The Grand Finale

1) Self-Evaluation

            When I began to apply to colleges my senior year, Penn State wasn’t really an option; It was a must.  Many of my family members, including my mom, are Penn State alumni, and they all clearly wanted me to become the next generation of Nittany Lion.  I was accepted to Penn State, and decided to attend in the fall without truly knowing much about the school or myself. 

            I had visited Penn State many times with my family, but by the time that I was accepted, basically all that I really knew was that the school has a well-followed football team that I enjoyed to watch.  I had never actually thought about any of the other aspects of this school until I entered English 15S.  On the first day of class, we learned about the course and the assignments that we would have to complete throughout the semester.  Only thinking about the school through an athletics lense, I did not expect much from Penn State’s arts. I was pleasantly surprised though by the hidden gems throughout campus that I would have never known existed without this class.  

            Penn State is not known as a school for the arts, but it still produces solid products.  Two of my favorite assignments this year involved seeing the Penn State productions In the Red and Brown Water and The Producers.  Two different Penn State theater groups put on these shows, and both productions impressed me.  In high school, I played in the orchestra, and we were required to play in the pit for the musical every year.  My high school is known for its fantastic art program, so I know how much effort it takes for students to put on a good show. It was clear that the Penn State students worked hard to perfect their performances, and their final products exceeded my expectations 

            In our Curated Art Exhibit, I learned about sculptors and other artists that attend Penn State, and our school's B.F.A. program.  The student works that my group observed and analyzed for our project were all so meaningful and creative.  Some of the pieces even reminded me of art that I might see in a museum.  It was so awesome to see that students from our school are capable of creating beautiful pieces.  This was something that I would have never known without this class and the Curated Art Exhibit project. 

            Aside from learning about the arts here at Penn State, I also learned about myself, and my interest in writing.  I've always enjoyed English, but never really the writing aspect.  Something about writing in this class though was fun.  I enjoyed the blogging a lot because it was a modern way to showcase one's thoughts in writing for the rest of the class.  It was also interesting to read other people's opinions on pieces or art, shows, or whatever aspect of the arts we were to discuss. 

            I think that I strengthened my writing during this class after learning about rhetoric and audience.  I had never really thought about the context of my writing before, but both are important to the writing process.  I also think that I improved my creating style a lot on our memoir piece.  In high school, we almost always wrote analytical essays and that was it, so I hadn’t written a memoir for a long time.  Being one of my first papers in college, I worked hard on it, and I think my effort really showed. 

            When I was accepted to Penn State, I didn't even think about the school's arts community.  Now that I know, I'm even more pleased with my choice to attend college here.  I've always been a fan of the arts, and it's exciting to see talent from students just like me.  I plan on taking advantage of shows shows, the art pieces, the music, and everything else that Penn state has to offer during the rest of my four years that are to come. 

2) Blog Response Round-Up

1. http://imporvedartsmarts.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-blast-at-botanical-gardens.html
2. http://jspellman94.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-hidden-gem-of-state-college.html
3. http://jenniferlongdancingart.blogspot.com/2012/09/palmer-museum-visit.html
4. http://daniellegordonmartin.blogspot.com/2012/09/peaceful-morning-at-arboretum.html
5. http://morgannsays.blogspot.com/2012/10/good-will-hunting-movie-review.html
6. http://haileyhere.blogspot.com/2012/10/when-thinking-about-movies-of-1960s.html
7. http://contemplationsoacck.blogspot.com/2012/10/animal-antics-ac-bp-4.html
8. http://the1meltingpot.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-review.html
9. http://artstateofpsu.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html
10. http://cheddarbread.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-red-and-brown-water.html

3) SRTE Evaluations

            Hi, Ms. S -- I completed my SRTEs!

For the Love of Music

           When I first began to play the violin, I was in third grade.  I liked the idea of playing an instrument, but like most kids, I was forced to practice and I resented the violin for that reason.  In middle school, I continued to play in our school’s orchestra at my parents request, but freshman year, I was given the power to decide whether or not to continue my musical education.  Knowing that my parents would be disappointed if I dropped, I unhappily signed up to join my high school’s orchestra.  It is here that I began to look at music as the most beautiful art form of them all.   

