(Photo: Facebook)

by Katie Achilli
edited by Amanda Cote

Students continue to have the opportunity to volunteer and help animals at the Monadnock Humane Society (MHS) in Swanzey, New Hampshire.

Students can help care for the animals by feeding and socializing with them, and also by cleaning and maintaining their sleep and play areas. Washing blankets and food bowls is also another option to help the shelter keep the furry companions comfortable and happy.

Other opportunities include walking dogs, greeting and assisting customers, working for facilities, administrative assistance, and working at special events. MHS Volunteer Coordinator Sam Mathewes said “All students may participate in all aspects of our volunteer program. It really depends on their schedules and when they are available.”

According to student community service manager Stephen Lavoie volunteering at MHS and other animal shelters has been the most popular option for students for years. “In the early ’90s, a group of students came forward to start a community service program,” said Lavoie.

In order to sign up, “Students can come to the community service office and talk to one of the student managers, or email us at commserv@franklinpierce.edu,” said Lavoie. Students must also go through volunteer orientation and other training sessions depending on what volunteer service they want to be involved in. These training opportunities, which take place at the Humane Society, include canine, feline, and small animal safe-handling and enrichment training.

Each allow a student to work more extensively with the animal of their choice. “All of the training offered will be outlined during orientation,” said Mathewes. “Training is approximately one hour in length. Times and dates will be announced at general orientation.” After the orientation and the training sessions, “volunteers can meet one-on-one with the volunteer coordinator to determine future goals and direction,” said Mathewes.

“Volunteers learn how to be a part of a team dedicated to improving the quality of life for animals and people through humane education, and to provide shelter and facilitate adoption for lost, abused or abandoned animals and so much more,” said Mathewes. “It is a very rewarding experience to get to know the animals and care for them.”

More information about volunteering at MHS can be found at their website: http://www.monadpets.org/index.html

Photo by: Google

by Katie Achilli
edited by Erica Tomaszewski

The auditions for the spring musical Hair were held Tuesday, January 24th by the Franklin Pierce Theater Department.

Students who were interested in auditioning signed up for a time slot for voice auditions which were followed by dance auditions, and a reading of the script.

According to Michael Brown, a student who auditioned for the musical, “the only thing you really had to be prepared for was the musical (voice) auditions.”

Brown also pointed out that though the auditions for Hair were similar to those of the musical Rent that was performed last spring, “the auditions for Bob Lawson’s musicals are totally different.”

He said that while the auditions for a Bob Lawson musical are also musically inclined, they also involve “sitting around a table thinking of different ideas; brainstorming.”

The production of Hair will be directed by Nancy Stone, musically directed by Walt Sayer, and stage managed by student, Sarah Asbury.

The opening performance will be Tuesday, April 10th, and will continue through Sunday April 15th at the Warehouse Theater.

The Monadnock Flutes performed for a small audience of less than 20 on Thursday, May 6.

Denise Nolan, a faculty member in the Music as well as the Visual and Performing Arts Departments, directs the Monadnock Flutes.

“The flutists are all community members from the Monadnock area, but there are no students currently involved with the group,” said Nolan.

The performers were DeAnna Beetcher who played flute, Carrie Cormier who played flute and bass flute, Amara Cunningham who played flute and piccolo, Cynthia Healer who played flute, Kim LePointe who played flute and alto flute, and Beth Anne West who played flute.

The pieces they played were all classics, ranging from around the 1700s to the 1950s. “Marche Militaire, Op. 51 No. 1” and “Minuet” were the first two songs, and the entire group played them. Beetcher, Healer, LaPointe and West performed the third song called “Ten Miniatures”. It was made up of ten separate songs that were only about one minute long.

The whole group performed the fourth song, “Fugue in G”. Cormier, Cunningham, LaPointe and West played the fifth song, “Trio, Op. 59” which was separated into four different short songs just like “Ten Miniatures.”

Cormier, Cunningham and West played the sixth song, “Moon River.” For the last song, the whole ensemble played the well-known march, “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

The Monadnock Flutes is open to flutists of all ages, both FPU students and community members. For more information about joining or scheduling a performance, Nolan can be contacted by e-mail at denise@denisenolanmusic.com.

Sophomores Anthony Marovelli and Derek Sensale’s audition tape will be viewed by talent agencies in New York and Los Angeles after they won 500 dollars and the title of America’s Next Great Star of FPU.

More than 60 people attended the talent show on Saturday, May 1st. The event was put on by Pierce Activities Council (PAC) and the show’s live presence resembled that of American Idol. At the end of the show, each viewer was able to text their vote for their favorite performer or performing group. Each performance was evaluated by a panel of three judges.

Marovelli and Sensale both played guitar and sang an upbeat, acoustic rock song together. They were chosen out of the final three competitors, which also included Sistuhs and musician Mattie Anderson.

