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The Battalion
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esday • February 3, 1998
e »icmo Lessons
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| ien ftdbnU create music for
s oft
(ornei By Chris Martin
leHu: Staff writer
piscit
fot lexas is a special place for live music,
[rounc Whether it’s a Fort Worth honky tonk, an
■ herd; Austin street corner or a Waco church
ko m; > th(‘ hills (or lack thereof) are truly alive
| new the sound of music.
id while College Station is generally not a
^stioniSa of performance art, there are still a few
s. Lit srs Where one can get an aural treat.
| le Flag Room of the Memorial Student
router ip Texas A&M’s own special multi-pur-
ie ha: run i pus room. In the morning and after-
‘timtt, students bustle and buzz about the
i, talking and meeting for lunch,
lain- tte In the day, the flag room’s metabolism
ivntif s to a pace of mellow relaxation and stu-
icepfes solitude. And just so often, on the fin-
|k>rd> tinf-stained black grand piano neatly
lank 2d ip the corner, the music invites.
Over hnMisiewiez, a junior biomedical science
least t, often finds himself immersed in an am-
| ' MSC recital.
nans, try [to study [in the MSC] — either there or
lino: ibrary,” Misiewiez said. “For the past five
Is I've been here there’s been someone
beei;ing- It keeps the subconscious occupied,
[ildn s harder to get distracted. I get a lot more
nco -* when someone is playing.”
[letri isiewiez said he most often hears people
Uy; ng classical or slow-tempo types of music.
|fa\i t’s not like a western bar,” Misiewiez said,
(ban scause of the large groups drawn by the
nade Room, playing can often be a test in
| an. age. Misiewiez said he admires the people
min, the guts to play for everyone.
Ithet. play guitar, but I couldn’t do it in here,”
Jin: ewiez said. “I freeze in front of large crowds.”
[llv phnathan Durham, a sophomore history
she )r, is one of the brave. He said he has played
| ci o in the MSC three or four times. Durham
U.S. srs to play from memory, rather than with
fiedpt music — anything from classical pieces
ofn ie theme from “Peanuts.”
Ibb; mostly play the things that I know,”
tiam said.
Ln I have about ten or eleven songs that I’ve
L h town and memorized that I like to practice.
L pjS to play a wide variety. I just play whatev-
pric, think sounds good or what I think other
ek pie would enjoy to listen to. Sometimes I
let: 7 songs people normally wouldn’t hear, ex-
Ims-t for a couple like ‘The Entertainer’ and
(lesigs like that.”
befMg Room piano groupies may be few and
(apepetween, but Durham enjoys his share of
vd support.
I exp
relaxation, practice in the Memorial Student Center
OT3 -
I*.
&
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“I get a lot of compliments when I play,”
Durham said. “Sometimes I get nervous, though,
and I have trouble playing for a large crowd.”
Durham understands why so many people
enjoy studying while he plays, but said it does
n’t quite work for him.
“Some people like to have it in the back
ground — just how people like to listen to the
radio when they read,” Durham said.
“Personally, I couldn’t do that because I’d
pay attention to the music than to what I was
studying. But every once in a while I like to
have something soft in the background. It
helps you relax.”
Although personal satisfaction is a major
motivating factor for playing in the MSC,
Durham admitted it also helps him with the
opposite sex,
“One of my favorites to play is ‘Angel Eyes’
by Jim Brickman,” Durham said.
“A lot of girls like to listen to that one. That’s
a real plus. One time I went there with a girl 1
was dating last semester — it was our one-
month anniversary of dating — I played the pi
ano in there for her. She hadn’t heard me play
the piano before.”
Cynthia Zuniga, a sophomore international
business major, enjoys studying in the MSC
Flag Room for the wide variety of sounds that
pass through.
"I only stay to study if people are playing,”
Zuniga said. “I get distracted if people are talk-
CHAD MALLAM/The Battalion
ing or walking around. The music helps me to
block out the noise of people walking by or
conversations. I like the atmosphere. If I go to
the library I’ll fall asleep.”
Zuniga enjoys the variety of music played in
the Flag Room.
“People mostly play classical music or
Broadway songs,” Zuniga said. “If I recognize it
I’ll sit down.”
As a music lover, Zuniga admires the skill of
those who play for Flag Room patrons.
“I would definitely play if I had the talent,”
Zuniga said. “It’s the perfect place to play on
weekends. It’s great that it’s open for people
to use.”
Not everyone who plays in the MSC is look
ing for an audience.
Tony Hung, a junior biomedical science ma
jor, enjoys playing in the Flag Room and back
area of the MSC, but not for an audience.
“I don’t play very often — about once a
month,” Hung said. “I usually play when
there aren’t many people around. I get nervous
sometimes.”
Hung thinks the music is an asset to the at
mosphere of the MSC.
“Most people are there relaxing. I think mu
sic helps that,” Hung said.
While some play for glory, some to show off
and some just to pass the time, Hung makes no
apology for his reason.
“It’s fun,” Hung said.
Students should seek
to regain lost talent
for music appreciation
E verybody loves
to hear a good
song, whether
on the radio, in the
form of a music video
or played live at a
concert. And while
students allow the
symphonic reverber
ations to send chills
down their spines
and prick up their
ears, many times they
are enthralled with the music
because they are remembering
a time when they used to play
an instrument.
It is when these times
come to the forefront of
memory— moments when a
young boy or girl would play
the flute, drums or violin for
his or her parents — that peo
ple begin to regret they ever
stopped practicing. Students
get to college and they forget
all about the high-school
marching band, the middle-
school orchestra and the all-
too memorable drill team.
But it is at this moment of
realization, when nostalgia
kicks in, that students should
attempt to regain the musical
talent they possessed earlier
in life. And there are many
outlets for students to gain
musical fulfillment.
Texas A&M offers a wide
variety of music classes,
ranging from music history
courses to those which offer
hands-on experience in play
ing the piano and other in
struments. Along with the
University’s curriculum, out
side opportunities to attain
musical knowledge exist in
programs such as courses of
fered through University
Plus. And if one is financially
able to do so, there are a vari
ety of tutors who can be
found within the Yel
low Pages of the
telephone book.
The point is, if an
individual has the
chance to regain a
musical talent or
learn an instrument
for the first time, he
or she should not
hesitate to accept
the challenge.
Instead of regret
ting a former music
endeavor, people should be
able to look back on life and
say they never let music get
too far out of reach.
Whatever instrument you
used to play or always wanted
to learn, take the time to ac
quire the necessary skills that
will enable you to become fa
miliar with the instrument of
your choice.
Music provides students
with a chance to develop in
tricate trade skills and display
personal expression.
So the next time you enter
an elevator, turn on your car
stereo or even hear a jingle for
a television commercial,
think of how important music
is and how great it would be
to find yourself in its path of
devoted listeners and players.
James Francis is a junior
English and journalism major.
James
Francis
aggielife editor
m m m
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Valentina Lisitsa, piano, age 26
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Rodder Auditorium
Call 345-1234
Opera & Performing Arts Society
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