Duke Ellington Essays (752 words) - Duke Ellington,

Duke Ellington Duke Ellington By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world's greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was the Duke, Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy Ellington was born into the world on April 28, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke's parents Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington served as ideal role models for young Duke and taught him everything from proper table manners to an understanding of the emotional power of music. Duke's first piano lessons came around the age of seven or eight and appeared to not have that much lasting effect upon him. It seemed as if young Duke was more inclined to baseball at a young age. Duke got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senator's baseball games. This was the first time Duke was placed as a "performer" for a crowd and had to first get over his stage fright. At the age of fourteen, Duke began sneaking into Frank Holliday's poolroom. His experiences from the poolroom taught him to appreciate the value in mixing with a wide range of people. As Duke's piano lessons faded into the past, Duke began to show a flare for the artistic. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art instead of an academically-oriented school. Duke began to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists in Washington and during the summers, where he and his mother vacationed in Philadelphia or Atlantic City. While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a hot pianist named Harvey Brooks. At the end of his vacation Duke sought Harvey out in Philadelphia where Harvey showed Duke some pianistic tricks and shortcuts. Duke later recounted that, "When I got home I had a real yearning to play. I hadn't been able to get off the ground before, but after hearing him I said to myself, 'Man you're going to have to do it.'" Thus the music career of Duke Ellington was born. Duke was taken under the wings of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown who taught Duke how to read music and helped improve his overall piano playing skills. Duke found piano playing jobs at clubs and cafes throughout the Washington area. Three months shy of graduation, Duke dropped out of school and began his professional music career. In late 1917, Duke formed his first group: The Duke's Serenaders. Between 1918 and 1919, Duke made three significant steps towards independence. First, he moved out of his parents' home and into a home he bought for himself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doing so, Ellington's band was able to play throughout the Washington area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke married Edna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born. In 1923, Duke left the security that Washington offered him and moved to New York. Through the power of radio, listeners throughout New York had heard of Duke Ellington, making him quite a popular musician. It is also in that year that Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his renamed band, The Washingtonians, established themselves during the prohibition era by playing at places like the Exclusive Club, Connie's Inn, the Hollywood Club (Club Kentucky), Ciro's, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the Cotton Club. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Duke's band was broadcast across the nation live on "From the Cotton Club." The band's music along with their popularity spread rapidly. In 1928, Ellington and Irving Mills signed an agreement in which Mills produced and published Ellington's music. Recording companies like Brunswick, Columbia, and Victor came calling. Duke's band became the most sought after band in the United States and even throughout the world. Some of Ellington's greatest works include, Rockin' in Rhythm, Satin Doll, New Orleans, A Drum is a Women, Take the "A" Train, Happy-Go-Lucky Local, The Mooche, and Crescendo in Blue. Duke Ellington and his band went on to play everywhere from New York to New Deli, Chicago to Cairo, and Los Angeles to London. Ellington and his band played with such greats as Miles Davis, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Louis Armstrong. They

Top 10 Ways to Get Into a Top College - Things Colleges Watch Out For

Top 10 Ways to Get Into a Top College - Things Colleges Watch Out For The 2010 survey of independent college consultants was released in June 2010 and highlights theâ€Å"Top Ten Strengths and Experiences Colleges Look for in High School Students.†Ã‚   The list changes every time it’s compiled, an event that occurs every few years.   Your grades, test scores, and the rigor of your high school curriculum still top the list.   But there are some changes from prior years. Guess what?   The importance of the application essay has moved up in the list    from #7 to #6 since the last survey!   Part of the reason for this is that many colleges have begun to make the SAT and ACT optional with â€Å"test optional† policies.   The admissions essay continues to be more important to private liberal arts colleges than it is at large state universities, so if you are targeting Ivy League and other top private schools, put some focused attention on the essay part of your application. It’s hard to write a good essay without good material.   Not surprisingly, factors #4 and #7-10 are all essay-related as well.   â€Å"Passionate involvement in a few activities, demonstrating leadership and initiative,† which ranks #4, gives you great essay material.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Special talents or experiences† comes in at #7 and is also fodder for an outstanding essay, as is â€Å"demonstrated leadership in activities† (#8), a factor that showed up for the first time on the list this year. It is crystal clear from this list that schools are not looking for well-rounded students – they are looking for leaders.   It is much more important to get deeply involved in a few activities than to do a little of everything.   And you’ll have a lot more to write about in your college application essay if you take on leadership positions that require you to manage people, organize big projects and events, and grow as a person. Note that succeeding in these areas requires some planning ahead.   If you are not a harp player already by the time you are entering your senior year of high school, it is unlikely that you will become one.   If you haven’t been deeply involved in a student organization, it might be difficult to take on leadership suddenly.   It’s more important than ever to find your passion early and follow it. Finally, â€Å"demonstrated enthusiasm to attend† ranked #10 in the survey.   Take this factor under advisement as you write your college essay.   You would do well to write something about why you want to attend a particular school, especially if it’s your first or second choice.   Just make sure to send the correct essay to each school, mentioning the school you’re applying to and not another school!   Mixing this one up is a great way to get yourself into the â€Å"no† pile (and it happens all the time). Thankfully, you have a lot of guidance about how to get into the â€Å"yes† pile.   Determine where you will most stand out as an interesting candidate with leadership abilities, and write a great essay about it. For help on your college essay from The Essay Expert, contact us at info@TheEssayExpert.com or by phone at 608-467-0067 OR 717-390-6696. Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinAugust 5, 2010