You know what. Muggles really have odd artist names and Mason wondered where'd they even get them from. Back Steet Boys? Did they meet in a back street, happen to be all boys and became a band???

Like always in Muggle Studies class, Mason had his 'what??' Face on. He had absolutely no idea who all these people were and if the professor hadn't mentioned that they were artists he would have thought they were.... He didn't even know.

One thing he did know and remember was when the Professor and him had spoken to each other at the igloo's and she had mentioned that she was going to cover American slang at some point. So perhaps these artists were all Americans?

Mason raised his hand, something that almost never happened in this class, saying "Are they all Ameri-----" when another student (skylar) gave the same answer. He closed his mouth , embarrassed. She had OBVIOUSLY stolen his words.

... Sure this was Muggle Studies, but it wasn't a History of Muggles lesson, right? Couldn't they have been subjected to music that was at least in the last few decades? He wasn't going to complain much because he loved music, but couldn't they just enJOY something of recent times. Not even muggle born students would be familiar with all of this, and it was surprising to him that his peers knew about it too. Clearly, they were well versed in the history of muggle music.

But he agreed with what had been said by his peers, sure. The songs he had heard were by American artists, which made sense to him given that they had visitors at their school from that place. But Rooney was Rooney and having his voice heard was vital. "Did they all win the same award once in their career, Professor Stewart?"

Ho dee hum. HO DEE HUM!

Was that.....TAYLOR SWIFT....Olivia detected?! Hmmm. New Romantics, 1989... She'd taken time to enjoy the song before taking her seat, humming along to the lyrics. There were several songs from the artist on her personal playlist. Clean, Wildest Dreams, Ours.... Liv liked her stuff mostly because the woman had written all of her own material. It was just cooler when someone was writing from their own personal experiences. It was more relatable.

To be honest, Olivia was SO New Romantics right now. Instead of putting a smile on her face, it only caused the blonde to be that much more thoughtful. It reminded her of things that needed to be done. Made them more difficult to ignore... Sigh. Personal lives could be messy. Being A GIRL was messy. Especially a teenage one. Geezus, she was so over herself. On a spiritual level at this point.

Nodding general greetings at her classmates, she eventually snagged the place next to Dora. Hello, Gryffindor Champ. Olivia hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate her or Levi... and parties... for reasons, made her very uncomfortable. They were getting started, so she didn't say anything right away. Just offered a sweet smile. Solidarity.

The backdrop of this music was very nice, she had to admit.

"They were American, yes...but also highly successful? Lots of records sold, and award trophies won. I think it would be safe to say they were pioneers of their genres, maybe?" Apparently that was a huge deal in the music industry. Winning those trophies. Sure, she'd won loads of them for dance, but it was hard to tell if that was different? She wasn't making millions...as they had. In her experience, trophies didn't mean a thing. "Thanks for the jams today." As an afterthought.

Speaking of American culture, Liv wondered what their Muggle Studies lessons were call. Were they No-Maj Studies? That seemed so strange to her head. The words didn't flow as nice.

Yeessssssss, MUSIC. Abey loooooOOOOoooooOOOoooved music, okay? He did. He really did. Muggle AND wizarding music, and actually muggle music (and some of their stories and plays) were the only muggle things he really knew about, mostly thanks to his old drama club (WHICH HE HAD ALSO LOVED). He also knew about wizarding music because WEST ODESSA was his unofficial cousin and also taught him how to play guitar and oops hadn't it been months since he'd even picked UP his guitar? DID HE EVEN BRING IT TO SCHOOL WITH HIM??? Probably actually; Abey brought practically everything with him to school; you never knew WHEN you might need something. It was why his trunk and dormitory was such a mess.

Except clearly he didn't really know enough about muggle music, because he really didn't know the answer to the professor's first question. He would have just said that they were all muggles, but... she'd already pointed that out, so there went THAT answer. Well... apparently taking a random guess was okay and actually Abey never felt all that bad about being wrong in this class because he was a pure-blood and most pure-bloods didn't know a thing about muggles.

Yes. A guess, then. "Are they all from a million years ago?" Abey asked, half-forgetting to raise his hand and half giving up on the idea because he was still holding his robes tightly around him to KEEP THE WARM IN, even though by now only just one window was open.

Because he still hadn't got used to the weather.

All the way up here.

In Scotland.

Where it was.

Actually.

Freezing.

Katy grinned broadly at the professor's admission that she wished the windows could be left open, since it felt like a secret. Not a real secret, but it felt like one. She pouted for a moment when the music disappeared, although it wasn't really her thing. She liked contemporary stuff. Wizarding stuff, which was more complex.

Her hand went up anyway, since the professor wanted their opinion. "Muggle, and from the same general era, I think. Classics too, if you consider anything more than 20 years old a classic. And these are way more than 20 years old."

Okay, that was embarrassing.

"Sorry professor, I forgot about that rule," she replied with a wince, willing the quick quotes quill back into her bag. Merlin's bats...

The question was a welcome reprieve from the sting of losing points in Muggle Studies. "Every band I heard so far was American," she answered, raising her hand in the air. "And since we're being visited by Americans, it makes sense that we'd study popular American music."

Sam had slipped into the seat the other side of Dora just as the Professor shut the door to the classroom, and as a result, she had barely heard one whole track. It was upbeat and peppy, but that's about all she'd caught. She'd also never heard of any of the singers Professor Stewart had mentioned, so all in all there was a simple answer to her question.

No, she couldn't tell her what element they all shared.

Not that she'd say that aloud, of course. Instead, she pulled our her pencil and doodled some music notes in her notepad. It was topical, at least?

Etta was in the mood to dance, honestly. But she couldn't really do that, could she? She'd probably be kicked out of class and being a prefect.. she didn't want to do anything remotely stupid like that. She had a reputation to maintain, right? Right. Muggle singers though... she listened to the name of the artists mentioned, not really familiar with any of them. But their music was rather upbeat and very different to the kind of music she listened to, normally.

As for the professor's question, she quickly raised a hand. "I'm not familiar with the music, professor.. but the genre seems to be the same, maybe?" She was probably wrong since she knew next to nothing about muggle music but it was a guess, at least.

Emmeline smiled up at the older Gryffindor girl who had offered to let her borrow her charmed blanket. "Yes, please, Miss Mel--", she hesitated. She thought this girl had a longer name, but she could only remember the "Mel" part of it. She hoped that she wouldn't hurt Miss Mel's feelings by forgetting. "Miss Mel," she repeated sadly. Nanny would be ashamed of her -- forgetting people's names was Bad Manners.

