Guest Commentary by Elisabeth Shertzer
Try to tell me that lugging around a 30 pound sousaphone on one shoulder for hours at a time in the August heat isn’t as energy-taxing as most sports.
However, many students and staff members at Conestoga would not agree with my view. We in the marching band put so much work into our field show every year, slog on in our hot and sweaty uniforms at every parade, that it seems we should be getting more praise.
When the girls’ soccer team wins the state championship, the whole school is notified and the principal even makes an announcement. But when our music students make honors such as All-Eastern groups, there is no such widespread elation among the student body, even as acceptance into All-Eastern is quite a feat.
There is something wrong with this picture; the balance is off, and it’s a problem that is prevalent not only in Conestoga but also in many other schools across the country.
This problem is found all over our district and all around our school. It even affects The Spoke: every issue has a big sports section in the back, but a section devoted to music and the arts at Conestoga is nowhere to be found. For example, I found no article in the Dec. 17 Spoke about our winter concerts, which took place on Dec. 7 and 10, while five pages of the paper were devoted to sports.
Many students were involved in these concerts, and we even played a piece composed by an alumnus of the school, yet no article in the newspaper recognized this.
And while 26 of us musicians succeeded in District 12 Band and Orchestra auditions, there was no trace of an article about this achievement. Nor could I find any article about the 13 students who made District Chorus, and I didn’t even find anything about this on the Web site.
It just so happens that there is more of an emphasis put on social studies, English, math, science and foreign languages than on music and arts. For instance, it took years for the art and music teachers to convince the administration to finally include Studio Art and AP Music Theory in students’ GPAs.
I have personally taken both the Studio Art program and AP Music Theory, and considering the course load, I don’t understand why the administration was so hesitant about this seemingly simple decision.
People have to understand that music and art should not be treated as secondary, unimportant activities. Both the faculty and the students of Conestoga should learn to appreciate what we do in the Visual and Performing Arts department. Appreciation of and involvement in the arts will enhance our lives as Conestoga students but, more importantly, will benefit and enrich us as we move forward.
Printed originally on p. 10 of the Feb. 13, 2009 issue of The Spoke
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February 16th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
2 State Championships (the only ones ever in school history in any sport) is way more impressive than anything the author mentioned. Those teams reached the highest level they could possibly achieve. They deserved more than what they received.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
But they received something, did they not?
Another example: the musical got one lousy page in the last edition of the Spoke while sports got the usual back section. These kids have spent just as much time practicing as many of the sports teams and clearly show more teamwork. If any one person fails to do their part in the show, it kills the atmosphere. Everyone must be perfect, and what’s more, they have to be perfect for every single performance. At least in sports, you can mess up a little here and there but still rebound.
People are still talking about shows done in the past such as Les Miserables, the Secret Garden, and Evita. The leads from when the current seniors were in middle school are still remembered by name and praised from time to time. Can you name the kids who went to states twice? Probably not.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Valid points but one,: There are currently 6 different basketball teams. 2 wrestling teams, 2 swim teams, 2 winter track teams. Thats the current season. There is one winter musical group. So, don’t you think they should get a few more pages?
And 2: in respect to remembering the names, I think that is a more of a boys vs girls thing. If the boys soccer, or better yet Football teams won anything like that people would remember the names. People still talk about Josh Cohen who played basketball and football in past years and Mark Herzlich is currently National Star on Boston College’s football team. Those are a few names definetly still being talked about. And I personally do know many of the names from those girls soccer teams and I am not friends with them at all. And personally I don’t know any of the names from those past shows you mentioned. So, in that respect it is more of a personal thing in what you choose to follow, and it seems that more people choose to follow sports teams. After all, there are more people involved in sports.
February 19th, 2009 at 12:19 am
shawn, I think it’s important that you get your facts straight. yes, there are 6 basketball teams, 2 wrestling teams, 2 swim teams and 2 track teams at the moment, but did you ever consider the number of musical groups? there is not only one musical group in the winter. musical groups last the entire school year.
in conestoga, there are 4 choirs (2 of which are select), 2 jazz groups, an entire symphony orchestra, a concert band and a wind ensemble year-round. This isn’t including the marching band, visual ensemble, pep band, the cast of the musical, and the pit orchestra which only last for part of the year, but rehearse just as much if not more than the year-round groups. Though you may believe that “there are more people involved in sports,” you might be surprised to find out the actual number of students involved in music activities compared to those involved in sports.
