C Magazine Vol. 12 Edition 2 by C Magazine

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 2 • DECEMBER 2023 • ARTS & CULTURE

BEYOND THE

SCALE

PAGE 13

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C MAGAZINE December 2023 • Volume 12 Issue 2 Dear readers, Welcome back! We can’t wait to share C Magazine’s final issue of 2023! We are so proud of this past year of amazing student journalism and can’t wait to end the year off with a bang. Amongst all of the stress that can come with the end of the semester, we hope you can take a moment to unwind, get cozy with your favorite holiday drink and enjoy this issue of C Magazine. Our cover features “Beyond the Scale” written by Mary Henderson, Gin Williams and Sophia Zhang. On page 13, this feature story investigates the impact of rapidly changing diet trends and New Year’s Resolutions centered around health on society. To close off our featured artist series this calendar year, Saachi Nagar and Katelyn Pegg take a deep dive into the student band Strother Fields on page 35, taking an inside look at what it’s like to produce music as high schoolers. Written by Ria Mirchandani and Lily Jeffrey, page 6’s “Femme Fatale” takes us deep into the history of the well known movie trope femme fatale, debating whether or not it empowers or patronizes women. With college application season among us, creating and submitting art portfolios is a feat many artists are

overcoming. “Portfolio Perspectives,” on page 29, written by Scarlett Cummings, Siena Dunn, Brooke Hudacek and Zeke Morrison, compares responses from recent Paly graduates who submitted portfolios to enhance their applications with current Paly students currently working on them. “Emotion Through Motion” on page 23 explores the way dance is used as a form of self expression to communicate one’s feelings. Writers Disha Manayilakath and Abbie Karel interviewed dancers from all different backgrounds to find out how a pirouette or leap can become a mental escape. We hope this issue is a great way to wrap up your year, sparks interest in a new topic or brings a new light to an old enthusiasm. If you are interested in reading more from C Magazine, we hope that you await our coming print issues in 2024. In the meantime, we hope you’ll take a look at our online exclusives and past print stories online at cmagazine.org. Happy reading! Scarlett Cummings, Siena Dunn, Brooke Hudacek and Zeke Morrison Editors-in-Chief

Web EXCLUSIVES

Find these stories and more at cmagazine.org

Exploitation of Minors in the K-pop Music Industry By Sophia Dong

Fashion Through the Screen By Sarah Bakhash and Sarah Sheaffer

Rating the New Starbucks Fall Menu By Kayley Ko and Katelyn Pegg

thanks TO OUR

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The Bakhash Family Yi Cao Melissa Caren Shahla Chehrazi Sung Cho Cindy Cleary Tim Cleary Judy Cummings The Daniel Family Ed Dunn Linda Farwell Robert Henderson Jill Keefe David Ko Satish Kumar Gene Lebel Victor and Ellen Meyerfreund The Morrison Family The Pegg Family Joan Pinkvoss Stephen Raffle Misha Renclair Carol Replogle Gael Solos Vijayashree Srinivasan Lorna Thornton The Williams Family Jingjing Xu Sha Yu Qu Zhou Publication Policy C Magazine, an arts and culture magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Magazine Journalism class, is a designated open forum for student expression and discussion of issues of concern to its readership. C Magazine is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. Printing & Distribution C Magazine is printed 5 times a year in October, December, February, April and May by aPrintis in Pleasanton, CA. C Magazine is distributed on campus and mailed to sponsors by Palo Alto High School. All C Magazine stories are available on cmagazine.org. Advertising The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts, providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with C Magazine, please contact business manager Saachi Nagar at businesscmagazine@gmail.com. Letters to the Editors The C Magazine staff welcomes letters to the editors but reserve the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity. Send all letters to eicscmagazine@gmail.com or to 50 Embarcadero Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

staff Editors-in-Chief Dunn, Brooke Hudacek, Zeke

Creative Directors Esther Chung, Martina Meyerfreund

Morrison

Business Manager

Managing Editors

Saachi Nagar

Sarah Bakhash, Lily Daniel,

Adviser

Mary Henderson, Anika Raffle

Brian Wilson

Online Editor-in-Chief

Table of Contents Audrey Guo

Scarlett Cummings, Siena

Sarah Sheaffer Staff Writers

Sophia Dong, Lily Jeffrey, Abbie Karel, Kayley Ko, Dish, Ria Mirchandani, Jake Papp, Katelyn Pegg, Alice Sheffer, Gin Williams, Sophia Zhang Cover Scarlett Cummings, Siena Dunn, Brooke Hudacek, Zeke Morrison Illustrators Renny Argast, Sarah Bakhash, Sabela Chelba, Esther Chung, Clay Cudahy, Lily Daniel, Siena Dunn, Audrey Guo, Brooke Hudacek, Lily Jeffery, Sasha Kapadia, Abigail Karel, Lachlan Kirby, Kayley Ko, Martina Meyerfreund, Ria Mirchandani, Zeke Morrison, Kellyn Scheel, Sarah Sheaffer, Anika Raffle, Kiara Tavakoli, David Tomz, Gin Williams, Lily Williams

Table of contents 4 • cmagazine.org

culture Femme Fatale

Romanticizing Reality

Beyond the Scale

A Sweet Tradition

arts Emotion Through Motion

Through the Student Lens

Portfolio Perspectives

Doodle Diaries

Music Featured Artist: Strother Field

Reduce, Reuse, Remix

Turning Tempos

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A shroud of mystery and beauty, she traps all who fall victim to her charms. She’s a...

he is the epitome of seduction, the holder of mystery and undeniable power. She is the femme fatale. In art, film and literature, the femme fatale trope has gained traction and captivated audiences for centuries. A femme fatale character is a woman who is equally beautiful and manipulative. She uses her irresistible charm to get what she wants — money, attention or simply the death of her victims. Each man who becomes involved with her ends up in forlorn situations. Characters who align with this cliché have always had the same goals: to seduce their male counterpart in order to obtain their desires.

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This form of character was adapted to the men’s perspective,” writer, director and cinema in the early 20th century, with the producer Gabrielle Makower said. surge of the film noir genre. During this In history and myth, there have often time, women were subject to a strict set of been characters who parallel the modern norms. They were expected to serve the femme fatale. When the concept was tranhousehold and succumb to the idea that it sitioned to film, there was a distaste towards was their duty to serve men. the independent woman. In both books Reena Kukreja is an assistant professor and cinema, this alluring and manipulative of Global Development at Queen’s Uni- character always gets retribution for her versity and docuvillany. mentary filmmak“If any woman er. does not behave as “During the the good housewife, war period, we she suffers,” Kukreja had encouraged said. “She has to pay women to join for it, either by death the [WWII] efor by being rejectfort,” Kukreja ed.” said. “They were While they are working in factypically portrayed tories, they were as the paradigm of working in farms evil, in folklore, these and they were becharacters often have Kathryn Chen, 10 coming empowcomplex motives. ered.” “In religious texts The femme faor mythology, when tale character was introduced in cinema to women are acting out the role, sometimes suppress the self determination of women. they are doing it for the better good of the “You have these women who are start- community or the family,” Kukreja said. ing to earn a livelihood, starting to get a The stories inspired by history were taste of freedom, getting out of patriarchy,” warped and distorted by men until the narKukreja said. “[Men] want to push them ratives were purely fictitious, designed to back into domesticity, into the 1950s house- convey a moral. wife.” “Cleopatra is a historical figure, but she Traces of the conniving, seductive, is highly mythologized,” Kukreja said. “She femme fatale-esque woman are seen across was beautiful. She knew what she wanted ancient civilizations and folklore. Across in life, and she was powerful. So [her downmany vastly different cultures, characters fall] is also sending a clear message that you like the Chinese Daji, Greek Medea, Egyp- cannot be powerful. You cannot stand up to tian Cleopatra and biblical figures like Sa- be equal to men.” lome were all conceived to serve a similar Today, the femme fatale is still widepurpose and were written by a similar de- spread in literature and art, especially film. mographic. The president of Paly’s screenwriting club, “The history of women, storytelling, for junior Misha Beggs, elaborates on the the longest time, was very much based on prevailing nature of the character.

