Phonoghraph Newspaper October 2012

February 2012 Vol 10 Issue 3

Published by the Music Undergraduate Students’ Association

www.mcgillmusa.com

Photo by Arjun Mehta


www.mcgillmusa.com

April 2012 Vol 10 Issue 4

Perspectiveson the student strikes:

contrasting viewpoints (p. 8-10)


www.mcgillmusa.com

October 2012 Volume 11 Issue 1

photo by Diana Farnand

Open StudioMasterclasses by students,

for students (p. 3)

What Next?Schulich grads and where

they are now (p. 7)

FoodMake your own Greek yogurt (p. 5)

The Phonograph2 October 2012

Table of Contents

Editorial ...3Open Studio: by students, for students ...3Greetings from MEdUSA ...4“Simple” Music ...4Theorems and Melodies ...6Student Resources to Help you Survive ...6What Next? Exploring the Career Paths of Schulich Graduates ...7Food: Good Eats at SSMU ...9More Food: Homemade Greek Yogurt ...9Upcoming Concerts ...10Photography Contest Announcement ...11

VP Internal Affairs: Nancy Zhang U1 Flute Music Ed [email protected] Hour: Tuesday 9:30-10:30

VP External Affairs: Katie LarsonU3 Voice [email protected] Hour: Wednesday 2:00-3:00

VP Finance: Adora WongU2 Violin [email protected] Office Hour: Thursday 12:00-1:00

VP Publicity: Lorraine RigdenU4 Sax Music [email protected] Office Hour: Friday 10:00-11:00

VP Academic: Gwenyth EpsteinU2 Sax Music [email protected] Hour: Monday 11:30-12:30

VP Recreation: Bruno RoyU2 Voice [email protected] Office Hour: Thursday 2:00-3:00

VP Administration: Sarah AleemU4 Piano [email protected] Hour: Wednesday 12:00-1:00

Music Senator: Andrew BoudreauU3 Jazz Piano [email protected] Hour: 11:00-12:00

Athletics & Health Coordinator: Diana FarnandU1 Flute [email protected] Hour: Wednesday 3:30-4:30

First-Year Representative: Thomas BurtonU0 Trombone Faculty

The Phonograph 3 October 2012

Open Studio a violin performance workshop, for students, by studentsEmily Field and Michael DiBarry

Emily: O hey Michael, did you hear about that new club every-one’s talking about?Michael: What!? No, tell me, I want to know! Is it that new Twi-light book club?E: Uh, no… (really?) It’s Open Studio of course.M: Oh yeah I saw those brilliant posters plastered around the school. How does it work?

Well…Open Studio is a club for violinists designed to simulate a stand-ard performance masterclass—the difference is that students both play and offer advice in a relaxed atmosphere.

We’ll meet every other week for two hours in our newly acquired, prime real-estate C-309. There is no limit to how many times you can play, as long as everyone gets a chance to perform. Come sup-port your friends, say useful things, and listen to them say useful stuff too.

M: But I’m not a teacher. How can I give good advice to people

EditorialWelcome, new friends and old!

The beginning of the school year was already a long time ago, but as this is the first issue of the season I still feel the need to treat this as a “back-to-school” issue. I’m sure most of you, like me, are in the throes of midterms and papers and concerts, but I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that summer did happen. It was fun. It will even happen again next year.

If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by your courseload, the amount of practicing you have to do, or extracurricular commitments, remember that you’re not alone. McGill has a wealth of resources for students (including your friendly MUSA team!) that can help you manage your work and point you in the right direction. If you want more work, like gigs or a job, McGill can even help you out with that. If that is the case, I urge caution and moderation (without practicing them myself) and wish you luck.

A McGill education is a fast-paced, whirlwind, breakneck speed roller-coaster ride that has moments of sheer panic and others of breathtaking exhilaration. Sometimes you have to remember to hold on really tight, but it usually ends up being worth it in the end. If this is your first year, good luck and I wish you courage; if you’re a seasoned traveler, well, you know the drill.

Bon voyage!

Erica Jacobs-PerkinsEditor-in-ChiefB.Mus. Violin Performance; B.A. English Literature, Biology [email protected] Hour: Tuesday 11:30-12:30

without true authority, like a graduate degree?E: We all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. The foundation of Open Studio recognizes that those experiences can help others. How many of us have played the Mendelssohn Concerto? How many of us will one day learn Sibelius? What we learn here at McGill applies to our whole careers.

