November 2017

The concept of ‘putting yourself out there’ is, to say the least, daunting. At some point or another, you have some sort of feeling that says “I’m going to show everyone what I do the way I do it.” It’s a vulnerable position to put yourself in, especially when it’s that vulnerability that performers in particular experience that finds itself into my conversation with the members of Reno local four-piece Shit Metaphor.

We find ourselves at Bibo Coffee shop on Record Street near the university, taking refuge from a gusty September afternoon. I meet with Ilya, Rosie and Sophia, who play guitar, drums, and keyboards, respectively; all three sharing vocal duties. John, who plays bass, joins us on speaker phone whilst driving from Las Vegas to Reno. We start the conversation with a question that opens any musician up- I ask for a list of influences, musical or other. It often times opens the door to a larger discussion about music. What I notice in particular about the members of Shit Metaphor’s response to this was not one of them had a direct answer for what influences them. Their approach is to have none, something many bands could take note from. Rosie mentions that her musical choices are arbitrary, doing what feels natural as opposed to what is expected. Ilya remarks “I’d rather just let the music speak for itself and not attempt to contextualize it.” Rather than recreate or repackage influences and ideas, they organically shape the sound to create something unique.

Shit Metaphor started around six years ago in the Bay Area as a duo project between Ilya and one other member. After a move to Reno, Ilya recorded and released the first self titled SM tape. The artwork for this one, as well as the other two tapes they brought for me, were all done by either Ilya, Rosie or Sophia. After a Halloween cover show featuring the current members, Ilya decided it was time to make the move from solo endeavor to group project. In particular, including John added a darker element to the band previously not achieved. He mentions that the songs on the first tape sound like “folky, hippy jams” and “for some reason it made me feel uncomfortable,” to which everyone at the table laughs. “I’m really into dark and evil stuff,” he adds. Since making SM a full band, there have been two more releases, another self-titled tape as well as their most recent, titled ‘This Deadbeat Heart’. These two releases swan dive into the aforementioned “dark and evil stuff,” mixing loud reverb-laden guitars with crashing drums. The album release for the ‘This Deadbeat Heart’ show took place back in March at Serva Pool, a pool equipment storage room in the back of the Holland Project. We continue talking about the vulnerability performers face when they put themselves out there, especially adding another element to the performance. I inquired Ilya about a picture I’ve seen from a SM live photoset where he dons what looks like an anteater costume. He emphasizes the difference in “performing” versus ”writing” mentioning that SM seeks to leave audience members with something other than “these people stood here and played the same songs the same way they did last week. I want to be something more than just someone standing there playing music.” For Ilya, Sophia, Rosie, and John, their philosophy revolves around the absence of exactly that.

It is common for a student to walk through the Church of Fine Arts on the way to or from class, listening to the notes of songs as instruments sneak through the cracks of the doors and into his or her ears. To many, it is a mystery who is producing such lovely music. What many at the University of Nevada, Reno don’t understand is what music education majors do to be able to make that music.

Pursuing a degree in music education is a unique experience at UNR. It takes five years to accomplish, ten semesters of upwards of 12 credits each, countless hours of practice outside the classroom, and even more hours in schools getting firsthand experience with students. The reason for an extra year is because the student needs to acquire a mastery in teaching as well as in a variety of instruments. The woman in charge of this rigorous program is Dr. Kate Pollard. Dr. Pollard is the coordinator of the music education program and an instructor for many of the music education courses. She constantly works towards improving and growing the program, integrating the music and education curricula from the very first semester.

UNR may not have the biggest music education program in the country, but it is up there with the best where quality is concerned. Many of its participants agree that it boasts a varied faculty whose commitment to their students is unmatched. Brandon Pierce, a junior in the program, says “That’s why I chose UNR, because of the faculty.” A student can join orchestra symphonic band, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, or marching band. The program offers a variety of musical outlets to match each student’s interests.

To be accepted, a student must audition as well as apply to the university through the regular application. They perform in front of a panel of judges as an instrumentalist or vocalist. They have to show an adeptness at reading music and are expected to already have a certain level of experience. These high expectations are necessary because many of the courses a music education major will take their freshman year will expect that they already have a basic background of knowledge. Every student, regardless of focus, will be expected by graduation to be able to play the piano and be proficient in a variety of other instruments. To graduate, similar to what some other students would experience as a thesis or a senior project, students have to perform in front of another panel of judges. This performance is done using whatever instrument the student decided on for their emphasis in their major. If they are a vocalist, they’d sing. If they focused on the trumpet, they’d play trumpet. They are judged on the musicality of the piece, tone, dynamics or volume, and notes missed. It all goes into their final grade.

Yet another graduation requirement is four semesters of a course known as sight singing. This is notoriously one of the most difficult classes a music education major will encounter. The reason this class can be so hard is because it is based on ability not knowledge. Aurora Smith, a junior, says “It’s only something you can practice, but it’s essential to be a musician and move forward.” Sight singing tests a musician’s ability to hear different notes and pitches and recognize them. Based off of this, they must sing an entire sheet of music accurately. Even for those who come to the university with a background in instrument or vocals it is a lot of hard work. Dr. Pollard says the faculty keeps a closer eye on students while in those classes, to make sure that they are grasping the concept and proving their skills accordingly.

