A Draba or a Silphium?

Essays from class with Carol Burdick, A Place in the Universe, 2001
Would you rather be a Draba or a Silphium?

Being a Draba is tempting but I wish to be a Silphium. I couldn't think of anything more wonderful than growing for years and years to put my tap root into the earth so far that hours of sweating with an ax and shovel, a mattock and pry-bar, a pick and garden knife would fail to dislodge me.

I'd stand so confident, so solid, so certain in my being that a back hoe couldn't keep me from flowering in triumph, though asphalt if I chose. Yes, please, make me a Silhium and let the bison, brown and shaggy or black and white, nibble on my unbeaten stem and send Aldo to collect my seeds, future children of a simple soil world.


(Are dandelions related to Silpium? When we paved our driveway, the previous owners, dandelions, pushed through six inches of blacktop to blossom as they always had. I was cruel, dowsing them with vinegar and whomping the bumps in the paving with a sledge defeating them but recognizing that their growth was impressive.

silphium sunflower tribe within the daisy family

draba reptans, Carolina whitlow grass

Christiana Lehmann, Printmaker, Graphic Designer, Musician

ALFRED: Christiana Lehmann has wanted to work in an art field for about a long as she can remember. She has a memory of an interest area test in which her choices indicated that she might do well if she aimed her studies toward an art field. In elementary school, for a flicker of time, she considered being a teacher but shortly realized that would be a disaster – too much talking and not enough drawing. Other than that moment of considering teaching, art is what she has pursued.

                Christiana graduated from Arlington High School, about an hour and a half north of New York City. When it came time to choose a school, she narrowed it to Pratt and Alfred and one of the things that tilted strongly toward Alfred was the Performing Arts Department.

                Christiana started flute lessons when she was about 9 and continued with flute in high school and through her 4 years in Alfred. She started playing acoustic guitar when she was 13 and spent a few semesters studying piano at Alfred. Her newest instrumental experience is with the cello which she has played for just over a year.

                She played in Symphonic Band all 4 years and has been a member of the flute choir since it started. She played flute in both Symphonic Band and Orchestra one year and then started cello lessons so played in the cello section of the orchestra this year. The cello attracted her because of the glorious sound it can make. That range of tones is so rich and full that she had to give it a try.

                Christiana’s degree will be a Bachelor of Fine Arts and she has chosen to concentrate on graphic design and printmaking. Her senior thesis show, Melodic Dissonance, will combine drawings, handmade flutes and recorded music. In this title, Christiana is the melody. It’s the music within her and the emotions that music brings to her. She is the midst of carving print blocks that reference music and the emotional aspect of music. The dissonance in the melody is the repeated stamping of the blocks in overlapping rows, columns and patterns to create new designs with the varied placements.

                All of her stamps have designs 5 lines representing the lines of the music staff. She showed me some prints that are done in gray, black and white or just black and white. Some of the stamps are just a few inches in size but she places them on the paper over and over to create huge designs and said she is never sure how the small patterns will look when they are used over and over. One large print has curved lines that reference the shape of the cut out on a cello. Stamps made in straight lines sometimes give diagonal designs or a sort of plaid. The surprising outcomes are part of the fun of printmaking.

                Christiana likes functional art and decided that her thesis show would include a collection of handmade, functional flutes. She chose to make the flutes from bamboo because it is a natural and fast growing material and thought she could get some at a garden center. Instead she had to order bundles of it from the also fast-growing but perhaps not so sustainable Amazon. Needs must.

                Early in the flute making process she discovered things about flutes and bamboo. One is that bamboo is brittle and cracks sometimes when drilled. Another is that bundles of bamboo contain some long narrow poles amid long wide poles with few being a great diameter for a flute. Another is that the head of a flute needs to be smaller in diameter than the body of the flute to be in tune.

                She starts by drilling the mouth piece hole and then gets what she calls the original note to sound true. After she successfully gets an original first note she applies mathematics to determine the placement for finger holes. She plans to have 13 flutes starting with a low D and going up the scale in half steps to the D one octave above.

                When you attend her show, if plans aren’t modified, you will see a display of her flutes amid the prints based on the line designs. You’ll hear recordings of her playing the flutes which will be blended and edited and played in a loop.

                The designs will be printed on the flutes as well as on paper. She learned that if she prints on acetate and wraps it around a flute, she can burnish the acetate to transfer the print to the bamboo flute.  

                This semester has been Christiana’s favorite time at AU. She has her thesis show work, music including both Symphonic groups and flute choir and Astronomy to more than fill her days as she thinks about finding a job in graphic arts after graduation. She’s enjoyed her time in Alfred but plans to move south toward the milder weather that her siblings live and work in, and, no offense to The Rogue Carrot, near a large grocery store.

                Senior thesis shows are always on a Saturday evening. May 5^th is the date set for this year and the time is the usual 4 to 7 pm. Christiana Lehmann’s work will be in section B10 in Binns-Merrill Hall. There will be dozens of other graduating seniors showing their work on the campus and in town. Follow an excited crowd and make it into an active area where there will be labeled maps to guide you.Senior Shows are free and open to the public though parking areas are scarce.

Molly Stansfield

ALFRED: Musical ensembles at Alfred University bring people together in cohesive, cooperative groups but the things that led the members of the groups into music couldn’t be more different. Occasionally students say that, as elementary students,, they were impressed with an older sibling’s skill and wanted to be just like them. Some students said that they started music lessons to get out of doing something else such as track or house chores. One student found his grandfather’s trumpet in a closet and that set him on his way toward music lessons. However they start, it’s always wonderful when students make time to continue playing their instruments in college and beyond.