            The high school that I attended is known for it’s fantastic music program.  Both the students and the teachers take the art form very seriously, and everyone works hard to create a strong product.  As a class requirement, all orchestra students had to play in the pit in our high schools musical, and at first I was not thrilled.  It was going to be a huge time commitment to attend multiple five-hour rehearsals and shows, especially for someone who didn’t necessarily like theater or want to be a part of the process. 

            When we finally began to piece the show together though, I changed my mind completely.  After running through the thick Broadway book of Beauty and the Beast music for weeks, I had a completely new appreciation for how much work goes into musical performances.  A show is a lot of work in itself, but a musical is nothing without a strong orchestral pit.  It was beautiful to see how a show could come together just through the music that we created as one powerful orchestra.  I now notice the importance of music everywhere within the arts.

            Even this semester, I found myself still impacted by my time in the orchestra.  When we went to see the performance of In the Red and Brown Water, I was so intrigued by the drums.  I felt that the show wouldn’t have been the same without the tribal music.  On my own, I attended a Penn State production of The Producers, and I found myself listening to the beauty of the pit more than anything.  Even when I ventured to the State Theater for the film festival, all I could think about was the perfect music selection in The Graduate. 

         Music is such a powerful division of art.  It has the ability to make the listener feel emotion like no other, and it oftentimes pulls a piece of art, like a musical or a movie, together.  I will forever be happy that I participated in the orchestra because I now view it as the most beautiful art that exists.  

The Wizard of Oz - Mt. Lebanon High School (2011)

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Beauty and the Beast - Mt Lebanon High School (2009)

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Center Stage with Penn State's Center Stage

       I’ll admit that when I arrived at the Playhouse Theatre after a long day of classes, I was struggling to keep my eyes open.  Shortly after I was seated though, African drums sounded, dancers flooded the stage, and I was suddenly wide-awake.  The Penn State Center Stage performance of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In the Red and Brown Water uses a creative mix of passion, music, and humor to engage the audience in a deeper story about love and heartbreak. 

         In the Red and Brown Water focuses on Oya, an African American girl and high school track-star.  Oya’s ailing mother, Mama Moja, keeps her daughter heavily guarded, especially when it comes to the men of the town who are openly infatuated with the talented girl.  When Mama passes away, Oya is left without guidance and protection.  The men in the town see her passing as an opening, and the battle for Oya’s affection begins.

         The two biggest contenders for her love are Shango, a tough and seductive man with mostly sex on his mind, and Ogun, a caring man who may be too nice for Oya’s taste.  She flops between Shango and Ogun, unsure of what is best for her, yet desiring to become pregnant and start a family.  In her state of confusion, Oya also loses an opportunity for an athletic scholarship, adding to her sadness.  In a dramatic ending, Oya discovers that Shango has impregnated another woman.  Unable to handle the news, she slices off her ear and gives it to Shango so that he can always have a piece of her.     

         While it took me the length of In the Red and Brown Water to understand, I was intrigued by the deeper meaning presented by the play.  From the show’s start, local troublemaker, Elegba, describes his perpetual dreams of Oya, naked and surrounded in red and brown water.  This symbolically foreshadows the play’s ending, where Oya is left bleeding in a fit of destructive passion, with red blood flowing from her head, down her brown skin.  

         Besides the engaging storyline, I found the acting and ensemble impressive.  I thought that actress Dré Parker, playing Oya, did a fantastic job of portraying the lost girl.  Parker had the difficult job of balancing the character’s personality between naïve and thoughtful, and tainted and disturbed.  I appreciated the humor and lightheartedness sprinkled throughout the show as well.  While the plot was rather dark at times, the sexual humor kept the audience awake and laughing.  I was also impressed with the music and dancing featured in the show.  The cultural vibe emanated by the combination of choreography and drumming was unlike any performance I’ve seen before.  The moves of the ensemble were precise and eye-catching, and everyone looked well trained in that particular style of dance.
 

         My only complaint about the performance was the aesthetics of the show.  I understand that the blandness of the outfits and set forced the audience to concentrate on the plot, but it I was only left confused.  The current language and dialogue mixed with their ragged outfits had me wondering where or when the show was taking place.  As I said earlier though, the rest of the show compensated for this issue. 

         Having recently attended another Penn State production, I had expectations set when going into this show.   In the Red and Brown Water exceeded these expectations, and reminded me of a professional show.  The level of expertise impressed me, and I would recommend attending a Penn State Center Stage performance to anyone interested in checking one out.