Saturday, September 24, 2011
DePauwpalooza: kickasstic? Depawsome? (Comment required)
Hey!
One of the best friends I made while I was living in New York last semester is Gail Wein, who after a career doing many things in music, including producing for NPR, is now a terrific publicist. At some concert we were at, we liked it so much that in talking about it she said, "It was . . . kickasstic!" And with that neologism (or so we thought, I just Googled it), one of our favorite words was born.
And you all came up with "DePawesome." (Or is it "DePauwsome?)
So we had the first DePauwpalooza yesterday. I want to know about your experience of it--the whole thing and especially the drum circle, in which so many of you participated so enthusiastically. Kickasstic? DePauwsome?
One of the most kickasstic things about for me is that the idea came from students and then the Dean said, that's great, let's make it happen. Dr. McCoy had the idea for the SoM picnic (where my "homeroom" section of MUS 130 was going to do a drum circle, but I was out of town and the drums didn't get unlocked), and then a group of CLA and SoM students who have been meeting with him since last year asked why we couldn't have one for the whole campus.
When I went to a week-long "playshop" with Arthur Hull, he talked a lot about how a good facilitator/leader listens for and senses what the group (community) needs and then uses her or his leadership role to provide that. A good leader takes responsibility for the well-being of the group, and uses the power that comes with the role to serve the group. To me, this was a perfect example of that. You all have just been here a month or so; I've been here 24 years (!) and one thing that's really clear to me is that we've needed more sense of community, both as the SoM and the campus as a whole.
So Dr. McCoy listened, talked to people, got faculty excited about the idea, and made this big music party happen.
And at the heart of it was a drum circle, the quintessential participatory, bring-people-together, community-building music activity.
I absolutely LOVED all the SoM ensembles and the Urinetown cast, too! Great job, everyone!
I could go on and on--let me know your thoughts. Tell us a story of what it was like for you at DePauwpalooza.
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I thought that DePauwpalooza in general was a little less than kickasstic but I really enjoyed the drum circle. I feel like the SOM students all enjoyed the performances on the steps and things like that but in my mind it kind of put up a wall between us and the CLA kids. I know that it was meant to show the different ensembles and what they do and I think that it did a very good job of that, but at the same time it seemed very formal for this kind of mixer event. That's why I like the drum circle so much because it encouraged outside participation and that not all of the people in the school of music are stuck up classical musicians.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great idea!! I sat with one of my friend from the CLA, and she loved all the ensembles, especially the drum circle. I would've given each ensemble more time to perform, and maybe space them out, so they are not back to back. I think there needs to be more interaction between the SOM and CLA, and this was a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was an amazing way for people to see the different ensembles that are in the SoM and have them play to get people interested in their upcoming shows. I think the drum circle was the best way for the CLA students to start getting involved in the SoM so that it won't be as odd for them to participate in events. I enjoyed how the drum circle went on for a while after choir stopped, and then resumed after the jazz ensemble's performance.
ReplyDeleteDEPAUWPALOOZA WAS DEPASOME, KICKASSTIC! and much more! I thought it was so cool to see other groups that have gone through this seminar perform! It was so cool how Jared remember everything even though it was a few years ago! It shows how this class will have a lasting effect! I really truly do not want to leave this rotation! Its so cool how everyone comes together to make music! A lot of the CLA kids have told me that it was so cool to be part of the drum circle and when I tell them that is my seminar they are super duper jealous! I have learned so much from this class. I just can't get over how everyone just feels a beat and once they go with it others add on and it creates an amazing experience!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I couldn't be there on Friday [:(], I heard that it went over really well and I'm thrilled with how we've progressed over the few short weeks we spent in this rotation. We went from being super awkward to being completely absorbed in making music together! So cool! This is one of those experiences that you can't really get from any other major ensemble and I'm so glad that we got to participate in the drum circle!
ReplyDeleteAhahaha I love the word "kickasstic" and could'nt believe I heard Dr. Edberg say it at DePauwpalooza. :) The event was definitely DePauwsome. I heard so many wonderful comments from CLA students, and also other music students who were impressed by all the talent here at DePauw. The general ambiance of the event was also inviting. Grab some pizza, listen to some music, enjoy your friday night. HOORAY SCHOOL OF MUSIC!! :) I cannot believe DePauwpalooza is already over but I cannot wait for it to come again next year! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was more formal than I was lead to believe. The event seemed like it was themed as "look at what us music students can do" as opposed to the celebrating the connection between the music school and CLA. There should be less attention towards the performances and more people hanging out and socializing while music is in the background. That way its more of a community event with less emphasis on the music school. However, the drum circle was definitely the most exceptional performance because it did out reach into the community.
ReplyDeleteI found DePauwpalooza a great experience to mix with CLA students, also because I feel an actual distance between the two institutions. DePauwpalooza was a great occasion to show what the School of Music does, in its very multifaceted nature. I think CLA students got to know how versatile and "kickasstic" our school is; they also got to experience their musical talent through the drum circle.
ReplyDeleteI really loved DePauwpalooza. It was so much fun getting the CLA students involved in our music. So yeah, they couldn't be "involved" in the concert-type parts, but with our new definition of music, they could be as involved as the performers and the conductor. The idea of musicking is exactly what DePauwpalooza was about: showing the CLA students how we feel the music by playing for them and involving them in the musicking process, rather than telling them, "Hey, there's a concert this day if you want to come listen to the orchestra," we were saying, "Hey, come be involved with us and enjoy this music in whatever way you can because we want you to be involved in it as much as possible." I thought that that was really cool.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Depauwpalooza! I had a connection with everyone I spoke to and getting the CLA students involved was awesome. The drum circle was definitely my favorite part. Everyone was able to relax and just have fun making great music together. I also really liked how the CLA students helped with cleaning up after! One of my CLA friends quickly helped me while I was carrying drums back into the SOM and it was a great feeling knowing that they enjoyed the event so much to help us clean up. I hope Depauwpalooza is an annual event because I sincerely enjoyed it. I love getting together with my fellow classmates and being able to experience such an amazing time!
ReplyDeleteI'm so late but, i thought it was such a great event. I really wish that it wasn't so much a performance opportunity for the school of music, but for the SoM and CLA students to just get together and enjoy each others company. We did get to speak occasionally with some of them, but if anyone was like me, you had so much to do performance wise that it became more of a concert than it was an event to meld the two schools together. However i do believe the best part was the drum circle, simply because that was a time where anybody could come up, and we could feed off of each others energy. And it became an atmosphere where there was really no difference between the schools, just a united group (including the audience) just having fun together and playing drums and dancing. And although i love to perform, i believe that was the best part of the event just because it wasn't a showcase, it was more of lets get together and enjoy each other.
ReplyDeletei thought Depauwpalooza was absolutely perfect timing. It was a great way for the CLA students to get a nice taste of what the music kids were up to before a huge week of concerts, programs, and...YO-YO MA! DePauwpalooza was fun and awesome, but I think it's main benefit was getting everybody prepared for a weekend that was pretty much dedicated to music students. It made the college of liberal arts kids even more interested in Yo Yo Ma and all of the excitement that was spreading around the school of music. It was a really great beginner to the discourse.
ReplyDelete