From Classroom to Community (and Back Again)</h1> <article> <h1>From Classroom to Community (and Back Again)</h1> <p>tapplega — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:30:06 +0000</p> <span>From Classroom to Community (and Back Again)</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-18T15:30:06-04:00" title="Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - 15:30">Tue, 04/18/2023 - 15:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/55501">Bonner Scholars</a> program has been connecting classrooms to communities for more than 30 years. Operated by the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research</a> and supported by the national <a href="http://www.bonner.org/">Bonner Foundation</a>, the scholars program provides four-year community service scholarships to approximately 60 91ֱ�� students who are the first in their families to attend college or come from underrepresented populations. Bonner Scholars participate in intensive, developmental community-engagement experiences throughout their time at 91ֱ��.</p> <p>Each year, approximately 15 incoming first-year students are selected as Bonner Scholars. Their experience is guided by designated student leaders, who lead community projects and engage with the entire campus community about service opportunities. Fourth-year Bonner leader Sadie Owens ’23 is a <a href="/node/3391">politics</a> and <a href="/node/3201">philosophy</a> major with a minor in <a href="/node/3171">writing and communication</a> and an integrative concentration in <a href="/node/25226">education studies</a>. She’s completing her Bonner experience as the leadership team’s coordinator for first-year Bonner Scholars. During her time as a Bonner Scholar, she has also served as a tutor to local high school students with the <a href="/node/56206">Ninde Scholars program</a>, as a creative writing mentor to incarcerated youth through <a href="/node/76356">91ֱ�� Writers in Residence</a>, and with the Stark County YMCA near her hometown of Canton, Ohio, where she’s been supporting children’s education since high school.</p> <p>We caught up with Owens to learn about her Bonner experience and how she fosters service at 91ֱ��. Learn more about getting involved in community-based initiatives at the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center website</a>. </p> <p><strong>Can you describe the Bonner Scholar program to someone who is unfamiliar?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholars program is a collection of like-minded, service-oriented students with first-generation and/or low-income backgrounds coming together to make a difference in their community.</p> <p><strong>How has your service with Bonner corresponded to social issues you care about?</strong></p> <p>Access to education is the most important and closest issue to me. As a first-generation student, it has been a privilege to be able to work with other students applying to or entering college for the first time.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Owens helps out during Bonner's First-Year Trip<br> Photo Credit: courtesy of Brittnei Sherrod</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>How have your Bonner experiences related to your academic or professional interests?</strong></p> <p>My goal is to work with students and to uplift students of different backgrounds. Being able to do so in Bonner through my service, as well as participate in a community that has lifted me up in similar ways, has prepared me for a career in this field and modeled how I can make a difference.</p> <p><strong>What do you enjoy most about your Bonner experiences?</strong></p> <p>I enjoy how much of a tangible difference I am able to make. As a Bonner leader, I am given the opportunity to participate in planning, organizing, and shaping this program for the Bonners below me, and for future scholars to come. It’s so rewarding and truly special to be able to see my ideas come to life and to know that I am making a difference to people whom I share so much in common with. </p> <p><strong>What have you learned about the 91ֱ�� community through your service?</strong></p> <p>I’ve learned that the 91ֱ�� community is full of vastly different people, from different backgrounds and with different beliefs. The 91ֱ�� community is a rich and often unexplored tapestry of ideas, insights, and specialized knowledge that the college can truly benefit from, and that has definitely taught me so much.</p> <p><strong>What is unique to you about the Bonner Scholar community?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholar community is unique, to me, in its ability to foster intimate conversations and relationships. In a place so fast-paced as 91ֱ��, I admire how slow-moving and close-knit the community feels.</p> <p><strong>Can you share a fond Bonner memory?</strong></p> <p>My favorite Bonner memory was the All-Bonner Retreat last fall. I remember sitting at a table with fellow Bonners and reflecting on our time at 91ֱ��, and realizing how much we had all learned and grown, and in particular the ways in which Bonner has allowed us to develop and become who we are.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">For Bonner Scholar Sadie Owens, the best lessons come from teaching others.