“When people see women with ambition, or even just power, they can be immediately labeled as rude.”

“Writers very heavily lean on ancient archetypes and stories that already exist in places like ancient Greece,” Beggs said. “It is an archetype that is going to continue to be used, and has continued to be used.” The nature of this character is highly debated. While some believe that it objectifies and belittles women, others believe that it encourages the empowerment of women. It is argued that femme fatale characters introduce the idea that women can be independent and have more power over men. This portrayal, however, has sparked controversies around gender dynamics and stereotypes. With many movies portraying the man as the dominant character, and holding a certain power over women, the new idea of femme fatale introduced the perspective that women could have power and live without the dependence of men. Impressionable youth who viewed these movies could develop a new outlook of the role of women. “They should be raised to be independent and strong, and not depend on a man the entire time, compared to all those mainstream movies where the women are asking for help all the time,” sophomore Kathleen Wang said. Many people believe that these independent women are inspiring and set a more balanced view about women for the upcoming generations. “Femme fatales are good role models for children, especially women,” Wang said. This depiction of women is sometimes seen as a positive thing, characterizing

CULTURE • 7

them as heroines. However, some believe said. “That can be harmful.” Largely due to the generalization of the that it oversexualizes and disrespects them. Media literacy, the ability to separate femme fatale, women with a vision are laIt is feared that these gorgeous, manip- the femme fatale type of character from beled as untrustworthy or villainous. ulative women are purely seen as those the real nature of humanity, can be a cru“When people see women with ambitraits, rather than cial skill to have. tion, or even just power, a lot of the time through the lens “It would get they can be immediately labeled as rude,” of power and inbad if a per- Chen said. “Or if, for lack of a better term, dependence. This son saw them bitchy. Just because a woman is powerful or can be degrading in a movie and wants power, that doesn’t necessarily mean to women, as it is couldn’t sepa- that she is a horrible person. When men do believed that it will rate a character that, they’re applauded for being ambitious teach men to look who is seductive and goal oriented.” past their intelliand [a character A common motif in these characters gence and oversexwho is] evil,” is that they die or have all their autonomy ualize them. Wang said. vanquished in the end of their narratives. “It was empow“You need This limits the power they have as role Gabrielle Makower, ering, but then to be able models. Cleopatra, in her mythology, was they showed the to use crit- able to rule her entire country, but was still Filmmaker more lonely side ical think- punished by death at the end of her fable. of it, like her wearing a low cut dress and ing to sepa“Ultimately, she had to pay the price for nicely smiling at these men automatically rate those two her own independence: she had to commit makes the men think, ‘I could do what I narratives.” suicide,” Kukreja said. “It’s sending a clear want with her,’” sophomore Kathryn Chen The potential harm of the femme fa- message that you cannot be powerful, you said. tale towards gender equality is stark in film cannot stand up to be equal to men.” Additionally, the disproportionate num- and television. Despite this, it is one of the The villainization of the femme fatale ber of male directors of films containing most common tropes in movies today. This can have an undeniably harmful impact on femme fatale characters exacerbates the is likely due to its relithe way that womoversexualization of these women. ability. en are viewed. This “In male directed movies, there’s a ten“They are embeddoes not diminish dency that it is definitely more just for the ded in our psyche,” the importance of eye candy aspect,” Chen said. Kukreja said. “This how femme fatale The ambiguous nature of these charac- is what we call media characters have ters affects life off the screen. discourse, they become shaped women’s “It’s dangerous when people can’t sep- references that we hark rights throughout arate fact from fiction, because all charac- back to time and time history. They were ter archetypes are about their characters, again.” some of the earthey’re not real,” Wang said. Ingrained in our liest portrayals of The gap between reality and cinema is minds, the femme faself sufficiency and often blended, especially during the intro- tale has a significant a significant stride Misha Beggs, 11 duction of film in the 20th century, when role in the distaste of towards female aumany people believed that the femme fatale powerful women. In tonomy and indewas a representation of all conventionally the upcoming 2024 election, numerous pendence. attractive women. women are running for local and federal “A powerful woman is a dangerous “It pushes the narrative that women are political positions. They all have a clear thing,” Makower said. “If she’s beautiful, so wishy-washy and emotional, and men goal and campaign in mind, but there are she’s dangerous. She’ll get you to do somedon’t understand what they want,” Chen societal barriers that slow their path. thing.”

“If she’s beautiful, she’s dangerous. She’ll get you to do something.”

“It is an archetype that is going to continue to be used, and has continued to be used.”

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Text, design and art by LILY JEFFERY and RIA MIRCHANDANI

CULTURE • 9

ROMANTICIZING

POV: FINDING LOVE IN THE LITTLE THINGS

mi Kaneko pours over her handouts, diligently concentrating on preparing for the upcoming AP Chem unit. While she finds the class’s concepts to be intriguing and fun to learn, she’s often more engrossed in the jazz she’s listening to. “It feels like you’re in a movie,” Kaneko said. We’ve all been there, daydreaming while going about our day — sipping on a warm cup of coffee or tea while taking notes, doodling hearts on page corners, sighing in disappointment as the love of our life doesn’t meet our eyes from across the room—the list goes on and on. We all imagine our lives are better to fulfill our

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dreams of living completely. It’s not always Recently, studying has become one easy to see the good in our changing world, of the more romanticized aspects of so romanticizing is the key for some to find life, especially among Paly a sense of peace and stability. It’s quite students. Sophomore Decommon in our society to fantasize nise Dinh frequently sees about aspects of our guides on romanticizing school lives, whether it be on social media. school, work or rela“They [social tionships. media creThe definition ators] make “It feels like you’re of romanticizing has really good in a movie.” changed throughout the day in the years. life videos,” Ami Kaneko, 11 In earlier generaDinh said. “I want tions, romanticizto be just like them.” ing was akin to According to a surglamorizing or to vey conducted by C Mag, make appealing. around 87.5% of 33 reFor instance, when spondents have romantiwatching a police drama, cized before. Of those who viewers only saw the climactic moment said yes, approximately when the criminal was finally captured, not 78% have romanticized at realizing the long days the detective spent least somewhat often, suggestin their car, waiting for the perfect moment. ing the popularity of romanticizing among However, as “romanticizing” TikToks Paly students. went viral, the definition slowly changed. Freshman Julia Curtis acknowledges the Nowadays, teens associate romanticizing as role romanticizing plays in her school life. making one’s life interesting or enjoyable. “I don’t like…doing my homework,” Today, people romanticize their own lives, Curtis said. “But if I light a candle…or as opposed to glamorizing others’. drink tea, it can be aesthetic, and I’ll enjoy Romanticizing manifests itself in many it more.” different scenarios, especially in media. Curtis also finds herself idealizing her Vlogs on Instagram often display the glam- life based on TV shows she’s watched, esorous life everyone wants while some cre- pecially Gilmore Girls. ators make soft-colored and subdued Tik“The main character, Rory Gilmore, is a Toks, emphasizing the surrealist concept very good student who is very autumn-like,” through the best and latest guides to ideal- Curtis said. “And I’ll just picture it [her perize nature walks or school. sonality] when I go to school.”

