Oorah A Type of Literacy : By Zach Tucker

Marines are fighting for our freedoms everyday and the way they communicate towards one another is a big part of their jobs. They have to learn a lot of information to be able to become a marine. One of the biggest things marines have to learn is the literacy that is involved within being a marine. Marines have to use communication tools to make sure they can survive while they are on patrol or in a firefight. For example, they need to know communication through body signals, weapons being fired in the air (smoke bomb), and etc. The way Marines communicate is like a piece of art, because it is so interesting how everyone has to be on the same page to finish the task. So in the marines discourse community there are different ways in which they use their literacy to communicate with one another in a life or death environment.

Marines take all their techniques of how to communicate very serious. They take this serious not just to protect their country, but to make sure no one gets hurt during their time of duty. Communication to them is more than just words to them; it is a way of survival. While analyzing the interview I did with my friend, I could tell he was willing to die for his fellow marines during patrol/firefighting. This is their way of communicating in a way with one another letting them know everyone has each other’s back and that they are going to go out with a fight. Here is an example of a firefight situation in a way they will communicate from my buddies experiences,

“I’ll go into some more detail about when we are in fire fights. Team leaders will also give an ADDRAC(Alert, Direction, Description, Range, Assignment, Control ). Here is what it would sound like: Jones at you 3 o’clock 300 meters enemy machine gun in the tree line or if we are getting fucked up and pinned down my team leader just yells something like "Jones light that tree line up we are pinned down!'' which I love hearing that because I just go crazy and light shit up. I carry the m249 SAW which is a machine gun and the most important weapon in a rifle squad. I take a lot of pride in it and my job”.

As we see in the reading above the way marines communicate are very intense and pride involved when exchanging information. We also see that they have code names or abbreviate language, such as ADDRAC. This is very important information for them to know about because it keeps them on task and focuses more when they see bullets passing by their bodies.

Marines not only communicate through the importance of being on patrol or in a firefight, but having meetings to make sure what the task is and how to improve communication skills. Before marines leave their platoon to go out, they have to have a brief which is very key part to them to understand what is going on that day. The brief is a way to help each other out and have the higher rank make sure that everyone is on the same task. While doing this research, this was a huge aspect for marines to get there point out to the upper rank and make sure they heard what they said whether it was positive or negative. This shows that marines no matter what rank respect each other through their communications whether saying sir or lance corporal (a type of marine). Here is an example of how the briefs go from the interview

“We have briefs a lot to talk about training, how we are doing, things coming up for us, talk about work, patrols, fire fights. We basically just talk about all these things and see what’s working well and should stick and things we need to change or start doing more of. Then our sgt take passes it along to our platoon commander and from there he tries his best to meet us half way on most of the things we ask or want to change. But before and after every patrol you get a brief. Before it’s to show where you’re going what you’re doing and needs to be done. After this is to go over how the conduct of the patrol went and what needs fixed”.

As we can see from above briefs are very important because the platoon finally gets to share their thoughts and make sure everyone is doing alright. This is a stressful time for these marines and having these briefs allow them communicates like an intervention (showing how they feel, and then be able to pick each other up). Marines stress so much about communicating because it is really the key for them to be successful in these meetings, patrols, or firefights by finding the right way to get the job done.

Marines communicate also towards respecting each other and showing brotherhood. These marines are with each other more than with their families. It is more than just a discourse community to them as if in everything they do is for their families they are with now (the platoon) and the families back at home in the states. They take so much pride in their discourse community of being a marine and can relate that with towards their family. The marines communicate with each other by making sure that everyone there overseas has a support system in their platoon. Many times have my friend Mike Jones, has want to be back at the states, but the support he has overseas has kept him motivated to finish his term of duty. This quote from Eric Montgomery’s Side By Side shows how much respect and brotherhood marines have for one another even if they have never meet, just being part of this discourse is so special to this fine people. Montgomery says, “We fight and die for each other. We honor the men and women who have paid for our rights to wear the Marine uniform with their own blood, sweet, and tears. Semper Fidelis is not merely a motto for a Marine; it is a way of life (Montgomery 2). From this quote we can see how much support the marines have for one another and that the way they communicate towards one another is really something special, that not a lot of discourse communities can share with each other. The marines have a special word they communicate to show how much respect they have towards one another, Oorah. This sums it up how they have a very special bond once becoming a marine.