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-04-20T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/20/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tyler Applegate</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25451">Writing and Communication</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/writing-and-communication" hreflang="und">Communication Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Sadie Owens</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Taking a Shine to TIMARA</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 05 May 2021 19:01:17 +0000</p> <span>Taking a Shine to TIMARA</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-05-05T15:01:17-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - 15:01">Wed, 05/05/2021 - 15:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Diana Gruber wears a lot of hats: philosophy major, conservatory innovator, and pop star.</p> <p>A double-degree student who splits her studies between philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences and a self-designed conservatory major in contemporary vocals and electronics, Gruber has taken an unconventional path to where she is today.</p> <p>Originally from Menlo Park, California, she arrived at 91ֱ�� as a jazz voice major under professor <a href="/node/6696">La Tanya Hall</a>, but she soon found herself gravitating toward <a href="/node/33031">TIMARA</a> classes. She ended up with an <a href="/node/50301">individual major</a> that allows her to incorporate her jazz vocal training with the experimental improvisation and extended technique elements of TIMARA. For Gruber, it’s the best of both worlds.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Diana Gruber (on screen) works with La Tanya Hall in a low-latency studio for voice instruction in fall 2020. (photo by Tanya Rosen-Jones)</figcaption> </figure> <p>Fittingly, the music she creates strikes a balance between worlds as well. Gruber's classical, jazz, and contemporary musical training helps her see music from a unique perspective: “Vocal training has influenced my singing style a lot, and I’m really grateful to La Tanya for helping me hone my craft,” she says. “I would say that you can kind of hear the jazz influence, but there’s also a lot of what I learned in classical theory. I mostly just apply it on the aural skills side, having these cadences and this classical chordal structure, combined with jazz and pop.”</p> <p>Gruber’s internet persona, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2i7HtVZgy9BmqgUqZ9NA3L">diana starshine</a>, combines vocal lines with synthesized and found sounds that are at times lush, at times high-energy. Gruber describes diana starshine as “a project with pop music taken to the extreme, with pretty experimental production. It’s very <em>online</em>. It exists sort of within a community.” And that community is growing: Her first single as diana starshine, “it’s love”—a collaboration with artists galen tipton and recovery girl—has been streamed more than 200,000 times on Spotify alone. </p> <p>Collaboration is another important part of Gruber’s musical practice, and 91ֱ�� is not short on options. She makes music with her housemates, as well as students in TIMARA and jazz. “It’s nice to have people around to collaborate with, but also to bounce ideas off of,” she says. “I do trust my vision, but I want to know what people think. It’s really nice having a community of artists.”</p> <p>We caught up with Gruber, as she completes her fourth of five years at 91ֱ��, to talk about her musical lives on and off campus.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What is the origin of diana starshine?</strong></p> <p>I have a project that is pop-oriented that errs on the side of almost—not quite—satire. I think people can take it however they want. I’ve never said anything that I haven’t actually done. You could say it’s abrasive, I suppose...But I would say it extends more into “tasteful music” too.</p> <p>At the same time, I am making music under my normal name, which leans more toward the electroacoustic side, where I’ve done collaborations with more “serious” people like Giant Claw (Keith Rankin). I am sort of bridging the gap between serious and not serious. A lot of the music I make takes inspiration directly from theory and aural skills from both jazz and classical. It’s really cool to have that approach to doing both popular and obscure/artsy music. </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Aside from your vocal studies with La Tanya Hall, how has your conservatory training informed the music you’re making?</strong></p> <p>The [music theory and aural skills] classes I’ve taken with <a href="/node/6841">Arnie Cox</a> have influenced my music so much, because it’s made me think a lot about theory as concepts and more from a liberal arts academic perspective, which is less based on just learning notes, but rather thinking more of overarching theory. That’s really useful for making pop music too because there’s a lot of thinking of memetic participation and expectation, how something will make somebody feel, particularly based on timbre, rhythm—all that stuff.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>In what ways do you collaborate at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>It’s really nice within the TIMARA and jazz departments to have people to work with, learn from, and play with. You can’t really go here without absorbing some of the aesthetics and attitudes. A lot of the stuff I’ve learned here is really useful. My housemates and I all do stuff together, and that’s really fun.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What’s next for you? </strong></p> <p>I have a whole other year here, which I am really excited about, because I feel like my practice has been developing so much. Up until now, I really didn’t have a lot of free time because I was trying to balance jazz, classical, and TIMARA. Next year I am only finishing up my college degree. I am really excited for my recital next year because I don’t know where I am going to go with it.