                Molly Standsfield came to Alfred University as an experienced and confident musician and has played flute in every Symphonic Band concert over the last 4 years. She has also played in several student recitals as a developing solo flutist and in every flute choir performance. Molly’s entry into music was influenced by two relatives.

                Her paternal grandmother, Agnes, was “into music”.  This grandmother not only accompanied the choir in her high school and played in churches but also accompanied her husband’s barber shop quartet in the days before Molly joined the family. Agnes was one of the piano teachers in town and encouraged Molly to be musical.

                Fifth grade was the time that Molly could start lessons in school and her family steered her toward the flute. She had an older cousin who played flute but, after graduating high school, had no interest in keeping the flute in her life. Molly’s family felt that if the instrument was there, and free, any sensible girl would like it. Happily, Molly did.

                Molly’s Grandma Agnes was in her 80s when 5^th grader Molly started playing flute. By the time Molly was flute-proficient, Agnes didn’t travel far or often but she always came to hear Molly play at Christmas Eve services so that Molly will always feel that music connects her to the memory of her grandmother. Molly’s grandmother passed away when she was in her sophomore year at AU. Following her grandmother’s lead, and not that older cousin’s, Molly plans to continue flute playing in community music groups in Maine.

                Molly said if there wasn’t a flute at the ready for her, she might have chosen to play saxophone. She took a semester of baritone sax during something called lab-band that her high school in Maine. Band-lab allowed students to give different instruments a try for a while. Molly like the sax but stayed with her flute and, during high school, the piccolo too.

                She has some good memories from playing music in high school. One Christmas she and Bryce (clarinet) and Kelcie (bassoon) were to play a woodwind trio during a band concert. Since it was Christmas they decided to festoon their instruments with bows. It may have looked great but Bryce accidentally pushed a bow into a key where it silenced the clarinet. Luckily he figured out the problem and dismissed the bow to continue performing but the next year they left the bows out of it.

                Music at AU was a plus when she was choosing a college to attend but more important was the Equestrian program and the barn. The way Molly’s paternal grandmother was “into music” her maternal grandmother, Evelyn, was “into horses”. Molly’s mom took riding lessons and tiny Molly tagged along finally starting her own riding career at age 7.  

                When visiting the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center she met not prim and proper folk in formal riding gear but people in work boots and every day gear working and bonding with horses. It was her kind of horse world and she has ridden and worked there throughout her college career. She plans to keep riding when she returns to Maine where there are horses she has ridden and worked with.      

                This May, Molly will graduate with a BS in Psychology with concentrations in both Clinical and Child Psychology. She will also have minors in music and equestrian studies. Next year she will start study at the University of Southern Maine where she will earn a MS in School Counseling.

                Molly has 2 performances at the end of this semester to cap her flute experiences at Alfred University and you are invited to both. First is a student recital in which she will perform with the Alfred University flute choir directed by Caroline Sonnett scheduled for Sunday, April 15 at 3 pm in Howell Hall (the building with pillars situated next to the Carillon uphill of the King Alfred statue). The recital will also include some string ensembles.

                Molly will also perform with the Alfred University Symphonic Band on Friday, April 27 at 7:30 pm in the Miller Performing Arts Center.  As always, the concert will be free and to the public.

SEEKING JUSTICE/CREATING BALANCE

Co sponsored by Criminal Justice Studies Program in the Division of Social Sciences,  College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Alfred University's Social Justice Studies Program.

Warr, Forsyth, Durwin

ALFRED: Students in the Alfred University Criminal Justice Institute and the Social Justice Program blend classroom learning with real world experience. This week activists from Rochester brought their world to campus with a presentation entitled Seeking Justice/Creating Balance: Police Accountability in the 21^st century. The program explored a community led effort to examine and reduce excessive force by the Rochester Police Department in order to reduce community tensions, to try to save some of the $10 million budgeted annually to resolve excessive force complaints, and to develop a stronger community.

                Ted Forsyth, a 2003 graduate of AU, has spent the last decade examining, studying, reporting on and trying to expand justice in Rochester NY where he lives with his wife Ali and their child Morgan. He was joined by Pastor Nina Warr and A J Durwin, Esq. Forsyth, Warr and others established Enough Is Enough Rochester, NY (EIE) after members of the RPD dumped Mr. Warr from his wheel chair while he was waiting at a bus stop in his neighborhood. Durwin moved to Rochester in 2016 and soon began donating his time and legal skills to Enough is Enough.

                These members of EIE presented images and stories of people who have been killed, beaten, or harassed by members of the Rochester Police Department. They described the current procedure that citizens or their surviving family members must follow in presenting grievances over the force used against them. They explained their goals going forward and the detailed police accountability board procedures that other cities have developed and the impact the changes have made in those cities.

                To summarize briefly, the current system has civilians alleging excessive force present their case to a member of the police department. Between 2001 and 2016 a total of 923 allegations were made. (Note: If a civilian is knocked down, kicked, and punched that would tally as 3 allegations.)

                Of those 923 allegations, 43 were sustained after an internal investigation and the notes of the investigation were sent to a Civilian Review Board. Following this the Chief of Police sustained 16 allegations and applied sanctions to 13 of them. There is no standardization of discipline or transparency that gives civilians information about what happens as a result of their specific allegations but the city of Rochester did pay settlements $2.2 million between 2015 and 2017 and they allot $10 million per year in expectation of ongoing suits and settlements.

