After twelve competitors braved their way through a night of auditions on Sept. 6., sophomore Carrie Blanton and freshman Dani Shillingstad were announced the newest vocalists in Hillsdale College’s Jazz Band. “Those two singers just gave me goosebumps,” Director of Jazz Studies and Trumpet Instructor Chris McCourry said. McCourry asked auditioners to sing “My Funny...
Month: September 2012
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A musical maturity
Up until a few weeks ago, someone would mention the words “teen singer” and immediately my mind would fill with Taylor Swift’s thin voice singing “Love Story,” or, worse, the grating strains of Rebecca Black’s Friday. But thanks to Jasmine “Birdy” Van den Bogaerde, a fifteen-year-old indie artist, my hope for talented youth is renewed....
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Movie review: “Obama 2016”
“Love him, hate him; you don’t know him” is the tagline advertising the new documentary: “Obama 2016.” Based on Dinesh D’Souza’s 2010 book, “The Roots of Obama’s Rage,” the film explores Obama’s past, and focuses particularly on the influence of his absent father, Barack Obama Sr., a man full of extreme anti-colonial and anti-American values.The...
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Sunny with a chance of jazz
As autumn approaches and the days shorten, the halls of Howard Music Building will only brighten with the lively, smooth sound of jazz as Hillsdale College brings in a talented guest jazz performer. Professor of Jazz Voice at Michigan State University Sunny Wilkinson has an extensive music career: from the eclectic rock bands of Los...
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Jeffrey Gaiser: harnessing his God-given gift
In the space beneath his lofted bed in his Simpson Residence Hall dorm room, freshman Jeffrey Gaiser is the master of his artistic domain. Gaiser’s Yamaha P-250 keyboard, Apple MacPro computer loaded with programs, an Alesis Firewire iO26 Mixer, Rhode microphone, electric guitar, and electric violin give him the ability to transform his room into...