As a fellow Gilmore Girls fan, junior Ella Hwang shares her love for the main character’s appealing aesthetic. However, she differs in the ways she romanticizes her studying. “Sometimes when I’m studying, I like to listen to music or have a study playlist to help me enjoy it more,” Hwang said. Dinh remarked that romanticizing plays a related role in her life when compared to other Paly students. “[Romanticizing] makes me excited for more things that I wouldn’t be otherwise,” Dinh said. In addition to daydreaming at school, sophomore Joanne Lin occasionally finds herself romanticizing right before she goes to bed. “It’s fun to imagine what might happen in these situations that aren’t real… [since] they’re unlikely to ever happen, I can only romanticize about them,” Lin said. There are many reasons and benefits as to why people romanticize. However, AP Psychology teacher Chris Farina says there are other implicit benefits to romanticizing as well, such as increased productivity. “If you can make that [something mundane] into a more positive emotional experience, then you’re going to enjoy it more, you’re going to do a better job at whatever you’re trying to do,” Farina said. “That, in turn, will also allow you to enjoy it even more.” Dinh echoes comparable sentiments that romanticizing helps people enjoy life as much as possible. “Otherwise [without romanticizing], we

wouldn’t manticization could be outward-facing, be able to get then it can become problematic,” Farina through school and said. life if we were just living as it Additionally, the act of consuming outwas,” Dinh said. side romanticization, especially posts on Similarly, romanticizing elicits more social media, compels people to view the positive emotions when dealing with meonline standard as a perfect reality. nial tasks such as going to school and Viewing others’ romanticized lives completing homework. can lead to people accumulating a “It [romanticizing] can allow you distorted view of reality and their to be really happy about whatevexpectations. er it is you’re romanticizing or “They represent a glamorized glamorizing,” version of that Farina said. thing rath“Espeer than the It just makes you a cially if actual expeit’s something rience itself,” little bit happier.” mundane, like homeFarina said. Denise Dinh, 10 work.” No matter what Romanticizing can people romanticize, it’s also give people a necessary to understand the glimpse into their underlying reason behind future, something romanticization: making to look forward to life more enjoyable. if everything goes “When you’re consumaccording to plan. ing that [social media], it’s “I think it just makes you a little bit hapimportant to keep in mind pier, and it gives you more hope for the fu- that when you’re seeing something romanture instead of seeing things as it is,” Dinh ticized, it may not represent exactly what said. the experience is like,” Farina said. “PeoMany students glamorize in order to ple are trying to portray a very curated life be more productive at work. They think to generate good feelings about what their that changing how one looks at something life’s like.” changes how motivated we are to work. Since social media is the most prevalent If we look forward to something, such as way of viewing others’ romanticizations, lighting a candle or playing curated mu- many find it embarrassing to talk about the sic, working will be more exciting and fun, subject with their friends, afraid that they’ll therefore increasing the quality of our re- be perceived as cringy or weird. sults. “A lot of people think it’s weird, just dayAlthough romanticizing has its fair share dreaming,” Curtis said. of benefits, it also has several downsides. Yet, some find communities in which “When the primary focus of that ro- they can romanticize with others.

“

CULTURE • 11

“If we can romanticize our lives, it makes it seem glamorous.” Chris Farina, AP Psychology Teacher

“I romanticize going to work as having fun with my coworkers and school as having fun with friends,” Dinh said. Even though the medium through which people romanticize is different, people are united through one common interest — becoming happier. “It makes it [peoples’ lives] seem really nice,” Farina said. The sentiment ‘romanticize your life’ has only recently been put into words, but people have always dreamed of how their lives can be better and more enjoyable. “Romanticizing just makes things a little more interesting, and if you’re imaginative, it can make things fun,” Dinh said. Romanticizing has its drawbacks, but mostly, it’s a tool through which people can enjoy their

CMAG’S TOP 10 WAYS TO ROMANTICIZE YOUR LIFE:

lives to the fullest and delight in the little things. It can provide people with a light at the end of a tunnel or a study tool. “We want to believe that we have these really exciting, beautiful lives,” Farina said. “If we can romanticize our life, it makes them seem glamorous.”

• going on walks • listening to playlists • going to cafes • lighting a candle • watching the sunset • skincare routines • shopping montages • polaroid photos • making tea or lattes • pinterest boards

ROMANTICIZE WITH US:

Text and design by SOPHIA DONG and ALICE SHEFFER • Art by LILY WILLIAMS

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It’s time to uncover the harmful effects of dieting perpetuated by today’s society CULTURE • 13

can lead to serious medical and mental health conditions, which according to Beyond Measure, a group of size-inclusive dihe new year is coming up, and with it, the pressure etitians and psychologists in Redwood City including Matt Arnone, MS, RD, Sam to form New Year’s resolutions is building. During this Finkelstein, RD, Erika Jung, PhD, and time, many goals surround health and wellness Salena Schapp, PsyD, can cause physical harm. as individuals pursue a fresh start in their fitness journeys. In a “Dieting is ineffective at best, and harmful at worst,” the Beyond Measure recent study from Forbes Health, researchers concluded that team said. “It increases the risk for develyear after year, as people choose their most important area for oping eating disorders, which are among the most deadly of all psychiatric condiself-improvement, the three most common New Year’s resotions.” These pressures to conform one’s lutions are to improve mental health, increase fitness and to lose body to fit with the standards of diet weight. With the pressure of the numbers on the scale, is it attainculture can be enforced through social media algorithms and push able to balance the weight of society’s diet culture while prioritizdieting content out to consumers. “Social media has a tremendous ing mental health? impact on how we view ourselves,” the Allcove team said. “The frequent messaging around the ‘default ideal body’ has signifiAccording to dieti- c o u n s e l o r cant implications to our physical, emotioncian and body image coun- Jackie Ahern draws a connection between al, and mental health. An individual using selor Brenna O’Malley, the expec- these high expectations r egarding diet social media experiences constant tation to set high goals in the new year can plans and the financial benefits to dieting implicit messaging that they need often lead to burnout. companies that profit off of diet culture. to change themselves or that some“The idea that you set these lofty goals “[Dieting is a] 70 billion dollar industry thing is wrong with them.” like, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this thing every and the diet industry doesn’t maintain itThis messaging on social media can susday, I’m never going to have candy or I’m self by putting out plans and diets that help tain unrealistic body expectations, due to not going to have any sugar’ or whatever people lose weight and keep it off,” Ahern posed and it is, a lot of times those are so black and said. “They [creedited picwhite that they’re not sustainable,” O’Mal- ate] plans and tures. ley said. diets that aren’t “There’s Resolutions regarding dieting are a fun- sustainable that this belief damental part of what is often referred to keep people that if you as “diet culture,” which associate professor going with it.” do what I and director of the didactic program at the The Allcove do, you will University of Vermont, Lizzy Pope, attri- team, a collook like butes to perpetuating harmful beauty stan- lective of prome,” Ahern dards. fessionals that said. “And “Diet culture is a system of beliefs that focus on mental the thing is, elevates some foods above others and some and physical those peobody sizes above others,” Pope said. “It ide- health, states ple often alizes thinness.” that body disJackie Ahern, Dietician and don’t even Dieting that restricts one’s food intake to satisfaction and look like Mental Health Counselor change their body can decrease self-esteem, the changing themselves fostering a cycle of dissatisfaction, which nature of diets because companies frequently use to advertise and can lead to bethey have sell dieting products. haviors that foster filters on, “When you set really strict [dieting] unhealthy habits. or they’re at specific angles, and rules, which we see all over the place on so“Self-worth, often being intertwined that’s genetics. That’s a very specific body cial media or in gym advertisements, they with how we look, can lead to people en- type, and there’s no guarantee that we’d set you up for feeling bad, [even though] gaging in specific behaviors such as inten- look like anyone even if we ate and did the they actually weren’t realistic to begin sive exercise [or] calorie counting,” the All- same things as them.” with,” O’Malley said. cove team said. In order to dismantle harmful messagSimilarly, dietician and mental health When restrictive dieting continues, it

“We’re objectifying our bodies when our bodies are living, breathing things, they house our souls.”

