"Songs of Survival"

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Walking into the station this morning, I was met with a very different sound. The song's lyrics were sung in a different language. Passionate and beautiful, it was tinged with an unmistakeable sense of sorrow.

Gonzaga alumna Julia Riegel sat in the studio with Verne, explaining that the song, composed during the Holocaust, was part of her thesis presentation "Songs of Survival." For the project, she demonstrated how music from the Holocaust can contribute to understanding what it meant to be a prisoner in a concentration camp and to an overall understanding of that period in history.



For her part, Julia is fascinated by both the music and the history. She analyzed songs with the confidence of extensive research, barely glancing at any notes. She smiled as Verne played a song with a title translating into "It Burns."

"This is one of my favorites," she said. "It's so powerful - kind of like a rock song from the Holocaust."

Julia and Verne have been known each other since she played the viola in his youth symphony. "She was about two years old and came forth fully-formed," Verne joked. The two have shared a love of books and music for many years, and Verne attended Julia's original thesis presentation this past May, where she first explained her work on "Songs of Survival."

"She's really great," Verne said of Julia after the broadcast. "She's so bright and can express things just wonderfully."

Me Making Noise!

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Last week Shelley decided that it would be a good idea for me to create a promo for this blog to be run on both KPBX and KSFC. As I had never written copy to be read before and had no experience in advertising, this was quite the daunting task. My first draft turned out to be far too long and not catchy enough for radio. So, with much editing from Shelley, I returned to my desk and eventually came up with a few usable versions of the promo. I timed each one, reading it out loud at a reasonable pace, to make sure that it would fit within the specified time limit for the slots between musical pieces.

When Patrick had some free time, we headed to the recording room. I was very nervous and kept wringing my hands as I ran through the copy, occasionally adjusting words or inflection with suggestions from Patrick and Shelley. I discovered that "KSFC" is surprisingly difficult to pronounce clearly. And never again will I write "s" alliteration into my copy. After a few good recordings, though, Patrick said that he had enough to work with and returned to edit the fresh promo. I was directed to find an instrumental song to layer behind each recording.

With that instruction, the next day I was set loose in the music library. I might as well have been given the keys to Candyland. Walls upons walls, shelves of CDs and vinyl records met my amazed eyes. There was even an entire shelf dedicated to one of my favorite artists, Tito Puente, "El Rey de los Timbales." I spent the morning browsing through the library and playing wonderful music on a dusty boom box to my heart's content. Finally I returned to Patrick with a stack of CDs, my favorite tracks marked on bright yellow sticky notes.

At the moment, Patrick is meshing my voice recording with a few different songs to create a couple promos to play in between daily programming. Soon, I'll get to hear my own voice on the radio. I can hardly wait!

Helping with Dinner

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Much like the elementary school teachers who don't actually sleep under their desks each night like their students suppose, the folks at SPR also have lives of their own. This often results in a lot of good for Spokane. For example, each Tuesday, Amy, Shelley, and Stephanie head over to the Women's and Children's Free Restaurant to help provide over 80 nutritious meals in two hours for the needy people of Spokane. Recently, Amy was named Volunteer of the Year.

"I was really surprised," she said, blushing slightly. "I do so little compared to everyone there." But of course, every Tuesday for over a year, plus special events like their summer barbecue where the Restaurant feeds over 1000, tends to add up.

"It's a wonderful, wonderful place," Amy said. The Restaurant, which is located in the basement of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, serves the poorest zip code in the entire state of Washington. Dinners are provided on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with a big lunch and fresh "take-out" produce on Fridays. The food is completely donation-based from local groceries, farmers, and home gardeners.

Amy had wanted to be more active volunteering in the community and "this is something I think does a lot of good for a lot of people," she said. "I'm in a fortunate position and everyone needs help from time to time."

For two hours each Friday women and children can come into the Restaurant and fill out "menus" detailing the food they would like for themselves and their families. Volunteers collect these menus, looks over them, and fill recyclable bags with the requested items. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, hot, healthy meals are served to all guests.

"It's really a great example of how a few people wanting to make a difference can become a lifechanging service," said Amy.