Throughout the school year there are 5 concerts, 2 in the winter and 3 in the spring. To me, since the daily sports update is consistently on the morning announcements, there should be less of a need for a giant sports section in the back of the newspaper. Instead, the few concerts which take place on predetermined dates should at least be mentioned somewhere in the paper. While winning district or state championships is a great feat, so is auditioning and getting into district/region/state orchestra, band or choir.
As Stephen mentioned before, the amount of work and effort that goes into putting a musical on is incomprehensible to anyone who has not experienced it. Not only is it in the talent of the leads, but in the talent of the pit orchestra, chorus, dancers. Not to mention the back-stage scene with all of the props, costumes and make up that are organized and assembled by students. And the crew, who must perfect the lighting and mic cues, as well as the scene changes which must take place.
What i’m saying is: for someone who has been involved in every single show (both the fall play and spring musical), 4 different musical groups, and the marching band while here at stoga, it would have been nice to receive some more recognition or acknowledgment from the spoke, and thus the students at Conestoga. though i did not do these activities for recognition, when I compare the amount of credit given to a single sports team, I am disheartened.
February 19th, 2009 at 8:55 am
All the points the anonymous poster left are very legitimite and hard to argue with. But in response to getting my facts straight, when I said musical group I meant the winter play group. I know that includes the pit orchestra, cast, crew, etc. I was not referencing all of the other performing groups. The reason I did not reference those other groups is because the writer of the article did not. They failed to note that there was a major story on Max Willauer, a stoga musician. If you also include this Op/Ed, there was much more on the performing arts than just the single article about the musical.
However, the points mentioned by other posters does make me reconsider about what is being said.
I do agree with the authors point, “music and art should not be treated as secondary, unimportant activities.”
But, I think this is not because of sports. Blaming sports coverage for this does not seem like the right idea. There isn’t a billboard outside that says Boys Basketball in the Playoffs, There is one that says Kiss Me Kate. There were 4 pages including the editorial in the last spoke devoted to the arts, plus a mention of student bands in the community section. There was 4 pages devoted to sports, plus the back cover. We could continue to argue about those comparisons, but there is little point.
Like I said before, It is a personal thing. If you are into and follow sports, that is what you want to read about. If you are into the arts, that is what you want to read about. It just so happens that the spoke tends to have more people that want to and do write about sports. You can’t just blame the entire spoke. They aren’t turning down articles about the arts. No one is writing about them. Although, maybe this editorial will cause some more interest. I am not going to have a problem with increased attention or interest, and I never would.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
1.) There is only ONE wrestling team at Conestoga, because girls don’t usually wrestle. And with that being said, it is apparent that Shawn, Stephen, and anonymous are not athletes. Therefore, their opinions are biased and do not matter.
2.) The arts people need to stop complaining. Your participation in the visual or performing arts at this school should be entirely independent of external factors such as “media coverage” because if it is not, than you are doing it for the wrong reasons. Also, it is quite insulting to athletes that artists assume they can compare their preparation to that which is required to be a significant athlete. It is not simply a matter of the amount of “time” spent, it is the nature of what it is that you are doing.
3.) [Stephen: "At least in sports, you can mess up a little here and there but still rebound."] This is a generalization that applies only to basketball, which is a sport that, by its nature, is incredibly simple in comparison to many other sports. This may apply to basketball, but for sports that require more discipline or sacrifice and are more complex, that is an embarrassingly ignorant statement to make.