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ing put out by diet culture, Paly clubs and advocates for mental health awareness are providing resources for teenagers to receive help, including Paly’s Bring Change To Mind club (BC2M). President of BC2M, senior Ella Bishop, warns that social media can be deceiving when looking at other people’s lives online. “Social media only provides a snapshot into someone else’s world and we have no idea how that might be staged,” Bishop said. “As challenging as it can be, it is important to try and filter what you see by controlling who or what you follow and remember you never know the full story.” Conversely, when social media promotes people of all body types, making more body-positive and inclusive platforms, consumers can feel more seen and valued. “There can be positive parts [of social media], like if your feed is showing people in a lot of different body sizes, that can help you see their bodies all look different,”

Be kind to yourself

O’Malley said. most daily, encouraging a desire to achieve Due to the popularity of a specific appearance. The rapid cycle of social methese trends dia, trends often leads inthat value dividuals to specific body try to alter types can lead their bodies to new sociat an unetal expechealthy pace, tations to fit frequently in with fads resorting to surrounding dieting. which body “ We ’ve types are ideessentially alized. This treated bodies can lead to as objects,” content conAhern said. The Allcove Team sumers feel“We’re obing pressured jectifying our to change bodies when their bodies. our bodies are livThe trends change rapidly, with new ing, breathing things, they house our souls, fashion styles or fitness regimes emerging al- they house who we are. So it [dieting trends]

“An individual using social media experiences constant

implict messaging that they need to change themselves.”

Don’t let your mind bully your body

You are more than a number on the scale

CULTURE • 15

takes our bodies and turns them into some- ‘perfect’ body’,” the Beyond Measure team thing that we can easily modify, when in said. “We have a lot of work to do as a socifact, the act of modifying them can be in- ety towards accepting diversity of all types, credibly dangerous to our health.” bodies included.” This option These of modifying fads in one’s body bodies can can help fund also reflect the the diet indusfast-changing try, as well as trends in fashmake it seem ion, valuing some like some bodbodies for certain ies need to be clothes over others. changed due “There’s a lot to changing of early 2000s trends. that is comBrenna O’Malley, Dietician style “Entire ining back and dustries are with that, there built on conhave been a lot of vincing people t h a t articles on how that was a period of time their bodies are not adequate or acceptable where there was really [a trend in] gloriso that endless products, procedures, sup- fying really really thin bodies and low rise plements, etc. can be marketed with the jeans and showing people’s stomachs lookpromise of more closely approximating the ing a certain way,” O’Malley said.

“If we’re treating

bodies like trends, it’s really harmful and

dangerous.”

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In response to social media accounts pushing diet culture, members of Gen Z have been pushing back against these pressures from social media, creating a new mindset when it comes to diet culture. “I also see this desire to fight back, or this desire to take a different approach… to work on our feelings of fat bias behind us and to become an advocate for all bodies,” Pope said. This power of the next generation to foster change in diet culture brings hope for increased body positivity and inclusion. “We encourage our youth to coordinate with experienced dieticians, nutritionists, or doctors who have extensive training in nutrition to find what is right for them,” the Allcove team said. “We also suggest that youth make sure that they are seeking mental health support if they find that they are becoming obsessive around food and body image or are engaging in unhealthy behaviors to achieve a certain body type.” Taking breaks from nutrition and fit-

ness-related content online can improve mental health, and overall dampen the messaging of diet culture. “If you are following accounts that recommend diets or dieting, we would suggest unfollowing those individuals/groups,” the Beyond Measure team said. “Instead, make sure that you are following accounts that support a peaceful and loving relationship with food and your body. Finally, don’t be afraid to take a break from social media altogether. Sometimes this can be a helpful way to reset your relationship with social media by allowing you to notice the impact on your mood, functioning and quality of

life when you are not exposed to it.” Having genuine motivation, rather than outside pressures such as social media, is a necessary factor for having the right mindset when taking healthy dieting steps for your own body. “We never recommend that anyone start a diet aimed at intentional weight loss, no matter their age, body size, or goals,” the Beyond Measure team said. Overall, regardless of trends and goals, it is important to recognize every individual’s need for nutrition and food, regardless of preconceived beauty standards. “Even if someone were to follow every

20-25% of diets

single food and body trend of a year the next year, it [trends] could all change,” O’Malley said. “So if we’re treating bodies like trends, it’s really harmful and dangerous and doesn’t keep in mind you as a person who has needs, and needs enough food and enough nourishment.”

Text and design by MARY HENDERSON, GIN WILLIAMS and SOPHIA ZHANG • Art by SIENA DUNN, BROOKE HUDACEK and GIN WILLIAMS

In 2013-2016,

turn into

49.17%

of U.S. adults tried to lose weight

eating disorders

in the last 12 months

Due to the influence of

social media, 90%

of the 8 million Americans suffering from an eating disorder are young girls

According to The National Eating Disorders

17.1%

About of U.S. adults over 20 try to lose weight

by following specific diets

Association,

35% of dieting

becomes obsessive

15%

About of adults in the U.S. have used a

weight-loss dietary supplement

CULTURE • 17 CULTURE • 17

A Sweet Tradition with cmag

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Text and design by LILY DANIEL and LILY JEFFREY • Photos and art by LILY JEFFREY

“[Gingerbread houses] make me super excited for the holidays, and they are so positive and so cute.” TALIA BONEH, 10

CULTURE • 19 CULTURE • 19

“Building gingerbread houses has been one of my favorite holiday activities since I was very little.” ALENA LOTTERER, 12

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“Gingerbread houses remind me of competitions with my friends and family.” ELIZA GAITHER, 12

CULTURE CULTURE • 21

MELISSA LAPTALO

ancing has been a lifelong hobby of English teacher Melissa Laptalo. At a younger age, Laptalo was focused on jazz, but an unexpected introduction to tango began her love for ballroom dancing. With the time and energy that goes into raising a family, finding time to dance has not always been easy. “I’m at a point in my life where I’m feeling like I need to find that part of myself again,” Laptalo said. Recently, Laptalo started on a new all-women ballroom dancing team which has provided a fun and challenging new perspective to the style. While her previous experience was with more classically trained dancers, her current team is composed of newer dancers wanting to give ballroom a try. “It’s fun and different to be dancing

with beginners,” Laptalo said. Aside from the skill level of the team, being on an all-women team means a new challenge of learning both the lead and follow parts of the dance. “Part of what I love about dancing is that it puts me in the position of the learner instead of teacher,” Laptalo said. “It’s hard and complicated to learn the parts I’ve never done before but I love how it feels to be a learner.”

Emotion through Motion Dancing has become a popular way to de-stress and unwind for many Paly students

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n a world where Junior and Paly Dance team member, Vit Do, has nocountless forms ticed this in her practice. of self-expression “It’s a good routine for me [and] a great way to stay exist, dance has become a prominent healthy,” Do said. way to not only communicate one’s feelings, Aside from the benefits of a structured routine, dance but to also show one’s individual and unique also provides a time that can serve as an escape for many. characteristics. One can display anger, passion, “It helps me take my mind off of school issues, which sadness, joy, and more through dance, all without obviously contributes to my overall happiness,” Do said. saying a word. Especially for high school students who are often loadDance, often perceived as just a rec- ed with work from school and extracurricular activities, reational activity or sport, holds a pro- dance’s destressing characteristics can act as an outlet for found transformative power that goes students and an aid to their mental health. beyond just entertainment. With all Divya Gandhi, a dancer and the complexities life brings coach at Mona Khan Compathrough different periods ny, utilizes dance to take her of time, the pursuit of mind away from stress. st dance ju n a c happiness is still a difficult “You can just dance everyu “Yo way a g in h task, but some say that dething away, and it helps you t y ever st ju u o y spite all the difficulties life just forget about your probs and it help t your brings, dance is one step lems,” Gandhi said. ou forget ab closer to achieving hapDancing can give one the .” problems piness. ability to express themselves ndhi, 11 Dancing since the and provide a safe environDivya Ga age of four, Junior Cate ment. Anxiety is prevalent in Graney dedicates many high schoolers, especially much of her with the constant pressure to time to dancsucceed academically. ing, practicJunior Isabelle Carlson, has ing five days been dancing since she was in elea week. mentary school. “I definitely notice a change in my “Before dancing, I would have a lot of anxiety and mood before and after dance,” Graney stress,” Carlson said. “After [dancing], I would have this said. “Often, if I’m having a bad day, I mindset of: as long as I can move, I’m free and I’m my will not want to dance before class and own self.” I’ll just want to go home and lay in my With common stress and anxiety can come a feeling bed. After the dance class, after that ex- of being trapped in one’s mind. Dance has become a way ercise, I always feel better.” for many to break out of this narrative, as one of the unDance not only acts as a mood lifter derlying fundamental principles of dancing is the mindfor those who practice it, but addition- body connection. Dance encourages individuals to be in ally, consistently dancing can help one touch with their bodies, emphasizing a deeper sense of develop a good overall daily routine. self-awareness and expression. This can in turn help reduce long-term “I knew that dancing was my way to express what I stress. was feeling and what I wanted to do, it was just a great

