Amazon.com music product reviews
I reviewed “STAR ONE,” a Progressive Metal Group (Arjen Anthony Lucassen from AYREON, et al.); imuffs wireless headphones for ipod; The Black Tango–it’s neither a dance, nor a snake–it’s an excellent firewire and USB enclosure; A brief Porcupine Tree Review from last year, and more…
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Tips for Drummers: Setting Up To Save Time.
This article was originally written for a few drum magazines, especially Modern Drummer. Unfortunately, it was not published because “it made too much sense.” Yet, I can certainly understand that making perfect sense does not always sell magazines. Roger Waters would certainly agree with me… Honestly, I’ve read a plethora of articles in Modern Drummer than were much simpler than this one, and written by “famous” people. So, if you’re famous, you’re an expert on everything and obviously great looking. Assuming that there’s truth in that, I guess I have to explore topics for drummers that don’t make sense and find a plastic surgeon.
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Getting The Job Done Effectively (written in 2006), By Evan Jacobson
When I was teaching a Realistic Fiction Book Club Unit in 2005-2006, I was trying to find a mentor text, i.e., a genre specific, well-written story which can be used to model a series of lessons for teaching students. Finding these ideal texts, however, is rare, time consuming, and frustrating. Therefore, it becomes necessary to create an original story, rather than trying to search the world for the perfect book. Since necessity is the mother of invention, I decided to use this story in 2005. It is a story that can be used for an English class, or even a class about Women’s issues. One of my colleagues suggested that I try to get it published in a Women’s magazine. Eventually, it might end up in one. I hope you enjoy…
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Jeremy Steinkoler CD Review: The Road Home
Technically, this was my first published CD review for an album in the Jazz genre. When I was working on my MASTERS DEGREE from 2001-2003, one of my colleagues, Jason West, was the editor of JazzSteps Magazine. He knew that I loved writing and music. He handed me a CD, told me to give it a try, and write a review. I’m glad I did because I really loved the CD and the opportunity to explain how I think about music through writing. Jeremy Steinkoler contacted me and thanked me for the review, which was written August 12, 2002, and published in JazzSteps Magazine.
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Richard The Joker, by Evan Jacobson (written in 2007)
During the 2006-07 year, I had to teach a Fantasy Unit for my 7th Graders. Once again, I could not find a short mentor text (Harry Potter books are just way too large to teach and read aloud). I ended up borrowing a 3rd-4th Grade picture book, which worked out well for about 2-3 days. Afterwards, I still could not find a story to model 7th Grade appropriate lessons and so I decided to write another original story (to serve as a mentor text). It came together after several weeks of compiling post-its, as well as other quality scraps; it was revised about 8 times. Why? Constant revision and improvement will yield great results. I have high expectations for all of my students. Hopefully, this story will be enjoyed by all. Let me know what you think…
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BAMBOOZLED: A REVIEW OF SPIKE LEE’S FILM (written 2002-03)
I wrote this review while I was taking an intense course at the University of Washington: A Survey of African American History and Literature. The Professor, Dr. Ralston, really opened up my mind to understanding fates and realities accorded to the majority of African Americans. Since then, I have been collecting a great deal of literature, constantly reevaluating oppression, and learning how to overcome obstacles. This will be a lifetime pursuit…
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