To get involved, find us on Facebook! In addition to posting the dates online, there’ll be events marking each OS session. To sign up for a playing spot, be one of the first four people to write on the event’s wall and list the piece you’d like to play. Plus there’s a piano if you want to bring your accompanist or chamber group.

See you there!Your constant source of slapstick,

Michael & Emily

Open Studio: a violin performance workshop, for students, by students

Emily: O hey Michael, did you hear about that new club everyone’s talking about? Michael: What!? No, tell me, I want to know! Is it that new Twilight book club? E: Uh, no… (really?) It’s Open Studio of course. M: Oh yeah I saw those brilliant posters plastered around the school. How’s it work? Well… Open Studio is a club for violinists designed to simulate a standard performance masterclass—the difference is that students both play and offer advice in a relaxed atmosphere. We’ll meet every other week for two hours in our newly acquired, prime real-estate C-309. There is no limit to how many times you can play, as long as everyone gets a chance to perform. Come support your friends, say useful things, and listen to them say useful stuff too. M: But I’m not a teacher. How can I give good advice to people without true authority, like a graduate degree? E: We all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. The foundation of Open Studio recognizes that those experiences can help others. How many of us have played Mendelssohn Concerto? How many of us will one day learn Sibelius? What we learn here at McGill applies to our whole careers. To get involved, find us on Facebook! In addition to posting the dates online, there’ll be events marking each OS session. To sign up for a playing spot, be one of the first four people to write on the event’s wall and list the piece you’d like to play. Plus there’s a piano if you want to bring your accompanist or chamber group.

Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 Date Room

October 10 C-309 October 24 C-309 November 7 C-309 November 21 C-310 December 5 C-310

See you there! Your constant source of slapstick, Michael & Emily

Letter from the MUSA PresidentDear Students,

Welcome back to a new year at school. Hope everyone had a great summer and are ready to get back into the swing of things. Make sure to check the events and such accessible to students, like Yoga for instance. There are al-ways opportunities for students to get involved so make sure to stop by the MUSA office during the provided of-fice hours if you have any questions!

Have a great year guys,

David S. PierreU2 Violin [email protected] Office Hour: Monday 10:00-11:00


And whenever you feel way too stressed or depressed, just check your calendar to see when the next MEdUSA event is coming up so you can start getting excited!

Best wishes, Becky ‘tMannetjePresidentMEdUSA

A Few Words from your MEdUSA CouncilAnd just like that, we’re back! Back for another year at our be-loved Schulich School of Music. Back for two more hectic terms of music to practise, essays to write and sleep to dream about. Surely there must be something positive to mention, something worth coming back to school for? Now, cue MEdUSA.

MEdUSA (Music Education Undergraduate Students’ Associa-tion) is a group of students, just like you, who've formed a com-mittee to put on only the best social events as well as fun and inspirational workshops. Most recently, we hosted Back to Kewl – the first-year social event – with great success! It featured a flash to the past, with shiny red apples and math flashcards everywhere you looked, along with appetisers and specialty drinks. (Who wouldn’t want to try a sip of the Pink Eraser or maybe even a taste of the fluorescent green Mountain Dew?) Thank you to all who came out and made the event a blast!

So what’s next? Don’t worry! We’ve got a ton of events lined up for all you music education students (including advanced-place-ment and music-education minors) over the next year. Once a month, we hold workshops with QBA mentors. The workshops feature band teachers from Montreal who come and give pres-entations on a variety of topics directly applicable to classroom teaching. Last year, these included, among others, 'Brass Repair' and 'How to Start a Parent Organisation.’ What’s that? You want a sneak peak at the workshops coming up this semester? Well it’s great to hear you’re interested... because I’m going to hold you in suspense! Be sure to check your email and read the listservs that will be coming your way so that you don’t miss a thing.

