THE LOW DOWN: Who Took the Christ Out of Christmas?

Please correctly credit the photo on this article. The photographer's name is Justin Baker and his website is www.photo-baker.com

Great article and amazing idea for a workshop. Students need to be made aware of their federal loan repayment options as well. I think it is a fantastic idea to educate students on not only how to get college paid, but how to pay off their loans afterward. Most of the time, there isn't enough explanation of all the methods (deferment, forbearance, various repayment schedules) of managing loans, and students just go delinquent instead of seizing those alternatives.

Peter
www.twitter.com/pantheon30

I think Job Shadow Days are a great idea! I participated in one during high school, but I think they would be much more beneficial to university students who are testing out different career paths. Students can also use http://talentegg.com for more free resources to help out in starting a career - and they post job opportunities from companies looking to hire students and new grads!

I was a student of Shannon's many times - at least 6. If she was teaching a class I took it. Her knowledge of the subject matter and her zest for storytelling made learning a pleasure, and she instilled a lifelong interest in the topic in her students. She was unique, and is sorely missed. RIP, you wonderful, lovely, soul.

While a fee increase from $26 to $36 per unit may appear initially insignificant, these increases have far reaching implications that will ultimately hurt California's Community Colleges. According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, with the fee increase as many as 350,000 students could lose access to a community college education.To make matters worse, the California Legislative Analysts Office has recommended that student fees be raised to as much as $66 per unit, thereby potentially turning away many more students. I wonder if the author of this article thinks these students are the ones that don't take education more seriously. In addition to understating the facts about how many students will be affected by these fee increases, the author also assumes that the $110 million generated through these fee increases will automatically go to community colleges. According to the Legislative Analysts' Office, revenue generated through fee increases can be allocated to either supplement or supplant Proposition 98 spending, meaning that the Legislature and the Governor can decide whether to "[increase] total resources available to the colleges," or to "[create] savings in Proposition 98 spending." Should they decide to take the latter approach, Valley College students will only see a small fraction of that investment in the future, this author claims these fee increases are. It is therefore disingenuous to say that these much-needed [increases] will actually help the students of Valley College, or of any community college in California. The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office states that approximately 55% of CSU and 30% of UC bachelor's degree recipients started at the California Community Colleges. For Ms. Jorgensen to say that students who cry shenanigans over fee increases don't value and appreciate the affordability of Valley College goes against the reason why students attend Valley in the first place.

Ms. Jorgensen,

Many thanks for attending my performance and for your comments about my playing. One of the wonderful things we enjoy in this country is the freedom to express our opinions and through freedom of the press allowing others to see those views freely.

Perhaps if you had known some of the circumstances behind this performance you might have a slightly different take on my playing. I am sorry if the Debussy Elegie was too sad and not "upbeat" enough for you--I played this piece in memory of my mother who I lost several weeks ago to metastatic cancer, hence the overall "serious" tone you may have noted during the performance. It was actually the very last piece Debussy wrote for the piano, and is a very improvisational, rhythmically free and special piece--one of the most extraordinary things Debussy ever wrote. Since it only lasts about 2 and a half minutes, I didn't think it would "lull anyone to sleep," but hopefully the rest of the program would have woken anyone up who might have been in that state.

If by saying you observe that I was "expressionless" during my performance you mean that I do not subscribe to the Lang Lang (famous and popular Chinese pianist of today) school of overemotive facial gesticulation you might indeed be correct. I believe in letting the music speak for itself. Pop music (among other things) over the years has perhaps made us increasingly numb to that whole notion. That there is an element of theatre in music performance cannot be denied, but many people might agree that there is also a distinct difference between art music and musical theatre, except when the genres are mixed in performance art etc. There are many musicians and pianists for whom these gestures apparently come naturally in their own personal process of music making, but I am not one of them--and I do not believe in faking such things because it would be dishonest to myself, and to the audience. I believe we should respect everyone for who they are, and not for who they are not.

I am somewhat mystified by the "frills and arpeggios" you heard in my transcription of Berstein's 'Somewhere'--apparently you did not stay after the performance when on the stage for the audience I talked with Dr. Christian Nova (the chair of the LAVC music department)...you might have actually seen me crack a smile or two! I actually made a point of saying that I believed in keeping this piece simple and did not add much of anything to Bernstein's original accompaniment to the song--only a few chords and imitative voices. Perhaps you are thinking of the transcription of Gershwin's 'The Man I Love,' which definitely does have what could be called 'frills and arpeggios'--as I pointed out by contrast in conversation with Dr. Nova, this was done by the Australian pianist and composer Percy Grainger. The mark at the beginning of the score of 'Somewhere' is "slowly," and I try to take this to heart. As you noted how important and beautiful the melody in this song is--it's something which needs to be brought to the fore, and too much of a sense of rhythmic "beat" would surely blunt the overall effect (in the words of Stephen Sondheim)..."peace, and quiet, and open air wait for us...somewhere."

Thanks again for your comments.
Solon Pierce