Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A Folk Song about Common Conversations

How Are You Doing?






Lyrics
How Are You Doing?


How are you doing?
How are you doing?
I'm fine, what about you?
I'm fine too

How is it going?
How is it going?
Yes it goes, what about you?
It goes for me too

Nothing new, can't complain
Skies are blue, sunshine or rain
Something to eat, watch a show
After that, I'll sleep like a baby

What are you up to?
What are you up to?
Not much, nothing to do
What about you?

What about you?
Me too

After hours, kisses are sweet
Holding hands, watching TV
Nothing to say, nowhere to go
After that, I'll sleep like a baby

How are you doing?
How are you doing?

I'm fine, what about you?
I'm fine, what about you?
I'm fine, what about you?
I'm fine, what about you?

Me too, me too, me too








Sunday, June 23, 2013

Having a lot fun.

Yesterday I woke up early to go to school. And then I went to see my brothers singing at the Ecuadorean. Consulate, we had a good time because we were listening a lot info. About the Benefits that my. Country. Ecuador has for us. In terms of. Education, Jobs, and equal rights for the human being. No body is less or more better than any body else. 
In. Ecuador you could go and enjoy the. Galapagos. Island.
We have a lot of beautiful. Beaches. You can go and. Surfs. 
 The. Beautiful. Mountains. That they have seen, wars and bloods dropped around it. They know much about the. Real Story. Since we were. Slave by The Spain's since When. America. My. America was. Immigrated. By. The. Whole. Europeans. That they  Took. Our. Gold, our. Culture,But. They. Never  took our. Lives. And. Souls. We were. Independent finally. After. Many years of. Slaved. 
My brother and I we had a good time. After he sang we went for a few drinks at the bar near our house, one of his friend just graduated in. Real State. This conversation was more about. Business and to congratulate my brothers friend. And to celebrate. 
Because my brother has launched to sing as a semi professional.
 Singing and. Bars around. Queens. New York. 
This is brother I wanted to share with you this part of time  that I spend with him and his friend.
 

Monday, May 27, 2013

To Love Somebody

In this life everybody needs someone to face the difficulty of life, for this you need someone who can help you to build your dreams and goals. But it's so hard and touching to try to be with somebody that doesn't care about your feeling.

In this performance we wanna show you how is difficult to accept this bad feeling!



"To Love Somebody"

There's a light
A certain kind of light
That never shone on me
I want my life to be lived with you
Lived with you
There's a way everybody say
To do each and every little thing
But what does it bring
If I ain't got you, ain't got? Hey babe

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you

In my brain
I see your face again
I know my frame of mind
You ain't got to be so blind
And I'm blind, so so sorrily blind
I'm a man, can't you see
What I am
I live and I breathe for you
But what good does it do
If I ain't got you, ain't got? Hey babe

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you

Noo noo no-no nooo nooooo

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Gifts for my Mom

A digital scan of a print I made for my mom.  This print was modeled after KCJoughDoitch's "Radial Sunset" on DeviantArt.com.

Hiba's post about Mother's Day inspired me to try some creative projects.  

I have two things to share with you: a picture and a song.  Both of these were gifts for my mom.  I had a lot of fun making them, and I think she liked them.

My Linoleum Print
My mom and dad love boating, the beach, the ocean and lighthouses.

This picture was made using a print-making technique called linocut.  To make a linocut, you start with a square of linoleum.  It's similar to the material used for floors.  It's like a hard rubber.  Using special tools, you cut away at the linoleum to make your picture.  Finally, you cover the linoleum square (called a relief) in ink, and press a sheet of paper on to it.

Audio Collage: The Lake Isle of Innisfree
A few years ago, my mom visited Ireland.  She has Irish ancestry, and celebrates St. Patrick's day every year.  She bought a book of poetry by W. B. Yeats, and gave it to me when she returned.  I decided to try and make a song using a recording of W. B. Yeats reading his most famous poem: The Lake Isle of Innisfree. You can find the transcript of the recording, and the text of the poem below.  You will also find some background information too.

