The Soundtrack of My Life Mr Elmore The

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The Soundtrack of My Life -Mr. Elmore

The Soundtrack of My Life -Mr. Elmore

The Track List • Here is the track list for the soundtrack of my

The Track List • Here is the track list for the soundtrack of my life: 1. “Over the Rainbow” – Judy Garland 2. “American Pie” – Don Mc. Lean 3. “Free at Last” – dc Talk 4. “Ironic” – Alanis Morissette 5. “You’re the Voice” – Rebecca St. James 6. “The Great Work Begins” – Thomas Newman 7. “Seasons of Love” – The cast of Rent 8. “Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2” – Alicia Keys 9. “The Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + the Machine 10. “Mother Mary” – Rihanna 11. “Hometown Glory” – Adele 12. “I Lived” - One. Republic

Dear Listener,

Dear Listener,

My Life • I was born and raised in OKC, OK, and I went

My Life • I was born and raised in OKC, OK, and I went to Moore Public Schools growing up after spending some time in private school. I went to Eastern Avenue Christian Academy, Santa Fe Elementary, Highland West Junior High, and Westmoore High. I graduated in 2002 and had a teenage existence of never feeling like I belonged anywhere or part of anything and was also bullied in school. I went to OCCC for two years before transferring to UCO in Edmond to become an English teacher so that I could help other teenagers who went through the same things I did growing up.

My Life (cont. ) • I taught 8 th Grade English and Pre-AP English

My Life (cont. ) • I taught 8 th Grade English and Pre-AP English for three years before pursuing my dream of living in New York City and finding more of myself and who I was. Who I found was the same person that had always been there, and I turned to alcohol and drugs to numb myself out from life. After moving back home to OK, I got busted two years after I got back and went to rehab. I thought my teaching career was over. That is when fate had something else in store. I have been sober for almost two years, and I have been teaching in the same place that I spent years running away from.

The Album • Because I have lived a life full of so many things,

The Album • Because I have lived a life full of so many things, I decided to compose this album chronologically. Each of these twelve songs is arranged in a way to symbolize where I was at that point in my life. I hope to reflect while composing this project and soundtrack. Some of the songs represent good and some represent bad, but I want to be able to reflect on that time in life because it has all led me here. I hope to look at this soundtrack every year to either change some things about my life or to just remember where I came from. This soundtrack is a lot like Charlie in Perks of Being a Wallflower because he frequently has to make mix tapes to show he is feeling at a certain time. Music is the way he knows how to feel.

“Over the Rainbow” – Judy Garland • This was the first song I ever

“Over the Rainbow” – Judy Garland • This was the first song I ever remember hearing, knowing, and memorizing. The Wizard of Oz will always be my favorite movie of all time, and it started pretty early for me. I remember my mom and dad both singing this to me as a child so that I would fall asleep. The love of this song was just foreshadowing because I became ridiculously obsessed with Judy Garland (who played Dorothy), and this song has gone through many stages of different meaning for me throughout the years. Back then? It was the song that chased away the monsters under my bed and the flying monkeys and their leader in this movie.

“American Pie” – Don Mc. Lean • I grew up watching musicals, but I

“American Pie” – Don Mc. Lean • I grew up watching musicals, but I also grew up listening to the oldies. I remember being in my backyard, and I could always see the KOMA towers from the back yard, no matter where I was. This song is an epic narrative about the events of the 1960 s in America. I will never forget this song because of how it opened my mind up to a song being able to tell a story. The original version is 10 minutes long, and it is brilliance. I will never forget always listening to KOMA wanting to be a DJ and my mom, dad, aunts, and uncles always telling me their memories of their childhood and how these oldies “brought back memories” of their times growing up as kids in America.