                EIE wants change and has written a law that they hope will be passed by the city council. In the proposed law there will be 11 members of an independent Police Accountability Board with a paid staff of one administrator and 7 investigators (one per 100 officers). Such a board would have subpoena power and would conduct hearings and would cost about 1% of the current RPD budget.

                There would be a standardized matrix of disciplinary action. This would be an attempt remove bias in disciplinary actions by having the response to an allegation be standard and to have a repeated incident weigh more heavily. It would also take the disciplinary investigation and sanction from the police department and put it in the hands of an independent board. EIE hopes to follow the lead of Oakland CA and Newark NJ in creating a progressive national model of accountability that will result in fewer lawsuits against the BPD, a greater sense of humanity and well being among officers, and more public faith in law enforcement in the city.

                AU Students were encouraged to become involved. One state-wide action in play is to repeal New York Civil Rights section 50-a  which is currently used to say that Civil Service Commissions and police accountability programs may not take disciplinary actions against any law enforcement officer.  A second campaign is to repeal Civil Law 50a which shields an officer’s discipline records.

                The presentation covered a lot of ground, much of it complex so please go to enoughisenough.rocus.org where there is a blog, a calendar of events and a contact page where you can get answers or pursue a conversation. You may note that EIE meetings are held at the Flying Squirrel Community Space. The Squirrel is an old lodge hall that was purchased by citizens who make the space available to a variety of community groups and demonstrates the long term and generous commitment many have to social justice in Rochester.

                 

Daisy Wu, A Teacher in Alfred

ALFRED: Some people can be defined with a single word.  Daisy (Zhongbei) Wu, Associate Director, Confucius Institute, and Visiting Associate Professor, Performing Arts Department, Alfred University has a long title but can be described with one word - teacher.

          Teachers often aren’t given the status they deserve.  Being a teacher isn’t simple, not for a serious, dedicated teacher. Wu seems to be such a teacher, a person whose heart and mind work together deeply to make the best presentations possible for her students.  She has pride in their achievements and says she learns as much from them as they do from her. They talk of cultural and music, speaking with words as well as with the vibrating strings of the guzheng, a stringed instrument developed nearly 3,000 years ago in China.

          People find their way to Alfred through various routes. Wu told me that she was born in central China at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Her parents were educated. Her father was a scientist, a chemist and concert master in an orchestra. Her home was filled with a sister, her mother’s tai chi and her father’s music.

          From tender years, she played piano and sang but when she was 9 her father decided that her life would be richer if she studied the guzheng. Her fingers and her voice enveloped the instrument, charming audiences. She won national and international awards for her performances while still a child and though she thought she would follow her father into the sciences he urged her to attend the Hunan Normal University music program.

          Wu’s father told her that music was good for her and she was good for the guzheng. He was correct. After earning an advanced degree, Wu had a successful career teaching music at Hunan University of Commerce and as a guzheng performer but then her world was reshaped by the birth of a daughter, Candy, and shaken by the sudden loss of her honored father in 2008.  Her sadness was intense. She felt that doors had closed on her world.

          In 2009, her husband, Edward Zhou, professor of accounting at Hunan University, was given a 1 year scholarship for study and research overseas and he thought that if the family moved to the US it would involve so many changes, distractions and demands that Daisy would find her sadness leaving her while new windows re-opened her world.

          Wu agreed to a temporary move to the US with her family so asked for a leave of absence from Hunan University. That was when she became aware of the Confucius Institute.  The Confucius Institute created opportunities to teach Chinese culture, art and music overseas. In particular, the CI at Alfred University needed a teacher and, since it offered a Business School where her husband could study, it sounded just right. 

          It’s been a perfect fit. When Daisy arrived on November 10, 2009, Dr. Wilfred Huang and his wife drove to the airport and brought everyone to Alfred. She had just a day to settle in because on November 12, she was scheduled to make a presentation at Nevins Theater, a presentation made daunting because it would be in English.

          In China, students study English from grade 7 through college but studying English and speaking it aren’t the same. Because she is a dedicated teacher, she spent hours practicing her presentation and was bolstered by the warm reception given to her that day in Nevins. People understood her and enjoyed her music.

          Alfred has felt like home from the start. She found friends, important work, membership in the Union University Church and a Montessori school for her daughter, a toddler at the time.

          At the end of that first year, she performed at a Chinese New Year Gala in Alfred and then in 2010 began teaching beginning guzheng to her first 7 students. The guzheng program has grown and students can take both beginning and ensemble level courses in guzheng. Traditional Chinese music has a 5 note scale and is written in a different sort of notation using numerals, dots and lines but contemporary Western music can be performed on it also.

          Daisy Wu spent 5 years teaching at AU under the umbrella of the Confucius Institute but is now a Visiting Associate Professor in Performing Arts. In these years, her husband has earned a PhD from Rutgers and Candy has attended Alfred Almond School while studying piano, violin and clarinet.

          Daisy Wu’s students have blossomed.  Under her tutelage, they memorize the music. She said, “If you don’t rely on the paper, all the music comes from your heart.”

          As evidence of her superior teaching skills and her spot-on philosophy, a trio of her students won the gold medal in the 2016 Chinese Instruments International Competition in New York. The trio, Brandon-Charles Miller, Tiffany Pham and Richard Lopez, were complimented on their technical skill but more than that for their ability to interpret the story behind the piece they played, The Warrior.  These gold medal winners were the only contestants who were not Chinese and didn’t have a life time of experience in the Chinese culture.  That’s impressive.

