FINDING YOUR VOICE 20-21 MMMC

Summary Fyre festival was a binfyre of a festival in which incompetence, management-ineptness, fraudulent advertising and social media combined to create a disastrous, yet compelling example of how FOMO and lies can combine to create chaos. But did the people who shelled out so much money to go to Fyre in a sense DESERVE to be conned?   Although Fyre is the hook for this debate and your opening statements should firmly say whether you feel sympathy for the 'victims' of Fyre - feel free to think more generally about whether social media - particularly insta and the power of influencers - is a dangerous new aspect of our online lives. I suspect that will form the basis for much of the discussion.  Questions to be thinking about . . .   what kind of people are we becoming that we are so influenced by influencers, so envious of the perceived 'glamourous life', that we're willing to spend so much money on temporarily 'partying like a rockstar'?  With some attend...

  Music journalists used to have exclusive access to things - we'd get music before anyone else and we'd have exclusive access to artists and bands. In an age in which streaming/youtube means that new releases are heard by everyone, and in which artists/bands mainly communicate with their fans through social media has the role of the music journalist become redundant? Do people read reviews of records anymore? Don't music fans increasingly bypass the press and make their own minds up about new releases? Do music fans read long-form features about their favourite artists anymore or would they rather just follow an artists insta/twitter/social media feeds? With music journalists massively outnumbered by marketing/PR is the job of music writers simply reduced to regurgitating press releases? With print media across the board dwindling as people (especially young music fans) use their phones rather than papers/mags for constantly updated info - is music journalism dead?  FOR - ...

DEBATE PROPOSITION: TIK TOK BRINGS OUT THE WORST IN PEOPLE  Really trying to establish - is TikTok a force for evil or is it - like all social media platforms, only reflective of who uses it. Half an hour, all 8 of you need to speak, so prepare a statement/bullet-points that should at least sustain you for a few minutes. Once things have got going I'm sure the flow will be fine.  A few things to be aware of because it's being assessed.  It's being FILMED, make sure yr cameras and audio are all okay.  Don't be eating! It's gross to hear your eating sounds!  Just because it's assessed it doesn't mean it has to be any more formal than the debates we've had thus far. I will genuinely try and keep out of it (easy because I genuinely don't have an opinion on this issue) - remember it's all about prep, listening, and contributing.  FOR: JESSICA, KYRON, LUCY, DAN  AGAINST: ROHAN, CLAUDIA, TRISTAN, OWEN Useful Links./Prompts  - most of these invariably ar...

This week - so we can pack two debates into one session in preparation for the following week's ASSESSED debate I'd like us to knock around TWO debate topics. This week we'll conduct things a little differently - I'm leaving your preparation entirely down to you and won't be asking for 'personal statements' or anything written. I'm also seeing if YOU are able to find links/prompts for discussion - both these issues are extensively discusssed online and you should be able to find threads/posts/sites that discuss them.  Crucially - You should prepare as YOU see fit, whether that means writing preparatory notes at length or simply bullet-pointing a few issues/points you'd like to make. DON'T come to the lesson without having an opinion at least on these two issues.  Debate Topic 1 - Remote Learning is the future, the classroom is no longer needed Pro: Kieran, Lucy, Claudia, Tristan - you guys will be arguing in favour of the proposal - i.e for the b...

  TIME - 3.45pm Monday 5th October 2020  LOCATION -  Zoom link Debate1 FYV Debate Title: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS 'GOOD' AND 'BAD' MUSIC - ONLY PEOPLE'S OPINIONS.  Chair: Neil Kulkarni  Panel: For - Claudia Bolland, Tristan Tearo, Owen Binns   Against - Jessica Brett,  Daniel Summers, Rohan Kalra  Debate summary -  We often hear people saying that certain music is 'good' or 'bad' - what do they MEAN by that? Can music be objectively BAD or objectively GOOD or are such judgements always a matter of personal opinion?  For - music is art and therefore subjective, how else can we explain why we like different music over the course of our lives UNLESS music is a subjective experience, if music was objectively bad or good why would people prefer 'bad' music, terms like 'good music' and 'bad music' are usually used to exert snobbery about certain types of music and artists ('real music' fans and old farts moaning about moder...

  TIME - 3.30pm Monday 5th October 2020  LOCATION -  Zoom link Debate1 FYV Debate Title: THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE A MUSIC FAN  Chair: Neil Kulkarni  Panel: For - Dan Summers, Owen Binns,  Against - Jessica Brett, Claudia Bolland, Tristan Tearo Debate summary - In recent years consumption of older/classic music among young people has skyrocketed, many complaining that contemporary rock, pop, and other genres simply don't give them the depth, meaning, feel or pleasure that older music does. The massive uptake in vinyl also seems to show that people prefer the older ways of accessing and listening to music. Was it better to have been music fans back in the 60s/70s/80s/90s, or are we living in a golden age for music fans with the access and variety the internet offers?  Possible points/questions to develop  these are what I can think of you may well have your own, check the useful links at the bottom of this post for potential launchpa...