A distraction appeared in the form of Derf sliding into the seat next to her. "Hi Derf!" Listening to his question, she gave him a sheepish grin: "Uh huh, I do need help. Lots of help." She was a little embarrassed by how much she needed her friend's help, actually. She should be able to name her own baby, shouldn't she? But that wouldn't change the fact that she definitely needed ideas. "D'you have any ideas?"

The next distraction from her embarrassed feelings arrived in the form of Miss Dora sitting down on Derf's other side. "Of course not, Miss Dora! How're you today?" Why would they mind Miss Dora sitting there?

Emmeline gave a smile and wave to Miss Olivia as she came in next, and she was glad that Miss Olivia sat next to Miss Dora because they were both very nice, and sitting near older kids was always a good idea in confusing lessons.

But sadly, now the professor was talking so Emmeline couldn't spend any more time on talking. Not that she'd said much, but still. Her brow furrowed in confusion as Professor Stewart asked them about the Muggle music. She had no idea what those songs had in common; the singers all had that weird American accent, but her classmates had already given that answer. She tended to agree with Abey -- the songs were all OLD, and that's what they had in common. He'd already said that too, so Emmeline decided to stay quiet and wait for the professor to move on.

Ohhh, this was interesting!

Rula thought most of the Muggle Studies lessons were interesting of course, but this one particularly seemed exciting. She knew very little about Muggle music, but so far from what she had heard before class started, she was enjoying quite a few of the songs. Especially the really romantic, love song ones. The happy ones at least. Though the sad ones sounded like good songs too. She scribbled down a little bit of the lyrics from the ones that really caught her interest, just so she could check out who the artists were later. Maybe she could find some new music she liked! That was always fun.

But anyway, onto the lesson. What did they have in common? They were all American singers from a loooong time ago who were very successful, according to her classmates. Was there anything else they had in common? Hmm... oh! She had an idea. Maybe.

So Rula raised her hand. "I'm not really sure if it's all of them, but it seems like a lot of them have songs about love and relationships from what I heard." Which wasn't too surprising really. Lots of different wizarding musicians wrote songs about love, so it made sense that Muggles would too.

What did they all have in common? Well the most obvious thing, and as everybody has stated, they were all Americans (tiny fist pump from the halfbreed here). But did they have other things in common? Well a lot, where to start? He was about to say these were Grammy winners, except that the Backstreet Boys didnt win, they were just nominated (a travesty of historical proportions!). Their genre didnt belong to one thing either, Soundgarden and Metallica are clearly rock bands, the rest were more pop, even country.... So what do they have else in common?

"Professor..... they all had at least one song that stood the test of time. Music that when played today still has the same effect to the listener as they did when it first aired, for some nearly a hundred years ago." And then one more "Also a lot of them either belong to a group--in the case of the Backstreet Boys, Soundgarden and Metallica, or started out as a group before going solo..... Beyonce started with Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson started with the Jackson 5. Except for Swift, who went the other way--she started out as a solo artist but then formed her Squad for a while."

It was always harder to make a guess at similarities when you had no idea what the subjects really were. Sure, they were all singers but the Professor said they couldn't use that point. Shame too because it was just about the only point the Ravenclaw would have been able to come up with until she figured out more.

"Is it because they were all wildly successful during their time?" She asked, uttering the second thought to come to her mind--as the first had been that they were all singers.

In her mind, it made sense. There were many long gone artistes that the Professor could have selected, and yet these were the ones being mentioned. Of course, it could also be that they had no success at all and contrarily were very bad at what they did. Only thing wrong with that theory was the fact the music she'd walked in on didn't SOUND like the kind that would send success darting off in the opposite direction.

Unless....unless the people who did listen to it whenever they did had a different taste for music and weren't very keen on this sort?

Again, very hard to make deductions when she knew little of the subjects to start with.

Noelle slung her coat over her lap, letting it cover her legs. The breeze from the window had been nice, she had just brought her coat for back up, but she didn't need it at the moment.

Once the lesson was started, the music stopped. Noelle looked up at the professor. Taylor Swift had been one of her grandmothers favorites. It was funny to watch her sing it and dance. Her quill was at ready but she didn't need it yet. "They were popular back in the day. Not like... one hit wonders."

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

A distraction appeared in the form of Derf sliding into the seat next to her. "Hi Derf!" Listening to his question, she gave him a sheepish grin: "Uh huh, I do need help. Lots of help." She was a little embarrassed by how much she needed her friend's help, actually. She should be able to name her own baby, shouldn't she? But that wouldn't change the fact that she definitely needed ideas. "D'you have any ideas?"

Getting his notebook and pencil out, he couldn't help but grin over at his friend. "ACTUALLY, I do," he nodded. Quickly setting his things down on his desk, he moved to remove a list from one of his robes' pockets. He hadn't been able to fall asleep a couple of nights ago so he had used that time to compile a 12 inch list or so of possible names JUST FOR Emmeline.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erindipity

Okay so... Dora was up early. She had been doing research all morning so it was with no great consequence that she was able to make her way down to Muggle studies on time. Her face was pinched with thought as she entered the classroom... that was blasting music. Fun.

Not really.

Dora had a headache. And the cold air coming in was no great help, but it was better than stifling hot conditions and stake air, right? Casting a nonverbal warming spell on herself as she moved into the room, the Gryffindor gave the professor a brief smile. "Morning, Professor. " Because who knew iF it easy good yet? The woman got a small nod as well before she made for a desk near Derf. And Emmeline? She was sure that was her name. Yes.

"Hope you guys don't mind if I sit here. " Not that she would move if they did...

"HI DORA!" he chirped. Miss Dora? Derf didn't think it was entirely necessary for Emmeline to add the Miss to Dora's name, but that seemed to be something that the Gryffindor just did so who was he to tell her otherwise? "OOOOOOOOOOOOONLY...if you will sign my shirt after class," he grinned, temporarily forgetting about the list he was pulling from his pocket and now remembering the t-shirt he had tucked away in his enchanted suitcase still. THE ONE WITH DORA'S FACE ON IT! "Actually...if you s-sign TWO t-shirts." The one with her face on it and the one that rotated through all the faces.

SPOILER!!: Liv & Sam! Dora sat next to Derf so...I think one of you must have bumped him off his seat XD if one of yous wanna play along :3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Ho dee hum. HO DEE HUM!

Was that.....TAYLOR SWIFT....Olivia detected?! Hmmm. New Romantics, 1989... She'd taken time to enjoy the song before taking her seat, humming along to the lyrics. There were several songs from the artist on her personal playlist. Clean, Wildest Dreams, Ours.... Liv liked her stuff mostly because the woman had written all of her own material. It was just cooler when someone was writing from their own personal experiences. It was more relatable.