UNR’s program draws students in, not only for its rigor and opportunity for growth, butfor its obvious care for its students. With just 50 or 60 students in the whole program, many of them grow close, especially since most of their classes all take place in the Church of Fine Arts. Dr. Pollard shared that the music department often feels like family, seeing each other so often and getting to watch the students grow in their studies.

After graduation, students have lots of options. This is purposeful. Dr. Pollard shared that graduates have to be prepared to teach anything from elementary school to high school and anything as focused as a jazz ensemble or as general as a music appreciation course in high school. EJ Monjaras, a freshman, hopes to use his degree to someday be a college band director. Although music education majors have demanding schedules they try not to miss out on some of the more social events and opportunities. Marching band members get to play at football events and even travel with the team. Greek life doesn’t forget about them, either. There are three different Greek organizations available that focus on music. Phi Mu Alpha, a fraternity for men; Sigma Alpha Iota, a fraternity for women; and Kappa Kappa Psi, a fraternity that focuses on service and is heavily involved with the marching band are all offered at the university. All of these do not require certain majors or instrumental skill. They only require members to have a love for music.

Music education majors might have been a very talented mystery to students in the past, but it takes a great deal of commitment and love for their field. It takes a special student to put their heart and soul into the work they produce and to be able to share that love and appreciation of their music to others.

Hundreds of local artists participated in turning garbage into art for The Greater Nevada Garbage Patch at The Potentialist Workshop. The Potentialist Workshop is a space for artists to do anything from performance art to recording music. The project is an installation of upcycled art. The installation started going up mid-August, but artists have continually added to the project since.

Naomi DeVore, who spearheaded the project said, “It started out with me trying to turn all of my garbage into art, which is preposterous. It became a problem real quick.” The garbage quickly accumulated, and it proved difficult to stick to the original plan. DeVore said the experience was eye-opening, and she hadn’t realized how much garbage she actually produced, “It was like, goddamn. I ate that many Oreos?” She wanted to inspire others to try and do the same in order to reduce waste and create a consciousness of what they throw away and how much. DeVore wanted this project to reach everyone in the community.

DeVore got to know a local artist named Reena Spansail through her work at the Potentialist Workshop. Spansail is a huge fan of the workshop and said, “It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, it’s surreal, and it’s for the whole community.” When DeVore explained her project to Spansail, she was excited to get involved. Spansail said, “The idea was marvelous.” DeVore soon discovered that Spansail worked as a teaching assistant at Reno High School for Ms. Gandolfo, an art teacher. Coincidentally, Gandolfo was DeVore’s art teacher in high school and introduced her to using recycled materials for art.

In her class, Gandolfo worked in coordination with the University of Nevada, Reno on a large- scale recycled art project called Summer of Sustainability. For the project, high school students around Washoe County used recycled materials to create art. The art went up on display at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center at UNR. The project and the class inspired DeVore to continue using recycled materials throughout her career as an artist.

Initially, DeVore was unsure of how to get more people involved, but she knew that she wanted to get her former art teacher involved. When Gandolfo attended Spansail’s gallery opening at La Terre Verte, a small boutique in downtown Reno, DeVore ran into her former teacher. Gandolfo soon agreed to get her students involved in the project. DeVore said, “That was the opportunity, everything just fell into place.”

Around 200 students, working alone or in pairs, produced 117 tiles of art for the installation. The students attached garbage to square tiles and painted each square one solid color. The tiles were then hung on the walls in the Potentialist gallery. The installation was arranged in a rainbow grid pattern and covered an entire wall of the gallery. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” said DeVore.

For the high schoolers, this project was the first of the semester. Spansail said she wanted to make the first project something fun. She said, “I also really wanted to define art as anything.” Spansail and Gandolfo were excited for the students to get a chance to see what gallery proceedings looked like and to have their work displayed. Spansail said, “The goal of high school is college and career readiness, and I think this hits both those boxes.”

The tiles were inspired by the artist Louise Nevelson, who created monochromatic wall pieces. Spansail said, “We studied her for a little while and then gathered trash from around campus. Using salvaged materials to make art is an environmental statement, it adds meaning.” Spansail said that while at first many students were dubious about picking up trash, they eventually got on board with the project. One student, Napili Johnston, said, “It was a lot of fun looking for trash, and it’s doing the right thing. Making trash into art.”

Many of the students became more involved in the project and spent hours after school helping to install the piece at The Potentialist Workshop. The students came up with the idea of the rainbow grid pattern for the installation. Many of the students say they would like to continue working in the arts and that they feel the experience will serve them well in future projects. One student, Lindsay Stover said,“It gives you experience into what a real life situation would be like if you’re a part of something like that.”

DeVore hopes for the students to continue recycling and to continue working in the arts. “It was cool for the students. Here’s this class assignment that they had to do, but then their work gets put up in a gallery,” said DeVore, “They learned a lot about that environment.”

In addition to environmental benefits to reusing materials, DeVore points out that a lot of art materials are expensive, and it’s economically beneficial for artists to reuse materials. “You take this garbage and actually do something, so it’s beautiful and worth saving.”

DeVore plans on continuing with similar projects. The next is likely a solo project which would take place in January at La Terre Verte.