</p> <p><em>Oli Bentley is a fourth-year TIMARA major from Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently resides in Los Angeles.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Vocalist and philosophy major Diana Gruber ’22 crafted an innovative conservatory major—and an alter ego to match.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-05-05T12:00:00Z">Wed, 05/05/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Oli Bentley '21</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25271">Individual Major</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/la-tanya-hall" hreflang="und">La Tanya Hall</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy Diana Gruber</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Perfect Career Sweet Spot</h1> <p>ygay — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 18:40:33 +0000</p> <span>The Perfect Career Sweet Spot</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-11-20T13:40:33-05:00" title="Friday, November 20, 2020 - 13:40">Fri, 11/20/2020 - 13:40</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Boeglin, a history major (with a focus in American and Russian history) and philosophy minor, sees her career choice as a great fit. During her role with the presidential campaign, her job was to aggressively drive the campaign's message in the media and communicate to voters President-elect Biden's record, plans, and vision for the United States. “Our team also relentlessly held [President Donald] Trump accountable for his lies, incompetence, and failures,” she says. </p> <hr> <p><strong>Were you always interested in a career in politics?</strong></p> <p>In college, I wanted to be a journalist, but I had a hard time keeping my opinions to myself. A career in political communications, working with journalists every day, has turned out to be the perfect sweet spot.</p> <p><strong>Were you involved in any student organizations at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>Editor in chief of the <em>91ֱ�� Review</em>, 2013 - 2014<br> News editor of the <em>91ֱ�� Review</em>, 2011- 2013 </p> <p><strong>Who were your mentors at 91ֱ�� and how did they influence you?</strong></p> <p>91ֱ��—both the school and the town—is a place filled with brilliant minds, big hearts, and generous spirits. So, I had many mentors at 91ֱ��, and each of them made a unique and lasting impact. I’m grateful for every one of them. In particular, I am indebted to [Emeritus Professor of History] Clayton Koppes, who taught me as much about life as he did about history. </p> <p><strong>While at 91ֱ��, did you perform any internships?</strong></p> <p>Through the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics/cole-scholars" target="_blank">91ֱ�� Initiative in Electoral Politics, Cole Scholars Program</a>, I had the opportunity to intern for mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio. This experience was a formative one and was the first step to a career in electoral politics. After graduation, I went on to serve in his administration. The summer prior, I interned with Planned Parenthood. When I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain my junior year, I interned at a local nonprofit dedicated to serving recent immigrants from Central and South America. </p> <p><strong>Did you further your education after 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>After serving in the de Blasio Administration and working closely with experts focused on advancing equity through public policy and institutions, I was inspired to bolster my own policy bona fides. I went to the London School of Economics and earned a master’s in gender, policy, and inequalities. </p> <p><strong>Any advice for students who wish to have a similar career path to yours?</strong></p> <p>No matter where you want to work or what you want to do with your life, I recommend forging relationships with people who you think are smart, principled, and doing work that aligns with your values. And especially if you want to be a political spokesperson, I’d encourage folks to work for candidates on issues, or for a mission that they truly believe in. It will make you better at your job and it will keep you motivated when you’re inevitably stretched thin or running low on sleep. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-11-20T12:00:00Z">Fri, 11/20/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When she was a student at 91ֱ��, Rosemary Boeglin ’14 thought a career in journalism was in her future. Today, instead of writing the news she helps to create it in her role as a rapid response spokesperson for President-elect Joe Biden.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3519">Early Careers</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Political spokesperson Rosemary Boeglin ’14.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Boeglin</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Flexing the Reporting Muscles: Jenna Gyimesi ’19</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:36:50 +0000</p> <span>Flexing the Reporting Muscles: Jenna Gyimesi ’19</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-23T09:36:50-04:00" title="Monday, March 23, 2020 - 09:36">Mon, 03/23/2020 - 09:36</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On top of all this, she was a triple major in politics, law and society, and philosophy with a concentration in cognitive science. Now, she is working toward a master’s in journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.