To be honest, Olivia was SO New Romantics right now. Instead of putting a smile on her face, it only caused the blonde to be that much more thoughtful. It reminded her of things that needed to be done. Made them more difficult to ignore... Sigh. Personal lives could be messy. Being A GIRL was messy. Especially a teenage one. Geezus, she was so over herself. On a spiritual level at this point.

Nodding general greetings at her classmates, she eventually snagged the place next to Dora. Hello, Gryffindor Champ. Olivia hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate her or Levi... and parties... for reasons, made her very uncomfortable. They were getting started, so she didn't say anything right away. Just offered a sweet smile. Solidarity.

The backdrop of this music was very nice, she had to admit.

"They were American, yes...but also highly successful? Lots of records sold, and award trophies won. I think it would be safe to say they were pioneers of their genres, maybe?" Apparently that was a huge deal in the music industry. Winning those trophies. Sure, she'd won loads of them for dance, but it was hard to tell if that was different? She wasn't making millions...as they had. In her experience, trophies didn't mean a thing. "Thanks for the jams today." As an afterthought.

Speaking of American culture, Liv wondered what their Muggle Studies lessons were call. Were they No-Maj Studies? That seemed so strange to her head. The words didn't flow as nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

Sam had slipped into the seat the other side of Dora just as the Professor shut the door to the classroom, and as a result, she had barely heard one whole track. It was upbeat and peppy, but that's about all she'd caught. She'd also never heard of any of the singers Professor Stewart had mentioned, so all in all there was a simple answer to her question.

No, she couldn't tell her what element they all shared.

Not that she'd say that aloud, of course. Instead, she pulled our her pencil and doodled some music notes in her notepad. It was topical, at least?

Naturally, he assumed Dora WOULD sign his shirts and thus his attention returned to getting that list out for Emmeline when ---WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH

Someone nudged him right out of his seat and into a bit of a tumble on to the floor. Which, well, he supposed he couldn't entirely blame them since he had been ducked down and hunched over towards Emmeline to reach aaaaaaaall the way down in the bottom of his pocket - since his robes were still a little big and dragged to the floor and such - so a small little Hufflepuff like himself was hard to see. And besides...it WAS for a seat next to a Hogwarts Champion and all and him just a second year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Ten o'clock on the dot!

Without waiting for another second (sorry, stragglers!), Kay shut the door to her classroom. She moved to her desk and with a single tap on her laptop’s keypad, she paused the music. “Welcome to yet another Muggle Studies lesson, everyone!’’ She turned to beam at everyone gathered there. “Today we’ll be discussing music as you may have reasoned.’’
The woman traded her position at her desk for one before the white board. She reached for the marker to uncap. “Some of the artistes we heard included Taylor Swift, Beyonce, the Backstreet Boys etcetera. All of these, of course, are muggle singers. There is one thing in common they all have. Other than the fact they are just that- singers- can you tell me what is that element that they share? If it is that you’re not sure, you are more than welcome to make a guess.’’ She resisted the urge to give a clue; might as well let them use their noggins!

And while they got their thinking caps on, she headed to the back of the class to close the windows. The weather didn't affect her and neither did it some like Katy Toussaint but she cared for them all either way. Save for one remained open.

Um...UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM...

So...he hadn't heard of any of these people before but since several of his classmates (ABEY!) were saying that they were OLD made him feel a little better. Like he hadn't been living under a rock somewhere and missed something BIG in today's pop culture or something. Although living under a rock wouldn't be SO bad. He found lots of neat bugs and sometimes lizards there. Like just the other day on the grounds when he had been out collecting worms for Scamander with Chloe. Well, after the whole Aguamenti incident had been resolved at least.

Um...what were they talking about?

Considering he had no idea who these people were other than they SANG and that was already a given...the Hufflepuff decided to just keep quiet and er...find himself a seat then. Yes.

She did not oversleep, just felt a little bit chilly since Professor K let the windows opened in November. In a weather like this, a cup of hot chocolate and covered herself in a blanket or even cuddled with Noelle who was sitting next to her would be more lovely rather than attending this lesson. Huh. But thankfully the Professor decided to close them up... except she still let one opened but never mind. At least it was not that cold anymore.

Hmmm... Ava honestly had no idea if there's a similarity among them. "I guess that all of them also wrote their own songs because I heard that some singers don't do songwriting at all." The Gryffindor guesssed as she put her hand up.

SPOILER!!: Derf and that tumble! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Getting his notebook and pencil out, he couldn't help but grin over at his friend. "ACTUALLY, I do," he nodded. Quickly setting his things down on his desk, he moved to remove a list from one of his robes' pockets. He hadn't been able to fall asleep a couple of nights ago so he had used that time to compile a 12 inch list or so of possible names JUST FOR Emmeline.

"HI DORA!" he chirped. Miss Dora? Derf didn't think it was entirely necessary for Emmeline to add the Miss to Dora's name, but that seemed to be something that the Gryffindor just did so who was he to tell her otherwise? "OOOOOOOOOOOOONLY...if you will sign my shirt after class," he grinned, temporarily forgetting about the list he was pulling from his pocket and now remembering the t-shirt he had tucked away in his enchanted suitcase still. THE ONE WITH DORA'S FACE ON IT! "Actually...if you s-sign TWO t-shirts." The one with her face on it and the one that rotated through all the faces.

SPOILER!!: Liv & Sam! Dora sat next to Derf so...I think one of you must have bumped him off his seat XD if one of yous wanna play along :3

Naturally, he assumed Dora WOULD sign his shirts and thus his attention returned to getting that list out for Emmeline when ---WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH

Someone nudged him right out of his seat and into a bit of a tumble on to the floor. Which, well, he supposed he couldn't entirely blame them since he had been ducked down and hunched over towards Emmeline to reach aaaaaaaall the way down in the bottom of his pocket - since his robes were still a little big and dragged to the floor and such - so a small little Hufflepuff like himself was hard to see. And besides...it WAS for a seat next to a Hogwarts Champion and all and him just a second year.

Um...UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM...

So...he hadn't heard of any of these people before but since several of his classmates (ABEY!) were saying that they were OLD made him feel a little better. Like he hadn't been living under a rock somewhere and missed something BIG in today's pop culture or something. Although living under a rock wouldn't be SO bad. He found lots of neat bugs and sometimes lizards there. Like just the other day on the grounds when he had been out collecting worms for Scamander with Chloe. Well, after the whole Aguamenti incident had been resolved at least.

