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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1999)
Rth Wee' l i lined from cine, A&M fa, >t<.ition FireDe es and Toys tea visit from: tronnhevefc truck from fc Apartment. e Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Tuesday, April 20, 1999 rtthe polo fie y parking lot, to everyone: sary. Ca , for more infH A&M Men; practice fra Rugby Fie: behind theZ I male stude derience ne: at 696-076; is Crusade vill be a mee aour's De; '22 for mo r e c Students 'illbeaAp 1 Bible studt Rudder. ition of Bapt have weel<t ’:30 p.m. a: ted at 410 C vid at 846-S Iggie Moto:: is moved, fe ;e Max dn ■ : l r om Sweet: : ill Mark at K ormation. ish Langu& ciety: Wa: e a re's M"- vith Dr. Be#! or Anne' rim a 2) onna Women’s role in music has evolved across century BY SUSAN OVERCASH The Battalion A t the 41 st annual Grammy awards, a wealth of women stepped for ward to receive golden statues. Women like Madonna, Celine Dion, Pat ti LaBelle and Shirley Horn all went home with shiny monuments for their talents and abilities. Through the years, women such as LaBelle and Dion have changed the face of music. This year’s Grammy Awards is simply the most recent indication of the effect women have had on the public’s perspective of women musicians. This week. Aggies will have the op portunity to experience a variety of mu sic composed by women, as well as learn more about their lives. Today, the con clusion of a film festival depicting the lives of women in films is playing in 417 Evans Annex. Also, a concert of women composers is scheduled for Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the MSG Forsyth Galleries, featuring Penelope Kosztolnyik’s newly composed music for the Aggie Player’s production of “Twelfth Night.” Dr. Laurine Elkins-Marlow, a lecturer in the Department of Music and coordi nator of the event, said in the past, women have been denied access to pub lic performances showcasing their talent. “There are performers who have been so excellent all along, but not given the education or allowed to perform in pub lic,” Elkins-Marlow said. “This century, things have come together to allow women access to music education.” Elkins-Marlow said female musicians, such as British-born Dame Ethyl Smyth, helped change the early 20th-century at titude that women should not perform publicly. “[Smyth] went to Germany on her own, to study music,” Elkins-Marlow said. “She wrote excellent operas, which at the time was a male domain. Many of them were performed in Germany. Even tually, one of her operas was the first women’s opera to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.” Local artist Ruthie Foster said women such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald have all influenced her music because of their courageous style. “People like Billie Holiday, who sing from their toes up — you can hear their whole life story in the tone of their voice, and they loved what they did, Foster said. “They didn’t die rich, but they loved what they did.” “People like Billie Holiday... you can hear their whole life story in the tone of their voice” — Ruthie Foster Elkins-Marlow said women in the ’30s such as Frederique Petrides, a conductor and journalist, also helped publicize women’s performances at a time when women did not perform in the public eye. Ethel Elginska, a concert pianist, broke ground by wearing a tuxedo dress to per form in instead of a concert dress. Elkins Marlow said modern music is firmly grounded in the talents of women musicians of all styles. “Today, there are not only sym phonies, but also regional orchestras full of women,” she said. The advent of record labels and pro ducing companies owned by women has also brought many female performers into the public eye. “There are companies like Olivia Records and Lady Slipper who have cat alogs of women’s music, all types, from all around the world,” Elkins-Marlow said. “This has started as a grass-roots, word-of-mouth type movement that got institutionalized. ” Foster, who is part owner of a local production company. Full Circle Produc tions, said she started her own company after working for major label Atlantic Records. “I started Full Circle because I was owned by a major label, not recording or writing what I wanted to,” Foster said. “I wanted control over my music. I like to handle it myself, the business side. It’s fun, and I have a good time.” Foster said women musicians such as Sheryl Crow and Ani DiFranco, who ex ercise control over their music, bring their own signature to the music indus try. “For example, Ani DiFranco owns her own independent label,” Foster said. “Many women have done that, gotten backstage and run their own business, put the right people in their circles. ” Today, music festivals such as Lilith Fair combine a showcase of women’s tal ent with charity, raising money for women’s shelters and victims of domes tic violence. Artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Merchant have performed at the festival, and helped raise over $800,000 last year alone through ticket sales and $150,000 through corporate sponsors. Carrie Garden, a member of Century Singers and a senior information systems major, said she has been influenced by women performers such as McLachlan because of her distinctive voice. “She doesn’t cover her voice up,” Garden said. “She just uses simple ac companiments like acoustic guitar. Women in the industry make music reach out to more people. ” HAZING IS LEARNED: A learned activity, hazing is often taught at an arly age. Hazing is not just a Greek or Corps problem it it is a problem for most student groups and ssociations. Many times, students arrive at college ined, v? ready taught that hazing is acceptable. According to 1sp y 395 statistics, 85 percent of high school boys and aarly 70 percent of high school girls have experienced ay / >me sort of hazing. Often that hazing is approved or KEND, H andoned by an adult--a coach, a teacher, a parent. Communities must be cognizant of what hazing is and what the consequences are for participating in hazing activities. Fazing is not part of joining an organization but instead degrades and insults members in the name of that organization. -adopted from Mr. Hank Nuwer For incoming students, often away from home for the first It me, the need to fit in with a group, to be liked and accepted, liricreases their dependence on peers. At Texas A&M University, Ishouldn’t we be providing our new students with a collegiate Experience, not repeating the high school one? As a community, ets teach our new students that hazing is not an Aggie value. iTo report hazing, contact one of the following offices: The Department of Student Life {Student Conflict Resolution Services: | Can847-7272 to report any incidents of hazing. The Office of the Commandant: Cal!458-1341 to report hazing involving members of the Corps of Cadets. The Department of Student Activities: | Can $45-1133 to report hazing involving members of a recognized student organization. University Police Department: Call845-2345 to report any incidents of hazing. This advertisement is brought to you by Student Conflict Resolution Services-the Department of Student Life, within the Division of Student Affairs. MSC HOSPITALITY PRESENTS... SLAM FEST '99 # 5 on 3 Basketball Tournament Where Read Building April 24, Cost $20/ team nfr Questions call Profits Benefit Community Service MSC HOSPITALITY 845-1515 1999 T-SHIRT Registration MSC Hallway April 14-21 10:00- 3:00 REC Center April 14-21 6:00-9:00 (k A historical and military perspective presented by Dr. Joseph Dawson Director of Military Studies Institute 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, 1999 Room 301 Rudder Tower For more information, visit http ://pf. tamu.edu. To inform us of your needs, call 845-8770.