At the end of my advanced news and feature writing class--and the end of my college career--I find that I've learned a lot. There are some things with which I feel very comfortable. With others, not as much.
By making a plan for each story I wrote, I found how much easier it was to write when I had all of my sources and knew what my focus would be. Then, after doing my interviews and research, I found that I liked to type up all of my notes and make an outline from that. I've never been one for too much structure, but this method made it so easy to write good stories.
I would have liked more emphasis on interview style. I'm basically an awkward human being and feel really goofy when I conduct interviews. It would have been nice to have some more pointers on that. But I guess that's something that will come with practice.
I feel like I can write well, in part because of my time here. No matter what I do in life, that is an incredibly valuable skill to possess. I will continue to build on the foundation laid at UNC.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
What's new... Part II
Spring has sprung in Northern Colorado. The buds on the trees aren't the only things multiplying. The warm weather seems to have brought a whole new crop of musical performances for local audiences.
On April 16, the "Cow-Town Skankdown" will take place at Crabtree Brewery, featuring Colorado ska bands The Ruckus, The Potato Pirates, Ska Skank Redemption, The (mean) Time, Zach and the Big Daddies and The Bowlers, and Kansas ska band The A-Oks. The warehouse vibe, delicious, locally-brewed beer and extremely loud ska music should make for a great night of fun.
The Steve Denny Trio performs at The Kress Cinema and Lounge April 17, featuring current and former UNC students Steve Denny, Ben Waters and Marty Kenney. The Facebook invitation promises that Marty will take a shot of tequila every time he plays an open D string on his bass. Should be an interesting evening!
Another Crabtree Brewery event is the Springfest on May 1, featuring Ben Pu and Crew, Trichome and Bad Grammar Overload. The same line-up moves downtown to the Penalty Box May 7 for Rock the Box. Reggae, groove rock and some good, old-fashioned wailing electric guitar should make for two laid-back evenings.
And of course, I would be negligent if I failed to mention the 40th Annual UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival April 22-24. Over 7,500 musicians participate in the non-competitive festival each year. Each night, world-class jazz concerts take place. This year, Patti Austin, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and a Woody Herman Orchestra Tribute and Drum Summit with Jeff Hamilton, John Riley, and Ed Soph plus the Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band with Gene Aitken. The after-hours sessions at The Kress are not to be missed.
On April 16, the "Cow-Town Skankdown" will take place at Crabtree Brewery, featuring Colorado ska bands The Ruckus, The Potato Pirates, Ska Skank Redemption, The (mean) Time, Zach and the Big Daddies and The Bowlers, and Kansas ska band The A-Oks. The warehouse vibe, delicious, locally-brewed beer and extremely loud ska music should make for a great night of fun.
The Steve Denny Trio performs at The Kress Cinema and Lounge April 17, featuring current and former UNC students Steve Denny, Ben Waters and Marty Kenney. The Facebook invitation promises that Marty will take a shot of tequila every time he plays an open D string on his bass. Should be an interesting evening!
Another Crabtree Brewery event is the Springfest on May 1, featuring Ben Pu and Crew, Trichome and Bad Grammar Overload. The same line-up moves downtown to the Penalty Box May 7 for Rock the Box. Reggae, groove rock and some good, old-fashioned wailing electric guitar should make for two laid-back evenings.
And of course, I would be negligent if I failed to mention the 40th Annual UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival April 22-24. Over 7,500 musicians participate in the non-competitive festival each year. Each night, world-class jazz concerts take place. This year, Patti Austin, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and a Woody Herman Orchestra Tribute and Drum Summit with Jeff Hamilton, John Riley, and Ed Soph plus the Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band with Gene Aitken. The after-hours sessions at The Kress are not to be missed.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
What's new?
For a writer on the local music beat in a small-ish city, "what's new" can be a difficult question to answer. In general, it's the same-old, same-old. Bands perform in the few venues we have, the audience gulps down drink specials--well spirits and cheap beer--and this sleepy town drifts along as usual.
But sometimes, a bright spot appears. On March 5, Chitlin' Dixon played at A.F. Rays. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Chitlin' Dixon is a classic rock band made up of some of the best musicians in northern Colorado, if not the entire state. It is an absolute hoot to see people who are normally playing straight-ahead jazz completely shred a Led Zeppelin tune. Members include UNC jazz faculty and staff members Jim White, Steve Kovalcheck, Matt Fuller and Dave Stamps; UNC jazz graduate students Kelsey Shiba, Ben Haugland and Sam Williams; current UNC music student Marty Kenney; and UNC graduate Curtis Gurule. It's a raucous, way-too-loud, fantastic group that is so much fun to watch and listen to. If you have the rare chance to see them in action, do it.
Upcoming events include Wild Card at Bears Sports Grill March 12. I wrote a story about just such a gig a few weeks ago. They are fantastic and it promises to be a good time.
The music scene is a nebulous, ever-changing thing. Nothing is set in stone. But if you want to find good music, keep your eyes and ears open. It will show up in unexpected places.