          Brandon-Charles Miller told me that Daisy Wu is his second mother and that she is a wonderful teacher. She is not strict but students feel the need to please her because she makes it clear that what they do is important to her. She has many ways of explaining things to students so that no matter what a student’s background or problem, she finds a way to make each person understand.

          Daisy Wu is an internationally recognized guzheng master but in Alfred she is much more. She is the teacher.

         

BOX: The Confucius Institute is a non-profit, public educational organization affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education. The aim of the CI is to promote Chinese language and culture and promote cultural exchange. The program began in 2004 and operates with affiliate colleges and universities around the world with the majority in the US, Korea and Japan. There are also Confucius Classroom programs that work in secondary school to provide teachers and instructional materials. One goal is to promote the Chinese language.

Search on Youtube for Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu to hear her perform traditional pieces as well as her original compositions.

Here are some links.

Alfred University Guzheng Ensemble:"Swordsman"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbKuoDLkNwI

Zhongbei Daisy Wu 《Water 水 2015》on Guzheng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQCOILVHod0 

Guzheng and Guqin: Layghing Over the Blue Sea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEc8dXF7jDE

 

Senior Shows at Alfred University

 ALFRED:  Clay, paint, cardboard, glass, brass, bronze and sometimes broken bikes are all interesting because they can, and in Alfred often do, become ideas to spark conversation and encourage thought.

                Some people gravitate toward one particular material and push it, pull it, twist it, fold it and decorate it to tell the rest of us their ideas and questions. Sarah Paschkes has been putting her ideas into paintings and ceramics this year for both her Honor Thesis and Senior Show. The show opens on Saturday, May 6 from 4-7 pm and, for Sarah, will be on the first floor of Binns-Merrill Hall.

                Sarah has concentrations in painting and ceramics so uses two studio spaces to produce her work. Her show will bring paintings and ceramics together to explore this idea: Overturning the Trope of the Cute Animal as a Sidekick.

                Sarah spoke of her thoughts on Pokémon and other worlds where main characters have a “cute animal sidekick.” Pokémon creatures, for example, are captured and to a small degree cared for but also blithely given away or put into a gym to fight. She feels that the ownership and the fight assignments correspond to dog fights in the real world. The Pokémon, or the dogs, are living tools.

                Sarah has created a cast of 9 characters with personalities and stories in which they are not tools or sidekicks or conveniences but characters who stand in the spot light. These characters interact with each other in Sarah’s paintings but will develop further as she chronicles their adventures in written stories.

                She studied the structure of various animals to develop blended body shapes. One is cat like and others combine animal shapes such as the snake/ferret. In addition to their unique shapes, the creatures have distinct personalities: shy, friendly, grumpy, eccentric or easy going.

                There will be 9 different show cards to recognize the entire cast. When we met she had several paintings finished and others in progress. She was also making porcelain mugs, plates and bowls.

                The ceramic work is carefully, neatly, beautifully done. When finished, the characters will be on all the ceramic work. The mugs are cute. The body of the mug has the face of a creature while the handles are carved tails. Some bowls have a character inside peering up and some have faces and tails on the outside.

                Sarah first threw in 8^th grade and has never stopped. She worked as a volunteer in the Middle School’s Clay Club for a few years. She graduated from Foxline High School in Bedford NY after working with clay every year. When it was time for college she applied to and visited 5 art schools but when she walked into what was the newly renovated kiln room in Alfred, the choice as made.

                After graduation Sarah will room with her mom near New York City, search for a job, and keep in touch with the fantastic friends she made in her years at AU. She plans to set up a painting studio right away though may have to wait to get her own clay studio.

                Another senior in the School of Art and Design is Morgan Croft. Morgan came to Alfred from Cazenovia, NY. She also applied to 5 art schools but fell in love with Alfred when she came to visit. There is some chance that she was influenced by her high school art teacher who graduated from Alfred.

                Surprisingly, she also was drawn to Alfred because of the impressive kiln room. As kiln rooms go, it is spectacular but what is surprising is that Morgan is a print maker/photographer and only took one ceramic class.

                After graduation Morgan will work her old bartending job and search for a position in a design studio where she may design fabric or signs or something still unimagined. In time, she plans to go to grad school and design video games.

                Morgan’s senior show focuses on a character she developed. His name is Jesse and he stars in her graphic novel. At her show she will display several large images from the book and will offer the entire book, printed and bound, for sale.

                Jesse’s story was written jointly by Morgan and one of her friends. This duo has been creating stories since they were 15 years old. Jesse’s story is one in which gangsters meet hackers in a sci-fi world. Jesse is morally ambiguous, probably not evil, but wickedly smart.

                Morgan thinks the best part about Alfred has been the connections she has made with other students and with faculty members. She said that everyone pushed her to be more creative. See Morgan’s show on the second floor of Binns-Merrill, actually right above Sarah’s show, and go home with your own copy of the novel in full color or black and white.

Hints for attending Senior Shows at Alfred University. Parking is hard to find so fill up your car and read the signs to park safely. Be prepared to walk across campus. The opening is set for 4-7 pm. Students work frantically to be ready and to put out celebratory snacks. Don’t go early. Maps will be in galleries as well as in Harder Hall, Binns-Merrill. Much of the work will be for sale though methods of purchase vary so talk with students and understand that you can’t generally take things home that night. Be prepared for variety.

Alfred University Symphonic Band - April 28

ALFRED: You are invited on Friday, April 28 at 7:30 to hear the Alfred University Symphonic Band performance. The band is full of interesting people with several of them soon to graduate so this is your last chance to hear them together.