Um...what were they talking about?

Considering he had no idea who these people were other than they SANG and that was already a given...the Hufflepuff decided to just keep quiet and er...find himself a seat then. Yes.

Just before she got started, Kay noticed a movement out of the corner of her eyes and turned in time to see little Derf took a fall. “Mr Ashburry- Hawthorne!’’ The concerned woman hurried over to him. She held out a hand to help him up. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?’’ No scraped knee? Banged head?

SPOILER!!: Americans!

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

Skylar hadn't noticed her dormmate enter just behind her? Had she followed her the whole way up from the dorms and Skylar was oblivious? The fourth year felt bad for not waiting for Felicity, but no time for regrets now because Professor Stewart was starting and as was to be expected, the topic of today was music. Ooohhhh!!! Would they be maybe learning to make their own music?!? Because that would be super fun!

Listening as the Professor rattled off the names of the artists who they heard played, Skylar scratched absently at her temple, trying to figure out where she heard those names. They were all muggle artists and ancient too; from like seventy or eighty years ago, so definite classics they all were. She was also ninety percent sure that she recognized the names from her American family, which meant, ...

"Weren't all of them ... American singers?" It would make sense, given they were trying to have that whole cooperation thing with their American sister school, so why wouldn't they learn about American muggles too?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

Shay was enjoying the music, tapping her foot along with the beat. She couldn't help it, but music made her want to dance. She refrained from actually doing it though. There was a place and time for everything. Before she knew it, the music was turned down. It was time for class to begin.

They would be learning about music today. Shay was happy about that. What would a dancer be without music? The professor had a question for the class. What did the artists have in common. Shay wasn't sure where the professor was going with this, but she did know one thing that was alike about all of the artists she had heard. She raised her hand and took a stab at answering the question. "I agree. All of them are American." That much Shay did know. Beyond that, she would have to think about it some more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi

You know what. Muggles really have odd artist names and Mason wondered where'd they even get them from. Back Steet Boys? Did they meet in a back street, happen to be all boys and became a band???

Like always in Muggle Studies class, Mason had his 'what??' Face on. He had absolutely no idea who all these people were and if the professor hadn't mentioned that they were artists he would have thought they were.... He didn't even know.

One thing he did know and remember was when the Professor and him had spoken to each other at the igloo's and she had mentioned that she was going to cover American slang at some point. So perhaps these artists were all Americans?

Mason raised his hand, something that almost never happened in this class, saying "Are they all Ameri-----" when another student (skylar) gave the same answer. He closed his mouth , embarrassed. She had OBVIOUSLY stolen his words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Ho dee hum. HO DEE HUM!

Was that.....TAYLOR SWIFT....Olivia detected?! Hmmm. New Romantics, 1989... She'd taken time to enjoy the song before taking her seat, humming along to the lyrics. There were several songs from the artist on her personal playlist. Clean, Wildest Dreams, Ours.... Liv liked her stuff mostly because the woman had written all of her own material. It was just cooler when someone was writing from their own personal experiences. It was more relatable.

To be honest, Olivia was SO New Romantics right now. Instead of putting a smile on her face, it only caused the blonde to be that much more thoughtful. It reminded her of things that needed to be done. Made them more difficult to ignore... Sigh. Personal lives could be messy. Being A GIRL was messy. Especially a teenage one. Geezus, she was so over herself. On a spiritual level at this point.

Nodding general greetings at her classmates, she eventually snagged the place next to Dora. Hello, Gryffindor Champ. Olivia hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate her or Levi... and parties... for reasons, made her very uncomfortable. They were getting started, so she didn't say anything right away. Just offered a sweet smile. Solidarity.

The backdrop of this music was very nice, she had to admit.

"They were American, yes...but also highly successful? Lots of records sold, and award trophies won. I think it would be safe to say they were pioneers of their genres, maybe?" Apparently that was a huge deal in the music industry. Winning those trophies. Sure, she'd won loads of them for dance, but it was hard to tell if that was different? She wasn't making millions...as they had. In her experience, trophies didn't mean a thing. "Thanks for the jams today." As an afterthought.

Speaking of American culture, Liv wondered what their Muggle Studies lessons were call. Were they No-Maj Studies? That seemed so strange to her head. The words didn't flow as nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goblinfrog

Okay, that was embarrassing.

"Sorry professor, I forgot about that rule," she replied with a wince, willing the quick quotes quill back into her bag. Merlin's bats...

The question was a welcome reprieve from the sting of losing points in Muggle Studies. "Every band I heard so far was American," she answered, raising her hand in the air. "And since we're being visited by Americans, it makes sense that we'd study popular American music."

Ding, ding, ding!

We have ourselves some winners!

Though it wasn’t like all the kiddos were winners in her opinion. But these few had hit the nail on the head; the responses were precisely what she was looking for. “Correct! These were all famous either American singers or bands. As we have visitors from Ilvermorny, I thought it was best to continue lessons about their country. It is my hope that should you understand their culture, you will all be able to bond with them.’’ This was her life’s mission, anyway, except that it came in the broader prospect of bridging the gap between wizards and muggles. “There will be more details on America’s music as we progress.’’

SPOILER!!: Popular, Mainstream!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erindipity

Dora nodded in return to the greeting she received from the professor. Cool, cool, cool. Fun times. And the music... was all popular music, no? Oldies, too. And perhaps... "It's all popular, mainstream music, Professor, " she said as she stifled a yawn. Maybe she had gotten up earlier than she had realized.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur

Noelle slung her coat over her lap, letting it cover her legs. The breeze from the window had been nice, she had just brought her coat for back up, but she didn't need it at the moment.

Once the lesson was started, the music stopped. Noelle looked up at the professor. Taylor Swift had been one of her grandmothers favorites. It was funny to watch her sing it and dance. Her quill was at ready but she didn't need it yet. "They were popular back in the day. Not like... one hit wonders."

“That is also correct,’’ Kay said with a few bobs of her head in Dora’s and Noelle’s directions. “Multiple of their songs became number one not only in America but also in various countries.’’ She didn’t go into details here either because that was going to happen when most of the class had given their answers.

SPOILER!!: Success!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanners

... Sure this was Muggle Studies, but it wasn't a History of Muggles lesson, right? Couldn't they have been subjected to music that was at least in the last few decades? He wasn't going to complain much because he loved music, but couldn't they just enJOY something of recent times. Not even muggle born students would be familiar with all of this, and it was surprising to him that his peers knew about it too. Clearly, they were well versed in the history of muggle music.