But sometimes, a bright spot appears. On March 5, Chitlin' Dixon played at A.F. Rays. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Chitlin' Dixon is a classic rock band made up of some of the best musicians in northern Colorado, if not the entire state. It is an absolute hoot to see people who are normally playing straight-ahead jazz completely shred a Led Zeppelin tune. Members include UNC jazz faculty and staff members Jim White, Steve Kovalcheck, Matt Fuller and Dave Stamps; UNC jazz graduate students Kelsey Shiba, Ben Haugland and Sam Williams; current UNC music student Marty Kenney; and UNC graduate Curtis Gurule. It's a raucous, way-too-loud, fantastic group that is so much fun to watch and listen to. If you have the rare chance to see them in action, do it.
Upcoming events include Wild Card at Bears Sports Grill March 12. I wrote a story about just such a gig a few weeks ago. They are fantastic and it promises to be a good time.
The music scene is a nebulous, ever-changing thing. Nothing is set in stone. But if you want to find good music, keep your eyes and ears open. It will show up in unexpected places.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Be Prepared
Well, I've finished my first feature story for class. It was a bumpy road to get to the finished product, and I'm hoping it turned out well.
My original plans to write a day-in-the life story on Greeley reggae band Trichome fell through and I had to scramble to find another band playing last week before the deadline. As it turns out, social media is a useful tool. Through Facebook, I discovered that new country band Wild Card was playing at Bears, a local sports bar. I had to modify the sort of story I was going to write because of time constraints and conflicting schedules.
I don't think there was any part that was easy. Some things were easier than others, but it all took some work. I had a great time with the boys from Wild Card, though. They were extremely kind, helpful and hilarious. It was a pleasure to spend some time with them at their rehearsal Thursday night and at the bar on Friday night.
I learned an incredibly valuable lesson this past couple weeks: be prepared to change your plans and adapt quickly to the situation. Apparently, Murphy's law does not give journalists a break.
My original plans to write a day-in-the life story on Greeley reggae band Trichome fell through and I had to scramble to find another band playing last week before the deadline. As it turns out, social media is a useful tool. Through Facebook, I discovered that new country band Wild Card was playing at Bears, a local sports bar. I had to modify the sort of story I was going to write because of time constraints and conflicting schedules.
I don't think there was any part that was easy. Some things were easier than others, but it all took some work. I had a great time with the boys from Wild Card, though. They were extremely kind, helpful and hilarious. It was a pleasure to spend some time with them at their rehearsal Thursday night and at the bar on Friday night.
I learned an incredibly valuable lesson this past couple weeks: be prepared to change your plans and adapt quickly to the situation. Apparently, Murphy's law does not give journalists a break.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
And Away We Go
This is my first blog ever. Here I hope to hone my skills as a journalist and examine what I did well and what I could have done better. Blogging is a way to interact with readers and is becoming more important in journalism all the time. I'd better keep up.
I haven't had too much experience in journalism yet, but I am loving everything about it so far. My decision to change my major to journalism came from the fact that I love to write and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I'm applying to the UNC Mirror this week and hoping they'll hire me to report for them. Fingers crossed.
I'm covering the Greeley/Northern Colorado music scene. I decided to narrow it down to bands that include UNC students. I hope to learn what it's like to balance school and music, as well as the reasons they have for performing. Following local groups might also display a microcosm of the music industry around the country. I've never covered a beat before and I'm excited that my first one is on something so interesting and exciting to me.
My strengths as a journalist are hanging back and observing to gather information. I also have a gift for describing minute details that enrich the story. I've been told I'm great at telling stories through writing, and hopefully that's true. My weakness is that I'm a little bit shy. I struggle to push my way into a situation and talk to people. But I think with a little practice and determination I can overcome it. I'll get better at approaching people if I do it more.
As I said, this is my first blog ever. I've written notes on Facebook and MySpace, but that's a little different. Those are personal things that only my friends can see. This is new. I'm putting something out there for anyone who happens to stumble across my blog to read. It's a very interesting feeling. I guess I'm not scared but just a little anxious. It's something that anyone in the world can comment on. I could write something on here and be completely blasted anonymously. I feel confident that I can express myself on here and learn something from it. I can communicate with readers. It's a dialogue instead of a writer and readers.
I haven't had too much experience in journalism yet, but I am loving everything about it so far. My decision to change my major to journalism came from the fact that I love to write and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I'm applying to the UNC Mirror this week and hoping they'll hire me to report for them. Fingers crossed.
I'm covering the Greeley/Northern Colorado music scene. I decided to narrow it down to bands that include UNC students. I hope to learn what it's like to balance school and music, as well as the reasons they have for performing. Following local groups might also display a microcosm of the music industry around the country. I've never covered a beat before and I'm excited that my first one is on something so interesting and exciting to me.
My strengths as a journalist are hanging back and observing to gather information. I also have a gift for describing minute details that enrich the story. I've been told I'm great at telling stories through writing, and hopefully that's true. My weakness is that I'm a little bit shy. I struggle to push my way into a situation and talk to people. But I think with a little practice and determination I can overcome it. I'll get better at approaching people if I do it more.
As I said, this is my first blog ever. I've written notes on Facebook and MySpace, but that's a little different. Those are personal things that only my friends can see. This is new. I'm putting something out there for anyone who happens to stumble across my blog to read. It's a very interesting feeling. I guess I'm not scared but just a little anxious. It's something that anyone in the world can comment on. I could write something on here and be completely blasted anonymously. I feel confident that I can express myself on here and learn something from it. I can communicate with readers. It's a dialogue instead of a writer and readers.
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