                One Senior is Cheyenne Seymore. Cheyenne went to school in Elmira where everyone has to join chorus or band in junior high. Most other students I’ve interviewed chose an instrument in 4^th or 5^th grade and then stuck with it but in Elmira everyone volunteers. In high school, students choose to continue with music or have a study hall. Cheyenne said that about half the students choose to continue, as she did.

                Cheyenne chose to play percussion for, one might say, interesting reasons. Her dad, noted as a hippy-dad, took her to drum circles so drums were familiar. She also felt that drum music is easier to read without the music staff making demands on her.

                At AU, Cheyenne is a math and accounting major with plans to work as an accountant after she graduates. The CPA exams (a series of 4 exams, 3 hours each) are in her future. By taking full time studies on the AU campus and adding other courses from Alfred State she has managed to get all the coursework needed for the CPA while earning her degree.  She had an interview for a potential job the day we talked.

                Cheyenne has a strong work ethic that she credits to her first pony. She started riding lessons when she was five and when she turned 8, her grandparents gave her a pony. Her parents agreed to pay the cost of boarding the pony but if she wanted to continue riding lessons she had to earn them. She agreed to work so, every day, after school, she rode the bus to the barn to muck out stalls and feed horses. Also, as a rugged 8 year old, she “helped the little kids” saddle their horses.

                Alfred University’s Equestrian program brought Cheyenne here to study. As a member of the Equestrian Team, Cheyenne took 8^th place in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Hunt Seat Regionals.

                Cheyenne is sorry that she didn’t join the Symphonic Band sooner. She took percussion lessons from Dr. Foster in the Fall Semester and joined the band this, her final, semester. The 3 years away from drums made her rusty so she is thankful that the percussion section members are so welcoming and helpful.

                Another senior is trombonist and ceramic engineering student, Kade McGarrity. Kade is from Angola, NY where in 5th grade he started lessons on saxophone. The best laid plans of a fifth grader can be wonderfully flexible because when Kade couldn’t get musical sounds from the sax, he traded it for his second choice, a trombone. While those might seem miles apart, both are suitable for jazz.

                He joined concert band in sixth grade and in high school played in a Ska band, Scallywags, performing at parties and in the fire hall. They wrote and recorded a few songs in the drummer’s basement since he was the guy with the sound board.  Now, that drummer is now studying music production program at Fredonia while Kade and his trombone are in Alfred- always in Jazz Band, occasionally in Symphonic Orchestra, and regularly in Symphonic Band.

                Kade spoke of the value of music in general.  He is concerned about the decreasing funding for school music programs at all levels. Kade is certain that he wouldn’t be the person he is now without the many academic and social experiences that music provided. Music is an essential in one’s education.

                He also named his high school band teacher as his favorite teacher ever. This man cared about all students and not just their music but their well being. He even gave Kade his jazz trombone.

                The instrument teetered on the edge of beatten up and having character with a distinct liability in that it didn’t work. After it was used as a prop in a school play, Kade took it home and fixed it but when he returned it, his teacher said he earned it. This is the trombone he uses in jazz band because it has a smokier sound than his concert horn and it hits high notes more easily.

                Kade and his trombone may be at AU for a while. He plans to apply for advanced study here and hopes for a PhD. He may like to work on materials in electronics or maybe develop body armor or structural ceramics or explore heat resistant materials.        

                Kade and Cheyenne both name Second Suite for Military Band by Holst as their favorite piece in the concert.  Kade particularly likes the fourth movement because it brings together many melodies and intertwines them. Cheyenne likes it because it reminds her of her high school music fun.

                Kalene Strange, a senior in Interdisciplinary Art from Wellsboro PA, plays alto sax. Her senior show reception will be in the basement of The Brick on May 5 from 5-7 pm but first come to hear her play in the concert on April 28. Her art involves using sound waves within childhood photographs.

                Kaylene is from Wellsboro PA where she had her first music lesson on piano at age 3 with her grandfather. He got frustrated and walked away but she kept at it till she figured it out. Her grandfather played by ear but which made sense to her because she has near perfect pitch and can “hear” the music but she taught herself to read music and began piano lessons with another teacher when she was 5.

Cheyenne, Rosalyn, Kaylene, Kade

                Kaylene started singing when she started talking, or maybe before. Her family gatherings always include a guitar and songs. She got a guitar in middle school and taught herself. Not surprisingly, she borrowed instruments and books from school and, as she says, figured out flute, piccolo, clarinet and trumpet as well as French horn with a brief stint on oboe. Her mother said she sounded like a dying duck and the oboe had to go, please. At AU she studied violin for 2 years with Dr. Lantz and would have had more music classes and experiences but her schedule was packed.  

                Kalene’s favorite piece is Endless Rainbows by Brian Balmages because of the lovely, lyrical melodies.

                A fourth senior is Rosalyn Nardella, who began with baritone sax in middle school in Loganton, PA and added viola in high school. As a freshman at Alfred, she began taking flute and piano lessons and this year has played in student recitals as a flute soloist and with Andres Garcia in a saxophone duet as well as with the Pep Band, Symphonic Band and Orchestra.

                During her senior year she joined the newly formed Alfred University Flute Choir. This busy student exercises her horse regularly and works to earn board for it. Some days she travels to the Dansville Dental Practice where she takes xrays and assists in patient room preparation.

