Music – Teen Observer Archive

July 31, 2018

Movie review: “Mamma Mia” true to the spirit of the original

The movie “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” is a sequel to the well-loved original “Mamma Mia!” a movie based on a musical famous for its songs produced by the popular Swedish pop group ABBA. The soundtrack of the sequel includes classic songs from the previous movie, such as “I Have A Dream,”“Dancing Queen,”and “Mamma Mia,” along with other engaging pieces by ABBA.

Without having seen the first movie or musical, it may be a little difficult to follow the storyline. Therefore, it is recommended to either watch the previous movie or musical, or read a short summary of them online.

As the movie progresses, scenes quickly switch from the past to the present and vice versa, which may be difficult for viewers to follow. However, the transitions between these scenes are done smoothly and creatively, keeping the viewers engaged.

The creative transitions are especially prevalent during many of the musical numbers in the movie — such as when they fade from a scene in Donna’s life to what’s unfolding in the present with her daughter, played again by Amanda Seyfried — and they are accompanied by the entertaining choreography. Big group numbers include “Waterloo,” with many background dancers and the colorful costumes that fill the screen.

As for the acting and cast,” Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” brings back many of the memorable actors from the first movie, such as Dominic Cooper as Sky, Julie Walters as Rosie, Christine Baranski as Tanya, Stellan Skarsgård as Bill, Pierce Brosnan as Sam, and Colin Firth as Harry.

The cast also includes many new faces in order to portray Donna’s young life. Lily James portrays young Donna as an adventurous soul full of imagination and dreams. She infuses Donna’s character with life and passion.

Other actors who played younger versions of the original characters include Josh Dylan as young Bill, Jeremy Irvine as young Sam, Hugh Skinner as young Harry, Alexa Davies as young Rosie, and Jessica Keenan Wynn as young Tanya.

These actors stay true to the characters of their older counterparts while also displaying the impetuousness of their young lives.

July 4, 2015July 7, 2015

Because People are People- NSLC Edition

From June 28 to July students flooded the American University campus for the second session of the Journalism, Film, and Media Arts session of the NSLC program. Here are some of their stories:

“My dream is to become a best-selling novelist and write a book that has an impact on everyone who reads it.” Abby Hadfield, 16

Coming from rural Pennsylvania, this rising high school junior has awaited the opportunity to attend the Journalism, Film, and Media Arts leadership conference since the arrival of an email in December 2014.

Abby Hadfield is attending the program as a student in the Professional Newswriting class.

While her attendance may show her experience is with news writing; however, her true dream is to “make it” as a novelist or a creative writer.

“Journalism is just a more practical form of writing,” Hadfield said.

“It’s really hard to make it as a novelist,” Hadfield said later in a brief interview just after the start of her first workshop session.

Beyond the classroom, she is involved with the school newspaper, the school literary Magazine, Girl Up, Girls Room and Interact Club.

Hadfield’s passions truly translate into her dreams for the future.

“My dream is to become a best-selling novelist and write a book that has an impact on everyone who reads it” Hadfield said.

“I would like to live in Mexico and help my country move forward as a leader.”

~Marina de la Sierra- 16

This student is one of many international students at the leadership conference and has traveled from Mexico to be a part of the leadership conference taking place from June 28 to July 8.

Marina de la Sierra found the program through her American school that encourages the students to look for opportunities to study in the United States.

“I got interested in it because I like writing a lot and I saw there was a journalism program,” de la Sierra said.

Journalism was not a career she had considered before the camp and she wanted to gain some experience.

Her openness to this opportunity has been allowing her to gain whatever might benefit her in the future.

De la Sierra is looking into working for the UN and help those who are impoverished and uneducated in the future.

She views human trafficking as a major world issue and is looking to alleviate it in the future.

“I would like to live in Mexico and help my country move forward as a leader,” she said.

“Knowing that everyone has a different mind for a different reason.”

Breezy Culberson, 21 (Not Pictured)

This 21-year-old office staff person of a leadership camp at American University has truly made the most of her opportunities and is continuing her education to attain her own dream.

