arts / 8

Douglas College student concert

presents rising stars

» Awards, scholarships given to best and brightest

Cheryl Minns
& Arts Editor

Marts
@theotherpress.ca

De? College music
students celebrated their

achievements at the music
department’s annual Awards

 

Benefit Concert on April 4 at the !
: Henry Waack Music Award of
Theatre at the New Westminster : Distinction, Silverman Music

: Award of Distinction, Rotary

: Women’s Association Music

: Award of Distinction, and

: being commended for winning
: an entrance scholarship in fall

: 2013.

Laura C. Muir Performing Arts

campus. Featuring a mix of
classical and contemporary
musical performances and
the presentation of 10 student
awards and scholarships, the
show was a delightful way

for students to conclude the

program’s scholarships from
ticket sales.

The chorale choir opened
the show with a collection of a
cappella songs in English, Latin,
and German, including songs

such as “Misty” by Johnny Burke
: Douglas College gave me the

: full scholarship, as it enabled

: me to have more time to

: concentrate on studying music
: and less on the financial part,”
: said Sun.

and Errol Garner, “Ave Maria,”
and “Also hat Gott die Welt
geliebet.”

These songs set a relaxing
tone for the audience with
the choir’s melodic blending
of voices during the first
performances of the evening.

Since many of the Latin
and German lyrics were
unfamiliar to the audience, the
show’s staff kindly provided
lyric sheets with English
translations, so audience
members could understand

: each song’s meaning during the :
: performance. :

Following the choir’s

performance, the student

: awards ceremony recognized
: many of the music students’ :
: academic successes and musical :
: talents. Horn player Rosalind

: Steel received the most awards

at the show, taking home the

Second-year student Tony

semester and raise funds forthe : Sunand first-year student :
: Breanne Shaw, who both played :
: flute at the concert, were also :
: recognized during the ceremony :
: for having won full tuition

: scholarships for the Douglas

: College music program.

“I am very honoured that

After the awards, the

: concert continued with three
: performances from the band led :
: by guest conductor Robin Shier.
: Shier provided introductions

: for each piece that included

: history, anecdotes, and fun facts :
: about the piece as well as his
: personal experiences.

The student
awards ceremony
recognized

many of the
music students’
academic
successes and
musical talents.

In his introduction for

“Variations on a Theme of

: Robert Schumann (Happy

: Farmer)” by Robert Jager, Shier
: spoke about the uniqueness

: of the piece that’s taught in

beginner’s piano.
“That tune features the left
hand. The first time lefty ever

: gets to have the melody,” he

: proudly declared as he waved

: his left hand at the audience.

: “But here’s the deal: that’s the

: last time the left hand ever plays
: a melody in its life—in first-year
: piano.”

The evening came to a close

: with a reception featuring cake
: and fruit in the Amelia Douglas
: Art Gallery outside of the

: theatre entrance.

If you would like to donate

: to the Douglas College music
: scholarships and awards, please
: go to www.douglas.be.ca/

visitors/foundation/donations.

: html

theotherpress.ca

 

Joy Ollen, coordinator of the music department,
presents awards and scholarships at the event

 

Guest conductor Robin Shier directs the band // Photos by Cheryl Minns

 

Under the Feminist Microscope: “The LEGO Movie’

» Gender stereotypes abound in children’s film

  
  

a Julia Siedlanowska
| Staff Writer

Teas utterly, and

completely gender-
stereotyping, The LEGO Movie
placed its only significant
female character in a girlfriend
role to the hero instead
of giving her a chance to
be his equal. Wyldstyle, a
rambunctious and rebellious
female LEGO character, not
only begins her journey as the
crush of the male protagonist,
but also ends her journey as his
prize.

Any positives in the movie,
like its great sense of humour
and (some) self-awareness,
were completely overshadowed

: for me by the gender imbalance
: and stereotyping. Throughout
: the film, Wyldstyle (voiced

: by Elizabeth Banks) aids the

: male protagonist, an ordinary

: construction worker named

: Emmet (Chris Pratt), in

: essentially saving the world

: from the evil Lord Business

: (Will Ferrell). While she is

: repeatedly told that she should
: be the “Special”—a Lego person
: who is prophesied to save

: the world—and is evidently

: more skilled and capable

: than Emmet, she ends up as

: a mere prize for him after he

: miraculously accomplishes his
: tasks. In the end, Wyldstyle’s

: only credit in saving the day is
: the prized role of wifey.

The film’s action-packed

: adventure and simple message
: of “Be yourself, be creative” has

: effectively washed away most

: criticism of its sexism. Except

: for the many feminist online

: blogs, I haven't heard anything
: but great reviews, including a

: 96 per cent rating on the Rotten :
: Tomatoes website.

In her blog, “Reel Girl”

: describes her exasperation

: with the “minority feisty.” Lego
: Movie is just another case

: of providing a feisty female

: character to distract from the

: film’s gender imbalance and aid
: the protagonist in achieving his :
: goal.

After posting my qualms

with the film online, a friend of
: mine asked, “What would you
: have done differently?”

First off, I would not

have Wyldstyle be the love
: interest and I would not have
: her character put up with her

: boyfriend, Batman. Secondly,
: I would make her the hero
: instead of Emmet.

The film ends in the non-

: animated “real” world, with

the whole story being created

: in the mind of a child—a

: male child. The only females

: mentioned in the real world

: are the little boy’s mother (who
: has a line about dinner being

: ready) and his sister, who is

: predicted to destroy the boy’s

: creations as younger sisters do.

In my version, I would have

: the brother and sister already
: playing together at the end

: instead of regurgitating and

: reaffirming the established

: “male creator” idea.

Many people raise the

argument that LEGO is mostly
: played with by boys, hence the
: movie's focus and stereotypes.

: But this seems like a good

: reason to make the girl the

: main—or at least equal—

: protagonist in order to teach

: the male audience that girls

: can be heroes too. The fact that
: this isn’t even an option to the

: filmmakers is disturbing to

: me because it shows the film

: industries’ inability to look

: beyond its conventional norms
: into equal opportunity for

: women to be the hero.

Wyldstyle is strong in the

: beginning, but in the end it’s
: like the creators of the film

: didn’t really know what to do
: with her so they shoved her

: into an acceptable stereotype
: and called it a day. These are

: the gender stereotypes that

: Hollywood is imparting to

: the next generation and that’s
: infuriating, if you ask me.