I think I should warn you: this song is pretty weird.  There's guitar music I made, and there are also many sounds I recorded in nature, of water, insects, and birds.  There's also pieces of really old songs, and static and noise.  

I think it sounds like a radio, moving between stations.  This is an original recording, but I do borrow from some other people.  The borrowed sources are at the bottom.  
  
Text: The Transcript and Poem
I'm going to begin with a poem of mine called The Lake Isle of Innisfree. Because if you know anything about me, you will expect me to begin with it. It is the only poem of mine which is very widely known. When I was a young lad in the town of Sligo, I read Thoreau's essays, and wanted to live in a hut on an island in Lough Gill, called Innisfree, which means "heather island."   I wrote the poem in London, when I was about 23.

One day in the Strand, I heard a little tinkle of water, and saw in a shop's window, a little jet of water balancing a ball on top. It was an advertisement, I think, for a cooling drink. But it set me thinking of Sligo, and lake water.

I think there is only one obscurity in the poem. I speak of noon as a purple glow. I must have meant by that the reflection of heather in the water.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree


I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
- W.B. Yeats


Background Information
W. B. Yeats, near the time of the BBC recording.  Image found at WikiMedia Commons, originally from  National Library of Ireland on The Commons @ Flickr Commons

W. B. Yeats is considered by many scholars to be one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century.  He was the first person from Ireland to received a Nobel Prize for literature, but was not popular during his lifetime.

He wrote the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree in 1888.  He read his poem on BBC radio in 1932.
  

About My Recording
This song was made from many different pieces.  I used recordings I made playing the guitar.  I also used my iPhone to record nature.

I use several samples of old recordings from ExcavatedShellac.com.

I also use a field recording from Luftrum's Drone Atmosphere, found on FreeSound.org.

All of the sounds were edited and mixed using Audacity.

-Eric, NYC, USA


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Let's Begin! This Land is Your Land Project

From the PBS "This Land is Your Land Project."

Hi everybody!  We are starting a new project in Level 5 NYC.  We are going to make a collaborative video performance of the Woody Guthrie song: This Land is Your Land

I created a short instrumental track.  It plays the melody of the chorus three times, with a short interlude in between.  

But this song could be so much better!  What's missing?  Your contribution!  Do you enjoy singing?  Or maybe you play an instrument?  Record your performance and send it to me.

Audio: This Land is Your Land (instrumental)



This second version now repeats enough times to sing all six verses.  The order goes like this:

  1. Verse 1, Break
  2. Verse 2, Chorus, Break
  3. Verse 3, Chorus, Break
  4. Verse 4, Chorus, Break
  5. Verse 5, Chorus, Break
  6. Verse 6, Chorus, Break

A Note about Recording
You can record your performance using any kind of electronic device.  Modern Smart Phones are surprisingly good for recording.  When you record, please wear headphones.  We don't want to hear the instrumental track in the background.

Also, this instrumental track is just an example.  If you don't like it, that's OK.  It will probably change.  However, please use the song, so that your performance will be in rhythm and in key.

You can hear performances from Woody Guthrie and Neil Young here.


You can hear more performances from Bruce Springsteen and more here.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

TO LOVE SOMEBODY...

Hi guys I want to share this song with you, which transports me to my childhood, listened without knowing the meaning, now that I understand the lyrics I like more ... TO LOVE SOMEBODY, I like the melody, lyrics ... For me it is a beautiful song ...

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Music: Heart of Gold

Album cover for Neil Young's 1972 album Harvest.  Photo by bigcityal. (Creative Commons licensed.)
You all have started sharing music that is important to you. So today, I am not sharing a song because I'm trying to teach something (though there are many examples of rhyme in the lyrics!).  I'm sharing a song from the most important record in the world to me, when I was 19.

When I was an undergraduate student, I lived away from my parents for the first time in my life.  This was a scary and exciting time.  I was only about a 30 minute drive from my parents' home, but my university was in a big city, so different from the suburbs.  Coming home was a "big deal."  