Marovelli and Sensale had their own “posse” who showed up especially to support them. The judges said that “they had great energy and that they had the right look.”

Sistuhs performed a dance routine to the popular party song “TiK ToK”. The judges said “they were in sync and that they had killer attitude.”

Anderson performed as a solo act, playing acoustic guitar and singing a song called “Wrapped In Your Arms.” “I wasn’t really disappointed at all when I didn’t win. I had such a blast that it didn’t really matter,” she said. “I actually didn’t think I’d have as much fun as I did. It turned out to be a great experience. All of the guitarists, [Me, Brianna Bell, Mark French and Will Kelley, and Derek and Anthony] jammed backstage just about the entire show. It really was a lot of fun.”

Mark French and Will Kelley also performed as a guitar-playing duo. The Raven Thunder dance team had two costume changes and a solo dancer.

Brianna Bell played guitar and sang, and she had the audience in tears. Ricardo Gassant rocked bright purple pants as he sang the song “Chasing Pavements.” Melissa Dymek played piano as Jenn Wagner and Michael Brown sung an Andrea Bocelli duet. “My experience with the talent show was a lot of fun,” said Brown. “I felt like my performance personally was really good, I basically feed off of the audience anytime I perform, and the audience was awesome last night. As a group though I thought we put on an awesome performance.”

The Franklin Pierce Percussion Ensemble performed for family, friends, students and faculty on Monday, April 26 in Cheney Hall.

The percussion ensemble is a small group that experiments and improvises with percussion instruments. The students in the group are Michael Bender, Elizabeth Clark, Lucas DeFelice, Joe Desilets, John Fahey, Brittany Gilman, Tristan McCarthy, Mat Overdeput, Brian St Pierre and Will Wright.

Douglas Perkins is the director of the percussion ensemble. “These events are always fun,” he said. “We all come together to create constructive pieces.” Each of the members of the band wrote and performed their own percussion pieces. There were 11 separate compositions.

The first piece was “New Work” by, John Fahey. It was upbeat and loud, and it included a slew of different percussion instruments, as all of the pieces did. These instruments included xylophones, snare and bass drums, cymbals, maracas, bongos, a gong, metal cans, a rain stick, and a cow bell.

The second piece was “A Windy Day” by, Lucas DeFelice. This piece captured the essence of a calm, breezy, rainy day. It was quiet and it used instruments with serene sounds such as a rain stick, xylophone and even a piano. This was similar to the piece, “African Storm” by, Mat Overdeput. His piece also included the calm feeling of rain, but the song developed into an intense “thunder storm” by adding in heavy drum sounds and a gong to make it sound like thunder and lightning.

The rest of the pieces were just as unique. “Monster Machismo” by, Will Wright created sounds that depicted metal machinery and maybe even robots. “Desert Dance” by, Joe Desilets created the image of a tribal belly dancer, and “I Need a Hiro, A Hero” by, Michael Bender created sounds that would be heard in an epic battle scene, and it even included sounds from cell phones.

The line-up also included a piece written by Professor Lou Bunk, the Assistant Director of Music. The piece is called “Etude: Being and Becoming,” and it was written over a course of eight years. “It takes a formal structure of music, but it repeats some of the sections,” he said, “But it uses most of the laws of composition.” It was originally written for bass clarinet, but Bunk decided to write a percussion section for it. “Etude: Being and Becoming” was performed by the ensemble, and it included many repeated sections of bongos and xylophones.

According to Bunk, the ensemble made each of the pieces work and come together as distinctive compositions. “With all of the content, they are able to create and improvise,” he said.

photo : http://www.xeniapestova.com/gallery.html

by Katie Achilli
edited by Nalina Shapiro

Pianist Xenia Pestova played not only traditional piano, but toy piano

accompanied by electronic music for an audience on Friday, March 26th in

Cheney Hall.

Pestova is praised by and is good friends with Professor Lou Bunk, the

Assistant Director of Music here at Franklin Pierce. Both Pestova and

Bunk were in a music program together in France. During this

performance, she performed for the first time, a piece written by Bunk

called Being and Becoming, which was performed on the toy piano with

electronics. It is part of a larger composition which includes parts for

different instruments. It was written from Bunk’s inspiration of

abstract reality and actual reality.

“I became interested in abstract reality and the real,” said Bunk.

“Each toy piano has its own charm,” said Pestova.

Her performance consisted of six compositions including

Bunk’s piece. Two of the pieces, titled 30-Second Project, were actually

made up of at least 7 separate compositions that were only about 30

seconds long.

The performance raised eyebrows, but in a good way, as Pestova filled

the room with loud pangs of the toy piano, and flowing melodies from the

traditional piano. She innovatively combined the sounds of modern

electronic repertoire with both classical and contemporary piano styles.

Pestova also scraped a violin bow against a surface to create even more

inventive sounds to complete her music.