Breezy Culberson works at the NSLC office and is responsible for some of the coordination and teamwork it takes to pull together such a big opportunity for hundreds of high school students.

Culberson chose to attend the Journalism and Mass Media conference in Berkley when invited, became a Psychology major in college and is inspired by the work she has a degree to do.

When asked how the conference benefited her, she said, “It looked good on my resume.”

The leadership experience was definitely of value to her as a student.

The discovery of her personality tendency, a koala, gave her a better direction as to her college choice and future career.

In the next six months, Culberson will be going back to school to continue her education and earn a master’s in psychology.

Her main reason for her fascination with psychology, “knowing that everyone has a different mind for a different reason.”

“You know if I could just play that, I would be really satisfied.”

Michael Silverglade, 17 (Not Pictured)

His experience with the leadership conference began with his sister’s involvement four years ago and now he is gaining experience in the field he enjoys, music.

Michael Silverglade’s letter came to invite him to the camp in December 2014, but his interest in playing musical instruments certainly came before that.

“In elementary school, I played trumpet… it was legit but it wasn’t very good,” he said.

He started playing trumpet in his middle school band and only expanded his involvement as he moved forward in school, adding euphonium and bass by his high school years.

He started self-teaching bass in his freshman year after he saw one of the seniors playing and started listened to more music.

He thought, “You know if I could just play that, I would be really satisfied.”

Now, Silverglade is in his school’s symphonic band, the school jazz band and a rock band made up of a drummer singer and himself on bass.

In the future, he hopes to be able to work on the business end of music by producing it and to continue playing bass.

“It’s just something I really enjoy,” Silverglade said.

August 8, 2014

Steel and String: dynamic duo at the market

Typically customers at a farmers’ market are grasping for their favorite organic produce. The fruits and vegetables excite the sense of smell and sight, but rarely does anything at the market capture the sense of sound like the musical duo of Steel and String. The unique, shield-like instrument and melodic violin create a harmonious blend of sound.

The combination of the rare Hang instrument and classical violin contribute to the couple’s distinct musical style. Comprised of Kevin Kihara and MJ Lee, Steel and String has been together since Spring 2014 and have been performing as street entertainers at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market for three weeks.

Hang instrumentalist and vocalist Kihara has been playing the unusual instrument for one and a half years. He describes the instrument as the “evolution of the steel drum.” It was invented by Swiss company PanArt in 2001 and 100 to 200 were produced annually. Today, however, production has ceased, which contributes to the Hang’s rarity.

Singer-songwriter and violinist Lee has been playing been playing violin since she was 4 years old. She plays both independently and collaboratively with other artists in the San Francisco area, according to her website,

Referring to the creation of Steel and String, Lee said, “I saw him playing and was impressed with his skills an musicality, so I asked him whether he might be open to playing with a violinist. The rest is history!”

Lee describes the duo’s style as a type of “free-flowing improvisation.” This makes every performance special to those who view their performances. She emphasizes that it is “quality over quantity in terms of audience.” Although massive crowds may not form, to hear feedback from those who do view the duo’s performances makes performing so rewarding for the pair. They are looking to expand their venues where they can play to include schools, restaurants, outdoor festivals and others.

Lee said, “This is a new and exciting venture for us both, and we’re excited to see where it goes!”

July 10, 2014July 10, 2014

The bands play on: Fort Reno concerts start after controversy

Fort Reno Park concert stage readies for performers after controversy nearly stopped it. Photo by Brenda Vega. — The Fort Reno Park concert stage readies for performers on Monday, July 7 after controversy nearly stopped the annual event. Photo by Brenda Vega.

The decades-old Fort Reno concert series kicked off Monday after security costs threatened to cancel the annual community event this year.

The event, which has been held annually since 1968 and takes place at Fort Reno Park in Tenleytown, was abruptly cancelled June 26, generating backlash from community members and a plea to reopen from D.C.’s Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

But, concert organizers and the National Park Service reached a compromise that has the concert back on this week to the satisfaction of locals like Owen Kibenge who thinks it’s a great community event.