When I came home to visit my family and friends, I stayed in my childhood bedroom.  It hadn't changed much.  There were still Pink Floyd posters on the walls, my baseball trophies, and school awards that my mom proudly hung on the walls.  There was one change though.  I had found my parents' old record player, and it now lived on my bedroom dresser.  
Photo by Great Beyond. (Creative Commons licensed.)
I grew up with CDs, so playing a record was always an event. My mom has an amazing collection of rock and soul albums.  But there was one album that I kept in the record player.  And one album that I listened to every time I came home.  That was Neil Young's Harvest.  I would close my bedroom door, and play the album over and over.  Things were different with my friends from home.  We weren't as close. I was making new friends at the university.  Things were different with my parents.  We weren't as close either. I was making my own decisions.  

It's hard to say exactly why this record resonated so strongly with me.  But it seems to celebrate loneliness.  And growing up can feel really lonely.

-Eric, NYC, USA   

Video: Heart of Gold, by Neil Young



Lyrics: Heart of Gold, by Neil Young

I want to live,

I want to give
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood
I've been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean
for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind,
It's such a fine line
That keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
You keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm growing old.
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Link New York City and Bejaia City by YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE song!

Hi Students and Teachers,

I wanna show you the way how our Blog is growing up, this last times the students from NYC and Bejaia City are really connected by using many different kind of projects and activities, I really appreciate all job made by students. 

Thanks a lot  for sharing them with us.

For this, please see the example bellow to understand and enjoy more.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Music: More About This Land Is Your Land

This Land Is Your Land has a long history in American culture.  So, naturally, there are a lot of great articles and media to enjoy about it.

On this post you will find:

  • a link to a podcast history of the song
  • a link to the This Land Is Your Land Project
  • more performances of the song


Podcast
The story of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'
Learn more about Woody Guthrie, and the history of this song.  You can play the podcast, and read the text.  A podcast is like a radio program for the Internet.  

Want to share a performance with others?
This Land Is Your Land Project
The Public Broadcasting Service in the US has created a wonderful project, perfect for students and teachers who love to record performances of music. (I'm talking about you!  And me!)  This project is collecting performances from people all around the world.  They are going to create a "video-mosaic" combining different performances.  You can see an example of a video-mosaic bellow, where Woody Guthrie "performs" with U2, Arlo Guthie (Woody Guthrie's son), Bruce Springstein, Little Richard, and more.  Our classes could be part of this documentary!  Click on the link above to 

  • Learn more about the project
  • See and hear others perform the song
  • Share your performance of the song


Video: This Land Is Your Land Video-Mosaic  


Video: Live Concert at the Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C., USA


Video: God Bless America
Some say that Woody Guthrie wrote This Land Is Your Land because he was tired of hearing God Bless America.  I would say that God Bless America is a patriotic song: it celebrates the nation, as something superior to other nations.  I would not call This Land Is Your Land patriotic, because it celebrates the people.  

Respond
Are you interested in performing This Land Is Your Land?
How can we collaborate on the performance?

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Music: Peter & The Wolf with David Bowie

A wolf scares the sheep. This image is from the German children's story
Wolf und sieben Geisslein (The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids) by Leutemann or Offterdinger, photo by Harke, from Wikimedia Commons.  Wolves are often used in the children's stories of Europe.  They are usually symbols of fear and cunning.  Sheep are usually symbols of innocence. What animals are common in stories from your country?
Do you want to learn about orchestral music?
Peter and the Wolf combines a fantastic tale with a lesson on orchestral music.  You will learn to distinguish the many sounds of the many instruments in an orchestra.  When you listen, try to visualize the instruments that you hear.  When you visualize, you create a picture in your mind.  Visualizing is an important skill for strong readers, and when you visualize new English vocabulary, you may remember it better.

