Page 2
North Carolina School of the Arts
And Never Was Heard
An Encouraging Word
A common attitude of many students is something
that has bothered me for two years. It’s the attitude that
since we are performing artists, we are qualified to pass
judgment on any and all performances. Let me explain
this. We are in a sense performing artists, but we must
never forget that we are also students. Just because we
are sometimes active in the performance field is no
reason to believe we are now true performers.
Many students here, and I’m sure elsewhere, are
overly critical of a performance. I believe that they feel
that since it is a “performance”, they automatically
expect perfection. The line between perfection and
performance is so broad and definite, it’s hard to believe
anyone with modest intelligence can confuse the two. A
performance is only an artist’s concept of a media.
Perfection is something that no one has ever seen.
When someone watches or listens with the hopes of
perfection, he can only walk away unhappy. Some
musicians have such a great knowledge of a score that
they could tell you that a pianist omitted a C sharp on
the third sixteenth note of the 2nd beat of measure 124 of
the last movement of a concerto. “Ah,” they gasp af
terwards, “how could anyone do such a thing! ” It really
seems that they have lost any real concept of music.
Music is a means of expression, not a mechanical
meeting of frequences.
Recently, after a performance of an all Brahms
concert, I found myself upset with some of my friends.
Here was a concert of the music of one of the greatest
composers - music, so beautiful, that the thought of a
whole performance of only his music would make many
musician’s mouths water. True, during this evening,
there were many flaws, some quite outstanding. These
people, the minute they heard a slight imperfection,
automatically turned-off Brahms and tuned on their
extra-sensory, super keen radar ears waiting for the
next luscious “boo-boo.”
Music was never conceived to be a means for
criticism. It was written for enjoyment. Why can’t
people enjoy music for what it is, and not always what
someone makes of it. Everyone has standards and ideas
of what good and bad are. All I’m saying is that no one
should completely turn away from music no matter how
the performance is done.
Actors aren’t any better. It is most distracting to try to
follow a television show with drama students moaning
and groaning with those well-supported, wonderfully
rounded vowels. No matter how poor a show is, there are
at least one million people who think it’s worth TV’s
prime time. So the mush gets a little thick on those
doctor shows, why all the fuss? Just like those
musicians, they feel compelled to sit there and give a
performance of their own. Whoever teaches “suffering”
here is doing a fine job.
So the next time you witness a performance, do so
with the right reasons. One day, we all will be true
performers and we will want people to walk away
satisfied.
-MARK CEDEL
N. C. ESSAY
STAFF
JANUARY ISSUE
EDITOR; LARRY FAW
PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID WOOLSY
CARTOONIST: DUKE ERNSBURGER
BILL KING
ADVISOR:
VINCE BARBEE
MICHAEL BURNER
MARK CEDEL
SHEILA CREEF
LARRY FAW
BOB GAMBRILL
SEBASTUN DE GRAZU
CONNIE KINCAID
JOHN NEWTON
HENRY PANKEY
DALE PHILLIPS
PAMELA REID
CLIFFORD YOUNG
An Interview With Joe By Mo
Satire!!!
Mo - How long have you at
tended N.C.S.A.?
Joe - This is my 4th year.
Mo - Do you th&k things have
changed since your first year and
if so, how?
Joe - Things have definitely
changed, and I think for the
better. We’re getting better dope
than we could have ever
imagined three years ago.
Mo - That’s strange - Dean
Hyatt seemed to indicate in his
interview with the N.C. Essay
there was less of a drug problem
this year than there has been in
previous years.
Joe - First of all - your’re not
going to listen to Dean Hyatt are
you? What does he know? He’s a
member of the administration
and aU they want to do is keep the
students under their thumb. They
have no real interest in the
students. What they have done is
set up a system of torture, done
“in the best interest of the
student.” If you’ve ever had any
experience with the. Judicial
Board, you know what I’m
talking about. Their main goal is
to send you to a shrink. See, it
looks good for statistics. The
more people they send to the
shrink, the more people they can
say they have help^ maintain
the emotional stability.
Mo - Back to the (Higinal
question of the drug problem on
campus.
