Everything Nac

The Symphonic Band and University Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform works by Henry Fillmore, Karl King, W. Francis McBeth and other great composers when the student ensembles perform at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 22, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Among the works to be performed by the University Band will be “Three London Sketches” by Dr. David Campo, associate director of bands at SFA. Graduate student Brandon Beavers will conduct the piece, which was inspired by Campo’s recent visit to some of his favorite attractions in London – Tower Bridge, Saint Paul’s Cathedral and Trafalgar Square.

University Band will open the concert with Roland Barrett’s “Burn.” Originally written as a brass and percussion fanfare for the prestigious Dallas Wind Symphony, “Burn” features “relentlessly driving rhythms, bold contemporary harmonies, and powerful moments of elevated dynamic impact,” according to Campo, who is also director of the University Band.

The second piece will be Brant Karrick’s “Songs of Old Kentucky,” also conducted by Beavers. “Songs of Old Kentucky” was written for the Kentucky Music Educators Association District IX All-District Band and was premiered in 2006, according to Campo.

“The piece opens with a moving rendition of ‘John Riley,’ with ‘Poor Wayfaring Stranger,’ and closes with an exhilarating barn dance that is sure to get your toes tapping,” Campo said.

University Band will conclude its portion of the concert with Henry Fillmore’s “The Klaxon.” Written for the 1930 Cincinnati Automobile Show, this spectacular march has become a standard in band repertoires.

Symphonic Band will open the second half of the concert with Francis McBeth’s “Chant and Jubilo,” conducted by graduate student Gary Jones. “Chant and Jubilo,” a masterwork of the wind band literature, was composed in 1963 for the Four States Bandmasters Convention in Texarkana, according to Dr. Tamey Anglley, assistant director of bands at SFA and director of the Symphonic Band.

“The melodic material in the ‘Chant’ is derived from a ninth-century Greek hymn, and the piece is in two connected movements,” Anglley said.

The second piece will be a beautiful setting of “Amazing Grace” by Frank Ticheli. This piece was commissioned originally in honor of John Harvey Whitwell by his son and former SFA Director of Bands John Whitwell. This performance by SFA’s Symphonic Band will be dedicated to band members who passed away this year – Caleb Gibbs, Erin Valenta, Yessenia Ramirez and Gage Hollingsworth.

The Symphonic Band will perform another Ticheli piece, “Vesuvius.”

“Based on the volcano Mount Vesuvius, Ticheli composed this piece as a wild and passionate dance that represents the final days of the doomed city of Pompeii,” Anglley explained.

Symphonic Band will conclude the concert with Karl King’s “Rough Riders March.” Written in 1943, “Rough Riders” was part of a set of marches written for school bands in the 1940s.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

A Stephen F. Austin State University student’s research regarding social media, fitness and body image has been selected for presentation in the SFA’s upcoming Undergraduate Research Conference.

“Fitness v. Physique: Is Body Image Harming our Health?” is the result of months of study by SFA freshman Travis Maclin III, a kinesiology major from North Richland Hills. Maclin’s findings will be displayed as part of a poster presentation on April 17 in SFA’s Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Patricia Berthot, lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, encouraged Maclin to participate in the conference when he came to her with questions about body dissatisfaction and how people perceive themselves.

“He has taken this information and is running with it,” Berthot said.

After using a body mass index scale, Maclin’s interest in body image was piqued.

“Looking at the BMI made me feel like I needed to take better care of myself, and I started examining everything that’s around us and the things that we compare ourselves to,” he said.

Maclin began by surveying classmates about their interest in health and fitness, asking questions such as “Do you take your health seriously?” and “Would you rather have a fit body or a desirable physique?”

“Everyone wanted to be healthy, but not many people wanted to be fit,” Maclin said. “That doesn’t make sense because fitness is a really big part of health.”

These findings helped solidify his belief that people were more focused on their appearance rather than their fitness. While a desirable physique is not something everyone has or needs, he said, fitness is something that everyone can achieve.

“Anyone can be fit, which is what a lot of people don’t realize. A lot of people think you have to be skinny or able-bodied to be fit,” Maclin said. “In my opinion, it’s just a matter of going the extra mile.”

Rather than spending more time exercising to lose weight, people will resort to less-effective measures.

“If I ask people what’s the first thing they’re going to do to lose weight, they’re not going to say working out, which is the hardest thing,” Maclin said. “They’ll eat less, or they’ll drink more water. I really wanted to try and push that toward being more fit and valuing fitness.”

One factor contributing to this unhealthy way of thinking is the way people portray themselves on social media, he said.

“You look at Kim Kardashian and people who have undergone plastic surgery, and they have people help them look the way they look, and I see a lot of people compare themselves to them,” Maclin said. “That’s really unfair because if you try and compare yourself to someone whose career is to look presentable, it’s really not going to help you.”

Committed to examining its effects, he stopped using social media for a month to document the impact it was having on his body image.

“You just feel better,” Maclin said. “You have more time to yourself, and you’re not comparing yourself to other people. It feels really good.”

As a result of his research, Maclin advocates for finding a balance between the desire to improve and the need for body positivity.

“I really think we have a societal problem talking about fitness, weight and health,” Maclin said. “There needs to be a happy medium between loving yourself, no matter where you are, and working to better yourself.”

To learn more, visit the Undergraduate Research Conference 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 17 in the student center theater and Twilight Ballroom.

By Joanna Armstrong, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University art students Jacob Moffett, left, and Weelynd McMullen install art work for this year’s Texas National Juried Art Competition and Exhibition, which opens Saturday, April 14, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. Juror Jed Perl will give a talk at 5 p.m., and winners will be announced during the reception, which is from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. For information, call (936) 468-1131.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Computer Science will host the 43rd annual Computer Science Programming Contest from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the McKibben Education Building, Rooms 316, 322 and 324.

Students form teams of three and four and compete to solve 10 problems devised by computer science faculty members. Depending on their experience level, teams can compete in a novice or expert category with the winning team members from both receiving $25 each.

Korey Kahler, lecturer in the department, said the contest offers students a chance to team build and learn from faculty.

“It’s all one big departmental effort,” Kahler said.

This year’s contest is sponsored by Elliot Electric and is free and open to all majors, but knowledge of Java or C++ is recommended. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.

To register or learn more, visit cosm.sfasu.edu/ehutchison/contest.html.

By Joanna Armstrong, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.