All this to say, a sincere welcome back from every one of us on the MEdUSA council. Heather Worling, our newly elected First Year Representative, will be informing us of all of your first year worries and problems, and Sarah Caruso, VP Academic, is tak-ing charge of scheduling problems and course conflicts so we can sort them out pronto. Elizabeth Huyer, VP Communica-tions, will be bombarding you with fascinating emails full of in-credible opportunities (aka our listservs). Be sure to check them out! Samantha Parent and Nathan Rickey, co-VP Professional Development, are busy planning the next workshop coming up on October 17, while Dan Duguay and Sean Mayes, co-VPs So-cial, have already started planning the Christmas social event (we know you’re excited!) Meanwhile, Diana Gorham, VP Finance, is sorting out the financial side of everything to ensure we have the money to host our events. And lastly, I, Becky ‘tMannetje, am the President and am responsible for sorting out (and help-ing to avoid) sticky situations, as well as being the cheerful face representing MEdUSA outside of McGill. Feel free to send us an email anytime at [email protected] or stop by our office (in the music caf) to say hi. Look for the door with the MEdUSA head pasted on the front. I look forward to meeting and getting to know you this year!

Anyone Else Missing "Sim-ple" Music?Matt Horrigan

I've got a problem, and that problem is called "growing up."

Yup: just like I knew my childhood was gone when I packed my Legos into obscurely-labelled boxes and took up the electric gui-tar, I can now officially say goodbye to my teenage years because it took me ONE WHOLE MONTH to hear about the new Green Day record! Goddamnit! And while I was busy being oblivious to the latest masterworks of everyone's favorite punk(ish) rockers, I also managed to miss: 1) Every single trailer for the new James Bond movie; 2) The first single off the new Soundgarden album; AND 3) Yet another Linkin Park release.What do you think: do I qualify for 'living under a rock' status yet? There's certainly some sort of popular-culture disconnect going on here, given that I can now discuss Stravinsky's harmonies for "Symphony of Psalms" more eloquently than I can complain about the existence of One Direction...

So it's time for an intervention, of sorts. Henceforth, for each and every The Phonograph issued this year, I shall create approxi-mately one gloriously nostalgic review of one recent album by one band or artist I – and hopefully at least one reader – would have paid more attention to in their former days.

This week's record-of-the-half-semester is (cue drumroll)... Billy Talent's Dead Silence!

For those readers unfamiliar with their history, here's a brief de-scription Billy Talent's illustrious career. Once upon a time, in the distant land of Toronto, there existed a garage band known as Pezz, who made funky ska-y humorously brilliant-in-an-under-ground-sort-of-way indie rock. Unfortunately, the name 'Pezz' already belonged to somebody else. Fortunately, frontman Ben Kowalewa worked at Toronto's number one rock radio station, The Edge, and he and his bandmates were none too attached to the name anyway, and so, since 2004, have been enjoying all kinds


What's this!? An echoed vocal on the bridge? Strange how a stripped-down sound milks basic production techniques for max-imum effect.

"Hanging by a Thread" could have happened on Billy Talent 1, or Billy Talent 2, or Billy Talent 3. On the first, it would have been a lead single; on the second, a B-side, and on the third, filler, which seems to be its roll on Dead Silence.

"Cure for the Enemy" is just weird: heavily reverbed clean guitar-tone juxtaposed with heavily distorted pseudo-Middle-Eastern sounding riffage under (more typical) antiphonal vocals, tacked onto a major-key chorus, tacked onto a... what? Looped riff ac-companying the bridge? That's new. I thought they were, like, philosophically opposed to this sort of thing. I guess everyone dispenses with purism sooner or later.

"Don't Count on the Wicked" gives the distinct impression that the guitar riff was supplied by Linkin Park, and the chorus by Sum 41. Verse by Billy Talent.

"Show Me The Way" is an absolute gem of a pop song. The angry teen in me does not like this one bit, and says so very con-descendingly. Every other aspect of my brain tells him to quit whining and get some taste."Swallowed Up By the Ocean" has piano on it. What has hap-pened to this band? Phew: after a few seconds of an audible Don't-Stop-Believin’ feeling the song plunges back into familiar territory, with a seethingly twisted dissection of a failing relation-ship.

Strangely enough, the fourteenth, final and title track, "Dead Si-lence,” sounds more fillerish than anything else on the record. Which is not to say that it's bad. Over the years, Billy Talent has accumulated such monolithic competence in their genre that even when a little on the unmotivated side they still create effec-tive music.