“I think that it adds color to our community,” said Kibenge, 39. “I like hearing the bands play.”

Kibenge believes that community events, such as the concert series, are important to create close ties among the people in the Tenleytown area, which is in Northwest Washington, D.C. Kibenge also stressed the need for these social occasions which serve as important family events, while at the same time serving the needs of the community.

“One hundred percent, we need those community events,” Kibenge said. “They attract a diverse crowd of people.”

And Kibenge feels the diversity that community events attract is beneficial to Tenleytown. Others agree.

A change.org petition filed to allow the concert to continue reached 1,500 signatures within two days of the cancellation. And a Twitter campaign using #savefortreno garnered other passionate responses. One Twitter user wrote: “So glad that so many people worked so hard to #savefortreno. It is by far my favorite DC institution.”

But other Tenleytown residents were unaware of the event and the controversy surrounding its cancellation.

Menelik Walker, 22, an employee at Whole Foods in Tenleytown, hadn’t heard about the community concert series.

“I find it odd,” Walker said, about the apparent lack of advertising for the concerts. An email sent Monday to the concert organizers was not returned.

Walker believed it was strange he hadn’t heard people discussing the events at Fort Reno Park, and felt it was surprising he hadn’t heard anything from social media, or through traditional advertisements like fliers.

Haddy Gale, 22, another employee at Whole Foods, said she missed advertising and information about the concert, too.

“I hadn’t heard about it,” said Gale, who works but doesn’t live in Tenleytown. “People that live here might hear from friends but I don’t know.”

For those who do attend and look forward to the annual event, the Fort Reno concert series has become a part of local tradition and serves as a platform for feeding the creative need of the community.

“Music is the cup of wine that feeds the cup of silence,” Kibenge said. “I want to drink music all the time.”

June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

Local teen guitarist rising to the top

guitar pic — Reilly Martin, 17, has played the guitar for 12 years and attends the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. Photo by Pablo Roa.

POTOMAC, MD. — When Reilly Martin was 3 years old, he would spend his time watching Raffi videos on TV while strumming along with his plastic guitar. Fourteen years later, Martin has become a well-known guitarist in the D.C. area and regularly performs in front of hundreds of people, oftentimes with some of today’s most talented musicians.

Martin, a 17-year-old from Potomac, Maryland, has come a long way since his days of imitating Raffi. He has performed at premier venues, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and is regularly asked to perform at restaurants and events throughout the metropolitan area. But Martin’s rise did not happen overnight, he said, as his first few years with the guitar were filled with frustration.

“I used to hate it,” Martin said. “I didn’t start to like it until third grade, when I started getting good. My parents wouldn’t let me quit, which was pretty smart of them.”

Although he also plays the piano, bass, drums and other instruments, Martin’s true passion is the guitar. After nearly abandoning it years ago, playing the guitar has become second nature for Martin, who just completed his junior year at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. Martin is known by many as one of the most talented young guitarists in the area and his skills have given him the opportunity to share the stage with several giants of the music industry, including Patti LaBelle, Ledisi, Paul Simon and Sting.

“My most memorable experience was opening for Sting,” he said. “It was just me in front of 3,000 people at Strathmore. It was incredible.”

People often ask Martin how he went from being on the verge of giving up on the guitar as a kid to sharing the stage with some of today’s most famous musicians.

Martin grew up idolizing Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix, two musicians that played a pivotal role in his decision to dedicate his life to music. But it was his competitive mindset that allowed him to persevere and become who he is today. Martin knows that the music industry is extremely competitive and that, especially at his school, where many students are some of the most talented artists in the area, it is critical to take advantage of every opportunity he gets to stand out and be the best he can be.

“Going to Duke Ellington, I knew I had to prove myself from the very first day of freshman year,” he said. “No matter where I went, I was determined to be the best one there. It’s really easy to be good at something that you love doing.”

Attending Duke Ellington not only motivates Martin to work hard and to challenge himself, but it also provides him with many unique opportunities that he may not have at other schools. Martin cherishes the things he has learned from his teachers there, many of whom are directly involved in the music industry, as well as the connections that they have which have given him the opportunity to meet and perform with celebrities.

