yelling, however; her actual overall volume never changed. Where as we listened to Aretha Franklin’s “Say a little prayer” and her volume changed throughout the highs and lows of the song. I personally have never thought about this when listening to music. I am one to jam out to my music in the car whether it be a sad song or a hyped up song.  I just always thought that the differences in music was a change in generations and the types of songs people sang. Towards the end of class we touch on the idea of the concept of idealism vs. realism, this is what caught my attention the most. I was raised in a christian home and am a baptist, so I guess you could say that i’m a realist. Professor O’Malley said that religious people who believe in something not in this world are classified as a realist.

Sarah White