That's really the problem with the whole record. Billy Talent 1 was divinely inspired. Billy Talent 2 was sort of inspired and kind of perfect in a lot of ways. Billy Talent 3 was phoned in over a crappy Skype call. But Dead Silence sounds not like a band, but the idea of a band, realized with digital precision. Each verse re-lates to everyone without talking to anyone specific. Each chorus is sort of happy and sort of angry and sort of inspiring at the same time, so I don't have to be "in the mood" to sort of enjoy it. This is an album that would rather be 9 million people's 100th favorite thing than anybody's first, second, or third or ninth favorite.

Or maybe I've just become jaded. But one thing's for sure: there's nothing like a long absence to revive one's interest in a genre. Welcome back, rock'n'roll. Once, you were the soundtrack to my angry, angry, self-righteous and angry teenhood. Now, you're the perfect escapism from my overthought, overbusy, self-right-eous and angry university career.

of attention as the hard-rockers Billy Talent.

For many a frustrated youth, the band's first two albums proved a goldmine of scream-along material. Loud, angry, hyperdistort-ed (guitarist Ian D'Sa plays a Stratocaster with unbelievably hot pickups) and- strangely enough- eloquent, Billy Talent's music walked a fine line between the whinyness of emo and the respect-ably rock'n'roll, accumulating rabid fans from both camps. Each consecutive album, however, has grown both angrier and serious-er than the last. So when I listen to the fourth installment, Dead Silence, I'm worried what I'll hear will sound more self-righteous than rock'n'roll...

Alright. Here we go. Track one: "Lonely Road to Absolution." Fun title. Wait... what's this? An ACOUSTIC guitar? CELLO? This is going to be, like, waaay different from Billy Talents one through three. Such artistic development!

Uh, OK, that little tangent lasted, like, an instant. Track two, and lead single, "Viking Death March" dispenses with anything con-struable as 'quiet', and erupts into three minutes of straight-ahead repetitive distortion. Single number two and track number three, "Surprise Surprise," delivers the same, but a tad more wittily, in what seems to be some sort of screamo manifesto for the Occupy movement.

Track four, "Runnin' Across the Tracks" goes some way to vali-dating the band's claim that this album "sounds completely dif-ferent from the last one", with backup vocals more nattered than growled, a thoroughly upbeat tempo, monophonic riffage and a (gasp!) optimistic lyrical outlook. I don't know how the angry teen in me feels about this.

“Love Was Still Around" showcases guitarist Ian D'Sa's knack for exceptionally richly-voiced chord progressions. Kowalewicz whirls through some alternately bluesy/poppy phrases on the chorus, churning up a grungy breakup song from all the tastiest ingredients.

"Stand Up and Run" is a power ballad, plain and simple. I hate power ballads. Or do I? Hmm... This piece is just too pretty to dislike on principle.

"Crooked Minds" sounds, musically, like it wants to be a rewrite of Billy Talent 1's beautifully earnest "Nothing to Lose;” but rath-er than dealing with youthful disaffection at the personal level, it takes a much more third-person-omniscient perspective, and I think the result is less affecting. The harmony, on the other hand, provides further evidence toward a general upward trend in the band's arrangement skills. Is it possible that Billy Talent has developed too much finesse for their own good?

"Man Alive" features a lot of very exposed drumming, something which simply would not have happened on any of the band's previous records. Other than some very off-kilter vocal phras-ing, there's not too much anomalous material here. Ah! Wait!


I don’t think that anyone who has studied music seriously could disagree that serious practice involves a great deal of detached and intellectual objectivity. Without that, one could never reach the point where playing does become exciting and fulfilling, where the instrument stops getting in the way of a musical idea and just becomes a means of expression.

What is less obvious to many people is the excitement that comes from working in math, and the wonder and beauty there is to be found. This creativity and ingenuity is something that to me seems almost identical to what we seek out in art. After all, mathematicians don’t spend their time plugging through numbers, they create pure, unassailable truth, and marvel at its elegance.

In many ways, math is less a science and more an art. It is not tied to any precepts of reality, any physical laws. It exists only in the abstract, where it finds nearly no limits to its expressive power. Pure mathematics is, as Einstein put it, the poetry of logical ideas.

There are those who point to theory and analysis when asked to find the similarities between math and music, or they cite studies linking aptitude in one with aptitude in the other. Cer-tainly this is true, but I think these comparisons are superficial. At its core, music is a patient and sedulous struggle towards expressing beauty, and as far as I am concerned, mathematics is exactly the same.