The way marines communicate will change their lives forever. All the important aspects they learn when being a marine can change the way they think and communicate when they come back to the states. As marines come back they know for a fact they will never be the same person because of all the things they have seen and how they exchange information differently. Here is the last question I asked my buddy about whether not being a marine has changed his life,

“Oh yeah for I’m not going in to some aspects because it’s touchy and people don’t need to know some of the reasons for the way I am now. But I’m a different person for what I used to be in high school and you can probably tell. I also have a huge 0311 tatted on my arm that will always remind me of this and the marines I’ve served with I will never forget, I’m just as close with some of them as I am with you and we have been boys for a long ass time. I’ll never forget the places I’ve been and the things I have seen and done over here. It s just something that’s stamped into your brain. That’s why they say once a marine always a marine. ohrahh tuck! I love you brother and can’t wait to see you and the family”!

This shows that when joining in this discourse community people will change because of all the things that have been brain washed into them. When most marines come back to the states they have a may get a disorder called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the article, “Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Deployed US Male Marines, talks about how being exposed to violence is that there is a great chance that this marines will have this disorder when back in the states. In the article it states, “In several studies of war veterans, increased rates of PTSD were demonstrated among those sustaining wounds, those deployed as part of ground units, and those discharging their weapon or witnessing persons being wounded or killed.” (Smith 1). This truly shows that all the communication and learning they have learned from being on patrol or firefights will be with them for the rest of their lives. This may make these marines feel uncomfortable when they get back to the states because of the way they interacted and communicate with each other is not the same towards their family and friends.

Overall for marines communication for them is such a huge way of life while overseas. This is indented in their heads in how they need to communicate when they are in stressful situations and when hanging out with each other such as meetings. Marines will always have each other backs no matter what the situation is and help get through the hardest times of their lives. This truly makes us proud of what they have to go through and how key it is for everyone one of them to know the knowledge of communication to be a marines is really significant role of being a marine, oorah!

Works Cited
1. Besa Smith, et al. "Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Deployed US Male Marines." BMC Psychiatry 10.(2010): 52-62. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 May 2011
2. Montgomery, Eric. "'SIDE BY SIDE'." U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 136.6 (2010): 62-64. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 May 2011.

Elite Fitness Addicts!

By: Jenny Griffith

Crossfit is a fitness program that started in California. It has spread rapidly across the east. Joining the group is an extremely efficient and effective way to get into world-class shape! The gym participates in group led workouts containing, constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. People who enter the Crossfit lifestyle find that it is a fun and friendly way to share their love of fitness. It is an addicting world of continuous physical and mental self-improvement.

The purpose of my study is to answer the question of why Crossfit is so addicting? I have observed this discourse community thoughly through extensive literary research. I have interviewed members, participated in the group, and collected literature from the club. Throughout this blog you will notice through my literal research that Crossfit becomes addicting by literacy’s like; the internet, journals, and numerical pattern encompassing the drive to be better everyday at what you do at a fitness level. These motivational literacy’s used within the group, shape them with patterns of symbolic structure.

The atmosphere inside Crossfit is confusing to a first time visitor. It does not look like a normal gym with a bunch of meatheads lifting weights.

This is Crossfit Covington. It has a network of pull up bars, a digital clock that flashes the countdown of time, Olympic rings, ropes, box jumps, weights, and various other fitness equiptment. This gym comes alive everyday the W.O.D is in session. Rock music is pumped through the speakers and people get to work.

When I arrived at Crossfit Covington on Saturday May 21^st. A woman named Emily Wasson greeted me in the front room of the garage gym. She was the manager and boy was she fit! I entered the gym and looked on the dry erase board to see a group of exercises written down known as the W.O.D. Workout of the day! The W.O.D. was

200 box jumps

Lunging for 400 meters

100 squats

400-meter sprint

This is the workout we did outside! Above, is a picture of the box jumps.

Emily, the trainer, divided us into groups of four and each person in the group had to finish the set of exercises. Each group was timed. After this we did an abdominal routine and we were done!

