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Friday, May 3, 1991
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.
VoL XLXII, No. 3
i
With conviction: Choir Director John McLean has poise bom of defeating adversity. His confidence has reached his
singers, who include Lydia Oliver (left) and Dennice Rippy. Photo by Otis Hairston, Jr.
McLean has direction
Sharazad shows surprising subtlety
by Rehan Overton
A little black boy in Johns
ton Co., North Carolina
idn’t understand a question
a white child asked him:
“Where’s your tail ? My
mother said all niggers have
tails.”
This was nothing out of
the ordinary for John McLean
as he was growing up in the
small town of Smithfield, in
the midst of “KKK country.”
McLean faced many instances
of humiliation and anger. One
instance he remembers is be
ing spat upon by white school
children.
However, McLean, Bennett
College choir director, has
taken those negative child
hood experiences and tuned
them into stepping-stones
towards success.
If you ask the thirtysome-
thing McLean about his ad
mirable music career, you will
hear the quiet sophistication
of a well-educated and accom
plished music virtuoso. Al
though his concentration in
music is on classical works,
McLean’s first passion was
the jazz trumpet. McLean
stresses the necessity for all
people to be exposed to all
types of music.
“It is absolutely essential
to be aware of one’s culture,
but it is arrogant to believe
your culture is the only one
that offers meaningful, bene
ficial music. I am committed
to good music,” he says.
Committed he is. McLean
is the son of musicians and
an honors graduate in voice
and trumpet performance
from Simpson College in Iowa.
In his first year as director,
he considers the job of in
structing and directing at a
historically black college for
women as a return to his
roots.
“My experience at Bennett
has caused me to reflect on
the black experience. I‘m
thrilled and inspired and more
than anything, impressed with
Bennett women — their
potential, diversity and
dreams. Bennett women pos
sess the ability to be great
leaders of the community at
large,” McLean says.
The walls of McLean’s
office in Steele Hall bear no
plaques. McLean’s rewards
have come through his com
mitment to leadership and
service to those who wouldn’t
normally have a chance to ex
perience a variety of music.
“I have been able to see
my gift as a musician affect
people’s lives. I like to think
of myself as a messenger of
music, a vehicle by which
people may gain an apprecia
tion of the import^ce of
music,” he says.
McLean, after attaining
masters of music degrees in
conducting and voice from
the University of Texas in
Austin, moved to California
where he directed the Oak
land Youth Chorus. He has
served as director of the
Young Musician’s Program at
the University of California
at Berkeley and as conductor
of the Berkeley Youth Or
chestra. He is listed in “Who’s
Who Among Southern Per
sonalities,” “Who’s Who
Among Black Americans,”
and “The International Direc
tory of Distinguished Leader
ship.” He recently received
the outstanding merit award
from the National Associa
tion of Negro Musicians.
Although he believes music
is “the international language
of humankind,” he admits
that the assimilation of cer
tain types of music allows
people to become exposed to
the lives of others.
“Jazz is our music; it is a
part of the black experience,
our culture . . . They (whites)
have taken our music and
have interpreted it their way.
Just like classical music is
European. There is an assimi
lation of music . . . I’m a
classical musician due to
training and exposure. I’m
black and will never be Euro
pean. Music is the reflection
on one’s culture. It is the ex
pression of the human ex
perience. It’s called exposure.
I developed an appreciation
for country and western
music while in Texas. I love
to expose young people to
different types of music,
something else to touch
(them) just as intimately as
the music (they) normally
listen to,” he says.
McLean doubts that he will
ever return to the stage as a
performer, preferring, for
now, the role as an educator
on the college level.
“It takes a lot of ego to
get in front of an audience,”
he jokes.
“There are still things I’m
contemplating. One of my
goals is to have a professional
ensemble specializing in clas
sical music of African-
American composers.”
For those aspiring to the
heights that McLean has
reached, he stresses the im
portance of devotion to the
art.
“If one has a interest in
music, learn about the (per
formance) structure of music
from the standpoint of the
piano. Learning to play the
piano and reading music is
the beginning. If you can
cionquer the keyboard, you
can go anywhere. The earlier,
the better. Vocal music is
cultivated in the church. It
takes commitment, devotion,
self-discipine to become a
professional,” he advises.
If a student is still inter
ested in joining the choir,
it’s never too late.
“I’m very open to anyone
who’s interested in singing.
Being a part of the choir pro
vides experience that will
benefit you. That’s a part of
the education experience.