4.) If the basketball team wins a game, they deserve to get coverage for it. This is not a Socialist country and there is no right that entitles anyone to coverage. Do what you do for YOURSELF and stop whining please.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
When I said 2 wrestling teams I was referencing JV and Varsity. And I do like Bryan’s comment “This is not a Socialist country and there is no right that entitles anyone to coverage”
Although your point on bias makes no sense. An athlete’s point is just as biased as a non athlete. And I am both an athlete and participant in the Studio Art program. Someone that was neither involved in athletics nor the arts would be as closed to unbiased as possible, and even that could still be biased.
February 20th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I don’t think Elisabeth meant to insult either the Spoke or the sports teams. I think she just wanted to point out that music kids deserve the same amount of coverage as the sports kids.
There were two announcements about basketball games today. How many were there for the musical? None, yet the shows are next week.
Bryan: Music and sports are not mutually exclusive. You can’t just assume that Stephen, anon, and Shawn are not athletes. I play rugby and swim competitively, yet I also practically live in the band room, am involved in everything I can do musically, and take studio art. I know both sides of the coin. Not all sports get equal coverage either (rugby sure doesn’t). But sports in general just get more coverage than art or music.
Also, basketball is not simpler than other sports. They are all complex in their own ways. That’s your embarrassingly ignorant mistake right there.
Who said that music and art kids don’t enjoy what we do? If we didn’t, why would we do it? For the attention? Obviously not, since there is very little. I’m in marching band for the same reason that I play rugby. Both are equally fantastic, and I enjoy every minute I’m there.
A prime example: the relationship between pep band and the boys basketball games. Pep band, however small it may be, is at the majority of the varsity home games. Nobody ever comes to see the pep band, but we’re there. Why? Because we love band and marching band/football season is over. We come even though nobody can really hear us at all. And just like in marching band, we’re cheering the basketball team on every minute of the game. Believe it or not, even we, the people who apparently just want attention, thought it really sucked when we lost to Downingtown West (football) and Lower Merion (basketball).
Another example: Last year during the break between the two Saturday fall drama shows, we heard about the girl’s soccer win at states and the district choir results at the same time, and it was a party backstage.
Thanks for saying socialist and not communist, even though you’ve got the socialist ideals all mixed up. They’re not the same thing. Also, I only know one girl who wants to wrestle (but she goes to a different school), and if she wants to, why not? Her school lets her wrestle boys.
And Shawn is right, I’m biased, you’re biased, he’s biased, everyone’s biased. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just something to consider.
Shawn: It IS a matter of personal preference, and again, I don’t think the author is blaming the lack of coverage on sports, but rather just using it as a comparison point. This article may have come off as accusatory, but most of the music kids also play sports (even if it’s just for extended experience) and a lot of them are in studio art. I really don’t think they hate the athletes, and the athletes don’t hate them back either. It’s just that it would be nice to have (like Max did, lucky him) some sort of recognition. Like you said, you can just choose not to read it. I do acknowledge that it’s a lot better here at Stoga for music kids than at my old school. Over there it was literally ALL about sports, but there was no newspaper. There were only 25 kids in band, and they never got recognized, even those who made states. The intermural floor hockey club kept everyone posted on their games every week though, despite the fact that they had the same amount of people, and some of the same people.
Spoke tries to imitate national newspapers (and doing a great job), and most don’t have a music section. I mean, you never hear people say “oh I read the music section of the -insert paper here- last night”. They read the news, or sports, or the funnies. I think that’s part of it. Because society in general puts less emphasis on music (I’m not talking about the likes of Coldplay or of Montreal, but rather the orchestras, concert/marching bands, and choirs) than sports, it is only fitting that the Spoke is the same way. Perhaps the author is saying that society, not just Stoga, tends to overlook music. Don’t take it personally.
P.S. Art kids are pretty awesome too. So wherever I said music, insert art in there as well.
P.P.S. Spoke is amazing. I don’t think most people really appreciate how much work goes into a single issue when they draw mustaches on your newspapers. All those production days must drive you nuts. Keep it up, guys!
February 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
well put james, well put.
February 25th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I find this all very insulting. I put just as many hours as music kids do into their music and let me tell you that there is a difference between a team winning a state title and an individual. It is much harder as a team, that is why it was a bigger deal. As athletes all we get is gym credits for the minimum of 10 hours we spend a week on our sport just for school, not to mention all the outside training.