“Free at Last” – dc Talk • When I hit 10, I was ready

“Free at Last” – dc Talk • When I hit 10, I was ready to move from mostly oldies to modern music. I will never forget that dc Talk’s album, Free at Last, was my first cassette tape. I remember always playing it on my walkman and being blown away that music could be this upbeat and “hip-hoppy. ” Not only that, it was Christian music, and really upbeat music to Christian lyrics was a big no-no during this time period. I remember that a lot of dc Talk’s music was banned by Christian radio stations because it was “corrupting the young people. ” I am so thankful for this song and album because it showed me that being different was okay and that people can be really ignorant. This song also introduced me to Dr. King.

“Ironic” – Alanis Morissette • This was my first rebellious stage of life. I

“Ironic” – Alanis Morissette • This was my first rebellious stage of life. I grew up in a Christian home where the only thing we listened to was Christian music. The only thing we watched were movies and TV shows with positive messages and meanings. This artist, Alanis Morissette, was the first modern-day “rocker chick, ” and she took the world by storm. I remember her songs being about real things and especially about how to deal with anger and pent up feelings. I had to sneakily get a copy of her CD, Jagged Little Pill, by having my cousin make a mix tape from her copy of the album. This is the most famous of her songs, and it made me think. When I got her poster for my room, my mom cried because of the “evil. ”

“You’re the Voice” – Rebecca St. James • At the same time, there was

“You’re the Voice” – Rebecca St. James • At the same time, there was a Christian female singer taking the Christian music world by storm. She had very similar vocals to Morissette, and she sounded awesome in interviews because she was from Australia. This song was about speaking up and not being quiet when you see bad things happening or seeing that goodness needs to be brought to the situation. I was so obsessed with her that I went to 8 of her concerts and would troll her website to see when new music was coming. One time, my mom took me to the Christian radio station (now Air 1), and RSJ was being interviewed. I got to sit in on the interview on the air. It was one of the coolest moments of a very dark and confusing time in my life.

 • “The Great Work Begins” – Thomas Newman This begins my young adult

• “The Great Work Begins” – Thomas Newman This begins my young adult journey. In thinking about what I wanted to first represent that time, I knew that it had to be instrumental music because that is all I would listen to during all of those late nights at Starbucks or the OCCC/UCO library getting papers written and projects done for class. Thomas Newman is one of my favorite composers in Hollywood, and he did the score of the HBO adaptation of Angels in America by Tony Kushner. This is the piece of literature (it is a play) that really helped me in accepting who I was and knowing that God created me that way. I began to stop beating myself up for something I could not change. This play and the music from the movie adaptation helped me with that and with so many things in my life.

“Seasons of Love” – The cast of Rent • The other thing that happened

“Seasons of Love” – The cast of Rent • The other thing that happened to me in college is that my cultural views changed on a global scale as well. Out of all of that sheltering that took place during my childhood emerged a plethora of questions about being “different” from those that I grew up with. My view of musical theater changed, too. I am still a huge fan of classic Broadway and Hollywood musicals where everyone breaks out into song and knows all of the choreography of the dances. However, I began to relate to modern-day musicals and rock operas like Next to Normal and the musical that this song is from: Rent. On my first trip to NYC, this was the first show that I saw on a Broadway stage, and it will forever be engraved in my brain. I laughed, I cried, I sang, and I saw even more that love is the only thing that can measure a person and their “greatness. ” Not only that, but it showed me that diversity is not a bad thing and that the only way to grow in acceptance is being exposed to that diversity and accepting the fact that not everyone has to be the same. What a boring world if we were all the same.

“Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2” – Alicia Keys • After teaching for three

“Empire State of Mind, Pt. 2” – Alicia Keys • After teaching for three years in the “bubble world” of Edmond, OK and visiting NYC three times as well as traveling the cities of Amsterdam, Paris, and London, I knew that I wanted to try out a dream of living in NYC. Both versions of “Empire State of Mind” inspired me so much to pursue this. There was something about this version of the song that inspired me even more. Just vocals and a piano. New York City is a living, breathing, and moving being. The juxtaposition of the quietness of this version and the crazy busy nature of the City just inspired me so much to take a leap of faith and try out living in the Big Apple.

