Brock Willard editor in chief  The Bells of the Balkans presented their fall concert featuring both original music and a handful of jazz and musical theatre arrangements.  On Sept. 3 at 3 pm in the Linda and Lee Scott Performance Hall of the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, the …

The Biden White House’s recent announcement on forgiving a maximum of 20,000 dollars in college debt for some borrowers, and 10,000 dollars for others has garnered both praise and criticism from people on both sides of the political spectrum. Student loan forgiveness was one of President Biden’s campaigns promises and …

While “Bullet Train” is a colorful movie with interesting shots, it falls flat in nearly every other aspect; and this hits the audience like a runaway train. The movie, directed by David Leitch and written by Zak Olkewicz, stars Brad Pitt as the retired assassin only known as “Ladybug,” a …

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most successful media franchises of all time, grossing approximately 26 billion dollars in revenue from the box office alone. That’s not even including toy sales, video games, amusement park attractions, and other peripheral products. However, there is a dark underbelly to …

Art of all kinds serves an incredibly important function in societies throughout history. Art allows us to express our emotions which are notoriously hard to define. My happiness isn’t the same as your happiness and it’s truly impossible to quantify the two experiences to one another. The closest we come …

Doug Whitten roller skates while the Pride of the Plains Marching Band plays in Downtown Pittsburg. Image courtesy of PSU Marketing In June 2022, professor of tuba and euphonium and director of the Pride of the Plains Marching Band died suddenly following a heart attack during a biking incident in …

Anyone who has played the video games of the Pokémon series already knows that the music is a special part of the overall experience. When you pick up a new game, you always make sure to have the sound on because that is a crucial element of the ambience in …

The candle taking up the proverbial oxygen in the room right now is obviously the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We have all been inundated with stories of incredible resolve by the Ukrainian people but also horrible atrocities committed in the name of the Russian oligarch, Vladimir Putin. Many lay Americans …

Roald Dahl’s engaging stories for young people have been adapted and retold multiple times, but none quite as charming as “James and the Giant Peach.” The film, directed by Henry Selick, stars former child actor Paul Terry as the titular character with an ensemble cast filling out the other roles. …

This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with professional composer Stephanie Ann Boyd, and our chat was positively eye opening. The greatest piece of advice she had to offer was “start now,” and “it gets easier later.” Any time you meet someone who is wildly successful …