March 5th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Feb. 25th Anonymous: I can assure you that the author was not trying to insult athletes (I can prove this because I know her personally and we have discussed this issue many times). You say that it is harder to win a state title as a team than as an individual. I have participated in the district music festivals and let me tell you, it is very difficult to advance to the next levels. With a team, you have other people around you and you support each other. In the PMEA festivals, you are alone and you “compete” against every other person who plays your instrument. I can assure you that it is VERY emotionally and mentally taxing. Perhaps competing as a team and competing as an individual both have their pros and cons. Perhaps they are both equally difficult to “win” with. “As athletes all we get is gym credits”: marching band is as physically taxing as most sports (as the author said) and the band kids don’t even get gym credits. And athletes don’t only get gym credits, they also get a lot more recognition. So please, don’t complain.
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March 10th, 2009 at 11:14 am
whats with all the annoymous if ur so sure of ur arguments i dont see the point of a this facade
March 10th, 2009 at 11:18 am
oh and james u obviously dont no wat ur even trying to say if u cant make a precise argument, ur response is longer than Elizabeth’s entire article.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Anonymous on March 5th.. “marching band is as physically taxing as most sports”….really? are you serious? let me see any kid in marching band run 20 gassers (sprints across the field) i bet not one of you will be able to breath after. Not one member of the marching band would be able to do half the sprints and running it takes to do any of the sports in this school. Your really comparing the physicalness of football, rugby, ice hockey, lacrosse or any other sports to marching band? really? wow….
March 13th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Bryan, what makes you say that James is not making a precise argument? I think that James presented a very clear opinion. (Also, some of us have reasons to be “anonymous.”)
Eddie: please curb your ignorance. A sousaphone is 30 pounds of brass and fiberglass carried on one shoulder. While carrying instruments such as sousaphones, we must do something called “roll-stepping,” which is a way of marching so that our bodies travel in a smooth line, not bumping up and down as is done in normal walking. Roll-stepping is very tiring for the calf muscles. For winds and brass, we must use all of our lung power to play loudly and play well, at the same time trying not to pass out (this is very difficult in 80 degree weather at long parades). And drumline are under a lot of pressure–since they are the beat, they must be perfect (their instruments tend to be very heavy as well–quads are about 35 pounds). The colorguard must be coordinated perfectly to maintain a good image. Finally, we must all have our music memorized. It takes a lot of practice to memorize music.
So Eddie, I implore you to reconsider your opinion, which is currently biased and supported with no facts.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Oh and Bryan, you spelled Elisabeth’s name wrong. It’s Elisabeth with an “s,” not a “z.”
March 13th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
ok betsy, Ill put it out that i play football and rugby, and have played ice hockey, wrestling and lacross. And your saying all this weight of instruments is heavy? 35 lbs? really? if you ever see the amount of weight that is thrown around training for any specific sport, personally i train very seriously and have squatted 500 lbs and have benched 300 lbs and have deadlifted 405 lbs…now lets compare that to the 35 lb instruments….not very comparable i see. Also in football i have to move kids mostly over 200 lbs every single play, this year we had a game go for 3 and a half hours, i find that A LOT more tiring then any march with a 35 lb instrument no matter how “perfect” or how much “pressure” you are under.
March 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I don’t think this should be a debate about whether or not marching band is a sport. I am in marching band, and know how much effort and practice it takes, and although it would be nice to say we get as much exercise as sports do, that is in no way true. yes, carrying a 35 pound drum or twirling a 6 foot pole is exhausting and energy-taxing, but when you compare that amount of energy with how much it takes to run sprints, or tackle a 200lb football player, there is no comparison. people don’t do marching band for physical exercise, that’s common knowledge. they do it because of their musical talents.
what i think the crux of the issue is, is that the people in marching band (and the rest of the music department) get way less credit or recognition than the sports teams do. while we spend nearly as much time practicing and have just as much talent yet get less than half the recognition. that’s all.