-Eric, NYC

About the Song
Peter and the Wolf is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story (with both music and text by Prokofiev), spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra. (from Wikipedia.org)


On this post you will find:
  • videos with the music and narration by David Bowie (in four parts)
  • the text for David Bowie's narrated version under each video
  • an additional video, with narration from Patrick Stewart, which includes footage of a ballet performance of the story and music.

The complete song will be displayed in four parts, with the text for that part beneath each video.

Video: Part 1

This is the story of Peter and the wolf.

Each character in the tale is going to be represented by a different instrument of the orchestra. For instance, the bird will be played by the flute. (Like this.) 

A flute (left) and an oboe (right), from El Bibliomata.
Here's the duck, played by the oboe

The cat by the clarinet

Clarinets, from El Bibliomata.
The bassoon will represent grandfather. 
A bassoon, from the front and back, from Wikipedia Commons (This image is in the Public Domain.)
The wolf by the French horns
A french horn, from El Bibliomata.
And Peter by the strings
The strings, from El Bibliomata. In this image, we see the double-bass (largest), the viola (second largest), and two violins (smallest).
The blast of the hunters' shotguns played by the kettle drums.
A kettle drum (also known as a timpani), from Antur on Wikimedia Commons.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.

Early one morning, Peter opened the gate and went out into the big green meadow.

On a branch of a big tree sat a little bird, Peter's friend. "All is quiet. All is quiet," chirped the bird gaily. Yes all is quiet.

Video: Part 2


Just then a duck came waddling round. She was glad that Peter hadn't closed the gate and decided to take a nice swim in the deep pond in the meadow.

Seeing the duck, the little bird flew down upon on the grass, settled next to her and shrugged his shoulders. "What kind of bird are you if you can't fly?" said he. 


To this the duck replied: "What kind of bird are you if you can't swim?" and dived into the pond.

They argued and argued, the duck swimming in the pond and the little bird hopping along the shore.

Suddenly, something caught Peter's attention. It was a cat crawling through the grass.

The cat thought: "The bird is busy arguing, I'll just grab him." Stealthily she crept towards him on his velvet paws.

"Look out!" shouted Peter and the bird immediately flew up into the tree, while the duck quacked at the cat, from the middle of the pond. 


The cat walked around the tree and thought, "Is it worth climbing up so high? By the time I get there the bird will have flown away."

Video: Part 3 


Just then grandfather came out. He was angry because Peter had gone in the meadow. "It is the dangerous place. If a wolf should come out of the forest, then what would you do?"

But Peter paid no attention to his grandfather's words. Boys like Peter aren't afraid of wolves.

But grandfather took Peter by the hand, locked the gate and led him home.

No sooner had Peter gone, than a big grey wolf came out of the forest.

In a twinkling the cat climbed up into the tree. The duck quacked, and in her excitement jumped out of the pond. But no matter how hard the duck tried to run, she couldn't escape the wolf.

He was getting nearer, nearer, catching up with her. 


Video: Part 4

And then he got her and with one gulp swallowed her.

And now, this is how things stood: the cat was sitting on one branch, the bird on another, not too close to the cat. And the wolf walked round and round the tree, looking at them with hungry eyes.

In the meantime, Peter, without the slightest fear, stood behind the gate watching all that was going on. He ran home, got a strong rope, and climbed up the high stone wall. One of the branches of the tree, around which the wolf was walking, stretched out over the wall.

Grabbing hold of the branch, Peter lightly climbed over on to the tree. Peter said to the bird: "Fly down and circle over the wolf's head. Only take care that he doesn't catch you."

The bird almost touched the wolf's head with his wings while the wolf snapped angrily at him, this side and that.

How that bird teased the wolf! And how the wolf wanted to catch him! But the bird was clever, and the wolf simply couldn't do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Peter made a lasso and carefully letting it down and down and down, caught the wolf by the tail and pulled with all his might.

Feeling himself caught, the wolf began to jump wildly trying to get loose.

But Peter tied the other end of rope to the tree, and the wolf's jumping only made the rope round his tail tighter.

Just then the hunters came out of the woods, following the wolf's trail and shooting as they went.