Theorems and MelodiesDavid Endemann

It is something I have always found vexing, the portrayal of the musician in popular culture, a character of reckless passion with a love only for the atavistic beauty of the music he creates. There are no hours of monotonous practice in his life, only moments of irrepressible artistic zeal that can only be sated by the immediate playing of a Chopin Nocturne or a Schubert So-nata. The labour, the sour notes, the repetition that are most of learning to play well are not part of his life. There is no work, only entertainment. This is what all of my friends who are not musicians think I do at school.

The archetypal mathematician is equally irritating. We imagine him as an eccentric recluse with an inflexible and unimagina-tive mind full of numbers. Surely he would rather spend time in front of a blackboard than with people, as he works drudg-ingly into the night, eschewing sleep for his precious theorems and lemmas. Perhaps he even neglects his hygiene for his stud-ies. This impression leaves no room for subtle creativity or nu-anced logic; there is only the unfeeling grind. This is what all of my friends who do not study math think I do at school.

I’m pursuing two degrees, a B.Mus. in Performance and a B.A. in Math. People are often surprised by this combination, largely because they hold some kind of preconception about what either mathematicians or musicians do, and that makes the two, in their mind, completely incompatible. It seems to me that there is a fairly common belief that the divide between the sciences and arts is too wide to bridge. After all, what could the cold and intellectual pursuit of math have in common with the blindly passionate study of music?

Student REsourcesCompiled by Erica Jacobs-Perkins

CaPS (Career and Planning Services): career planning, resume reviews, job hunting, and more!Located in the Brown Student Services Building, second floor (use the McTavish entrance)[email protected]

Booking Office: find gigs for yourself or your chamber group!Located in Alexis Carter’s office on the third floor of the E wing. Add yourself to the email list by filling out one of the provided forms outside the office, and return it in person to Alexis [email protected]

McGill Writing Centre Tutorial ServiceHone your writing skills and get a second pair of eyes to take a look at your essays! Appointments are required and fill up fast; check out http://www.mcgill.ca/mwc/ to learn more, or go straight to http://webiset.ca/ScheduleIt/ to register and make an appointment.

The Music Student Affairs OfficeIf you have questions that your private teacher, your professor, or a MUSA member can’t answer, Student Affairs will know the answer. Stop by in person on the seventh floor of the New Music Building, or email [email protected].


After Your B.Mus. – What Next?Exploring the career paths of McGill Music graduates

The words are no doubt familiar, and potentially anxiety-pro-voking, to any soon-to-be graduate: “Congratulations!” Followed shortly by: “What are you going to do next?” This question can be a complex one to answer, as career paths and transitions often make much more sense in hindsight that they do when you are right in the midst of them. Do you find a job in music? Audition? Take an internship or enter a competition? Look for options in a different field? Consider returning to school? The possibilities are many, and learning about the routes that others have followed can be helpful when you’re thinking about your own options.

In this new column, I’ll compile interviews with McGill Music graduates who have taken many different paths (both inside and outside of the music world) since their time at Schulich. I hope these stories provide insight, ideas and inspiration for your own journey!

Compiled by Jan Bottomer, Music and Arts Career Advisor, McGill’s Career Planning Service (CaPS). Jan is on leave for the year, but her column will be con-tinued by Samantha Gold-berg. If you’re wondering about your own career path post-McGill, she can be reached at [email protected].

Alex Dyck, B.Mus. Piano Performance, 2010

Current position: 1st year medical student, University of Saskatch-ewan

Can you tell us a little about your career path to date?

I finished all my B.Mus. requirements in 2009 and deferred graduating for a year. There are some perks that made this a very useful choice, like having access to the library and student ser-vices without academic obligations. It was like a sabbatical. I did a great summer music program, got a job that involved traveling the entire country for several months, took a graduate-level course back at McGill and did a lot of reading. In retrospect, taking the time for this was like putting a frame around my degree, a way of making it my own. After the late convocation, I moved to Toron-to for a summer research job with Orchestras Canada. This was fun and helped me to secure a contract at another arts institution, the National Ballet School. When that ended, I declined a per-manent job and travelled to Central America for a few months, then took a spectacular summer job on a gold exploration project

in the Yukon Territory. Around that time, I also found out that I got into medical school and felt pretty good about taking it on, given the range of careers I had considered by that point. I started medical school in Fall 2011.

How did you get your first job post-graduation?