But he agreed with what had been said by his peers, sure. The songs he had heard were by American artists, which made sense to him given that they had visitors at their school from that place. But Rooney was Rooney and having his voice heard was vital. "Did they all win the same award once in their career, Professor Stewart?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Ho dee hum. HO DEE HUM!

Was that.....TAYLOR SWIFT....Olivia detected?! Hmmm. New Romantics, 1989... She'd taken time to enjoy the song before taking her seat, humming along to the lyrics. There were several songs from the artist on her personal playlist. Clean, Wildest Dreams, Ours.... Liv liked her stuff mostly because the woman had written all of her own material. It was just cooler when someone was writing from their own personal experiences. It was more relatable.

To be honest, Olivia was SO New Romantics right now. Instead of putting a smile on her face, it only caused the blonde to be that much more thoughtful. It reminded her of things that needed to be done. Made them more difficult to ignore... Sigh. Personal lives could be messy. Being A GIRL was messy. Especially a teenage one. Geezus, she was so over herself. On a spiritual level at this point.

Nodding general greetings at her classmates, she eventually snagged the place next to Dora. Hello, Gryffindor Champ. Olivia hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate her or Levi... and parties... for reasons, made her very uncomfortable. They were getting started, so she didn't say anything right away. Just offered a sweet smile. Solidarity.

The backdrop of this music was very nice, she had to admit.

"They were American, yes...but also highly successful? Lots of records sold, and award trophies won. I think it would be safe to say they were pioneers of their genres, maybe?" Apparently that was a huge deal in the music industry. Winning those trophies. Sure, she'd won loads of them for dance, but it was hard to tell if that was different? She wasn't making millions...as they had. In her experience, trophies didn't mean a thing. "Thanks for the jams today." As an afterthought.

Speaking of American culture, Liv wondered what their Muggle Studies lessons were call. Were they No-Maj Studies? That seemed so strange to her head. The words didn't flow as nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

It was always harder to make a guess at similarities when you had no idea what the subjects really were. Sure, they were all singers but the Professor said they couldn't use that point. Shame too because it was just about the only point the Ravenclaw would have been able to come up with until she figured out more.

"Is it because they were all wildly successful during their time?" She asked, uttering the second thought to come to her mind--as the first had been that they were all singers.

In her mind, it made sense. There were many long gone artistes that the Professor could have selected, and yet these were the ones being mentioned. Of course, it could also be that they had no success at all and contrarily were very bad at what they did. Only thing wrong with that theory was the fact the music she'd walked in on didn't SOUND like the kind that would send success darting off in the opposite direction.

Unless....unless the people who did listen to it whenever they did had a different taste for music and weren't very keen on this sort?

Again, very hard to make deductions when she knew little of the subjects to start with.

This was the perfect time to launch into a bit of history about some of the artistes. “Exactly! They were all rather successful in their own way. For example, Taylor Swift was famous for her contemporary songs which narrated her life, more particularly her love life. Her debut album reached its highest spot of number five on the Billboard 200- which is a recording chart for albums in the United States. Her second album became the best selling one of the year 2009 and it earned her the award ‘Album of the Year’, an award which recognised her as the younger person to ever have won it.’’ She could go on about Swift’s success but she needed to move on.

“Next, we have Soundgarden, a rock band. This band is credited for aiding in the development of grunge music which a style of alternate rock. One of their biggest successes is their album ‘Superunknown’ debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. They too received numerous awards and they sold millions of albums around the globe. Their awards include ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ and ‘Best Metal Performance’.’’

“There are so many artistes that I can go into great detail about but with the time constraint, I will be unable to do so. However, I have compiled information on a variety of singers from many genres and I have it uploaded onto the computers in The Fun Room. Please ensure that you take some time to go through the information as there will be a touch of this topic in your end of term exams. The file is labelled ‘American Music Through The Years’.

"In response to Mr Bronwyn's question, not all of them necessarily won the same awards. Their wins are sometimes categorised by the type of songs which the singer or group puts out.'' Olivia got a smile. "You're welcome, Ms Phillips. Your response is correct. It is safe to say that these artistes would have inspired many future singers with their songs and talent.''

SPOILER!!: Super old/ same timeframe!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Yeessssssss, MUSIC. Abey loooooOOOOoooooOOOoooved music, okay? He did. He really did. Muggle AND wizarding music, and actually muggle music (and some of their stories and plays) were the only muggle things he really knew about, mostly thanks to his old drama club (WHICH HE HAD ALSO LOVED). He also knew about wizarding music because WEST ODESSA was his unofficial cousin and also taught him how to play guitar and oops hadn't it been months since he'd even picked UP his guitar? DID HE EVEN BRING IT TO SCHOOL WITH HIM??? Probably actually; Abey brought practically everything with him to school; you never knew WHEN you might need something. It was why his trunk and dormitory was such a mess.

Except clearly he didn't really know enough about muggle music, because he really didn't know the answer to the professor's first question. He would have just said that they were all muggles, but... she'd already pointed that out, so there went THAT answer. Well... apparently taking a random guess was okay and actually Abey never felt all that bad about being wrong in this class because he was a pure-blood and most pure-bloods didn't know a thing about muggles.

Yes. A guess, then. "Are they all from a million years ago?" Abey asked, half-forgetting to raise his hand and half giving up on the idea because he was still holding his robes tightly around him to KEEP THE WARM IN, even though by now only just one window was open.

Because he still hadn't got used to the weather.

All the way up here.

In Scotland.

Where it was.

Actually.

Freezing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Katy grinned broadly at the professor's admission that she wished the windows could be left open, since it felt like a secret. Not a real secret, but it felt like one. She pouted for a moment when the music disappeared, although it wasn't really her thing. She liked contemporary stuff. Wizarding stuff, which was more complex.

Her hand went up anyway, since the professor wanted their opinion. "Muggle, and from the same general era, I think. Classics too, if you consider anything more than 20 years old a classic. And these are way more than 20 years old."

Abey was going to be an icicle soon if she didn’t do something for him. Perhaps it was because he was so tiny the weather affected him so much. Whatever the reason was, Kay refused to let him freeze. As everyone knew from previous lessons, there was a fireplace in the classroom. It wasn’t electric but a regular one and she quickly built a fire though not as big as the ones she would make previously; she didn’t want to warm the class too much for those unaffected. Thank goodness for the house elves helping her to store firewood. “Mr Botros, you can sit closer to the fire. Anyone else who wishes to may also do so.’’ Satisfied that Abey would be happier, she returned to the front of the class.

“That's right. These artistes are ‘ancient’ as some of you may say. Some of them originate from the earlier 2000s while others originate from the later 1900s. But there is a particular reason why I chose older artistes as you will find out soon enough.’’