March 14th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
thank u anonymous mar. 14 you make a very good argument (unlike james and definitely unlike betZy) The issue is about recognition, and when the band kids stray from this point and attempt to compare the physical aspect of band to that of athletics it is a tremendous insult. Now i feel i have been provoked to point out how unbias my position is: I can attest for what eddie says because I do or have done many of the sports he does, along with many others. I also will be taking violin lessons, and am not ignorant to music along with other art forms. Also, eddie and I often lift together, and between the two of us we are easily the overall strongest kids in Conestoga and therefore we know better than anyone else the physical aspect of being an athlete. We lift weights that are HUNDREDS of pounds. In a move called a deadlift, I can easily handle well over four-hundred pounds. And we do routines that often last longer than three hours. Then, even after that, we must nurture and recover ourselves for the next forty-eight hours. Therefore, an argument based upon a lousy 35 lbs is a joke, actually, it is an insult. Elisabeth had no right to make the opening statement she did.
Anonymous mar. 14 is the only one to be able to concede the fact that band is not done for its physical aspect, but for it’s mental aspect, and to realize the true crux of the issue. There is no argument in comparing the physical side of being an artist to that of an athlete. Everyone knows band is not easy and that it takes considerable skill or sacrifice, but this skill/sacrifice can not be compared to that of an athlete from a physical perspective, as anonymous stated. I rest my case.
March 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Quite frankly, there are MANY unknown sports groups at Conestoga, ESPECIALLY girl’s sports. I’m glad the soccer team got the recognition they deserved, because at least this girl’s soccer victory balances the boy’s basketball victory in the eternal “battle of the sexes”. However, club sports are ignored excessively. Rugby, crew, ice hockey, fencing, swimming: none are reported on despite the athlete’s time and athletic abilities.
Marching band shouldn’t be complaining. Word of mouth travels faster than news here. People KNOW the time put into marching band and all that and there’s enough musical types at stoga to spread the word. We know there’s a lot of really go teachers and musicians. The neglected sports should be reflected upon, though.
March 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I find it kind of wierd how musicians are mad about recognition, when i see that if you are playing an instrument or in marching band for recognition, you are doing it for the wrong reason. I personally played the most unrecognized position in football, fullback, and never got my name in the paper or interviews with anyone..but i didn’t care, i was playing the sport i loved and didn’t care what people thought only what i thought. Recognition was nothing to me, i played for myself and no one else and not for the recognition or to call myself a football player….. so i find musicians demanding recognition for what they do a really bad argument because again, if your playing to get recognition then you are being a musician for the very wrong reason
March 16th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Well, I realize what you’re saying, Eddie, but keep in mind that the marching band does work very hard along with the other sports I mentioned above. There are some sports that work harder than the girl’s soccer team or the boy’s football team and put in more time. It’s sort of a smack in the face when a sport or activity isn’t properly recognized. The debate team, for one, works extremely hard at what they do and all they get is a simple mention in the announcments? No one should join something to be recognized for it, but egos aer at work in the school and when something is more recognized than the other, it’s bound to get some complaints.
March 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Its not the athletes doing the recognition, its the people doing the announcements, the newspapers, the news, the school tv shows, no the athletes…the athletes are playing the sport and training and not on tv talkin bout their teams or themselves….if your gonna blame anyone, blame the announcements, the spoke, the tv shows, the newspapers. not the athletes
March 16th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
if youre going to argue about recognition you have to realize that it comes from two places: word of mouth and some sort of news organization. excluding word of mouth and all local and national newspapers/television stations/radio stations etc. the only way that some people will hear about a certain sport, club, music organization, etc. is thru either the spoke or the morning announcements-both of which are run VOLUNTARILY by STUDENTS. like it or not some of the sports mentioned above (like basketball, soccer, and football) are just more desired-people want to read about them. if another team or club makes or does something extraordinary, people are going to want to hear about it and then yes, it will be reported on. but you also have to take into account that the students running the spoke and tetv are most likely only going to report on the events that interest them (for the most part). and you also have to realize that some musical events, sports games, and club activities are easier than some to report on and cover.