</p> <p><strong>What are you currently doing at Columbia?</strong></p> <p>I would say that what I do is more like an internship in that I spend much more time in the field than in the classroom. The majority of what I do is reporting. The school tries to give students experience in a little bit of everything, so I do video, audio, breaking news, photography, narrative pieces, features, and data reporting. Currently, I am taking City Newsroom, a course in which I produce a weekly video or print story in addition to covering breaking news whenever it may happen. I am also taking education data reporting and am embedded in an elementary school in Brownsville, Brooklyn. My main priority right now is my master’s thesis, which is a long-form investigative piece looking into benzodiazepine overdoses on Staten Island. </p> <p><strong>How has your experience at Columbia Journalism School been so far?</strong></p> <p>It is certainly stressful at times, but my ability to research, to interview, and to provide context for stories has improved astronomically. At Columbia, they do not let you stay in your comfort zone. I have learned all sorts of new styles of journalism, and I surprised myself with what projects I enjoy working on. I have a better understanding of what I want to do, but there is always a sense of uneasiness when I try something I am not used to. </p> <p><strong>How did your time on <em>The 91ֱ�� Review</em> and other extracurriculars prepare you for journalism school?</strong></p> <p>Working as a news editor at the <em>91ֱ�� Review</em> was definitely applicable to what I do now—I got to pitch and write my own stories as well as learn how to work collaboratively in a high-paced newsroom. Being on the field hockey team taught me the importance of finding a community and working together to support one another. I also was in <a href="http://osca.wilder.oberlin.edu/">OSCA</a>, on the Honor Committee, and a member of the fencing team. All of these experiences made me a kinder, more compassionate, and an overall better person. I could not imagine my college experience without extracurricular activities, and the ways they added to my life are innumerable. </p> <p><strong>Do you have any advice for students interested in a similar career path?</strong></p> <p>I would advise people looking to follow a similar career path to be curious and to flex their reporting muscles. If you see something interesting, look into it. I would say to talk to as many people as you can, wherever you are. Ask them what they think needs to be talked about. Let people surprise you!</p> <p>On a more practical level, internships are helpful for gaining experience and credentials. Keep in mind, however, that diverse backgrounds are necessary for journalism. Do not think that you have to limit yourself to journalism experience exclusively. Knowledge of other industries or intimate understanding of different communities is valuable and needed. One of my recent breakthrough moments was that I realized I had to follow my instincts. What I notice—what I take away from a situation—is my biggest asset, because I know no one else will see something the same way I do. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-03-23T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/23/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jaimie Yue '22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Jenna Gyimesi ’19 could be found everywhere on 91ֱ��’s campus: she was the news editor for the<em> 91ֱ�� Review</em>, a varsity field hockey player, an equestrian team and a fencing team member, vice president of the class of 2019, and cochair of the Student Honor Committee.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2771">Athletics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=181496">Journalism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25396">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25221">Cognitive Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society" hreflang="und">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Jenna Gyimesi is a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Journalism.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Jenna Gyimesi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Philosophy in the Schools: Learning Through Teaching</h1> <p>eulrich — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:46:09 +0000</p> <span>Philosophy in the Schools: Learning Through Teaching</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-04-10T15:46:09-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 10, 2019 - 15:46">Wed, 04/10/2019 - 15:46</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The course, taught by Associate Professor of Philosophy <a href="/node/6126" target="_blank">Katherine Thomson-Jones</a>, is a community-based learning course. Students improve their philosophical skills and comprehension through outreach, by visiting neighboring Eastwood Elementary twice a week and leading discussions with first and second graders. The aims of the course are wide-reaching, from building essential philosophical skills at an early age to allowing college students to apply what they’re learning in a practical manner, even with something as abstract as philosophy.</p> <p>The PHITS Practicum is structured in several layers throughout a given week. First, the college students meet in the <a href="/node/41991" target="_blank">91ֱ�� Center for Convergence (StudiOC)</a> for seminar discussions of particular philosophical topics and readings. After having digested the topics, the students prepare to translate complex ideas for the elementary school kids, in order to guide them through the same philosophical issues. Then, at Eastwood, the college students are divided into small groups per classroom, where they lead discussions that result in questions, reflections, and written work.