                Rosalyn says that she has time for lots of things if she avoids studying but, knowing she is a biology major, that seems a joke. At the time of our talk her future involves dentistry at Temple University in Philadelphia. Four years at Temple will bring true her childhood dream of being a dentist.   For many, a dentistry degree comes with student debt anchoring them to earth but Rosalyn has a different anchor in mind. By enlisting in the Navy, she will avoid $300,000 to $500,000 in loans. The Navy will pay for dental school in exchange for her pledge of 4 years as a naval dentist. She will have the option to stay in the Navy for her entire career if she chooses. If she is assigned to a ship she will not be able to take her horse but she might take a ukulele since she plays that too.  

                Rosalyn’s favorite piece in the concert was Lightning Field by John Mackey. She was playing the flute part and having fun with it but recently was assigned the piano part instead so Shortcut Home by Dana Wilson is now her favorite. “It’s really fast and technically difficult,” she said.

Christiana and Molly ignore Dr. Foster and his Alfred Sun

                Other pieces in the concert are Gavorkna Fanfare by Jack Stamp, Snowflakes Dancing by Andrew Boysen, and The Promise of Living by Aaron Copland. The concert is free and open to the public in the Miller Performing Arts Center. Enter the campus at the traffic light, turn left at the boulder near the top of the hill. MPAC is the building at the end of that road with a glass front.

Symphonic Band Concert

 ALFRED: Alfred University’s Performing Arts Department attracts students from all areas of study. Many students choose Alfred because they can continue their experiences in performing arts without committing to the rigors of a performance major or minor. Three such students, Kyle Merrifield, Katie Weiss and Jay Horwath, talked with me about their musical experiences as they prepared for the
Alfred University Symphonic Band Concert. (Friday, December 9, 7:30 pm Miller Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to all.
                Kyle came to Alfred from Amherst, NY to study Renewable Energy Engineering.  He chose Alfred because it was close to home, because he could continue to participate in instrumental performances and because he could compete in his high school sports – bowling, tennis and volleyball.
                Kyle began his musical career, like so many others, in fourth grade. He chose percussion because percussionists play several instruments. Mallets are his favorite. During some rehearsals Kyle will jam a set of mallets under an arm as he plays with a different set. Suddenly, he will switch mallets and zip over to a different instrument or he’ll hammer a chime.
                Kyle said the different mallets give different sounds. A harder mallet compares with woodwinds playing staccato while a softer mallet creates the legato articulation.
                Kyle played percussion from 4th through 12th grade but also picked up the French Horn in 7th grade just for the experience. While in high school, Kyle traveled to Chicago and Washington DC to compete in symphonic band competitions and do some sightseeing. He said it was always interesting to hear several groups play the same piece and have all sound different.
                One great thing about AU is that Kyle is able to be a die-hard football fan and a percussionist at the same time. Kyle bangs on the drums with the Pep Band at all home football games.
                For the upcoming concert, he notes that My Shot from the musical Hamilton is his favorite piece. For that piece he will set aside mallets to give his first rap performance on a stage. His only other public rap was the conclusion of a presentation on geothermal energy. That rap, a big hit in class, was his own creation.
                After graduation Kyle will work in the solar or wind industry. Right now there are more people employed in renewable energy fields than in fossil fuels.
                “I’m thankful for the opportunities to continue in performance arts here at Alfred. My life goal is to be well a rounded individual and my experiences in athletics and music help me attain that.“
               Katie came to Alfred from Rome, NY to major in Bio-materials Engineering. She hopes to help design new and better orthopedic medical implants. She told me that the research & developing in joints is constant. Doctors want implants that are easier to insert and everyone wants them to last longer and work better.
     Engineers work with an array of materials and try to improve attachment systems.  Implants are used to replace aging arthritic joints but also to replace joints damaged by traumatic injury.   

         Katie will play French Horn in the concert and you’ll hear her on some solos. She regularly plays trumpet with Pep Band, sometimes plays French Horn in the orchestra and always plays Tuba in "Tuba Christmas."
      Tuba Christmas is a national organization that helps to arrange regional groups to perform in December. The group has only tubas, euphoniums and baritones (essentially little tubas). She has played with groups of about 40 members but hopes to play with the New York City group one year. That group draws a few hundred performers.
                Katie chose Alfred because it is a small community and AU offered the program she wanted. She was attracted by the fact that she could play in the musical groups here because rehearsal times give her a break from study.
        As an added bonus, she met Scott DiFranco-Norton. Scott recruited her for pep band student but that was just the start of their time together. They were recently engaged and will live in Mahwah, NJ, where Katie will work, after they marry in June.
                In this concert, Katie’s favorite piece is Star Wars. Katie is a Star Wars fan. In high school, she and her best friends would make costumes and go to the films. Her favorite character is 3CPO so Katie's nickname is KTPO.
                Katie said, “Music is my source of sanity here. It gives me a break from study  and is totally different from my normal class work.”
     Jay is one of the rare students who did not start music lessons in 4th grade. Instead, this senior in glass engineering with a chemistry minor started working with a trumpet in 8th grade.
       In the summer before eighth grade, Jay went to his grandfather's house to help clean out a closet. Jay had been fooling around with a guitar but wanted to start taking lessons.  That day, they dug his Grand Dad's trumpet of the closet. It was the perfect time for a first trumpet lesson.
      Jay chose to attend AU because of the glass engineering program but the fact that he could play in Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Pit Band and Orchestra without competing with music majors was a bonus.
    Jay said, "Having the opportunity to do so much with music has made me more rounded. Working with and learning from people with different perspectives has been a another benefit of my music experience."
     Jay's favorite piece in the December concert is Olympic Fanfare.  He likes it because it's challenging and fun as well as familiar because of the number of times it was played during the recent Olympic Games.