yes, some students traveled 2hrs to hershey to follow the girls soccer team. but this was a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. i doubt anyone who is uninterested in crew is going to drive down to the schuylkill every weekend just so they can have a column in the newspaper
as sad and disappointing as it may be, not every activity can be reported on (and therefore recognized) equally. something has to be sacrificed-thats just the way it is. if it bothers you that much, do something about it yourself….dont expect someone else to do it just because you want them to
March 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I’d just like everyone to know that I wasn’t anticipating such a huge response to my article. My argument was that music at Conestoga doesn’t get as much recognition as sports and academics do, but should be getting an equal amount. I was a bit appalled to find so many misinterpretations of my article here. I didn’t mean to start such an intense argument, and I certainly don’t want such a rivalry going on. I’d also like to say that while this is my view of the concept, my view cannot be applied to that of all of the music kids. I’m sure that some of them may have views different from mine. (There were some misinterpretations about this as well.)
Again, I never meant to antagonize sports. I just used sports as an example of something that generally gets more publicity than music, in order to prove my point that music activities should not be ignored.
March 17th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
“The colorguard must be coordinated perfectly to maintain a good image”
hahahahahahhahaha
the last time i saw the color guard it certainly wasn’t coordinated perfectly
March 18th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Eddie… I was in marching band for 3 years and have 6 Varsity letters. You are wrong.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
This debate is ongoing and there is no real answer. The plays get tons of recognition, go outside the weeks of plays and there are things hanging from the lightposts and big signs outside. The morning announcments announce it and the newspaper writes about it. If you are looking for a spot-light, do stand-up. I am neither an athlete or an artsy/musical person, but athlete’s deserve the recognition they get. They practice everyday after school until sun-down sometimes, and in sports like football, its rain or shine. After that they must go through the hardship of playoffs. One lose equals a straight shot out of the playoff, and for seniors that is huge. I was at the game that Conestoga Boys Basketball team lost, up in Reading, and I saw the frustration and agony on the faces of the senior boys, who for some was their last game EVER playing basketball in such an atmosphere. And when winning, I.E the girls soccer team, there is a huge celebration, with a police and Berwyn Fire Company escort. It was well deserved because of the frustration and hardships they had to go through in order to get there. Stop whinning about the arts and Music, because they are important and they do get credit, it is just not the spotlight some of you dramatic people want…
March 19th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Jeff Ma, those were all in Middle School, I.E NOT IMPORTANT, big difference from Middle school band and sports to high school band and sports
March 19th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Jeff Ma what am I wrong about exactly that makes it important that you have “6 varsity letters” and in marching band for 3 years?
March 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am
eddie, that is rediculous the band could easily beat up the whole football team.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am
This thing must be a joke because no one could honestly think that the music department deserves more credit than sports teams.
March 20th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Clearly Eddie is right, Jeff Ma your an idiot… And have fun with that fight Band Rulez, your people are complaining about 35 lb instruments…
March 20th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
the last three comments are total bogus..
1. there is no way the band could beat up the whole football team. read above comments. band kids aren’t in band for their athletic ability, they do it for their musical talent.
2. the argument is not for more credit to the music department.. its for equal recognition, which is not received in comparison to those who play sports.
3. it is not appropriate to be calling someone an idiot on comment forums like these.. you do not know the person, and it makes your argument invalid.
these comments are seriously getting out of hand. i think this issue will never truly be resolved. there will always be those who disagree with others’ opinions. people do what they like or what they are good at, and that is all. whoever gets recognition, gets recognition. people should not be participating in high school activities for recognition anyway.
March 20th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
i really don’t understand what the big deal is
March 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
This is definitely getting out of hand. Can everyone just chill out and stop insulting each other?! Thanks for completely missing what my article was about.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
A lot of people seem to be missing the point… the article isn’t about who works harder or is more important. It’s impossible to compare the work done by an athlete with the work done by a musician or a painter, because the nature of their work is completely different.
The point is that both athletes and artists put a lot of time and effort into what they do, and both deserve equal respect and recognition from the faculty and the student body. Even stoganews.com itself seems to have missed this, though: I was brought to this page by a link reading “Arts vs. Athletics - Click Here to Join the Conversation.”