Each of the pieces that were performed were written just for Pestova by

friends and teachers from all over the world. They each were inspired by

many different things, including movies and nature. Pestova will

continue to perform around the world, writing her own music and playing

others’ compositions.

Pestova is a pianist with a special interest in combining a traditional

range of music with contemporary works. As a child, she obtained a music

education in piano and composition, and then moved to New Zealand with

her family. She continued her studies in the UK, the Netherlands, France

and Canada, and now holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance

from the McGill University Schulich School of Music in Montreal.

Throughout her musical career, Pestova has won an array of awards. As

well as performing solo recitals, Pestova has collaborated with other

musicians and has performed as an ensemble pianist. She has

commissioned, premiered and broadcasted many works of music and has

worked with many composers.

photo: provided by Silas Beardslee

by Katie Achilli
edited by Nalina Shapiro

Silas Beardslee, a believer in doing whatever you want, spoke on Thursday, March 4th about the Youth Initiative Program, and also about personal growth.

“Move on in your heart,” “ultimately free,” “learn to love all that you see,” and “stand for what you think is true” were some of the song lyrics written and performed by Beardslee before he spoke to the Franklin Pierce audience.

He was born in Fitchburg, MA and went to schools in Keene and Waldorf, NH. Instead of college, he longed to travel. He has traveled to England, Scotland, Iceland, Sweden, Hawaii, and had a life-changing experience in Zimbabwe. Beardslee also worked in a youth center in Switzerland for five months. “I had a lot of socks,” he said.

Beardslee left Zimbabwe with a wish to return. He wanted to give something back; he wanted to create a community to develop relationships and to make people stronger. He traveled to India and Africa to pursue this organization. He started a community that supported a farm in the rural village Rimbi, Zimbabwe called the Rimbi Farm Project. “I connected with a lot of amazing people,” he said, “I was able to take that first step to what I was interested in.”

The Rimbi Farm Project later lead to Beardslee’s interest in the Youth Initiative Program (YIP). It’s for youth ages 18 to 25, and takes place in Järna, Sweden. Younger generations from all around the world can partake in YIP.

During Beardslee’s experience with YIP, he and 40 other kids lived in one big house in the forest by the sea. “We tried to create a space for everyone, no matter who you are, to find something interesting,” he said. They became a family and a community while they were there. They worked together and got to know one another. “It was powerful,” he said. “It creates a different relationship than just being in a classroom.”

YIP provides kids with many learning experiences to develop skills in leadership, inspire creativity, and to also understand yourself and the world. Some of the experiences that Beradslee mentioned were learning about nutrition, making personal resumes, painting portraits, mentoring, fundraising, theater and acting, and a mix of more art. “Practical things,” said Beardslee.  “They gave us tools and materials and said, ‘go nuts.’ We were always diving deeper into our conscience.”

The YIP program costs about $14,000, and it includes food, room and board, and transportation. Members of this program are also able to design their own 5-week internship.

The process of explaining YIP and the Rimbi Farm Project excited the University audience, which included students, professors and other faculty members. Beardslee was very pleased to announce that Franklin Pierce University donated $1,000 to the Rimbi Farm Project.

by Katie Achilli
edited by Nalina Shapiro

In the Christian tradition of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and leads up to Easter Sunday, some students are giving something up while others chose not to.

Lent is the annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter lasting 40 weekdays. Student Britt Nyzio is giving up many different things.

“I have given up swearing, over indulging in excess goods, buying more than I need, snacking, overuse of Facebook. And I am just overall trying to become a better person,” said Nyzio.

Others have chosen to give up things such as meat, coffee, fast food, candy and soda.

“I might give up chocolate or something like that, and maybe Chai,” said student Amy Carpentier. She also said, “I’m adding more prayer to my life throughout Lent.” Other students have also chosen to make positive changes in their lives, such as losing weight and getting better grades.

As a contrast, some students chose not to participate because they are not religious, are of a different religion, or just didn’t think about it.

“Give something up for Lent? I love everything too much,” said Keene State student Chris Cole.

Another Keene State student Hillary Atwood said, “I haven’t really thought about giving anything up! I sort of forgot that it was Lent soon. I’m really not sure if I’m going to give anything up this year.”

Wellesley College student Alexa Schultz said, “I don’t really participate in Lent anymore, so I am not giving up anything. Although I used to often give up salt and ice cream. One year I decided to pray more.”

According to USA Today and the calendar at BustedHalo.com, you don’t have to be Catholic to celebrate Lent. BustedHalo.com is a web site that combines spirituality with popular culture, without being exclusively Christian. The site suggests disciplines such as reducing your dependence on electronic devices for 24 hours.

Christian or not, Lent has made changes in people’s  lives  through fasting and discipline. It has brought pride of accomplishment and the feeling of good, while also helping some lose a few pounds.