Keep an open mind and keep
growing,” he urges.
by Jacqueline Davis
The infamous Sharazad Ali
awed and shunned the audi
ence at North Carolina A&T
University on April 15.
Ali is the author of the con
troversial book “The Black
man’s Guide to Understand
ing the Blackwoman.” In
1985, she published another
book, “How Not To Eat Pork:
Life Without The Pig.”
She opened her speech by
stating, “I am sure that most
of you have heard something
about my book, or you have
seen something on television
or heard something on the
radio, read something in the
newspaper. Ah, I don’t think
that we have had a book
that has gotten so many
people involved in discussing
it or reacting to it since
‘Roots.’ ” The audience snick
ered.
“I have been going around
the country trying to do this
lecture tour to provide our
people with some relief. It
seems as just as you exper
ience in your classroom if you
get attached to the study, and
you don’t have an instructor,
then sometimes it can cause
confusion. Between the tele
vision, newspaper and radio,
that is what we have, con
fusion,” said Ali.
The audience was in agree
ment with what Ms. Ali said.
Her presentation was more
of a black and white issue
rather than her book’s issue.
It did not coincide with her
book at all because she took
a more subtle approach. She
boosted African-American
men’s egos; however, she
chastised African-American
women. She did not dwell on
the negative aspects of her
book, and she did not appear
the way that she has been
portrayed on The Phil Dona
hue Show or The Sally Jessie
Raphael Show.
She talked about male and
female relationships. “Share
Freshmen aren’t going to
be “fresh” much longer. They
have become well-rounded in
the ways of collegiate life.
They have experienced and
they have survived.
This year’s freshmen are
anxious to leave their “fresh
men days” behind. Though
most of these young women
have many fond memories,
they have been disillusioned
enough to never wish to re
live any of their “freshmen
firsts.”
As a whole, the majority
of freshmen were disap
pointed with Bennett College.
Eighty-five percent of fresh
men interviewed indicated
Bennett fell short of their
expectations while 15 percent
seemed generally pleased with
their choice of college. Some
of their greatest concerns
were with the lack of well-
planned activities, dilapidat
ed dorm rooms and poor
food service. Freshman Kim
Nelson comments that “Ben
nett is everything I didn’t ex
pect, but even with all of its
shortcomings it is the kind of
place you leam to love.”
the responsibility fifty per
cent. Women cannot be whole
without men, and men cannot
be whole without women. The
black woman represents the
heaven the black man knows
because we have a lot of
power,” said AJi.
Ali stated, “I have not said
that all black women are in
this book, but it shows what
slavery has done to the black
woman. It is a painful study;
however, eighty percent of
people that are in disagree
ment with my book have not
read the book!”
She said, “The black man
not only provides finance, but
he also provides direction,
guidance, fulfillment, gratifi
cation and protection. God
made man and woman to
mate, reproduce and be
happy. The black man is not
becoming extinct because if
the black man dies, then we
all die, and I don’t want to
die.”
The audience was not hos
tile toward Ali until she men
tioned an alarming statistic.
“There are five women to
one man so this means that
he will have children by more
than one woman.” She also
emphasized the fact that so
many of our black men are
incarcerated. “Fifty percent
of our black men are in prison
not in college. Seventy-three
percent were raised by their
mothers only. A woman can
not raise a male.”
She told the African-Amer
ican women that we are
queens, and this is why she
wears a crown.
There was a question and
answer session. However, she
only addressed ten questions
from five women and five
men. She did not answer some
of the questions thoroughly.
Some of the questions were
repetitious and this annoyed
Ali.
She closed by saying, “In
25 black colleges, this book
is required reading.”
Many freshmen came here
expecting to find a haven of
serenity, when in fact they
got a dated dormitory room
and a hallway full of havoc.
Washing clothes, paying
bills and managing money
were new to more than a few
of these newcomers. Seventy
percent of those freshmen in
terviewed were taking full
responsibility for themselves.
Many had to deal with things
that their parents normally
took care of.
“Being away from home
with no one to remind you
about this or that forces you
to become more responsible,”
says freshman Althea
Gibbons.
In between trips across the
railroad tracks to the in
famous A&T, meeting dead
lines and cancelling dates,
this year’s freshmen class has
made it to the next level.
They are happily anticipat
ing being higher on the totem
pole as sophomores. They
feel that their relationship
with upperclassmen will im
prove with living and shar
ing activities with them,
fsee page 4)
Frosh get savvy
by Moneca Surida