March 26th, 2009 at 8:01 am
i love the spoke! better than the new york times, i cant wait to read it on friday!!!1!!:)
March 26th, 2009 at 8:04 am
That is not true Jeff, the new york times has better reports on the NBA and the philadelphia inquirer has better commentary
March 26th, 2009 at 8:51 am
hahahahahahahhaahaha i love this forum and all these comments lol…
oh and liz calm down, its not “thanks” to anyone but yourself that your article was misunderstood, you structured your article poorly and used poor diction that led to unintended connotations; just look at your title, and look at your opening statement. They almost directly contradict each other. You should have taken more care in composing this article beacause it deals with student’s individual disciplines, which is a sensitive topic. But anyways im happy this debate was ignited this is fun. Oh and caroline its ok “band rulez!” was obviously being sarcastic and tryin to make eddie mad haha.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:53 am
…even tho now that i think about that that kindof annoys me too, whoever said that i assure u i could take on the whole band with an arm tied behind my back haha
March 26th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Fact is that the majority of people will rather read about sports than the arts so the paper is just catering to students interests. people will much rather read about the football team than who is playing the trombone really well.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I was just curious to know why there was no review on Kiss Me Kate in today’s Spoke. In the last Spoke, there was one page about the preparation for this musical. However, there has been no article on how the musical went. No, not a word about the full house, or brilliant musicianship, or coordination of the stage crew. Only the usual five pages of sports and two vehement (and senseless) letters to the editor whining about neglected sports.
P.S. I’m not blaming sports, I’m just wondering why there is no musical recognition.
P.P.S. With about 200-300 people going on the Disney trip, 200 in marching band, 4 choirs, 5 instrumental groups, and a host of musical electives, I think there must be some people interested in reading about music.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
And with the new articles on concusions today, I’m starting to seriously doubt the intelligence of these athletes!
But music requires brain power.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Concussions, sorry.
March 28th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Thank you for your input, Bryan. But for your information, I was not the person who came up with the title.
March 29th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
hahahahahahahahaha you spelled concussions wrong look whos unintelligent now, looks like you should have made your pseudonym “Dory” instead of “Nemo” hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
March 29th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
and yes, liz, i concede that someone else creating the title for your article is why it could have been misunderstood, though I did understand it as you intended; the spoke also edited my letter, quite severely, so it may have appeared that I was being a jerk. I had no intention of appearing that way.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
well, i’m not one of you guys. i found this link on google and have been reading your soap opera feud. and i have a lot to say. so to start off..
1) Bryan- don’t tell elisabeth that she’s contradictory. you jumped into this conversation thinking you were right when in actuallity..you’ve changed your opinion..so don’t go name calling. and i plan on checking my spelling so i don’t look “unintelligent”
2) eddie- you seem to be the pompous jock type that goes around flexing his muscles thinkin’ your tough stuff. so i have nothing to say except get over yourself. oh and it seems like your being selfish if you personally are not recognized..it doesnt matter, your TEAM is recognized. i also don’t give a crap if you can lift 500 lbs. where is that gonna get you in life..really?
3) I don’t care how many championships you win, everyone should be equal
4) Flapjacks- wtf? no point in your one comment
5)Jeff Ma- your saying a few irrelavant things yourself
6) Shawn- thats a pretty jerk comment to make (the first comment on this article)
there is a lot of stuff that still haven’t said but i honestly believe that you guys are arguing about the wrong thing. some are on the right track with your arguments, but there is stuff here that is unnecessary and idiotic. if you must know, i’m a marching band kid. i come from a school with 2 choirs, 1 band (pep,concert) and 1 jazz band. we’ve seen the same deal as the main article states. we recieve very little recognition for what we do but we have made it a point to make ourselves be known. we don’t do it for the recognition. we do it because its what we love and have a passion to do. and i agree with eliSabeth. i don’t see how it’s fair to have some people go without notice when what they do is just as important as someone else. so its not about who works harder, who is more important, its a matter of equality. thats the point being made