SPOILER!!: Silent kiddos! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

Sam had slipped into the seat the other side of Dora just as the Professor shut the door to the classroom, and as a result, she had barely heard one whole track. It was upbeat and peppy, but that's about all she'd caught. She'd also never heard of any of the singers Professor Stewart had mentioned, so all in all there was a simple answer to her question.

No, she couldn't tell her what element they all shared.

Not that she'd say that aloud, of course. Instead, she pulled our her pencil and doodled some music notes in her notepad. It was topical, at least?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NifflerFan

Emmeline smiled up at the older Gryffindor girl who had offered to let her borrow her charmed blanket. "Yes, please, Miss Mel--", she hesitated. She thought this girl had a longer name, but she could only remember the "Mel" part of it. She hoped that she wouldn't hurt Miss Mel's feelings by forgetting. "Miss Mel," she repeated sadly. Nanny would be ashamed of her -- forgetting people's names was Bad Manners.

A distraction appeared in the form of Derf sliding into the seat next to her. "Hi Derf!" Listening to his question, she gave him a sheepish grin: "Uh huh, I do need help. Lots of help." She was a little embarrassed by how much she needed her friend's help, actually. She should be able to name her own baby, shouldn't she? But that wouldn't change the fact that she definitely needed ideas. "D'you have any ideas?"

The next distraction from her embarrassed feelings arrived in the form of Miss Dora sitting down on Derf's other side. "Of course not, Miss Dora! How're you today?" Why would they mind Miss Dora sitting there?

Emmeline gave a smile and wave to Miss Olivia as she came in next, and she was glad that Miss Olivia sat next to Miss Dora because they were both very nice, and sitting near older kids was always a good idea in confusing lessons.

But sadly, now the professor was talking so Emmeline couldn't spend any more time on talking. Not that she'd said much, but still. Her brow furrowed in confusion as Professor Stewart asked them about the Muggle music. She had no idea what those songs had in common; the singers all had that weird American accent, but her classmates had already given that answer. She tended to agree with Abey -- the songs were all OLD, and that's what they had in common. He'd already said that too, so Emmeline decided to stay quiet and wait for the professor to move on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Getting his notebook and pencil out, he couldn't help but grin over at his friend. "ACTUALLY, I do," he nodded. Quickly setting his things down on his desk, he moved to remove a list from one of his robes' pockets. He hadn't been able to fall asleep a couple of nights ago so he had used that time to compile a 12 inch list or so of possible names JUST FOR Emmeline.

"HI DORA!" he chirped. Miss Dora? Derf didn't think it was entirely necessary for Emmeline to add the Miss to Dora's name, but that seemed to be something that the Gryffindor just did so who was he to tell her otherwise? "OOOOOOOOOOOOONLY...if you will sign my shirt after class," he grinned, temporarily forgetting about the list he was pulling from his pocket and now remembering the t-shirt he had tucked away in his enchanted suitcase still. THE ONE WITH DORA'S FACE ON IT! "Actually...if you s-sign TWO t-shirts." The one with her face on it and the one that rotated through all the faces.

SPOILER!!: Liv & Sam! Dora sat next to Derf so...I think one of you must have bumped him off his seat XD if one of yous wanna play along :3

Naturally, he assumed Dora WOULD sign his shirts and thus his attention returned to getting that list out for Emmeline when ---WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH

Someone nudged him right out of his seat and into a bit of a tumble on to the floor. Which, well, he supposed he couldn't entirely blame them since he had been ducked down and hunched over towards Emmeline to reach aaaaaaaall the way down in the bottom of his pocket - since his robes were still a little big and dragged to the floor and such - so a small little Hufflepuff like himself was hard to see. And besides...it WAS for a seat next to a Hogwarts Champion and all and him just a second year.

Um...UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM...

So...he hadn't heard of any of these people before but since several of his classmates (ABEY!) were saying that they were OLD made him feel a little better. Like he hadn't been living under a rock somewhere and missed something BIG in today's pop culture or something. Although living under a rock wouldn't be SO bad. He found lots of neat bugs and sometimes lizards there. Like just the other day on the grounds when he had been out collecting worms for Scamander with Chloe. Well, after the whole Aguamenti incident had been resolved at least.

Um...what were they talking about?

Considering he had no idea who these people were other than they SANG and that was already a given...the Hufflepuff decided to just keep quiet and er...find himself a seat then. Yes.

There were a few silent kiddos and Kay did not miss them. She smiled encouragingly in their directions. Would they think of anything to contribute soon? If they didn’t this time around, then hopefully when she asked the next question because her next one would be an ‘open’ one. That is, there was no right or wrong answer.

SPOILER!!: Same genre!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady of Light

Etta was in the mood to dance, honestly. But she couldn't really do that, could she? She'd probably be kicked out of class and being a prefect.. she didn't want to do anything remotely stupid like that. She had a reputation to maintain, right? Right. Muggle singers though... she listened to the name of the artists mentioned, not really familiar with any of them. But their music was rather upbeat and very different to the kind of music she listened to, normally.

As for the professor's question, she quickly raised a hand. "I'm not familiar with the music, professor.. but the genre seems to be the same, maybe?" She was probably wrong since she knew next to nothing about muggle music but it was a guess, at least.

Kay smiled but shook her head. “Actually, I have a variety of genres here. Some are rock, pop and soul, among others.’’ Etta made a good guess and the woman appreciated it.

SPOILER!!: Love and Romance!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

Ohhh, this was interesting!

Rula thought most of the Muggle Studies lessons were interesting of course, but this one particularly seemed exciting. She knew very little about Muggle music, but so far from what she had heard before class started, she was enjoying quite a few of the songs. Especially the really romantic, love song ones. The happy ones at least. Though the sad ones sounded like good songs too. She scribbled down a little bit of the lyrics from the ones that really caught her interest, just so she could check out who the artists were later. Maybe she could find some new music she liked! That was always fun.

But anyway, onto the lesson. What did they have in common? They were all American singers from a loooong time ago who were very successful, according to her classmates. Was there anything else they had in common? Hmm... oh! She had an idea. Maybe.

So Rula raised her hand. "I'm not really sure if it's all of them, but it seems like a lot of them have songs about love and relationships from what I heard." Which wasn't too surprising really. Lots of different wizarding musicians wrote songs about love, so it made sense that Muggles would too.

“Quite true! Many artistes seemed to have found inspiration through love, romance and heartbreak. Other topics that are popular inspirations include friendship, childhood and parenthood.''