Crossfit has a lot of literal practices that they do. Posting the W.O.D everyday is available on the internet and in the gym. A lot of members look at the website and know the W.O.D before they even get to the gym that day. It is pronounced (wod), often combining a mixture of jump roping, rowing, pylometrics, climbing rope, kettle bell swings, Olympic rings, body weight exercise and power lifting. Every person has an individual race against the hanging clock. They try and beat their time for every workout and this becomes a real addiction.

Multimodal literacies means systems of representations that include written forms that are combined with oral, visual, or gestural modes (Hutchins, 1995, p.370). We read and then we act. And this comprehension of the WOD board is really one of the huge aspects of Crossfit. Something that shapes these people for a better life all around. Crossfit logs members record times on this dry erase board for everyone to see.

These are acronyms and abbreviations for various exercises, reps and times posted next to participant’s names and dates. W.O.D’s are named after “ladies.” Named like hurricanes, WOD’s have women’s names or after soldiers who have fallen in the line of duty who were apart of the Crossfit community. Just like Edward Hutchins explains about his studies of ship navigation in San Diego harbor, this distribution among members of the group of formal manipulations of numbers, symbols, and lines on charts; on the spot communication is taking place as well as later reflections of participants. Members, who observe and analyze these WOD charts, find that it promotes ambition for a better workout for the next time. If you’re interested in concrete numbers with which you score in your performance and record your improvement then you will get faster and stronger.

The Crossfit journal is an online blog where the top Crossfit personal trainers post workouts, advice, and up coming information. This is how smaller Crossfit facilities and trainers get new workouts and special informatiThe online journal is a chain of communication through one Crossfit to an another. They also share recipes and diet advice as well. The journal is a great form of literature that summarizes the group. This system of person interaction with technology promotes motivation and allows tasks to be done in a similar way in the overall Crossfit community. These literacy’s help to add to the addiction of Crossfit. People love how its new and different everyday and it never gets old.

http://journal.crossfit.com/

On my second trip of research to a Crossfit gym I interviewed the owner of the Burlington, Kentucky location. He explained many things that indeed show the obsession and love for Crossfit. Here are some of the questions I asked him:

Me: What is Crossfit?

Rich Vos: Strength and conditioning program based on measurable, and repeatable data. We measure the performance of a human.

Me: Why is there a Crossfit journal?

Rich Vos: Anyone can buy a crossfit journal. Its 25 bucks a year. The videos are really motivating, you have Iraq war vets that have no leg, but they are still doing the workouts. Then you have the pro’s explaining how to do workouts and what works and what doesn’t work. They are not saying you have to do it this way, just ideas. There are articles on motivation, lifting tips. It is like the EBSCO host of elite fitness.

Me:Why is Crossfit so addicting?

Rich Vos: It is measurable, repeatable and something new. If you have never done it before and just like picking up any new toy or anything, it’s cool, at first. A new puppy is really cool at first and then you kind of get bored with it. What keeps people on is the community, you get to see your friends everyday, and you get to make them work harder, and they make you work harder. It’s the way we attract data across all these different time and mobile domains. You can do a workout the first day and then two weeks later you’re a little bored but your itching in the back of your mind, “I wonder if I can beat that time.” Like the other day, I had the “itch” about the workout named Grace and I came in and tried to beat the time I had for Grace.

Me: How did you discover Crossfit?

Rich Vos: A buddy of mine who worked in the Special Forces was bragging about how well I was at bench press, dumbbells and stuff like that. He told me I should try Crossfit I would be great at it. So on February 27^th, I checked it out on the website and decided to start logging what I do and timing myself.

20110528 131224 by griffijg

I also asked Jarrett Baston, a member of Crossfit Covington and the owner, Emily how they believe that Crossfit is addicting. Becoming confident and participating in something different everyday is what makes people come back. The times, names of workouts and literature that is available within Crossfit shapes the community to this addictive state. Its what starts the itch to come back and kick some Crossfit ass! The pull-up bar is used daily and until Crossfitters get their WOD fix, they often feel incomplete. In the blink of an eye, Crossfit becomes a lifestyle. As Diehard Crossfitters see the workouts in everyday life. Bobby Noyce said, ....people come in here and do things they never thought they could do in thier intire lives, and push themselves harder than they ever thought they could push themselves...so it makes everything in life seem not as difficult...(Bobby Noyce, Personal Communication). Sweating with Crossfit is a constant desire for improvement. A Crossfitter doesn't look in the mirror to admire their physique, they look on the WOD board to admire their times. As Crossfit creeps into ones life, thier habits change, for the better, to support thier love of competition. Diet, sleep schedules, and relationships change as ones life revolves around Crossfit.