Joe - Drugs are no problem -
the only problem we’ve had in
previous years was shortage of
sui^ly. This is no longer a
problem. We are close to ac
complishing our goal of a joint
per three sbidents every two hrs.
and a couple trips a week.
Presently only a select few have
the luxxuy of riding the Horse but
hopefully with the demand for
larger quantities we’ll be able to
get a better price - then its use
will not be so limited. I view the
future optimistically.
Mo - You are apparently in
support of drugs.
Joe - Yes -1 think the Arts is
such a strenuous field that the
only way to make it through is to
kill your sensitivity.
Mo - To change the subject - Do
you have any feelings about
vandalism on campus.
Joe - No.
Mo - What is your explanation
of the large number of assaults
thus far this year?
Joe -1 think it has mainly to do
with the inaccessibility of the
girls on campus -1 mean what’s a
poor boy to do.
Mo-What do you feel are some
of the other significant changes
this school has seen over the past
four years?
Joe - Well, the Commons
Building has played an important
part in changing the school. It
provided badly neded office
space, an additional dance
studio, a new gym to have or
chestra rehearsal in, and a brand
new modem cafeteria to serve
the same old food in.
Another big change is the
sports scene. Many of the young
men and ladies have become
overtly jock. This has been
responsible for the football,
volleyball, soccer, and softball
teams that are now such a vital
part of school life.
Mo - In closing - do you think,
bearing in mind the purpose of
the school, that we are
progressing or regressing?
Joe - Yes.
Poll of the Month
This month’s poll is concerned
with finding a suitable mascot for
N.C.S.A. As usual the job has
been dropped upon the Student
Affairs staff. After many long
and secretive meetings, the Staff
has disclosed that a bird of some
sort will be chosen.
Subsequently a poll was
recently undertaken to determine
the nature and color of our
mascot. One may remember that
the chicken was the school bird.
The “Staff” egged by the
“Happenings” sheet decided that
a change was needed. Says a
member of the Affiars Staff: “I
think there is a need to get the
bird to eve^one.” This seems to
be the feeling of the majority of
the Staff and the Essay com
pletely backs them.
However a mysterious pollster
named Ferbul Charkwit (?) has
submitted a similar poU. The
Charkwit PoU seems to be more
accurate than the Activities poll.
Below are both polls.
The Turkey
The Duck
The Chicken
The Eagle
The Pidgeon
The Rock Cornish Hen
AcnvrriES
60 percent
19 percent
6 percent
5 percent
5 percent
10 percent
charkwit
35 percent
10 percent
15 percent
10 percent
5 percent
25 percent
There is no truth in the rumor
that the Fly and the Lobster were
also submitted. The entire
student body has a chance to vote
upon this issue. All ballots must
be turned in by February 15 to the
Essay staff.
A Puzzling Satire
A rat came scrounging its way
through the woods when it came
upon a nut- something he had
never seen before, ^ts had
always had the common grains,
such as com, rye, wheat, etc., but
a nut was something new. The rat
was fascinated by the hard shell
of the nut, and wondered what
kind of a treasure was so weU
protected inside.
The curiosity of the rat in
creased, and toe rat began for
ming a scheme to taste the
unusual sweetness of his new
found treasure. Little by little,
and very slowly, the rat worked
at his plan until the shell of the
nut began to crack, and he tasted
the wonderful sweetness of his
nut. When the rat got a taste he
began to work furiously, almost
obsessed with his desire for his
new found treasure. It seemed
like nothing could distract the
rat from his nut, and although
there were many setbacks, the
rat labored on.
Next, a huge storm blew up,
and the rat feared for his own
s^ety. He tried to take his nut
with him, but the nut would not
budge. No matter how hard the
rat tried to take the nut with him,
he couldn’t. Finally the rat fled to
safety, and waited until the storm
was over.
When calm again prevailed,
the rat returned to the
place where he had left his
treasured nut, ohly to find it gone.
He began to search furiously, but
there was none to be found.
Finally, the lone rat returned to
the rest, and regained his ap
petite for com, rye, wheat, etc.