Although many people have influenced and inspired Martin to pursue a career as a guitarist, perhaps none has had a greater impact on him than his guitar teacher, Glenn Flaherty, from the School of Music in Rockville, Maryland.

“I owe him everything,” Martin said. “He’s been with me the whole time. He’s taught me everything I know. He’s an amazing teacher.”

Flaherty has been teaching Martin for over a decade and has seen him evolve from a little kid with a big guitar to an up and coming superstar. What sets Martin apart from other musicians, Flaherty said, is his rare combination of world-class talent and vision.

“I couldn’t be more delighted with his success and progress,” Flaherty said. “He really took the idea of getting better to heart and persues it with passion. I’ve never really viewed Reilly as a student, but as a fellow music lover, with whom I share whatever I can offer. He’s a great listener, observer, practitioner and buddy.”

Along with his performances for his school, Martin performs with several local bands throughout the Washington, D.C. area.

“One of the coolest things is playing with my own band,” he said. “You make friends that way. It’s always good to go out and play music with other people while getting feedback and, hopefully, getting fans, too. Right now, I’m in four different bands.”

Martin’s passion for music has not only led him to perform with some of the biggest names in the industry and with his own bands, but it has also inspired him to give his own guitar lessons, with the hope that others can enjoy music and playing the guitar as much as he does.

It has only been 12 years since Martin strapped on his first guitar and began living his dream, but the young guitarist has already made a splash in the local music scene and continues to grow as a musician. His teachers, friends and family have all helped him along the way, but it is Martin’s perseverance, passion and determination that have made him the guitarist he is today.

Despite everything that he has already accomplished, Martin knows he still has a long way to go to reach his goals and that things are not going to get any easier for him. But at just 17 years old, Martin is prepared for whatever challenges await him and is determined to live out his dream.

“My favorite part about playing the guitar is having the ability to create and be unique,” Martin said. “It’s cool to be able to play something that you hear in your head and to have other people enjoy it. That’s something I want to continue to do in the future. I hope to go to a college with a good music scene. I’ll study hard, get out playing, and find a way to be successful with my instrument.”

June 25, 2014

Croissants in the Capital

WASHINGTON — Set a little outside the famous Embassy Row, in a secluded neighborhood, the Embassy of France hosted its annual Fête de la Musique, a celebration of music that takes place on June 21, also known as the Summer Solstice, in cities all around the world. This year, the festival praised a mix of French culture, including both food and music, and American silent film.

The Fête de la Musique was created in 1982 by the French Minister of Culture at the time, Jack Lang. It was exported around the world in 1985, otherwise known as the European Year of Music. It is now celebrated in five continents, in countries including Germany, Chile, Japan and the United States.

This year, though the gates officially opened at 7 p.m., the line grew much earlier in the day. Everybody had to have their bags checked and show their reservation ticket, though admission was free. Those older than 21 were required to show their ID in order to receive a wrist band allowing them to drink. Food was a cash-only affair, with each item on the menu requiring a certain number of tickets, each a dollar. There were around six different food stations, each making and selling either food or drinks.

The live entertainment was found outside the embassy with seating both in front of a large screen and on the steep grassy hills surrounding. The program began with an opening act by French musician David Lewin on guitar. This was followed by a ciné-concert featuring the 1924 American silent film “Sherlock Jr.,” a slapstick comedy starring Buster Keaton. The film was accompanied by Magnetix, French garage rockers who composed an original score for this event. Their music, in particular the drums, was more felt than heard. After the film ended, the band played another live set, which included their EP compositions.

Along with French music, classic French and American food was on hand. The menu included everything from hamburgers to beignets. Also found were classic French wines and sparkling water. Food could be eaten both outside around a gold abstract statue and pool, or on the previously mentioned seats and hills. It could also be taken inside the embassy, where there was a small seating area of comfortable couches to settle into and art to be viewed. This area was closed off from the rest of the building.

With the combination of French and American culture, this year’s Fête de la Musique was able to draw a diverse crowd from French nationals to American University students.