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way for me to be myself,” Carlson said. Center, is an expert in the way exercise affects the brain. Junior Kennedy Do has been dancing since she was three “Endorphins are one of the four feel-good hormones reyears old and plans to continue practicing dance in the future leased by the brain,” Kothary said. “Think of them as natural as she finds a safe space in the studio. opioids, they elevate mood confidence and self-esteem while “No matter what happens in my day, when I step into decreasing pain, anxiety, and stress. Physical activity bumps the studio I leave the negative energy behind and focus on the release of these hormones, aptly channeling it into music and movecalled the runner’s high, but any aeroments,” Do said. bic activity will do the same.” Paly Dance Teacher This connection between the body Alyssa Bond has danced and the brain exemplifies how practicing her whole life and conexercises such as dancing, not only makes tinues to spread her dancers feel happy because they enjoy doing it, but “No matter what happens love of dance throughalso because their brain is releasing endorphins that in my day, when I step out Paly’s campus. She make them feel joy. into the studio I leave the contributes her love “Dance provides me with a platform to unwind and negative energy behind of dance through the unplug, to feel deeply and express freely by fusing the and focus on channeling dance elective offered body and mind in almost a meditative manner,” Do said. it into music and to students. Bond finds movements.” this elective is a way to break students out of Kennedy Do, 11 the rigorous academic expectations. “It’s a chance to just let that go, stretch, move your body and get away from a computer screen,” Bond said. “I hope that they can leave feeling a little bit better than they came in because they got a chance to release some of that stress, listen to some music and try to have a moment of selfless mindfulness and excitement.” While it is a mental escape for many, the skill of dancing is not easy, and many dancers put in long hours of work that can lead to dance-induced injuries throughout their time practicing. “Through dancing, I often got fractures or sprains in numerous parts of my body, but I would dance through it because I love to dance,” Carlson said. “In the end, it was worth it because it made me that much stronger.” But a passion for dance isn’t the only thing at play here as the science backs up the positive feelings that dancers report post practice. Exercise releases endorphins in one’s brain, which can improve a person’s mood. Dr. Nishita Kothary, M.D. at Stanford University Medical Text and design by DISHA MANAYILAKATH, ABIGAIL KAREL, ESTHER CHUNG AND MARTINA MEYERFREUND • Art by ESTHER CHUNG, SASHA KAPADIA AND ABIGAIL KAREL • Photos courtesy of KENNEDY DO

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r Th o A deeper dive into the students behind the cameras at Paly

alo Alto High School’s diverse variety of student activities eventually started making little music videos to songs that I liked allows students to engage with the campus community at the time. From there, it just grew.” and explore their interests. This breath of activities yields Specifically, Boudtchenko feels that videography allows him unforeseen opportunities for people who capture the moments to focus on honed in parts of a sports game that might not be — every touchdown, choir solo and robotics competition. Sur- obvious to viewers in the stands. prisingly, it’s student photographers who have managed to cap“For sports, [videos] provide a really unique way to memture a larger share of this blossoming market, rather than adult orize these events,” Boudtchenko said. “You’re capturing all professionals. these little moments that the players had, and creating a new Kofi Kim joined the Paly photography community as a new perspective. It’s not even all about the big plays, it’s also the stuff junior this year. Lacking the opportunity to shoot football from that happens on the side of the field.” his previous school in Portland, he was excited to jump into However, according to Senior Max Rabbitt-Tomita, he finds something that is such a promithat these bigger, important nent part of Paly culture. moments can be extremely re“It’s really fun to take [photos warding to capture as well. of] an event that everyone has ex“At the football game, I got perienced and put my own artistic my friend’s first touchdown, spin on it while editing the phoand it was on senior night,” tos,” Kim said. Rabbitt-Tomita said. “It’s a reLooking around the field, you ally cool moment that you can can find a variety of multimedia have forever preserved.” students gathered in many areas, Another well-known Paly poised to capture different mostudent photographer Tyler ments. According to Kim, some Wong specializes in sports -Gabe Boudtchenko, 11 of them have formed a group photography. As an athlete where they can connect, talk and himself, Wong appreciates getexchange ideas and tips. ting his own sports photos and hopes to spread that happiness “It’s a lot more fun having a little squad down there where we to other athletes. can give each other tips since not all of us have years and years “[Paly] having really good sports has helped a lot,” Wong of experience, we’re just high schoolers,” Kim said. “So we can said. “It’s made me want to cover all their games, made me want kind of fill in knowledge for each other and help to take photos, to be there to support them, and it’s also given me a way to grow moving as a pack.” as a photographer and as a person.” Junior Gabe Boudtchenko works alongside Kim, as they are Paly is well known for producing talented rising multimedia close friends with shared passions. He found that capturing these artists, partly because of its plethora of resources. They have moments stemmed from a passion, rather than an interest in guided student photographers in their process of learning. business. “ I took all three years of photo at Paly,” Rabbitt-Tomita said. “I started off recording my sister’s piano recitals and even- “The teachers, Mx. Gallagher, especially the last year [of photually my own piano recitals,” Boudtchenko said. “After that, I tography], has been super helpful, pushing me to do more of my

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You’re capturing all these little moments that the players had, and creating a new perspective.

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H the photography and line up really creative stuff.” “It’s Paly cultivates a community that keeps the photography just an environment alive, not only because of the provided resources a m a z i n g and opportunities but also by maintaining a culture that tru- c o m m u n i ly encourages the work of students. This is helpful to a lot of ty.” aspiring students, either amateurs or those with more years of Palo Alto professional Photographer Karen Ambrose Hickey experience. attends high school football games frequently, mainly focusing “There is some competition or stigma that comes [from be- on the sports culture at Paly. Starting at the age of 10, Hickey ing] young,” Boudtchenko said. “So far, it hasn’t taken away now pursues photography as a professional hobby, encouraging many opportunities or restricted me from doing anything.” students to keep creating as frequently as possible With the fall sports season coming to an end, many photog“[When my kids started playing sports] I started to photoraphers found a business in taking students’ senior portraits. graph and I kept wanting to get better,” Hickey said. Even though many have created Even as a hobby, Hickey feels a workspace out of their passion, that the professional atmosphere is they’re still able to appreciate the just as supportive as the one that root of why they enjoy the media Paly has. form. “For Stanford athletics, I have “I love seeing people’s facan amazing community of photoges when I deliver these photos, raphers,” Hickey said. “They’re whether it’s sports action shots, [the professional photographers] or their senior portraits,” Wong just inspiring and incredible and said. “I mean, getting paid is a everybody is so generous with their bonus. I’m getting paid for what time. I have found nothing but genI love to do. But that’s not the erous, inclusive, and helpful [peo-Max Rabbitt- Tomita, 12 main reason why I do it.” ple].” While Palo Alto’s local community contributes to the wideDespite how it can be intimidating, she advises students to spread audience that students receive, there are other ways for seek out opportunities and take advantage of the supportive atstudents to expand. mosphere. “Posting a lot on social media has helped me grow a lot,” “It’s all about putting aside your pride and asking for help.” Wong said. “Taking photos at other football games, for oth- Hickey said. er schools like Mountain View, Wilcox, and Homestead has Hickey is quite involved with the Paly sports community, and helped me grow a bigger audience.” she’s aware that there are many young aspiring photographers Beyond Paly’s atmosphere for aspiring photographers and on the field next to her. videographers, just being around people who share a passion is “Look for what’s different,” Hickey said. “There’s an infinite extremely influential. number of poses and mostly, probably all of them have been “Just all the people I meet, all the photographers, all the cre- photographed. Can you find something a little different to tell ative minds that I meet, are all looking to help you,” Wong said. the same story?”