       Jay is planning on graduate school in the Philadelphia area, near his family's home in Doylestown. There are many community musical groups there and Jazz is particularly popular.     Jay told me about his 2 trumpets. They are both brass but one has a higher copper content and makes a darker sound so is more suitable for jazz. The voice of a trumpet is impacted by the metal as well as by the tightness of the curves. Two trumpets might look the same but sound different.

       Whichever trumpet he plays, you'll be impressed. The concert will be at 7:30 on December 9 in the Miller Performance Hall.

Alfred University Senior Thesis Shows 2015

ALFRED:  An art show can be exciting and thought provoking. A person’s work can make other people see ideas and materials in new ways and the memory of that experience can hide in a mind ready to pop out at any time and demand attention.

        Art shows in Alfred generally draw large crowds of people ready to look, listen and reflect as they swarm through galleries. A great opportunity to experience the work of about 90 graduates is set for Saturday May 9 from 3 till 6 pm.

        All 90 students are about to graduate with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. They will be on hand, often offering refreshments, sometimes introducing their parents and always ready to engage in conversation. Three such students are Ryana Lawson, Drew Schenck and Brooke Tillotson.

        Ryana came to Alfred from Rochester to pursue a BFA with a concentration in ceramics. Her show will be in the Painting Studio, 2^nd floor of Harder Hall.

        AU’s reputation in ceramics drew her to the university. She was concerned about attending a small school in a rural community but looks back now on the experience as a good fit.

        “A college is all about community and my community here has been fantastic,” she said. “I worked intensely here and feel satisfied.”

        Ryana will show plates, cups and cake plates of terra cotta clay, covered with white slip and embellished with brightly colored plants and animals.

        “The sweetness of the drawings attracts people,” Ryana said pointing out plates that vibrated cuteness. The shiny white slip looks like melted marshmallow with sweet birds and other creatures but when one looks closer other thoughts creep in. Some of the animals are dead and the mushrooms may be tasty or poisonous. Are they safe?    

        Ryana wants that atmosphere of uncertainty to be there. She is interested in the cycle of life and death and enjoys seeing the variety of reactions from people who take time to look deeply at her drawings.

        After graduation, Ryana will spend some time at Haystack as a Teaching Assistant. She has applied for some post-bachelor programs and apprenticeships but she’s not certain of her next long-term position.

        Drew Schenck’s thesis show doesn’t have a shred of cute in it though he does have carefully shredded clothing. Drew was drawn from his home in New Orleans to Alfred for the ceramics program but his BFA will have a concentration in sculpture.

        “I came for ceramics but stopped being loyal to one material and started exploring sculptural works,” said Drew.

        Like Ryana, Drew was concerned about feeling isolated in a small town but said that the close relationships he has formed with faculty and students here made Alfred great.

        Drew’s work will be on the 4^th floor in Binns-Merril Hall. When we talked he was still working on his statement but the elements he willdraw together surrounded him.

        He used parts of a mannequin to form molds to make a series of body parts. He had a number of body segments lined up on a cart, some smooth, some written on, others with texture. He also had some clothing parts. What was once a shirt was only the collar, the button placket and enough of the side seams to hold it together and give one the sense of a shirt, the shadow of a shirt.

        Why parts of a body or parts of clothing? Drew believes that our memories are in bits and parts, often more of an impression than a detailed full story. Sometimes memories are about scent or touch - senses he feels are more personal than the visual.

        Drew’s sculptural works will be hidden inside of frosted Plexiglas boxes. Holes in the boxes will allow his guests to reach inside to explore the work and try to gain a sense of it through touch. There will also be waxed posters scented with essential oils ready for fingertip exploration.

        The work is a vehicle for conversations and he’s looking forward to watching and listening to the reactions to his work. After graduation Drew hopes to find an internship or residency for summer and beyond.

        Brooke Tilloston went to high school in Canadigua where her guidance counselor, an alumna of AU, suggested that Brooke might be happy in Alfred. After a campus visit, Brooke declared Alfred to be a “golden nugget” and decided not to apply to any other schools.

        She will graduate with a BFA with a concentration in graphic design. “Alfred forces people to experiment in new media. That’s the purpose of foundations class. Everyone does everything. The first week we made a puppet show and then we made cardboard coral reefs. We all worked on our own projects but worked near everyone else so we all talked, learned, thought and taught together.”

        Brook hopes that Alfred will find a way to increase the faculty in the graphic design department. Last year there was one faculty member and one adjunct but now there is just one person. This limits the experience brought to students and spreads that one faculty member stress-fully thin.

        Brook’s thesis show will be on the second floor of Harder Hall. The focus of Brook’s show is “a charming story book with nostalgic text and images.” The main character is Annabel Lee, a nod to a character created by Edgar Allen Poe.

        Brooke has long loved the works of Poe and views them as not frightening stories but as wispy dreams. She blended Poe’s stories into her own dream experience, illustrated them and created a young adult book. Her book will be available for order at the show for the Blurb price of $30.

        There will also be broadsides for each of the main stories: Fairyland, The Raven, Sleeper, Black Cat and Annabel Lee.

        Those familiar with senior thesis shows will notice a change in the placement of shows. Instead of having two students share a small space, groups of 4-7 will display in a large area. Shows are set for Harder Hall, Binns-Merrill Hall and the Cohen Center (behind the Cohen Gallery on Main Street). The goal is to allow for a better traffic flow within in the buildings and fewer hidden, out-of-the-way spaces.