It was really networking 101. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, and with some effort I came to know people who could create the opportunities. My CaPS mentor in particular offered great support in this regard.

How did your time at McGill prepare you for your career?

McGill offered a lot of opportunities for leadership and initiative. After convocation, this translated to having references and expe-rience that my employers could relate to. I'm happy to admit that during undergrad I didn't have a completely clear idea of what I wanted to do career-wise. The people and ideas I came across in university were the best possible help with this. When I came around to the idea of really going for it in medicine, I already had the best preparation - my own idea of what I wanted and why.

What advice would you give to current students interested in this type of career path?

With a good background in music, you have fantastic intellectual training and a very good chance of gaining admission to medical school because your confidence and perspective are so distinc-tive. Beyond having good marks, this makes a big difference, es-pecially in interviews.

Competition to get into Canadian MD programs is intense, and sometimes insane. A few things to think about ahead of time are: a) when to do the usual academic pre-requisites (usually first-year science courses) once you have b) a good idea of where you would like to study medicine (typically your home province, based on admissions quotas). Some music students take their prerequisites one-at-a-time during a B.Mus. as electives, while others take them all at once in an extra year after their final recital, or during the summers, or opt for a second degree in science. The choice is yours. Depending on the school, you may also have to write the MCAT exam, which is usually best taken in the summer. Many medical schools also require reference letters from professors you have worked with, a natural advantage for music students.

Can you describe the role music/performing currently plays in your life?

My impression is that when you finish a BMus, music very quick-ly becomes either an even bigger part of your life (because you create more time to practice and play), or a smaller part of your life (because you commit yourself to something else). Both are fair. For me, I now practice far less in terms of time, but make a better use of it than I probably ever did in music school. There is also an enormous world of chamber music in its own right, and


What advice would you give to current students interested in this type of career path?

I would encourage current students to do a part-time internship in any music-related field while in school just to be exposed to the office environment. Additionally, students shouldn't box themselves into music only jobs right off the bat because eve-ryone needs a start in the working world and in my case, being exposed to a sales job with experience on the phone definitely played a big role in my being hired by Proship. I was only at the small websites company for about four months but it was enough on my resume to land me this job here at Proship. Picking up sales experience in any field never hurts. A lot of the same skills and concepts cross over industry lines. Also, just because you get a job doesn't mean you're married to it and tied down to it for a long time. If you don't like it, keep search-ing for something else but make sure you're doing a good job while you're still there so you secure good references.

Can you describe the role music/performing currently plays in your life?

Music plays a huge role in my life. I've been playing with ATOMICS for the past year and it's a blast every time we play. It gives me the opportunity to do what I went to music school for which is to perform. It's also given me the opportunity to arrange/compose a little bit and has led me to meet some re-ally interesting musicians outside of the McGill bubble from all sorts of cultural backgrounds; people who are signed artists/composers who make a living writing and performing music, a situation that I aspire to be in. Honestly, this part of my life is what I am most passionate about. Almost every musician needs a job to make ends meet especially right when you finish school but I wouldn't want to be defined simply as a recruiter/booker at Proship. Being a part of this band is definitely a necessary outlet for me and something that I hope continues to grow.

Any favourite moments/highlights in your career thus far?

I had the opportunity to perform at the Mode & Design fashion festival last summer outside on McGill College in front of a few thousand people and that was pretty exhilarating. Additionally, I got VIP access to where all the models were hanging out in the evening. That didn't hurt.

What was the most recent concert you attended, and how was it?

I saw the Robert Glasper Experiment at Gesu about a month or two ago. He's doing something really cool right now fusing all sorts of genres into his writing and playing. They performed a cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that was amazing. Additionally their sax player, Casey Benjamin, just happens to play the vocoder extremely well on top of being a great sax play-er. All the guys in this band are top notch and super talented.

Food, Glorious Food

solo competition opportunities for non-professionals that musi-cal doctors seem to find very appealing. I think there's a lot to look forward to.

Any favourite moments/highlights in your career thus far?

There have been a few. Probably delivering a baby.

What was the most recent concert you attended, and how was it?

The Library Voices in Saskatoon. They're one of Saskatchewan's great bands.

I got a job in sales at a small website design company around May of 2010 and was there for about four months until I started my job at Proship Entertainment in September of 2010. I've also been part of an "electro-acid jazz" group called ATOMICS for the past year. I met the leader of the band at Salon Daome when I was playing with a co-worker of mine who was DJ-ing there. A little while later he asked me to sit in with his group and I've been part of it ever since.