SPOILER!!: Memorable song/ belonged to a group

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steelsheen

What did they all have in common? Well the most obvious thing, and as everybody has stated, they were all Americans (tiny fist pump from the halfbreed here). But did they have other things in common? Well a lot, where to start? He was about to say these were Grammy winners, except that the Backstreet Boys didnt win, they were just nominated (a travesty of historical proportions!). Their genre didnt belong to one thing either, Soundgarden and Metallica are clearly rock bands, the rest were more pop, even country.... So what do they have else in common?

"Professor..... they all had at least one song that stood the test of time. Music that when played today still has the same effect to the listener as they did when it first aired, for some nearly a hundred years ago." And then one more "Also a lot of them either belong to a group--in the case of the Backstreet Boys, Soundgarden and Metallica, or started out as a group before going solo..... Beyonce started with Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson started with the Jackson 5. Except for Swift, who went the other way--she started out as a solo artist but then formed her Squad for a while."

Kay nodded enthusiastically. “Another excellent point! The majority of them were members of a group. It’s interesting to note that sometimes the singers, when they go solo, become even more popular than the group they were once a part of.’’ It was funny how that worked out. “And yes, they all had at least one memorable song that is still popular even to today.’’

SPOILER!!: Written their own song!

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

She did not oversleep, just felt a little bit chilly since Professor K let the windows opened in November. In a weather like this, a cup of hot chocolate and covered herself in a blanket or even cuddled with Noelle who was sitting next to her would be more lovely rather than attending this lesson. Huh. But thankfully the Professor decided to close them up... except she still let one opened but never mind. At least it was not that cold anymore.

Hmmm... Ava honestly had no idea if there's a similarity among them. "I guess that all of them also wrote their own songs because I heard that some singers don't do songwriting at all." The Gryffindor guesssed as she put her hand up.

“Some of them wrote their own songs,’’ Kay replied. “At times, musicians would seek help, particularly from other musicians to aid them in doing so. This is known as a collaboration.’’

* * * * * * *

Individual responses complete, Kay turned her attention fully to the entire class. “Before we proceed directly into the subject of today’s lesson, which will deal with the evolution of America’s music, I would like to ask each of you this: How has music helped you, if it has? Do you see it as a universal language? Do you think it’s bad for us? Are lyrics becoming too profound and in turn can influence us in the wrong way? These are just example questions but I want you to share your opinions with us briefly.’’

OOC: You lovelies Thanks for your responses! For this ‘open’ question, feel free to have your charrie expound on their responses if you like even if Kay says to share their opinions ‘briefly’ From the responses, I’ve gathered that a lot of them are fond of music. We shall carry on in the usual 24 hours! Remember, catch up IS allowed! *encourages* <3

Ah so they are learning about American music. The Gryffindor Ace was beaming. He is totally in his element. Heck its been a great week thus far, first Charms had them cooking and now they're talking about music. Color him a happy!

Has music helped him? Oh boy where could he even begin... "Well Professor, music is what my dad and I bond over, he's a big fan and collector of most the tracks you played-- heck he named me after an American comedy rock band called Tenacious D...." how's that for helping out eh? "Music-- singing, playing instruments-- it helps me in many ways, its a form of self-expression, its great therapy, its a natural mood picker-upper. Good music does all that and more. Also good music transcends not just languages but also cultures, it transcends time. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro has the same effect today as it did three hundred years ago."

Now as for music being bad.... "Hmm... music for the most part serves to inspire, it serves to bridge the gap, but some artists have used catchy tunes to glorify bad behavior, instigate anarchy. So I guess like magic, it depends on who wields it that determines if the effects are good or bad."

Olivia had been rather quiet over the course of the class as she listened to her fellow classmates' thoughts on music. Music brought people together for sure. She could agree with that. Music was like it was its own language. She nodded her head to everything that Tenacius had said. "As Ace said, it's great for therapy. I enjoy playing the piano because its both relaxing and challenging. It can be challenging when you are learning a new piece to play but you put time into it and then you learn how to play it." She smiled. "Music is like mathematics, art, or theatre. It is something that is always changing and evolving. It also plays a major part in human culture and identity. It's an art form that can discuss political, cultural, and social issues. "

As for the bad part... Some types of music can negatively impact cultures. "Some types of music can encourage negative behaviors across cultures, such as toxic relationships, treatment of other people, etc. Music can impact people's moods in a negative way. Sometimes music can be depressing and make you feel that way. In addition, different types of rhythms or different tempos can stress people out." She had listened to songs that had stressed her out way too much before and had to switch the song pronto!

MUSIC.

Rooney was SO all over the place right now with his feelings about this class subject that he wasn't even able to put his opinions into words. Instead he just sat bouncing eagerly in his seat with all of the LOVE for the arts in his heart. LOVE LOVE LOVE. -- Oooooh, maybe Livvy would want to hold hands after class and go for a walk! THAT was love.

Oh no. It was happening.

"MUSIC IS PROFESSIONS OF LOVE AND HATE AND PRIDE AND DISGUST AND DISAPPOINTMENT AND TRUTH AND LOOOOOOOOOOOVE, PROFESSOR."

Ah yes, continuing lessons about their American counterpart. Of course. Of course. Why wouldn't Professor Stewart want them to make friends from Ilvermorny?

How has music helped her? Universal language? Too profound? Before Skylar could formulate a response, however, Rooney happened. And any words that the fourth year had at her tongue, escaped her, her lips feeling unusually parched and she was left speechless. Clearing her throat, she reached into her bag for a cup, and was about to conjure water, when she remembered this was muggle studies. No magic. She would just have to force her saliva glands to work properly.

One minute, two minutes.

"Mus-*ahem*-ic, It's not really a universal language, unless it's just instrumental, but words themselves would be difficult to understand in a foreign language. I'm sorry, Professor, may I conjure some water?" If she asked permission, than maybe it would be okay, because thirst here. Or the Professor could conjure some for her?

Kyle looked up at the ceiling and bounced his pencil, eraser side down, on the desk. How had music had a role in his life? He heard someone mention that if you couldn't understand the music, it wasn't universal. But was it? He supposed some songs he had listened to, that had lyrics sounding quite a bit different from the tone of the music, would make it difficult to truly appreciate if you didn't know the language. But other music he had listened to from various parts of the country...