WORKS CITED

1. Saremi, Jodai.(Sep/Oct 2008, Volume 26 Issue 5, pg 53-55, 3 page) Crossfit Training. American Fitness. Retrieved from www.Ebscohost.net

2. Hutchins. (1995, pg 370) Language, Culture, and Learning: Ethnographic Approaches

3. Noyce, Bobby. Personal Communication, Sweat with Crossfit:Soundlife; Craig Hill, pg E10

Silent Discourse: The Key to Successful Chamber Music Performance

Chamber music includes, but is not limited to genres such as: duets, trios, piano trios, string quartets and quintets, wind quintets and octets. The medium therefore is generally thought to be any number and combination of instruments which can be played in an intimate setting without being overbearing; a sonorous mingling of timbres. Some larger chamber groups, like the wind octet most often have conductors, but aside from this, they are self governed. While being the most rewarding music to play, chamber music is often, if not the most difficult to execute perfectly in a performance setting. There are elements that must be taken into consideration with this type of music, elements which are innate to the medium and do not occur in solo music or larger ensembles requiring a conductor. The biggest and most important of these elements is the cueing of entrances. Cueing entrances successfully is the lynch pin to the performance of all chamber works and are in fact the silent discourse of every chamber ensemble.

There tends to be an agreement among classical musicians that chamber music is the most sophisticated due to its intimate and social nature. The instruments in a quartet for example do not play for the duration of the piece, they may have a phrase or two followed by a measure of rest while the other three members continue. Baillot, in his book L'art Du Violin; Nouvelle

Methode, states that "in a quartet, [the performer] sacrifices all the riches of his instrument to the general effect; he enters into the spirit of this other type of composition, whose charming dialogue seems to be a conversation among friends, who convey to each other their feelings, their sentiments, their mutual affections" (Gagne 2). This conversation, however, is not a free for all. Cueing, in a way is like saying, 'yes, but if I may interject" or something to that effect. Unlike conversation, more than one person/instrument is speaking at the same time. If two instruments are to start playing together after a period of silence, they have to begin together; one of them has to cue the other.

There are many ways to cue other performers and, as I have found through research and observation, different instruments require/prefer different cueing styles. For example the woodwinds and brass instruments prefer to cue with their breath. Breaths for wind instruments usually occur in between phrases and if two players are suppose to enter together into a new phrase, what better way to do it than with a slightly exaggerated breath. The same is true for vocalist. Bill Wilits had this to say:

However, no matter the style, the cue or gesture must be big enough for the other members of the ensemble to see. Even with a breath you can see the lungs expand slightly. The breath itself can be heard on stage. If it is heard by the audience it is normally accepted, especially if it begins a phrase; breaths in these spots sound natural and even if they are audible the audience seldom acknowledges them as unmusical. Saul Meyerson-Knox had this to say when I interview him on the subject:

Tricky indeed, for although the cue must be big enough for all to recognize, it must also be rather small so that it does not distract the audience away from the music. Violinists and violists like to use their whole body to cue and sometimes the headstock of the instrument becomes the cueing pinpoint. Performers of these two instruments cannot move their chin off of the instrument very freely while playing. Since they cannot use a head nod, the headstock becomes the cueing agent. Guitarists and pianists, as well as, cellists and bassists on the other hand have their heads free and generally like to cue with the head nod, as James Meade points out to us:

The "ictus" is the point at which a moving object reverses direction, for instance a conductor's baton has an "ictus" this is the accentuated pulse of the music or the beat so to speak. This is very important, as Ross Harbaugh points out in, Ensembles: An Owner's Manual, "every cue must indicate the tempo and mood of the music following the cue...[it must] invite each other to play" (Harbaugh 1). This means that the time in between raising the head and bringing the head down must be on the beat and in tempo with the section. This sounds easy, espeacially for a musician but it is not as easy as one would expect, especially on stage in a performance setting. In fact, "cueing is a nonverbal language [;] to speak and understand it requires study and practice" (Harbaugh 1). This practice is not only acquired through performance. It also takes place in the rehearsals.