</p> <p>“Essentially, the college students are learning by teaching, but it’s a very student-centered type of teaching,” says Thomson-Jones. “The college students are just trying to be facilitators, while allowing the elementary school kids to have their own discussions and practice certain skill sets, such as listening well, giving reasons for things, and thinking critically when they agree or disagree.”</p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Associate Professor of Philosophy Katherine Thomson-Jones with Philosophy in the Schools students<br> Photo credit: Michael Hartman</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Thomson-Jones, now in her second year of teaching the course, notes that both college and elementary school students have much to learn from each other. “It struck me that kids are natural philosophers, and they love to think about big questions. Some questions—such as, <em>Where are numbers? Are they written down on a page, or are they in my head?</em>—might sound weird to an older student. But to the younger students, everything’s open and new for them. I think that college students can harness that curiosity and openness in their own studies.”</p> <p>Creative writing and visual arts major Jack McMillin ’20, who took the course last year and is now a teaching assistant for it this semester, expresses how PHITS has impacted the ways he thinks about education.</p> <p>“It consistently challenges students and myself to reevaluate how we learn, and then use this as a basis for facilitating meaningful discussions. The course has really helped solidify different approaches to pedagogy by teaching how to communicate coherently and fluidly, while moving back and forth between different educational settings.”</p> <p>The course is also enriched by StudiOC, as PHITS is a part of the Art of Teaching and Learning cluster, along with two other courses taught by Associate Director of Bonner Center Curricular Initiatives <a href="/node/30426" target="_blank">Tania Boster</a> and Professor of Music Education <a href="/node/6816" target="_blank">Jody Kerchner</a>. StudiOC allows for cross- and interdisciplinary programming that includes lectures, group projects, and collaborative research. One of the advantages of interdisciplinary programming is how it generates fresh perspectives and approaches to shared themes across studies.</p> <p>“There’s a historical research-based approach, an education theory approach, and a philosophical approach,” says Thomson-Jones. “It’s inspiring to see what people of different disciplines are all doing with the same themes of education and learning through teaching.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-07-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 07/11/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Phoebe Pan ’20</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Among the hundreds of offerings in the spring 2019 catalog, one course in particular has proved to be a demanding yet richly rewarding undertaking: Philosophy in the Schools Practicum, or PHITS Practicum for short.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2398">Community Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/katherine-thomson-jones" hreflang="und">Katherine Thomson-Jones</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jody-kerchner" hreflang="und">Jody Kerchner</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/pace" hreflang="und">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Philosophy in the Schools classroom in StudiOC.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Michael Hartman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Singer Gets Philosophical</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 18:27:11 +0000</p> <span>A Singer Gets Philosophical</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-01-21T13:27:11-05:00" title="Thursday, January 21, 2021 - 13:27">Thu, 01/21/2021 - 13:27</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Perri di Christina was a fifth-year double-degree student in 2015 when she learned that the 91ֱ�� College Choir would be performing Aaron Copland’s <em>In the Beginning</em> that fall. She leapt at the opportunity to audition for conductor <a href="/node/6646">Gregory Ristow ’01 </a>to sing the work’s solo for mezzo-soprano. And she won the job!</p> <p>“It was a difficult piece and entirely a cappella,“ she says today, “but Greg gave me fantastic tips and tricks to navigate its complex musical structure.”</p> <p>Now halfway through her master’s degree at the Mannes School of Music in New York City, di Christina still holds 91ֱ�� near to her heart. And when Ristow chose Stravinsky’s <em>Les Noces</em> for the fall 2018 concert cycle, he invited di Christina to return as the mezzo soloist. She’ll be close to home when the 91ֱ�� College Choir takes the piece on the road to Carnegie Hall on January 19.</p> <p></p> <p>In preparation for a preview performance of <em>Les Noces</em> in 91ֱ�� followed by her Carnegie debut, di Christina spent a week on campus before the holidays rehearsing with the choir—an experience she calls a “nostalgia fest.”