"I think the general tone of music, in most circumstances, is universal. Like there's a Korean song I listened to that's a love song between this guy and girl... It's like I could picture them singing it, even though I didn't know the words. Dad helped me look up the translation on the Internet, though, and that seemed to give it more meaning. But some song, the lyrics and the tone of the music don't match, and in those cases it's completely different. Like an upbeat sounding song with really depressing or creepy lyrics, you wouldn't get the complete meaning of the song without knowing what they were saying." He thought about it some more. "Music is really important to us in my family. We all have our favorite songs, favorite singers, favorite styles... And some music makes us remember things. Like songs played at dad's weddings remind him of those times, or ones played at funerals he'd been to remind him of those people. I haven't been to a wedding or funeral yet, but dad says that kinda stuff is really emotional for him. I tend to like upbeat pop songs myself."

Jumping in alarm at Rooney's outburst, Kitty turned to regard her co-prefect with raised eyebrows and a slight smile. No matter how many times they happened, Rooney's outbursts always managed to catch her off guard. She really didn't mind, they were fun to listen to usually.

Turning back to the professor, she raised her hand.

"I agree with Rooney. Music can be about all kinds of emotions, both negative and positive. Personally, music usually doesn't completely switch my mood, but it can amplify it depending on how I feel. Like for example, if I'm angry and feel like protesting (even though I can't right now) then Green Day and Twisted Sister are good bands to listen to. Often I just let a song play repeatedly in my head because I love its feel so much. And yes, music can amplify negative behavior, but there are many more examples of it helping good behavior than bad. Anything can be used for bad purposes, but music is mostly just good fun. It's a universal language like you said, because even if I didn't understand the words - the music still can be fun to listen to."

............

.................

Well, Olivia had a wonderful answer to these question but then Rooney Bronwyn was bellowing....startling her half to death. It was so sudden...and so unexpected that she accidentally knocked her inkwell off the desk, causing it to hit the floor; shattering into a million pieces. BLINK BLINK BLINK. Moving quickly to clean up her mess, the blonde mumbled various apologies to Professor Stewart, Dora... whoever else... using her wand to clear away the inky black mass on the floor. And the glass shards...because... um, she didn't want anyone to cut themselves. Broken glass was dangerous...

Sigh, Bronwyn. Some warning next time? Please?

Clearing her throat, Liv moseyed back around to retake her seat. The mess was cleaned up, and she had an extra inkwell, so it was really no harm, no foul. Gosh. Willing her heart to slow from it's racing, she refocused on her notes...What had the question been again?

Oh, right....music. What did it mean to her? How had it affected her life? Etc, etc, etc.

"Professor, as someone who's danced ballet for over ten years," Since she was THREE YEARS OLD, yep. That was what time and dedication looked like. "...music is an integral part of my performances, and I feel like...because I have that close relationship with music, that it tends to mean a bit more to me than it might others." Save for Rooney A. Bronwyn, apparently... Geezus. "When you're meant to interpret sound into movement, there's something very intimate about the experience. You learn about yourself in how you choose for that interpretation to come across to others. Say...if they're paying to see your show." Ahem, that wasn't her entire answer...Olivia had so much to say about this, and hopefully Professor Stewart would bear with her, because... this could come across long-winded. "As for how it's changed my life, I direct you to most magical and muggle musical soundtracks from the past hundred years."

Also... ALSO..."I have to say that music has the power to move between worlds. Considering how integrated we are as witches and wizards. As in...we don't just enjoy music made within the magical community. With many of us having muggle family members, and having been exposed to most of this music you're playing today. It's a part of those family member's history, thus making it a part of ours by association. So, it IS something great to bond over, as Ace has said." "It makes us more alike than we care to admit." Because there were some people who saw witches and wizards as being superior to muggles, and that sort of thinking really bothered her. No one was better than anyone else. Not ever. They were all human beings... People like her just had a little bit of magic. It wasn't an elevating fact of life, here. "But also...aside from blurring the lines between magical and muggle... it hops across country borders, too. Like how we, as Brits and Scots, enjoy American music, French, Italian, German, Japanese... It has a way of promoting unity without necessarily meaning to. We may have so many differences, but music reminds us that there are things we have in common. Interests we share."

Mmmm, was that it? Was that all she had to say? Come on, Olivia!brain. Was there more? ".....Sorry, Professor."

Apparently Sam was still half asleep, as she'd only belatedly noticed that noise that seat she'd taken had emitted. With a frown, she bent down to desk level to see the young Hufflepuff and gasped. "Oh, sorry Derf!" She honestly hadn't seen him there, and could have sworn the seat next to her bestie was free. "Are you okay?"

"No need," Sam said, seeing him going to move elsewhere. Apparently Champion Dora was popular, and that was okay. She could go elsewhere. Sam grabbed her stuff, and gave an apologetic look to both Derf and Professor Stewart before moving to another desk, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Sorry for the interruption and any bruised knees.

And it seemed that the lesson wasn't about to get better. How had music helped her? A universal language? What did she think of the lyrics? Sam frowned, never having thought about it like that. She'd spent most of her formative years without having a choice what she listened too. Only the music playing in shops, which wasn't generally all that exciting, and the buskers around London, who ranged in quality.

It was only recently that she'd her own wireless. Honestly, she liked a whole eclectic mix, but she didn't feel an authority on the subject. She liked different things in different moods. Sometimes she needed white noise for studying, to help block out the conversations going on in the common room, and sometimes she liked more upbeat or rocky stuff. She didn't dance though, or anything like that.

"Some music helps me concentrate," she added to the discussion. "But it can help you get pumped up too. So...I guess I'm saying it can reflect and change our moods more than just words." Whether that counted as a universal language though, she wasn't sure.

Yesssssssssclosertothefireyespleaseyesplease. As soon as Abey had permission to move, he ABSOLUTELY DID SO, moving closer to the fireplace and immediately feeling the benefit of its warmth. Gooooooood yes.

He was, perhaps, appreciating the fire a little too much, because it took Abey a few moments to realise that Professor Something was already properly delving right into the class topic.

Sooooo... oh. OH! This was a question Abey could answer! He had LOOOOOOADS of things to say about what music meant to him and how it influenced him and stuff BECAUSE he actually sort of played the guitar because of West and, okay, it had been a while since he had done so, but it had been something he could really really do! And as long as he remembered what he was playing, it was a way he could feel actually smart at something. Also, singing. There was a song for every occasion, and singing made Abey's heart happy.

He had JUST opened his mouth to say all of this (and then some, probably actually), when Rooney Bronwyn... um... Rooney-Bronwyn'd.

Abey stared, mouth hanging open, at the Head Boy, a little stunned and also not entirely sure any answer he gave could really live up to that actually.

Sooooo... he wasn't going to try. Instead, with a raised VICTORY FIST, Abey chimed in afterwards with:

"HEAR, HEAR!"

That meant he agreed, right?