Although, the onstage performances are silent there is a fair amount of talking involved during run-throughs. One has to know who to look to for the cue. This is decided during rehearsal. The performers will play through a couple of times and conclude who should give the signal. When deciding who should give the cue, the ensemble collectively answers a number of different questions, such as: Who has the most important part at the time? Who has the loudest dynamic marking in the score at the time? What is the nature of these two parts together, without the others? Is any one imitating a previously stated melody? How is the bass voice functioning? What is the desired texture? Once these questions are answered then each performer writes in the music in the given spot what to do and who to look towards for the signal. Thus, we need to know the hierarchy of the parts.

The CCM Classical Guitar Masters Ensemble is photographed below. The group consists of four guitarist (from left to right): Bill Wilits (principle, 1st guitar), James Meade (2nd guitar), Saul Myerson-Knox (3rd guitar) and Alex Morgan (4th guitar).

The cue can be seen in these two photographs. The picture to the left show James(2) and Alex(4) with a raised head, while the one below clearly shows the down beat and the "ictus" in the measure. Furthermore, it illustrates that "1st guitar" doesn't always cue, as we can see, sometimes it is the 2nd guitar or the 4th guitar

who signals. These cues were predetermined and agreed upon in rehearsal, but that does not mean the are simple. Being able to do this requires that you not be so involved in your own part of the piece; each player must know not only his own part but everyone elses as well.

Listening is part of any conversation and it is no different in a musical dialogue. All three of the graduate students I interviewed said that listening is the biggest aid to determining who should signal a particular phrase. Harbaugh confirms that listening is key and that it is one of the most difficult things to do in chamber music (listening to the rest of the ensemble) while playing your own intricate passage.

Whether the cue is a breath, glance, head nod, or body gesture, the result has to be the same; to clearly mark the ictus and invite the other performers to play. The gesture needs to be in the same character as the piece and clearly visual to the group. The communication of the music to the audience depends on this silent dialogue amongst the players and the composer's intended message will not be transmitted to the listener if this interplay between performers is not solid and steady. The next time you go to hear a music group, ask yourself these same questions and try to look for these interactions. Although more subtle in classical music it is not just in this style that we find it. This silent dialogue is innate to all ensemble music. It is a conversation that must happen no matter the genre.

Work Cited

Gagne, David. "A Dialogue Among Equals: Structural style in Mozart's 'Haydn' String Quartets." Studi Musicali 37.2 (2008): 503-527. Print.

Harbaugh, Ross. "Ensembles: An Owner's Manual." American String Teacher 59.3 (2009): 61-63. print.

Olivia Anastasi- Ethnographic Study of Ballet

Ballet. Upon hearing this word all sorts of images flood our minds. Images such as tutus, point shoes, the color pink, leotards, and classical music. Something that most people don’t think of, though, is literacy. What literacy practices are used in ballet, if any at all? What is the purpose? Ballet is a very mentally and physically demanding art. It is also a very complex art this is often misunderstood. It requires the dancer to not only create emotion through their movement, but also understand how the body moves. Throughout my research I have found that literacy practices are indeed used in the ballet. They are used quite frequently, actually, and for a number of reasons. Throughout the course of this ethnographic research paper I will explain what literacy practices are used in ballet and what mnemonic devices they use to remember dances.

