Memoir

A memoir (from French: mémoire: memoria, meaning memory or reminiscence) is a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private that took place in the subject's life. The assertions made in the work are understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a narrowed focus. A biography or autobiography tells the story of a life, while a memoir often tells a story from a life, such as touchstone events and turning points from the author's life. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist.

Early memoirs

Memoirs have been written since the ancient times, as shown by Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, also known as Commentaries on the Gallic Wars. In the work, Caesar describes the battles that took place during the nine years that he spent fighting local armies in the Gallic Wars. His second memoir, Commentarii de Bello Civili (or Commentary on the Civil War) is an account of the events that took place between 49 and 48 before the Common Era in the civil war against Gnaeus Pompeius and the Senate. The noted Libanius, teacher of rhetoric who lived between an estimated 314 and 394 in the Common Era, framed his life memoir as one of his literary orations, which were written to be read aloud in the privacy of his study. This kind of memoir refers to the idea in ancient Greece and Rome, that memoirs were like "memos", or pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing, which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on.

Southern University

Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The campus is on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section of the city. The campus encompasses 512 acres, with an agricultural experimental station on an additional 372-acre site, five miles north of the main campus. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the flagship institution of the Southern University System.

History

At the 1879 Louisiana State Constitutional Convention, African-American political leaders P.B.S. Pinchback, T.T. Allain and Henry Demas proposed founding a higher education institution "for the education of persons of color." Louisiana before the American Civil War had an established class of free people of color, who were often property owners and educated; they kept that tradition for their children.

In April 1880, the Louisiana General Assembly chartered what was then called Southern College, originally located in New Orleans. Southern opened its doors on March 7, 1881 (1881-03-07) with 12 students. The school was held for a time at the former Israel Sinai Temple on Calliope Street, between St. Charles and Camp streets.

Human Jukebox

The Human Jukebox is a nationally renowned band representing Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The band is anchored by the Isaac Greggs Band Hall on campus. Dr. Isaac Greggs (Doc) was a well-known band director who led the band for 36 years (1969 - 2005). In addition to having the music hall renamed in his honor, he was inducted into the Louisiana Black History Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Human Jukebox has been consistently recognized as one of the top marching bands in the country by USA Today, NCAA, and ESPN.

The Human Jukebox has performed at the Super Bowl six times as of 2015 and has a long-standing reputation of making appearances at many types of highly visible and exclusive events. For example, in April 2015, the Human Jukebox and Dancing Dolls performed for the grand introduction of Floyd Mayweather in the MGM Grand Arena of Las Vegas for "The Fight of The Century".

Since 1969, the Human Jukebox has been accompanied by The Fabulous Dancing Dolls. The Dolls are well-known for their high-energy performances and stylish dance uniforms. A notable highlight in Dolls' history is when they were invited to perform with world pop-star Madonna for her live Super Bowl halftime performance in 2012.

Director of Bands

A Director of Bands is the head figure of a marching or concert form of bands, a person who leads a musical ensemble. The Director, by history and tradition, must know all the concepts of music and must be able to teach all different kinds of instrumental musicians in order to make a performance at a certain dateline before the scheduled performance.

Education

Most students attend a four-year university to earn a Bachelor's degree in music. Degrees earned after a Bachelor's are a Master's degree in music and a Doctoral degree in music. The ones that earn a Doctor of Music usually seek a professorship at an institution of higher learning.

Conducting techniques

Conducting is a means of communicating real-time information to performers. There are no absolute rules on how to conduct correctly, and a wide variety of different conducting styles exist. The primary responsibilities of the conductor are to set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen and shape the sound of the ensemble.

Assistant director

The role of an Assistant Director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of the health and safety of the crew. The role of an Assistant to the Director is often confused with Assistant Director but the responsibilities are entirely different. The Assistant to the Director manages all of the Director's in development, pre-production, while on set, through post-production and is often involved in both personal management as well as creative aspects of the production process. Historically, Assistant to Director was a stepping stone to directing work; Alfred Hitchcock was an AD, as was James McTeigue. This transition into film directing is no longer common in feature films. It is more common now for an Assistant to the Director to transition to a production management or producer role than to directing. In America, an Assistant to the Director is not a unionized role, but Assistant Directors of every level require membership to the Director's Guild of America. The DGA strictly monitors and regulates employment frequency and duration, salary, and promotions of Directors and are usually completely different from the requirements of filmmaking and should not be confused.