How did you get your first job post-graduation?

I found a job listing on craigslist and I responded with a cover letter and CV via e-mail. I received a call a few hours later to set up an interview and was hired the day of the interview.

How did your time at McGill prepare you for your career?

For my current job at Proship it prepared me extremely well be-cause in my opinion to be a good recruiter/booker you need to be a musician. All day long you're on the phone talking to and e-mailing with musicians. They'd much rather talk to someone who can see gigs from their perspective as opposed to some "sales-y" tele-marketer type. Additionally, I'm recruiting saxo-phone which is what I majored in at McGill. Having years of practice and experience on the horn has given me the ability to hear details in someone's sound and general technique of the horn that might indicate what type of a player they are and which gig might or might not be a good fit for them.

Mike Connon, B.Mus, Jazz Performance (Saxophone), 2010

Current position: Saxophone, Trum-pet, Trombone Recruiter/Booker at Proship Entertainment & Sax player/composer/arranger with ATOMICS

Can you tell us a little about your career path to date?


Homemade Greek Yogurt Meiying Li

Caution: eat with fork

Love Greek yogurt but can’t afford it on a student budget? Here’s an easy and inexpensive recipe that will make the creamiest yogurt ever. It’s one of those rare recipes where the quantities of the ingre-dients are not so precise, so you can tweak it to adjust the richness. I suggest using 2% milk, but you can also add a cup of 35% cream to it. It’s all up to you.

You need:4-6 cups of milk4 tablespoons of plain yogurt (whichever percentage) in a small bowl1 medium pot with lid1 large or 2 small towels1 colanderCheesecloth

1. Heat the milk in the pot over medium heat while stirring con-stantly (with wooden spoons or chopsticks) for 10-15 minutes, until bubbles form on the edge of the pot and steam is coming off the surface. It should be at the point right before boiling. Take it off the stove.

2. Let it cool on the counter. If you have no patience, you can also cool the pot in your sink filled with 2 inches of water. Wait until it reaches about 40°C. To know if it’s ready, do the pinky test: Stick your (clean) pinky in the milk, which has to be hot enough that you can only keep your pinky in there for 10 seconds. However, if the milk is above 40°C, the heat will kill the bacteria that make the yo-gurt, and you will end up with…milk.

3. Add 6 tablespoons of the warm milk to the bowl of plain yogurt (your starter yogurt) and stir until blended. Stir the yogurt/milk mix-ture back into the pot of milk.

4. Cover with lid and put the towel(s) snugly around it to keep it warm. Leave it on the counter for 5 hours or overnight. The length depends on the temperature, and the warmer it is, the faster the yogurt-making bacteria can multiply.

5. The next morning, the milk should reach the consistency of soft jello, separated from a clear yellow liquid. The liquid is called whey; it’s high in protein and it can be used for baking and cooking.

6. Put colander in a large pot/bowl lined with cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the colander and let the whey drip. This process takes a few hours, and you can stop at any time, until the desired consist-ency is reached. I like to leave it in the fridge for about 8 hours, until I can scoop it up with a fork. If it’s too thick, you can add back a bit of whey and stir well.

Greek yogurt can be eaten plain, or you can flavor it with honey, maple syrup, fruit jam or instant coffee dissolved in a bit of water; you can also garnish it with fresh fruit.Enjoy!

Good Eats: New Food in the SSMU BuildingKatie Larson, MUSA VP External

When a coffee and a big cookie from the Music Caf just won’t cut it this year, don’t fret! The best new eats on campus are all in the Shatner building, home of the Students’ Society of McGill University. New this year to the SSMU Cafeteria are Lola Rosa Express, Bocadillo, and Bambou Bol as well as food now avail-able at Gertrude’s Corner in Gerts Bar. These new eateries are a welcome change of pace from last year’s MTY tenants, and they are certainly better than McGill Food Service (except maybe Sin-fully Asian...).

Lola Rosa Express

My personal favourite meal at the new Lola Rosa is the Sloppy Joe. All of the meals here are hearty, healthy, and vegetarian! You can get a combo meal that comes with a side salad and a drink, and the prices are reasonable. Stop in and try the Caesar Salad—the croutons are amazing.

