0 ____ __ --- -- 0 8B - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 13, 2005 Carillons offer musical outlet or student The Michigan Da TUNED IN WOLV-TV OFFERS DIVERSE PROGRAMMING By Niamh Slevin Daily Weekend Editor Tucked between the newly renovat- ed Hill Auditorium and the expanse of the Modern Languages Building, the Burton Memorial Tower remains one of the defining characters of the University landscape. Though few have explored its nar- row hallways and music-filled class- rooms, most students know it as a staple of their years on campus, announcing their tardiness as they rush to class. For University Musical Society fans and musicology buffs, tly offices within may bear a certain sense of familiarity. But housed high up on the ninth floor, Joseph Daniel has a deeper con- nection with the tower's history at the University. As the main carillon play- er, Daniel has learned all the intrica- cies of this lesser-known space. Daniel originally came to the University because it is currently the oly university to offer a graduate degree in carillon, but he soon found himself enjoying another unique "Margo's position, which she held for 17 years, is unquestionably the number one position in the country as far as carillon goes." -Joseph Daniel Music Graduate Student and carillonist By Sarah Zarowny Daily Arts Writer opportunity here. In addition to battling the stress of being a doctoral student, organizing class material as a graduate student instructor and learning the harp- sichord (his fourth musical instru- ment), he is now the University's carillon player and coordinator for both Burton Tower and the Lurie Tower on North Campus. The position, which Margo Halst- ed, associate professor of Campanol- ogy, held until her recent retirement, allows Daniel to work with two of only about 165 such instruments in North America. "Margo's position, which she held for 17 years, is unquestionably the number one position in the country as far as carillon goes," Daniel said. Adjacent to Daniel's office, a small room remains home to replacement bells, and more importantly, to the 1930s technology that runs the show in Daniel's absence. Like a music box, large gears turn to pull back the hammers, which release every 15 minutes to announce the time. Outside at the very top of the tower, Burton seems somewhat rem- iniscent of the Sears Tower (though nowhere near its height) with its pro- tective fencing to keep visitors from falling and its spectacular view of the cityscape below. Yet, unlike Chicago's famous tourist trap, Burton's observation deck offers a constant reminder that it is, above all, a musical haven: the bells. Daniel stands underneath the largest of the collection, the 12-ton hour bell inscribed with its patron's dedication, and chuckles as he explains that the quietest place to be during a recital would be inside the bell because its design pushes all the sound out toward the public. As the snow caked to the rim of the bells reminds him of the weath- er, Daniel retreats inside to the small room that houses the famed Charles Baird carillon. Its shape leaves room for a thin strip of walking space on all sides of the instrument and a radiator on one wall to counteract the effect of the breezes outside. Daniel raises his bench to just the right height, then proceeds to play a piece by his favorite composer, Mat- thias VanDen Gheyn. Like many skilled performers, he seems almost oblivious to the pres- ence of his audience and plays with- out fear of scrutiny. His fists push the large bronze keys for the treble clefs, and his feet move simultane- ously on the long row of foot pedals for the bass. "It's a meaty instrument," he says, as he demonstrates the force it takes to push the keys linked to the bigger bells and the relative ease of those linked to the lighter bells. He adds that he often offers his students pro- tective padding for their pinkies to reduce the pressure on their hands From high atop South Quad Resi- dence Hall, a small studio, well stocked control room and cubicled office are broadcasting news, sports, and entertainment to about 10,000 channel-surfing students living in University residence halls. Whether it's sports, news, sex or fitness, it's likely that WOLV-TV has something to please all viewers. That wasn't always the case. Now in its llth year, WOLV-TV was origi- nally conceived during the 1993/1994 school year for the purpose of airing Michigan hockey games. Not until 1996 were other shows added to the schedule, over time building up to the eight shows that the network currently tapes and airs. Two more shows are in development, and should be airing by the end of this semester. Even those who no longer live in the residence halls may have caught a glimpse of WOLV-TV during its one- hour spots which air every night on UMTV channel 22. WOLV-TV also provides coverage of the hockey games to Fraser's Pub in Ann Arbor. Efforts at updating and re-tooling equipment during 2004 have improved WOLV- TV's quality of programming. The station now feels it can keep up to par PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily LSA Junior Chris Breece looks over his script before his WOLV-TV sports talk show. PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily The Carillon bells in Lurie Tower on North Campus. PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily Music School Graduate student Joseph Daniel plays carillon at both Burton Tower and Lurie Tower on North Campus. and holds up his own hand to illus- trate the kind of calluses the instru- ment can cause. Despite this small drawback, Dan- iel notes that enrollment in his car- illon studio at the School of Music has almost doubled since last year. During her time with the University, Halsted built the reputation of the class to a point where the course had a waiting list of eager students each semester. After her retirement almost two years ago, enrollment dipped slight- ly as students adjusted to the scary prospect of a new instructor. This marks the first semester since that time that the course has reached full capacity. Daniel credits this rapid increase to his students for, as he says, "going out and doing the grunt work by tell- ing their friends, 'this is what I'm doing. It's really neat. You should try it."' But, the University's reputation with the carillon also contributes to its popularity with students. Music majors and nonmajors alike are attracted to the course. When Daniel asks his students why they chose to take the carillon studio, he says the most common answer is "because I'm at the Uni- versity of Michigan, and that's just what you do." Because the carillon's sound is so inherently public, it is often considered to invite a strong sense of community. In his class, Daniel understands that not all his students will want to per- form publicly as he does. His hope is "that they'll develop an appreciation and knowledge (so they can) go and talk about it." . Along with Daniel, 10 other advanced students and community members play recitals on the Baird and Lurie carillons five days a week while class is in session, and they invite the public to attend their per- formances. For more information on the carillon or open recitals, contact carillon @umnich.edu. with the production quality of nation- election and asked it to create a pack- men's hockey games both this Friday al broadcasting studios. The higher age of students' reactions on election and Saturday for broadcast to approx- quality of picture and sound enabled issues. Although the package was ulti- imately 600,000 viewers in Alaska. by this upgrade was especially neces- mately not run, the offer was no doubt "This is probably the biggest event sary for those sports and news shows exciting, as it showed the station's we've had yet," said Michael Ostrand- that are broadcast to the larger Ann potential for a national audience. er, a School of Education senior and Arbor community every night. But this coming weekend, WOLV- co-general manager of WOLV-TV. During the past year, WOLV-TV TV is getting another chance for Although the live hockey games has been getting increasingly more exposure outside of the Ann Arbor remain among the station's most exposure in the national media. "ABC area. FOX Sports Alaska has con- popular programs, according to the World News Tonight" contacted the tacted WOLV-TV and will be pick- large amount of responses the sta- station before the 2004 presidential ing up their feed from the Michigan tion receives about them, those Alas- kans are missing out on other shows that appear only on channel 70, such as "Giddy Up!" (formerly known as "Turned On"), a call-in sex ques- tion and answer program patterned after MTV's Loveline. Another hot show, according the to student e-mail response, is the aerobics show entitled "The Big House Beat: Everybody 'n da Club Gettin' Fit," as well as sports h talk show, "You Say Maize ... I Say Blue," modeled on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption." WOLV-TV was, is, and intends to always be a student-run organization. "We don't sit here and think, 'Oh, we want to have this type of show,' "said LSA senior and co-general manager Laura Averitt, "Who are we to limit (the students)?" While support and advice is provided by faculty, the day- to-day operations of the network are in the hands of its student members. The basic process of creating a .>>::