But Peter, sitting in the tree, said: "Don't shoot! Birdie and I have already caught the wolf. Now help us take him to the zoo."

Now just imagine, just imagine the triumphant procession. Peter at the head. After him the hunters leading the wolf. And winding up the whole procession grandfather and the cat.

Grandfather shook his head discontentedly. "Well, if Peter hadn't caught the wolf? What then?"

Above them flew Birdie chirping merrily. "My, what brave fellows we are, Peter and I! Look what we have caught!"

And if one would listen very carefully, he would hear the duck quacking inside the wolf, because the wolf, in his hurry, had swallowed her alive.


Video: Ballet Performance of Peter and the Wolf, with narration by Patrick Stewart


Respond
What did you learn from this post?

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Music: Pink Floyd's Lighter Side

Members of Pink Floyd.  Image from Pedro Netto.
Pink Floyd's music can be dark, psychedelic, moody.  But San Tropez is different.  This song on is on the album Meddle.  And it's clear when you listen that Pink Floyd is experimenting with new sounds.  The song is written about Saint Tropez in Southern France.  The mood of the song reflects the easy atmosphere of a sun-drenched beach.

The lyrics are full of rhyme and alliteration.  
Rhyme
A rhyme is when words share similar ending sounds (vowel and consonant sounds).  For example:

  • reach / peach  (both words have the "e" vowel sound, and the ending "ch" consonant sound)
  • rind / behind (even though these songs have a different number of syllables, they both share the "i" sound, and the ending "nd" sound.)

Alliteration
An alliteration is when two words with the same beginning sounds are used close together. This is another common technique in poetry writing.  

  • wave / wake (both words share the beginning "w" sound.  Note: these words have the same "a" vowel sound, but they do not rhyme, because the ending consonant sounds are different.  This is called a half-rhyme or a slant-rhyme, where the sounds are close, but not the same.)


Video: Meddle, by Pink Floyd



Below, I highlighted the first few examples of rhyme and alliteration.  Can you find more?
Lyrics: "San Tropez"
Words and Music by Roger Waters

As I reach for a peach
Slide a rind down behind
The sofa in San Tropez

Breaking a stick with a brick on the sand
Riding a wave in the wake of an old Sedan

Sleeping alone in the drone of the darkness
Scratched by the sand that fell from our love
Deep in my dreams and I still hear her calling
If you're alone I'll come home

Backwards and home bound
The pidgeon the dove
Gone with the wind and the rain on an airplane

Owning a home with no silver spoon
I'm drinking champaigne like a big tycoon

Sooner than wait for a break in the weather
I'll gather my far flung thoughts together
Speeding away on a wind to a new day
If you're alone I'll come home

And I pause for a while
By a country style
And listen to things they say

Digging for gold in the hoe in my hand
Hoping they'll take a look at the way things stand

And you're leading me down to the place by the sea
I hear your soft voice calling to me
Making a date for later by phone
If you're alone I'll come home


Pink Floyd album, photograph by badgreeb RECORDS.

Do you want to hear more about Pink Floyd?
Below you will find interviews with the members of the band, as well as clips from their music.  



Respond
Why do writers and musicians use rhyme and alliteration in songs?  
How might this song be different if Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd) didn't use rhyme and alliteration?

Thursday, April 11, 2013

IMAGINE JOHN LENNON

IMAGINE   JOHN LENNON
I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE SONG FOR ME MEANS JUST THE PERFECT WORLD,LOOKS LIKE A BIG PICTURE HOPE ALL YOU LIKE.

Lyrics: Imagine, by John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven 
It's easy if you try 
No hell below us 
Above us only sky 

Imagine all the people 
Living for today... 

Imagine there's no countries 
It isn't hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no religion too 

Imagine all the people 
Living life in peace... 

You may say I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions 
I wonder if you can 
No need for greed or hunger 
A brotherhood of man 

Imagine all the people 
Sharing all the world... 