“The Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + the Machine • Living in New

“The Dog Days Are Over” – Florence + the Machine • Living in New York City and visiting NYC are two completely different things. Although I learned so many things about myself, teaching, and life in general while living in NYC, I also picked up some very dark and dangerous things. The only way that I could cope with being away from home and trying to thrive in this new world was to drink and smoke pot, usually both in excess. The first 6 months of NYC was fine, but after that, I was a vegetable. I would sit around all day and do nothing but numb myself. This song was the biggest one that I would listen to on a loop while I was high. I would frequently “analyze” this song to pick out the many different meanings of it. I do not remember a lot of those times, but I do remember listening to this song so much because of how much it “tripped me out. ” The ironic thing is that I now think that a possible meaning of this song is to stop lying to yourself, face reality, and those “dog days” will be over. It is still hard to listen to this song without going back to those dark times, but I am so thankful for those times in shaping me.

“Mother Mary” - Rihanna • When I got back from NYC, I was still

“Mother Mary” - Rihanna • When I got back from NYC, I was still doing bad things in dealing with life. In fact, pills got added to the list of things that I used. In May of 2013, my poor choices caught up with me. I got fired from my teaching job, and I never thought that I would teach ever again because of the moral lines that I crossed. That is why I appreciate my job so much. I am not catholic, but this song is a prayer to Mother Mary about wanting to change your life to become a better person and have God take the reins of life. It is such a very personal song to me, and I remember listening to it when I called the rehab facility that I ended up spending time in. It was just blaring in the background when I was crying for help from God to help me change.

“Hometown Glory” - Adele • There is great irony in this song for me.

“Hometown Glory” - Adele • There is great irony in this song for me. This song inspired me to make a new hometown for myself in NYC. It also showed me that home is not a place. It is a feeling. I cannot believe that the place that I ran away from my whole life (Moore, OK) is where I have found my peace, serenity, and happiness in life. That is one of the many brilliant things about this song and Adele in general. She is remembering walking on those streets that shaped her into the person she is today. It is so important to remember where you came from and how it shaped you. I imagine walking down my neighborhood or riding my bike and driving into the now and how I have found peace and calm in accepting that the place I call home is here.

“I Lived” - One. Republic • This might sound morbid, but I would be

“I Lived” - One. Republic • This might sound morbid, but I would be okay with dying today. Why? I have taken everything that has happened in my life and grown from it. I have survived some very dark times. From those times has come reflection and the opportunity to share my story so that others will not make the same mistakes that I have made. This gives me purpose in life, and I want my students to be able to say that they lived life to its fullest. I hope I show them that living life to its fullest is possible. I do not think I will ever get married or have kids because I think my students and this gift God has given me as a teacher will be my life and legacy. I am cool with taking care of family and having this as my life for the time being because I have taken chances and have lived a full life.

Dear Listener, • Thank you for taking the time to listen to this album.

Dear Listener, • Thank you for taking the time to listen to this album. Even though it is music and lyrics from other people, these songs have helped me in life because the artists were going through something that I was going through at that time in life. I hope that the same happens with you. I hope that you are able to find a new song that speaks to you. If not, I hope that you will be able to have a wider perspective on life and be able to better understand someone who is not exactly like you. My hope in having you listen to this and read my thoughts is that you will be able to do that same thing: taking your experience and trying to help the world be a better place because of it. Things aren’t always bad, and everything is temporary and subjective. Even if you do not agree with something, it does not make it wrong. Love always, Shawn

HOW TO FORMAT THIS • You can either make this into a power point

HOW TO FORMAT THIS • You can either make this into a power point or a prezi. You can also write it out if you want to have more of a journal feel for the project. Regardless, this is due NEXT MONDAY, 5/23.