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It’s a really cool moment that you can have forever preserved.

ART • 27

’ talent Tyler Wong

Gabe Boudtchenko

Kofi Kim

Max Rabbitt-Tomita

Text and design by SARAH BAKHASH and KAYLEY KO • Art by SARAH BAKHASH, SABELA CHELBA and KAYLEY KO • Photos by GABE BOUDTCHENKO, KOFI KIM, MAX RABBITT-TOMITA and TYLER WONG

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portfolio perspectives

A portal into current and past Paly students’ experiences curating art portfolios

hen facing the college application process, many artistically talented students go above and beyond in their submissions, by creating a unique portfolio of their artistic passions. While some students are focused on applying to art-specific programs and schools, others simply want to enhance their application. This experience is filled with highs and lows for many artists as they figure out how to represent themselves as an artist in just a few pieces. Continue reading to understand a few unique perspectives from students currently going through this process and those who have done so in previous years.

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DAVID TOMZ, ‘24

enior David Tomz began creating his first art portfolio this year, featuring ceramics and mixed media pieces, but primarily his painting and drawing projects. “I’m not thinking of going to art school specifically but for a lot of colleges, they let you submit a supplemental portfolio to showcase artistic skills, especially for places where [I] might want to do a minor or double major,” Tomz said. Choosing from a variety of projects, Tomz considers selecting art that will form a distinctive and individualistic theme. “I tried to pick the pieces that were a good mix of technical ability and had meaning behind them,” Tomz said. While considering what art to include is tedious, there are other taxing efforts that go into the assembly of a portfolio. “I think one of the most challenging as-

pects is writing,” Tomz said. “For a lot of places, you have to write an artist statement doing an overview of all your pieces. It’s hard to put into words.” Although challenging, the writing process can also be enjoyable as it is a way to contextualize and explain more in depth about your art. “You get to be a little bit creative with writing them,” Tomz said. “With a lot of the other college essays, you don’t have room to be as creative with phrasing. These feel a bit more poetic, so it’s fun to do that.” While the work has not been easy, Tomz hopes to continue creating art as way to express himself and experiment. “There really are no wrong answers in art, so I have the liberty to explore without the fear of failure,” Tomz said. “Even if I do fail, I can use it as an opportunity to learn and grow as an artist.” “Dirty Laundry,” charcoal on paper

AUDREY GUO, ‘23 A

udrey Guo, Paly graduate, currently attends New York University Tisch studying interactive media arts. Guo reflects on the methods she used when creating and choosing art for her portfolio. “Of course, you need to show that you can draw and paint but I think if you truly try to make pieces that say something you want to say as an artist, push a certain idea or whatever you want to express I think that’s what ultimately, not just colleges, but people want to see,” Guo said. Guo manifests her preference for choosing meaningful pieces over technical ones with a piece titled “Anxiety.” “I kind of had this sudden urge to draw this image of a girl like facing the camera … basically the creative urge to put this image I had in my head on paper,” Guo said. “If you actually look at the piece, it was pretty simple…The style is very cartoonish and I don’t think it was the most technically advanced thing I could have made.”

Guo felt the most rewarding part of putting together a portfolio was learning about herself. “I figured out a lot of my artwork comes from a need to express my emotions, which I only picked up on by looking at what I was making and analyzing it because I had to write descriptions for each piece,” Guo said However, a challenge Guo faced was making art that appealed to other people. “[You keep saying] in the back of your head, ‘Are they going to like this or not?’ Guo said. “Anything you can do to reduce that, to not try to make work for other people, is what you should try to do.” Although creating a portfolio is daunting, Guo gained personal insight and overcame judgment. “I’m gonna stick to what I love,” Guo said. “That’s what will ultimately get you in and that’s how you should be thinking as an artist.”

Text and design by SCARLETT CUMMINGS, SIENA DUNN, BROOKE HUDACEK and ZEKE MORRISON • Art by RENNY ARGAST, AUDREY GUO, KELLYN SCHEEL and DAVID TOMZ

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“Goodnight, goodbye,” oil on canvas

RENNY ARGAST, ‘24 S

enior Renny Argast is developing her portfolio for both her AP art class and future collegiate pursuits. Argast’s art is whimsical with bright colors, predominantly from watercolor and other mixed mediums. “The most challenging thing is just the sheer volume of it, finding motivation, even when you’ve already done so much on one topic,” Argast said. Argast recognizes the opportunity a portfolio gives her to dig deep into a specific topic and reflect that in her art. “My theme for my portfolio right now is the subconscious and the different ways that it can affect our body,” Argast said. “I have two different sides of my portfolio. One side is the negative ways, like skin picking or anxiety, and then there’s the positive ways [such as] meditation, which digs into the subconscious.”

Argast was drawn to this theme because of its juxtaposition and the tension it creates for viewers. Even with a solid theme, however, it is not easy to decide which pieces to include. “Deciding what you want to show in your artwork is a difficult process because it not only represents me but also represents my skill sets and what I want to do,” Argast said. Not only does Argast consider her own opinion, but also the point of view of the audience. “Putting all that weight onto a piece of art can be overwhelming, especially for college applications, where there are deadlines and very specific things that these schools are looking for,” Argast said. “That can very often lead to burnout, which I think that a lot of artists applying to art schools can struggle with.”

“Parasite,” mixed medium

KELLYN SCHEEL, ‘23 P

“A Bridge Between Worlds,” Procreate

aly graduate Kellyn Scheel applied as a graphic design major at almost every school she was looking at and structured her portfolio accordingly. “My portfolio was a development of my art through the years as it transformed to digital design,” Scheel said. Scheel landed on the major to immerse herself in a newer medium, one different from a lot of her high school pieces. The first digital design Scheel created was her “Grateful Dead” cover for C Magazine during her freshman year. “It helped me realize that I wanted to be a part of a magazine and I wanted to get into more graphic design,” Scheel said. “I had so much fun with the project and it helped me realize so much about who I was as an artist.” While Scheel enjoys certain pieces like the C Mag cover, she struggled to feel sure and content of her finished product. “It’s really difficult to look at your portfo-

lio with confidence and say that I want everybody else to see this because you’ve been looking at your own works for so long, that it almost feels like you’re desensitized to what you’re capable of,” Scheel said. To help herself deal with the issue of feeling uncapable, Scheel zoomed out and found a new perspective. “There were moments where I wish that I’d had a piece that showcased this or I wish that I’d had this or that,” Scheel said. “It’s really hard to take a step back and just be able to look at everything you’ve done with pride and assemble it all together and just actually hit the submit button.” Although not every step in developing her portfolio was easy, Scheel is proud of the hard work and dedication she put in. “It’s just being able to take everything you’ve worked on or everything you’ve worked for and put it all in one spot and look at it and be like wow, I did that,” Scheel said.