</p> <p>“I ate a bagel at The Local [Coffee and Tea] every morning and had dinner at Kim’s [Grocery & Carryout Restaurant] every night.” The young singer is honored to be part of the project, and she’s thrilled by all that she’s learned from the process so far. “Opportunities like this—coming back to your alma mater and debuting at Carnegie Hall—do not come around often, and I thank my lucky stars that I get to work with all of these incredibly talented 91ֱ�� musicians throughout the process,” she says.</p> <p><em>Les Noces</em> involves a number of elements: four pianos, a full percussion section, a chorus, and four vocal soloists. Its thick musical textures and complex meter are hurdles that all members of the ensemble must overcome, but di Christina has additionally embraced the technical workout the piece provides. “The mezzo solo sits in a tricky place in my voice,” she explains. “The most rewarding part of the process so far has been feeling the piece gradually fall into my body. The intense work I’ve put into <em>Les Noces</em> has informed my technique in other repertoire tremendously.” She’s also enjoyed cultivating the Russian folk style in her voice, which Stravinsky likely would have appreciated.</p> <p></p> <p>Thoughts of di Christina’s 91ֱ�� days fill her with fond memories. “91ֱ�� gave me so much while I was a student,” says the former philosophy and vocal performance major. “Obviously, the whole experience of preparing and performing my first operatic role as Don Ramiro in Mozart’s opera <em>La finta giardiniera</em> is unforgettable. It was my first real role, my first taste of Mozart—one of my favorite composers to sing—and my chance to share the stage with some terrific rabbit costumes!” she says, a reference to one of many endearing staging devices employed by opera theater director <a href="/node/6931">Jonathon Field</a>.</p> <p>“I loved my philosophy of music class that was joint-taught by [91ֱ�� College philosophy professor] <a href="/node/6126">Katherine Thomson-Jones</a> and <a href="/node/6916">Jamie O’Leary</a>!” she exclaims, noting that she recently dug up the syllabus for that class online in order to jog her memory of a particular philosopher and consequently ended up re-reading half of the articles listed there. “That class married my philosophy and performance degrees beautifully.”</p> <p>Head to oberlin.edu/oberlin-in-nyc for complete details about the 91ֱ�� College Choir’s January 19 appearance at Carnegie Hall, part of 91ֱ�� Conservatory's 2019 New York City tour, featuring the 91ֱ�� Orchestra, the 91ֱ�� College Choir, and the 91ֱ�� Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-01-14T12:00:00Z">Mon, 01/14/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Conservatory Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Double-degree mezzo-soprano Perri di Christina '16 looks back on her 91ֱ�� years and ahead to a special reunion.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2370">Ensembles & Orchestras</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2596">Conservatory Tours</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gregory-ristow" hreflang="und">Gregory Ristow ’01</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/katherine-thomson-jones" hreflang="und">Katherine Thomson-Jones</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/james-oleary" hreflang="und">James O’Leary</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy Perri di Christina</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Alum Receives Pulitzer Prize</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:04:10 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Alum Receives Pulitzer Prize</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:04:10-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:04">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Vijay Seshadri ’74 was recently awarded the <a href="http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat">2014 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry</a> for <em>3 Sections</em>, published by Graywolf Press in September 2013. The prize is awarded annually to "a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author" and comes with a prize of $10,000.</p> <p>The Pulitzer citation describes <em>3 Sections</em> as "a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless." With this honor, Seshadri joins the company of preeminent poets such as Allen Ginsberg, who received the prize in 1995, Sylvia Plath, who was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer in 1982, and Robert Frost, who won in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943.</p> <p>The author of three other collections of poetry, <em>Wild Kingdom</em>, <em>The Disappearances</em>, and <em>The Long Meadow</em>, which won the James Laughlin Award in 2003, Seshadri is the Michele Tolela Myers Chair in Writing at Sarah Lawrence College, where he teaches non-fiction and poetry. He has also published essays and reviews in <em>The New York Times Book Review</em>, <em>The Paris Review</em>, <em>The Nation</em>, and <em>The New Yorker</em>, where he has served on the editorial staff.</p> <p>Born in Bangalore, India, Seshadri moved to Columbus, Ohio, at the age of five. After graduating from 91ֱ�� with a degree in philosophy, he went on to earn an MFA from Columbia University. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, Columbia University, and the MacDowell Colony, and has been awarded a grant from the New York Foundation and The Paris Review's Bernard F. Conners Long Poem Prize.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-04-15T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/15/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">James Helmsworth</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>