Bocadillo

You just can’t beat the combo price at Bocadillo. For $10 you can get an sandwich, fries or a salad, and a drink. This Venezuelan eatery also serves up breakfast sandwiches if you need to grab something before class or rehearsal. Unlike Lola Rosa, this is a meat-lover’s paradise. Try any of the arrepas.

Bambou Bol

Brought to you by the same people who ran Cultures last year, Bambou Bol offers a strange combination of both sandwiches and asian food. There hasn’t been too much of a change to the menu offerings, and they still have good soup. I only warn that I have heard bad things about the General Tao’s...

Gertrude’s Corner

The new food at Gert’s is THE BOMB. Fries, personal pizzas, gourmet grilled cheese and other bar fare are on the menu. Tues-day night’s special is $2 tacos. If I didn’t already spend enough time (and money) at Gert’s, I will now. The only thing I’ve had that isn’t good is the party platter. My recommendation is the brownie, which is served up in an oversized martini glass.

Food, Glorious Food


Upcoming ConcertsList Compiled by Huei Lin

World Music/Other:

October 14 : Trio Oshakan «Jardins de Paradis d'Arménie» @ Le Chappelle Historique du Bon Pasteur (ville.mon-treal.qc.ca/chapellebonpasteur)

October 28 : Festival du Monde Arabe @ La Salle Pierre-Mercure à UQAM (http://www.centrepierrepeladeau.uqam.ca/spectacles/)

October 30 : Le Vent du Nord @ Le Gésu (http://www.legesu.com/spectacles/le-vent-du-nord/)

Classical/Contemporary music :

October 18-21, 26, 28 : « Journées Debussy » with Jean-Philippe Collard, Les Musiciens de L’OSM and more @ Salle Bourgie (http://www.mbam.qc.ca/la-musique)

October 20 : Quatuor Molinari «Dialogues à la Chapelle» @ LCHBP (ville.montreal.qc.ca/chapellebonpasteur)

October 28: «The Music Circus of John Cage» with Nada Kolundzija, piano @ LCHBP (ville.montreal.qc.ca/chapelle-bonpasteur)

Jazz :

October 12 & 13: Sax Quartet- Blais, Binney, Leibman, McCaslin @ Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill (http://www.upstairsjazz.com/en/calendar.php)

October 20 & 22: Pink Floyd’s The Wall – An Acoustic Tribute + The Sharpie Chamber Jazz Sextet @ O Patro Vys (http://opatrovys.tumblr.com/)

October 28 : Montreal Jazz Flute Summit @ Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill (http://www.upstairsjazz.com/en/calendar_detail.php?u=395)

If you would like your concert to be on this list, please email [email protected] with the date, time, location, groups playing, and any other pertinent information. The next list will consist of concerts from December 1st-February 15th. Variety is the spice of life, so the wackier the concert, the better!


There will be a

Photography Contestin the next issue of The Phonograph!

1st Prize: Inside Spread2nd Prize: Front Cover3rd Prize: Back Cover

All three photos will be printed in color! There may be other prizes involved as well...

Send submissions to [email protected] in .jpg format and the highest resolution possible by Monday, November 19th at 6 p.m. Submissions will be judged impartially and anonymously by MUSA members and Phonograph editors.

The Phonograph12 October 2012The Phonograph Office: 555 Sherbrooke Street West, Room E-106, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3

[email protected]

VisualDiana Farnand

WrittenJan BottomerMichael DiBarry and Emily FieldDavid EndemannMatthew HorriganErica Jacobs-PerkinsKatie LarsonMeiying LiHuei LinBecky ‘tMannetje

The Phonograph is the official publication of the Music Undergraduate Students’ Association of the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the University, the School, or the Association.

Editor-in-ChiefErica Jacobs-Perkins

Copy EditorsDavid EndemannMatthew HorriganErica Jacobs-PerkinsHuei Lin

Contributors

Staff WritersDavid EndemannMatthew Horrigan

do you have something to say? this is the place for it.in the 2012-2013 school year, the phonograph would like to encourage “letters to the editor.” in addition, we are always looking for new col-umnists, photographers, cooks, and cartoonists! email Erica with any questions at [email protected].

Check out our Facebook page for photo contest submissions, news, and upcoming events! www.facebook.com/phonographnews

Phonoghraph Newspaper October 2012

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Transcript of Phonoghraph Newspaper October 2012