CULTURE ART • 31

“

Doodling is a way for me to express who I am without having to say it out loud, something I can always rely on, and super relaxing. -Lachlan Kirby, 12

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Look and maybe you will find some inspiration for when your mind is wandering in class from this compilation of artwork done by Paly doodlers

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Making these little doodles in class is relaxing and a good drawing exercise that honestly just makes me happy, especially when I make art that I am proud of.

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-Kiara Tavakoli, 12

Text and design by ESTHER CHUNG and MARTINA MEYERFREUND • Art by ESTHER CHUNG, LACHLAN KIRBY, SARAH SHEAFFER and KIARA TAVAKOLI

ART • 33

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featured artist:

The Bay Area’s Strother Field started as a garage band dream and has now professionally recorded their first EP

MUSIC ART • 35

Casey St. Clair: “Being the newest member is dope. Clay and I have very similar tastes in music so we see eye to eye on a lot of things.”

Max Rabbitt-Tomita: “The acoustics in a recording studio are very different than in a regular room, but we’re glad we used live sounds because it made a big difference.”

Text and design by SAACHI NAGAR and KATELYN PEGG • Art by CLAY CUDAHY • Photos by MAX RABBITT-TOMITA

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he strum of a Fender Stratocaster guitar echoes through the Tiny Telephone recording studio. Palo Alto High School’s Clay Cudahy, Max Rabbitt-Tomita, Dexter Cleveringa and Menlo Atherton’s Casey St. Clair prepared to record their first Extended Play (EP) as a band: Strother Field. Strother Field is the product of Cudahy and Cleveringa’s garage band dream which started in seventh grade and is now turning into a reality. After years of hard work, Strother Field has gained a following on social media, and music platforms like Spotify, for their alternative rock self-titled EP. As lead vocalist, Cudahy writes the band’s lyrics before presenting it to the rest of the group. “My songwriting is inspired by a lot of other music,” Cudahy said. “I listen to a lot of different sounds and I try to make songs that feel like what I want to hear.” A lot of the inspiration for their sound comes Dexter Cleveringa: “We were originally going to go down to LA at United Recording to record, but the studio got shut down. We had heard of Tiny Telephone and decidfrom alternative rock bands like Dinosaur Jr, Mod- ed to give it a shot, and it turned out great.” est Mouse, Pixies and Pavement. Tiny Telephone, established in Oakland in 1997, unexpectedly became the band’s creative space. With songwriter Spotify and Apple Music, the band also performs live. At their and frontman Cudahy, Rabbitt-Tomita as the lead guitarist, bassist most recent show this past Halloween at Burgess Skate Park, they St. Clair and Cleveringa on drums, it took the band three straight had an audience of roughly 100 people in attendance and they days to record and compile the songs on their discography. played their favorite songs. “We were originally going to go down to LA at United Record“We performed the four songs from our EP and a few more ing to record, but the studio got shut down,” Cleveringa said. “We we’ve learned,” had heard of Tiny Telephone and decided to give it a shot, and it Cleveringa said. turned out great.” “We pick covers During the recording process, Strother Field decided to record from bands that “Most songs usually start and their instruments live instead of using virtual components to cre- we sound very come in very differently than how ate the most authentic sound for their EP. This decision posed a similar to, and they come out. But that’s what challenge for the band as it was their first time recording in a pro- just songs that we makes the process so fun.” fessional studio. enjoy.” Max Rabbitt-Tomita, 12 “When we’re playing in the garage and practicing, we don’t realWith band ly know what the songs sound like to someone else,” Rabbitt-Tomi- members coming ta said. “The acoustics in a recording studio are very different and going since than in a regular middle school room, but we’re and sounds conglad we used live tinuing to change, Strother Field has grown from a seventh-grade “My songwriting is inspired by a sounds because garage band dream to a professional band that is always striving lot of other music. I listen to a lot it made a big dif- to create their best music. They welcome new members and cusof different sounds and I try to ference.” tomize their personal sound and to maintain the integrity of their make songs that feel like what I Whether it’s music. want to hear.” the vocals or “Being the newest member is dope,” St. Clair said. “Clay and Clay Cudahy, 11 the drums, after I have very similar tastes in music so we see eye to eye on a lot of each component things.” is recorded, a As Strother Field continues to evolve by creating and performmastering musi- ing new music they have many goals for the future of their band. cal engineer helps the band make their final edits and assemble the “We plan to record a split EP with another band,” Rabbitt-Tomientirety of the song. ta said. “We also are excited to record a full-length album.” “We did most of the mixing and additions in the studio and Despite creative differences, the band is always creating new after recording,” Cudahy said. “All we had to do was play our in- finished products to share with their listeners. struments and he [the engineer] mixed it and set up all the equip“Most songs usually start and come in very differently than how ment.” they come out,” Rabbitt-Tomita said. “But that’s what makes the Besides releasing their music on major streaming platforms like process so fun.”

MUSIC ART • 37

REDUCE REUSE

REMIX. How sampling dropped the mic on the music industry, changing it forever

drum beat. A bass line. Even a single riff. It only takes the smallest musical similarity to link two songs together, and when it’s done correctly, it can be extremely impactful. Music sampling, despite gaining popularity with the emergence of the Hip Hop scene in the 1980’s, is no new feat. For as long as humans have made art, works have consisted of a mix of cultural influences and inspirations: the Romans imitated the Greeks, the Greeks took inspiration from the Egyptians, and the Egyptians from those who came before them. Mariam Kubursi, a senior at Gunn High School, embraces this perspective through her own music career. “I think finding inspiration from other works or artists is totally normal and even impossible to avoid when it comes to music,” Kubursi said. “All music starts from another form of music, whether that’s pop, jazz, rap, or blues. Everything is built off of everything in a sense.” The use of samples in music is one of the

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most blatant continuations of this practice – artists taking inspiration from the works of their predecessors. Disc cutters, or record lathes, allowed people from as early as the 1930s to transcribe their music onto vinyl records, leading to the first musical “collages.” One of the first examples of this technique was Pierre Schaeffer’s 1948 creation of Étude aux Chemins de Fer, which combined audios of trains on vinyl to make one single cacophony, setting the stage for the future musical trailblazers of the 1970s and 1980s. One of these musicians, acknowledged in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first official artist to use a sample in a song, was South African musician John Kongos. Kongos added a pre-recorded drum

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track into the background of his 1971 song, ‘He’s Gonna Step on You Again’ by utilizing tape loops, infinitely-repeating cassette tapes, playing them while recording the new parts of his song. Former president and treasurer of the Audio Engineering Society, Marina Bosi, gives her perspective from her life-long career in audio coding. “iTunes or Spotify, all this technology was enabled by the research work I did years ago,” Bosi said. “There is a lot of technology that we now take for granted, because at the time it was such unknown territory.” After these first steps into the world of sampling, musicians from all over the globe excitedly followed, looking for new technology to aid their music-making processes. In the two decades after Kongos’ unique style of sampling gained traction, evolutionary hip-hop artists of the late 1970’s and 1980’s brought sampling to the indus-

ALL MUSIC STARTS FROM ANOTHER FORM OF MUSIC. MARIAM KUBURSI, GUNN SENIOR

try on a larger scale, taking inspiration from DJ and MC culture at clubs and discovering new, better ways to link two pieces of audio together. “At that time sampling was all the rage because it made you really powerful,” Bosi said. “It made music easy to store and use in a lot of different ways.” Kool Herc is credited as the first DJ to take sampling to the new, revolutionary level of mixing. Spinning vinyls on turntables, he blended parts of one song over the back track of another, even isolating the breaks (moments of pure rhythm) in certain songs to make crowds go wild. During this era, The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” a track recorded in one single take, debuted in 1979 and became the first hip-hop song to hit the Billboard 100. The song samples Chic’s ‘Good Times,’ with the members of The Sugar Hill Gang rapping over the original melody, and even the intro takes a clip of Love De-Luxes’ “Here Comes That Sound Again.” Due to its mass popularity, Chic chose to press charges against the Sugar Hill Gang, causing a lawsuit that landed Chic in the position of co-writer. This almost unprecedented type of musical dispute dragged all kinds of laws regarding intellectual property into question; if a singer’s voice was sampled, that was one thing — but a beat? A singular riff? Even a certain note in a certain key? As sampling grew more common, the rabbit hole of what defined copyright infringement grew deeper, and lawsuits over intellectual property became more and more typical. The 1980’s and 1990’s saw numerous copyright debates and lawsuits as a result of music sampling, some of the most notable being between “Gostbusters” and “I Want a New Drug” in 1984, “Creep” and “The Air That I Breathe” in 1993,