        All shows are open to the public with students on hand from 3-6 pm on Saturday, May 9. Parking is always limited so expect to walk.

        Harder Hall is the building near the traffic light in Alfred and that’s a good place to start. There may be maps of gallery areas posted but it always works to blend into the crowd and flow through the spaces with everyone else. Some work is offered for sale and all is offered for discussion so feel free to talk with everyone you see.

Friends of Edwin Drood

ALFRED: Were you one of the crowd who traveled to 1892 with the cast of T he Mystery of Edwin Drood last week? 

                Hundreds of people booed and hissed, laughed and chortled, clapped and whistled over the song, dance and antics on the stage. As part of the event, a small group played the background music to support all the Drood-tivity. May I introduce the members of the “fully trained orchestra?”

                Kyle Merrifield, percussion, said that his favorite part of high school was playing in pit orchestras for the annual musical. He didn’t expect that he’d be in a musical at AU so when Dr. Foster asked him to be part of Drood’s pit, he eagerly accepted.

                Kyle said that he’s not a singer or dancer so the pit suits him well. Drood, he said, is a particularly fun musical for a pit member because of the interaction between pit and actors.

                Kyle played several instruments but his grin widened when hammering away on the tympani for the thunder storm. (I can attest to his enthusiasm because my ears were inches away from the explosive barrage.)

                Pit members are often hidden but this pit was in front -able to see actors and audience. Kyle enjoyed the boisterous enthusiasm of Drood’s audience and felt more a part of this show than others.

                The most pit-experienced member was Eric Prentice, piano.  He’s not certain how many pit orchestras he’s played in - 50 to 60. Eric started playing piano in pits in Hornell while he was still in school and is employed as an accompanist by Hornell Schools. He has also played for every Hornell Rotary musical for the last 20 years and plays for the Hornell Community Theater too.

                In his opinion, Drood’s musical score was challenging and was made more so by being handwritten. Handwritten scores are onerous to read especially when pages are sprinkled with notes, lyrics and numerous key and time changes all to be mastered while following the conductor who follows vocalists. 

                The drum set work was done by Hunter Haddad, a skilled saxophonist who took brief instruction from Kyle about reading some specific percussion notation.  “I just looked at the music and it made sense,” he said.

                Hunter felt that the music was entertaining and that Drood was singular experience. He particularly liked how the actors went into the audience before each act. He felt satisfied with the performance of the pit saying, “I think we did well and I’m glad of it.”

                Similarly, Scott DeFranco Norton never before played the upright double bass. He was supposed to play electric bass but his instrument needed repair so thought he might substitute his main instrument, tuba. Instead, Dr. Foster suggested that he work out how to play the upright double bass.

                The double bass has no frets and is played with a bow which is to say, it’s not much like an electric bass but undeterred by what might be a stressful situation for some (most), Scott figured it out, often played by ear and just plain made it work.

                This was also Scott’s first experience in a pit orchestra. In high school, Scott performed on stage. Drood, he said, was the most interesting musical he’d been in or seen. “It was exciting to be a part of it.”

                Some other first time experiences belonged to Jay Horwath (trumpet, piccolo trumpet and flugelhorn).  Jay has never before been in a pit or played piccolo trumpet.

                The piccolo trumpet and flugelhorn have 4 values but Jay said those are for alternate fingerings. They can all be played with trumpet fingerings.

                “The piccolo trumpet,” he said, “looks small and seems like it should be easy but it’s not. It takes a different amount of air and has a different feel.”

                Jay found the audience participation in Drood exciting and enjoyed this first experience working with vocalists. He especially enjoyed the facial expressions that Darren Palmer put into the character of Bazzard.

                “Bazzard brings a lot of comic relief. While at times he seems not to fit, he gives the show fullness.”

                Peter Metz took time from research to play trombone for Drood. This was his second musical after doing Crazy for You in high school.  “The best way to sum up Drood is to call it a fun show.”

                While much of the show is amusing, a few of the scenes are dramatic and serious. One such is in the duet between the characters of Rosa and John Jasper. This was a highlight in the production for Peter.

                Brooke Tillotson speeds through her days with band, orchestra, dance, classes and work soshoe-horning in pit orchestra rehearsals wasn’t easy but she had a good time. She named Moonfall/The Name of Love as a favorite with Both Sides of the Coin as a close second.

                Chris Foster, conductor, said that he’d never heard of The Mystery of Edwin Drood until it was proposed for this semester. He was aware of the composer, Rupert Holmes, as author of Escape (The Pina Colada Song) and he came to appreciate the songs in Drood, a rollicking farce. The audience participation made it particularly fun.

                Drood was the first musical pit experience for Jasper Wright, bassoon. Jasper hadn’t realized how different it is to play for a musical. The score is handed out, there are a few rehearsals and then one works with the vocalists. In almost no time, the pit is in the production. For Jasper, Reverend Chrisparkle’s confession was always amusing.  

                Make note of these other performances at Alfred University. The Symphonic Orchestra –Friday, April 25, 7 pm; Jazz Band -Monday, April 28. 7:30; Symphonic Band - Friday, May 2, 7:30. All are scheduled for the Miller Performing Arts Center and are free and open to the public.

(Elaine Hardman played flute/piccolo in the pit.)

Photo Dr. Chris Foster, Kyle Merrifield (living dangerously), Jasper Wright, Eric Prentice, Peter Metz, Jay Horwath , Hunter Haddad, Brooke Tillotson, Scott DeFranco-Norton