You may say I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will live as one

Level 4 NYC: Performing You Are My Sunshine

Video: Level 4 NYC Performs You Are My Sunshine



Reflecting on the Performance

From Madjid (by email to Eric): "I was seeing the You Are My Sunshine video too many times and I do like it so much because simply was a great moment in a beautiful song and I saw when we were signing in the beginning some student were shy and I try to help them to be natural and feel as you are signing alone to your self."


From Eric (email response to Madjid): 
I think there is something great about this performance.  Every student is singing, and even the most shy students look like they are having fun.  For me, that is the greatest accomplishment of this performance.  Every student became comfortable enough to sing a song in English.  And everyone (including me) was comfortable enough to make mistakes, and smile about the mistakes.  Being comfortable to make mistakes is SO important for learning. When I see everyone reading and singing, I am filled to the top with happiness!"


Thanks to Madjid: I could not have recorded this song without your help.


And thank you to the students in Level 4, who trusted me to try another crazy experiment. 



About the Recording
Madjid recorded this video with a digital camera.  We also recorded separate audio tracks using a cell phone and laptop.  I mixed the audio tracks in Audacity, to improve the sound.  I used iMovie (Mac) to edit the video, add titles, and include my combined audio track. I don't think the video editing needed to be as complicated as this, but I wanted to practice using iMovie, and I wanted to see if I could combine Audacity and iMovie.

-Eric, NYC

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

HIBA'S SONGS

                                                                                                                           astoria : 04 10 2013
Hi,the music is not my hobby, i like sports, cooking and many other things but i know one singer, his name is Sami Yusuf he is from British , he sings in English and some word in Arabic ( he studied arabic language ).
I want to tell you who is Sami Yusuf .
Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist musician .
In 2003 Yusuf released his first album "Al-Mu`allim" at the age of 23, selling over two million copies. Following the release of his second album "My Ummah" ( MY MOTHER) in 2005, Yusuf was heralded as "Islam's Biggest Rock Star" by Time magazine for his success in attracting a relatively young fan base from diverse regions across the world, many of whom were of Muslim backgrounds. Yusuf has sold over 9 million albums. In October 2010, following a five-year hiatus, Yusuf’s third official album "Wherever You Are" was launched, manifesting his self-coined genre "Spiritique". Yusuf is involved in humanitarian initiatives, supporting, among others, Islamic Relief and Save the Children. (from Wikipedia.com)

His songs are educative and have a positive goal. he sings about life and about islam, and he has a very beautiful song about the most precious person in our life who is the mother.I want to share with you 2 songs the first is MY MOTHER and the second is Mualem "PROPHET TEACHER".
I hope you will like them and I wish you a good listening. ENJOY....

FOR MY CLASSMATES THIS IS A TRANSLATION IN SPANISH.
                    (from wikipedia.com)
INTRODUCCIÓN A LA CANTANTE:
Sami Yusuf (سامي يوسف) es un autor, compositor e intérprete británico nacido en en 1980. La música de Yusuf está relacionada con el Islam y el hecho de ser musulmán en el mundo actual. Yusuf se ha convertido en una figura muy popular del mundo islámico, habiendo realizado videos de varias de sus producciones. De acuerdo a The Guardian, es el musulmán británico más conocido del mundo. En 2006, la revista Time lo llamó "la mayor estrella islámica del rock".
Biografía
Sami Yusuf nació en 1980 , y se mudó al Reino Unido cuando tenía tres años, creciendo en la zona oeste de Londres. Yusuf es de origen azerí. Desde temprana edad comenzó a tocar varios instrumentos musicales y a mostrar interés en cantar y componer canciones. Fue aceptado como estudiante de composición en la Royal Academy of Music en Londres. En adición a su educación en armonía y composición occidental, Sami usa los modos iraníes y de Medio Oriente y está relacionado tanto con la tradición músical oriental como occidental.