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and 13 tracks from “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and various unnamed tracks in 1998. “I don’t think I would sample an artist’s work, but I have definitely been inspired to write and sing about different things while getting more exposed to music over the years, “ Kubursi said. In the same way sampling techniques have evolved over the years, methods of dealing with copyright infringement have also changed dramatically over the years. In 2023, a musician must now obtain explicit consent from the record label and artist of the song they want to sample. Song recordings involve two separate copyrights: a copyright in the song (that belongs to the artist/music publisher) and a copyright in a particular recording of a song (that belongs to the record label). Paly videographer and music lover Clare Antonow often incorporates these copyrighted songs into her own work, which is posted on Instagram via the Paly Madrono account. “At first, I was really worried about using copyrighted music in my videos because my journalism teacher told me that there were some issues with it,” Antonow said. “But I contacted the Student Press Law Center and got some information about it, and now all of my videos can use copyrighted music because they’re

[SAMPLING] MADE YOU REALLY POWERFUL. MARINA BOSI, AUDIO ENGINEER

available on Instagram’s music library. Instagram allows you to upload it using that copyrighted content because the artist has given it permission to be there on the internet.” With the development of the internet and social media, along with changes in the music industry, copyright laws regarding music and intellectual property have gained a level of nuance unthought of in the days of the first DJs. Although the process has become more complicated, samples have continued to appear in the backgrounds of some of the most popular songs of the last 20 years. With smaller artists increasingly gaining credit for their contributions to bigger artists’ work, sampling can actually serve as a route to success for artists whose work is sampled. “Samples and the fact that people get the rights to reuse music is a really important thing in the music industry,” Antonow said. “It shares incredible music to greater audiences.” Kanye, Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Drake and many more renowned artists have songs that are commonly known for the familiar pieces of audio interlinked in their melodies, continuing the legacy of this music technique. Like Kongos’ use of tape loops that started the sampling movement, artists continue to utilize and refine past creative practices in their new music, even as technology and cultures evolve. “There are some steps where I think AI is gonna help, some repetitive and time consuming steps that don’t necessarily require our creativity,” Bosi said.“With every big change, there is a period of learning experience, but I feel like generally, the possibilities are very, very exciting.”

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OLDor spotify playlist of songs and the songs that they sample!

NEW ?

Ariana Grande’s “7 rings” samples Julie Andrews’ “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music

When Olivia Rodrigo was inspired by Paramore’s “Misery Buisiness” for her song “Good 4 You,” a legal battle between the two landed two Paramore members writing credits for the song

Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service” samples the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” which famously samples Good Time’s “Chic”

Text, design and art by LILY DANIEL and SARAH SHEAFFER

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TURNING

Disc jockeys prompt us to reconsider the question: what does it mean to be a musician?

TEMPOS

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Text and design by JAKE PAPP and ANIKA RAFFLE • Art by ZEKE MORRISON and ANIKA RAFFLE

he world is full of song: in birds chirping, in jostled wind- and that's them personally as a musichimes, in studio-recorded pop on car radios and more. cian,” Soberg said. “ So it [beMusic is often seen as just a way to relax and reduce stress, ing a musician] doesn't have but for humans and many other species, it is also used as a form of to be about writing your communication. own music or it being Modern human language was speculated by some to have your own music.” evolved from music hundreds of thousands of years ago. Through Although makthe millennia, singing and instrument playing has continued to be ing a rendition a keystone of most societies. Much like today, it was appreciated of other peoples’ both in everyday life and in places of worship. work is different With the introduction of technology, new music styles like DJing from writing have evolved, prompting people to wonder if their definition of original pieces, music needs a makeover. sophomore and Only in recent decades did Western music begin to shift towards music producer, more abstract styles. The 1970s and ‘80s music scene saw a rise in Venkatesh Bhagenres like hip-hop and DJing. radwaj, believes Despite this, the exclusivity around who can be a musician is still that it does not ingrained in many peoples’ views of the music industry. influence whethCommon prejudices that musicians must perform their own er or not someoriginal songs exclude talented artists and genres that perform one can be called or sample from other a musipeople’s work, accord“The reason that people are so cian.“D J s ing to Senior choir and solo singer Nadia Soare musicompelled by music is the berg. cians and ability to take the perfect “Even though I just like don't write the music execution of the technical parts, any other that I sing, you have artist, they and then translate that into to do a fair amount interpret muof interpreting and sic in their own something that's really learning and it is not way and make meaningful.” just [reading] what's changes to the on the page,” Soberg music as they see NADIA SOBERG, 12 said. “You have to do fit,” Bharadwaj that kind of interpresaid. tation, and I feel like that's the part that is musicianship.” Not being taken seriously as Musicians create auditory art, whether or not they draw inspi- a musician can hinder peoples’ ration from other artists’ works. confidence getting involved with “One DJ is going to make a mix differently than another one, music and the ability of the genre as

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a whole to grow. such big followings and such big fandoms because people feel re“Everyone’s art is valid in its ally connected to them and the way that they connect with their own way and art and musician- music,” Soberg said. ship should be accessible to Popular music doesn’t need to have a deep emotional impact in everyone, regardless of the order to fit this criteria, however. Many popular styles of music and medium they choose to work individual songs don’t contain emotive lyrics and singing, and are with,” Soberg said. instead known for strong beats and rhythms. Good artists, accordDJing, for example, is about interacting with and energizing ing to many the crowd, according to Everett people who “DJs are musicians and just Miller, a DJ and senior at Woodmake muside Priory. like any other artist, they sic, make “The most important aspects l i s t e n e r s interpret music in their own of DJing are being able to read feel somethe crowd, being able to interact way and make changes to with the crowd [and] knowing thing. “The the music as they see fit.” how they're responding to cerreason tain songs [and] certain genres,” t h a t said. “That's really how VENKATESH BHARADWAJ, 10 Miller people you get the crowd interacting are so positively with not just your mucompelled by music sic, but your style.” is the ability to take Paly ASB chooses their DJs for events like homecoming with the perfect execu- this in mind, Junior Senator Samantha Fan said. tion of the tech“The DJ really significantly impacts the mood of the events benical parts, and cause depending on what song they play, that emanates the vibe then translate of the dance and how responsive the students are,” Fan said. “You that into some- can see the difference in how the students responded to a good DJ thing that's re- versus a less good DJ.” ally meaningWith any style, making music takes a lot of time, work and dedful,” Soberg ication. For students who play music, that is what matters the most said. in defining a musician and music. T h i s “As someone who has been DJing for a year now, I realized how shows up much hard work it requires to create a set that big for tens of thoua lot in the sands of people, even hundreds of thousands of people,” Miller professional said. “I would definitely classify them [professional DJs] as musimusic indus- cians, and especially [because] most of those people [professional try. DJs] are creating their own music.” “People like Taking musicians seriously is fundamental to new musicians’ Taylor Swift have confidence and newer genres' abilities to grow.

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“WE’RE OBJECTIFYING OUR BODIES WHEN OUR BODIES ARE LIVING BREATHING THINGS.” JACKIE AHERN, DIETICIAN

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