Literacy practices are used in ballet quite frequently. For this project, I have studied the ballet here at the University of Cincinnati and a ballet company in Columbus, Ohio titled Dance Extension. Both require literacy as a part of their curriculum. Here at UC, dancers are required to take other classes such as anatomy, biology and kinesiology to better understand how the body functions. Within those classes, they read, take notes and use the same literacy practices found in most other classes. As a dancer, they must relate these classes to what they do in the dance studio. It is important for dancers to take these classes and understand their bodies because, as Linda Taylor states in her article MMPI-2 and Ballet Majors, “Dancers livelihoods are entirely dependent upon their bodies” (Taylor, 521). At Dance Extension, dancers are required to keep journals as part of their choreography classes. Within these journals they critique each other, reflect on their performance, write down quotes, and keep track of their observations during class. Not only do they use their journal for observation and critiques, they also use it as a diary where they write their personal struggles, feelings and opinions on what was done in class that day. Jacqueline, a dancer at Dance Extension whom I interviewed, stated that, “it helps to have all my feelings and ideas just written out right in front of me. It teaches me things about myself and other people. It’s therapy, being able to write as well as dance with passion. Ballet is very demanding with a lot of pressure and writing relieves some of that pressure, definitely.” More literacy practices within ballet are also stated in the scholarly articles I used for this project. In the article Varieties of Habitus and the Embodiment of Ballet the author Steven Wainwright states, “You can tell whether it’s Russian training, or French, Danish, American. They all have a different way of standing. They support their arms differently. They use their heads differently” (Wainwright, 541). Where a dancer is trained is portrayed in the way they dance. Ballet majors and professional ballerinas read, study and watch different forms of ballet. They can identify them immediately when the dancer beings their choreography. Ballerinas also study ways of dancing. For instance, they must know the different between poetic and powerful dancing, classical and dramatic, precision and pace and many more. According to Wainwright, it takes many years of studying and practicing to fully grasp this concept. By taking other classes related to ballet, keeping a journal, and studying ballet itself, literacy definitely plays a role.

Dancers use mnemonic devices to help them remember choreography. One might be wondering what choreography has to do with literacy. For the duration of my research, I have noticed that dancers use literacy practices to help them remember steps in a dance. In a distinct journal, the dancer devoted one page entirely to writing choreographic devices. This particular dancer listed things they do in class to help them remember choreography, things like: repetition, focus, retrograde and speed changes. During a choreography class at Dance Extension, dancers were instructed to write out the names of certain positions (mostly in French) and have their classmates do the positions they wrote. This exercise, using literacy, shows how dancers doing the same steps move differently and interpret things differently. Another exercise I noticed while observing at UC was forcing the dancers to talk while dancing. Although slightly comical, it pushed the dancers to come out of their comfort zone by focusing on what they were saying instead of their body motion. After watching these exercises at UC and Dance Extension I became intrigued by how dancers remember choreography especially in very lengthy performances. In Varieties of Habitus and the Embodiment of Ballet Taylor asserts that, “All dancers find some steps and movements easier to perform than others. Darcey Bussell, one of the leading ballerinas in England, writes that: ‘I find Bourrées hard… I have very bendy feet which makes it hard for me to stay on the tips of my toes” (Taylor, 538). What intrigues me most is that, all of the dancers I interviewed, when asked how they memorized the choreography couldn’t give me an answer. Sarah, a dancer here at UC, told me, “We do rehearse a lot and write down certain steps but ballet is an art. Painters don’t memorize every brush stroke in other artist’s paintings, nor to pianists play all the same notes in another’s song. It’s the same here pretty much.” I learned that dancers, of course have to remember choreography, but they also must make it their own. They take what their instructor says and they work with it. Stated in Taylor’s article is that, “Steps are made by a person. It’s the person dancing the steps- that’s what choreography is, not the steps themselves” (Taylor, 544). That is the true beauty of ballet. Also stated in Taylor’s article is that, “There is a reciprocal relationship between the choreographer’s ideas of what movements he wants, on how they look on the bodies of the dancers he in inscribing his choreography on, and with how these steps feel for the dancer” (Taylor, 544).

Ballet is a very demanding, challenging and complex art. It takes a lot of physically and mental preparation. Despite popular belief, dancers definitely use literacy practices. They write in journals, they critique each other, they speak while dancing, and they use their memory and even take other classes that require literacy practices as well. It is important to recognize that literacy practices can be found in all discourse communities, even in ones where you wouldn’t think to look.

Photos of journals:

Photos of choreography class:

Videos:

Wiki Link- Ballet terms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet

Works Cited:

Wainwright, Steven P., Clare Williams, and Bryan S. Turner. "Varieties of Habitus and the Embodiment of Ballet." (2006): 535-49. Web. .

Taylor, Linda D. "MMPI-2 and Ballet Majors." Web. .