                                                                               HIBA

                                              MY MOTHER ( UMMAHU أمي )
                                                             MI MADRE

Blessed is your face
Blessed is your name
My beloved
Blessed is your smile
Which makes my soul want to fly
My beloved
All the nights
And all the times
That you cared for me
But I never realised it
And now it’s too late
Forgive me
Now I’m alone filled with so much shame
For all the years I caused you pain
If only I could sleep in your arms again
Mother I’m lost without you
You were the sun that brightened my day
Now who’s going to wipe my tears away
If only I knew what I know today
Mother I’m lost without you

 Ummahu, ummahu, ya ummi..........................
Mother... Mother... O my mother
wa shawqahu ila luqyaki ya ummi .....................
How I long to see O mother
 Ummuka, ummuka, ummuka ummuka ............
“Your mother, Your mother, Your mother”
Qawlu rasulika ....................................................
Is the saying of your Prophet
Fi qalbi, fi hulumi................................................
In my heart, in my dreams
Anti ma’i ya ummi .............................................
You are always with me mother
Ruhti wa taraktini.............................................
You went and left me
Ya nura ‘aynayya................................................
O light of my eyes
Ya unsa layli........................................................
O comfort of my nights
Ruhti wa taraktini..............................................
You went and left me
Man siwaki yahdhununi.....................................
Who, other than you, will embrace me?
Man siwaki yasturuni ........................................
Who, other than you, will cover me?
Man siwaki yahrusuni .......................................
Who, other than you, will guard over me?
‘Afwaki ummi ..................................................
Your pardon mother
Samihini... ,.......................................................
forgive me

Here is the video of the song MY MOTHER :





                                   Mu'allim...( teacher )
Chorus
He was Muhammad salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
Muhammad, mercy upon Mankind,
He was Muhammad salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
Muhammad, mercy upon Mankind,
Teacher of all Mankind.
Abal Qasim [one of the names of the Prophet]
Ya Habibi ya Muhammad
(My beloved O Muhammad)
Ya Shafi'i ya Muhammad
(My intercessor O Muhammad)
Khayru khalqillahi Muhammad
(The best of Allah’s creation is Muhammad)
Ya Mustafa ya Imamal Mursalina
(O Chosen One, O Imam of the Messengers)
Ya Mustafa ya Shafi'al 'Alamina
(O Chosen One, O intercessor of the worlds)
He prayed while others slept
While others ate he’d fast,
While they would laugh he wept
Until he breathed his last,
His only wish was for us to be
Among the ones who prosper,
Ya Mu'allim peace be upon you,
Truly you are our Teacher,
O Mu'allim..
Chorus
Ya Habibi ya Muhammad
(My beloved O Muhammad)
Ya Shafi'i ya Muhammad
(My intercessor O Muhammad)
Ya Rasuli ya Muhammad
(O My Messenger O Muhammad)
Ya Bashiri ya Muhammad
(O bearer of good news O Muhammad)
Ya Nadhiri ya Muhammad
(O warner O Muhammad)
'Ishqu Qalbi ya Muhammad
(The love of my heart O Muhammad)
Nuru 'Ayni ya Muhammad
(Light of my eye O Muhammad)
He taught us to be just and kind
And to feed the poor and hungry,
Help the wayfarer and the orphan child
And to not be cruel and miserly,
His speech was soft and gentle,
Like a mother stroking her child,
His mercy and compassion,
Were most radiant when he smiled
Chorus
Abal Qasim [one of the names of the Prophet]
Ya Habibi ya Muhammad
(My beloved O Muhammad)
Ya Shafi'i ya Muhammad
(My intercessor O Muhammad)
Khayru khalqillahi Muhammad
(The best of Allah’s creation is Muhammad)
Ya Mustafa Ya Imamal Mursalina
(O Chosen One O Imam of the Messengers)
Ya Mustafa ya Shafi'al 'Alamina
(O Chosen One O intercessor of the woamrlds)


Music: Hotel California

        HOTEL CALIFORNIA
I like hotel california because it is beautiful melody and I Love the words I remember when I  was a student listening to this song with my friends. 

From Julia.





On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "