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RSS FeedCompare This High School Chorus to the Singers on 'Glee'??31 March 2011
Photo: Chantilly High School/Alex KeatingTouch of Class in the Central Virginia Show Choir Invitational in Richmond on March 5Share ThisDiggYahoo! BuzzFacebookdel.icio.usStumbleUpon
TO DOWNLOAD the MP3 of this story, click on the MP3 link in the upper right corner of the page. Double-click any word to find the definition in the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary
DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. This week on our program, we play music from an album released this week by the two sisters who sing together as Mary Mary.
We also answer a question from Colombia about the man who was the main designer of the World Trade Center in New York City.
But first, we hear about a group of high school singers in Virginia who are getting a lot of attention.
America’s Favorite Show Choir
(SOUND)
DOUG JOHNSON: The American TV show "Glee" has brought new popularity to high school singing groups known as glee clubs. The performers on "Glee" are all actors. But Katherine Cole tells us about a real-life show choir celebrating its twenty-fifth year.
KATHERINE COLE: Touch of Class is a student singing group at Chantilly High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Right now they are learning "Walk On" by the Irish band U-2.
(SOUND)
Glenn Cockrell is director of Touch of Class.
GLENN COCKRELL: "We do a wide range of music that goes through the whole realm of pop, popular music, being Broadway, jazz, rock, country, a little bit of everything."
Touch of Class has thirty-nine students, ages sixteen to eighteen. They work hard. They practice their singing in Mr. Cockrell's classes. And they meet twice a week after school to learn dance moves that go with the music. Sarah Pramstaller has been their dance director for five years.
(SOUND)
Ms. Pramstaller attended Chantilly High School and was a member of Touch of Class. She says the experience helped prepare her for a career in musical theater.
SARAH PRAMSTALLER: "It’s different than performing in musical theater and it’s a little different than what happens in New York, but it is a great foundation for singing, dancing, acting, performing in general."
(SOUND)
Seventeen -year-old Greg Garcia has been a member of Touch of Class for three years.
GREG GARCIA: "I did show choir because my friends were doing it. And it was just something cool for us to do."
But eighteen-year-old Julia Holmblad joined the group for a different reason.
JULIA HOLMBLAD: "Being able to perform is something you can't do in any other class, and it's just something I love to do and I think everyone shares that love."
Touch of Class usually performs at least once a month. But director Glenn Cockrell says this year has been especially busy for the young performers.
GLENN COCKRELL: "They are getting opportunities that you don’t always get. We are going to get to be at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, [and] at Constitution Hall."
Last October, voters in an online competition chose Touch of Class as America's Favorite Show Choir. Ever since then, people have been comparing the group at Chantilly High School to the actors on "Glee." Director Glenn Cockrell says the television show has been good for the group.
GLENN COCKRELL: "It is something that has brought attention to what we do in the classroom as far as the performing arts."
(MUSIC)
Watch a video report about Touch of Class
Minoru Yamasaki
DOUG JOHNSON: Our question this week comes from Bogota, Colombia. Jamie Rodriguez wants to know about the Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki.
Minoru Yamasaki was a leading architect for thirty years. His most famous work was the World Trade Center in New York City. Mister Yamasaki died of cancer in nineteen eighty-six. His death came fifteen years before the World Trade Center was destroyed in the September eleventh terrorist attacks.
APWorld Trade Center towers, as seen in the 1980s
Minoru Yamasaki was born in Seattle, Washington in nineteen twelve. His parents were immigrants from Japan.
Mister Yamasaki became interested in architecture after his mother’s brother came for a visit. The uncle worked as an architect and was designing buildings at the time. Minoru loved to sit and look at his uncle’s designs.
In the nineteen thirties, Mister Yamasaki studied architecture at the University of Washington. He later studied at New York University in Manhattan. One of his first jobs was with the company responsible for designing the Empire State Building.
Minoru Yamasaki married in nineteen forty one. Two days later the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor. Many Japanese Americans lost their jobs after the attack. Shortly after, the United States government forced Japanese-Americans on the West Coast to live in internment camps.
Mister Yamasaki’s employer did not dismiss him. And he protected his parents from internment. They moved to his small home in New York.
Minoru Yamasaki is known for design that is simple, strong and filled with light. Dhahran airport in Saudi Arabia has beautiful high-arched ceilings that create an airy feel. The windows are also arched. And, the air traffic control tower suggests a minaret that can be found on a mosque. Dhahran airport was completed in nineteen sixty-one.
One of the architect’s first big projects was a public housing center in St. Louis, Missouri. The Pruitt-Igoe had thirty-three buildings with eleven floors above ground. The project was completed in nineteen fifty-six.
The Pruitt-Igoe was considered modernist architecture. Problems began soon after work was completed. Disorder and disrepair set in. Crews destroyed all the buildings less than twenty years after they opened.
In the nineteen-fifties, Minoru Yamasaki began to experience bleeding in his stomach. He came close to dying. After recovering, he visited Japan and came away with ideas that energized his career.
Many buildings followed. They included tall office buildings, highly praised airports, and a beautiful building for the nineteen sixty-two world’s fair in Seattle, Washington. But his most famous project came in the nineteen-sixties. The New York Port Authority chose him to design the World Trade Center.
The World Trade Center opened in nineteen seventy-three. It included the two tallest buildings in the world at the time. Tower One and Two each had one hundred ten levels. Both were a little under four hundred seventeen meters tall. The World Trade Center had a total of seven buildings. And a train station and market were added underground.
Interestingly, Minoru Yamasaki was very fearful of heights. This is one reason he designed tall narrow windows. They restricted what occupants of his buildings could see.
Minoru Yamasaki said “world trade means world peace.” He believed his design of the World Trade Center should be representative of that idea. He said he wanted all his designs to inspire people to live humanitarian lives “beautifully and happily.”
(MUSIC)
Mary Mary “Something Big”
DOUG JOHNSON: Mary Mary is a two-member singing group from California.? Sisters Erica and Tina Campbell sing Christian songs with a dancing beat and an edge.? Barbara Klein plays some music from their new album “Something Big.”
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN: That is “Walking” from Mary Mary’s new album “Something Big.”? It is a hit on urban adult Christian radio stations.? But the sisters say their music fits into many categories.
Erica Campbell says she and Tina make music that touches both adults and young people.? Tina Campbell says they sing Christian messages with “banging beats and melodies.”
APErica Campbell and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary perform at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards last month in Los Angeles
Here is the title track of “Something Big.”
(MUSIC)
The sisters have been singing for eleven years and have released seven albums.? They have won three Grammy awards and other music industry honors.? Mary Mary albums combine rhythm and blues, hip-hop, pop and jazz sounds.
We leave you with the more traditional gospel sound of “It Is Well” from Mary Mary’s album “Something Big.”
(MUSIC)
DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Susan Logue and Caty Weaver, who was also the producer.
If you have a question about American life, write to mosaic@voanews.com.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
Listen? Email? Print? Comments?Comments (23)01-04-2011Oza(Mongolia)Hello, the article was so interesting for me, i could know who was the main architect of World Trade center. Also I like Mary Mary. Thank you and good luck.
01-04-2011JeanI like the brilliant performances by Touch of Class. They are very interesting and somewhat like the Broadway shows. Mr. Yamasaki is a great architect of his time. His design embodied the spirit of humanitarianism. He should be extremely sad if he knows the fact that the World Trade Center has been destroyed by the terrorists and many people died in that tragedy. Finally, I like Mary Mary's songs.
01-04-2011WinsorThank you, it was wonderful to listen to the story.
01-04-2011Eric(China)American dream for all the immigrants
01-04-2011Kamil(Russia)...very fearful of heights, it would be fun if it was not so sad. thank you VOA
01-04-2011Winsor2Big up to Mary Mary, I watch you on the Cetric network.
01-04-2011SidneyRen(china)In this paragraph "Interestingly, Minoru Yamasaki was very fearful of heights. This is one reason he designed tall narrow windows. They restricted what occupants of his buildings could see." what is mean of the last sentence.
01-04-2011drac(China)if i must use one word to describe USA, open, another one, wonder.
01-04-2011Joruji(Japan)I've just learned who designed the WTC, and it is indeed interesting that the windows design arose from his fear of heights. I am also impressed by the great number of great designs Yamasaki did around the world.
01-04-2011Maki(Japan)I read the topic of Minoru Yamasaki with the most interest. I looked over Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis on Wikipedia and the article said that the buildings were destroyed with an explosive bomb. It was striking to me because in my country we barely see buildings destroyed by a bomb. What's more, why they ended the housing system in such a short period was due to public disorder. In addition, I took a glance at Dhahran Airport. The shapes were very beautiful like what we see in a mosque.
01-04-2011said(south africa)it is interesting article as i say thnx 4 voa reporters who had reported this article
02-04-2011mehmet(turkey)Thank you for the great article. I think voice of America is the best place I can learn english. I have problem with listening to english. especially it was spoken fast. The speed of this Podcast is just perfect for me. By the way, I really like american singing songs..I mean I've watched some movies that has lots of songs. It is just great. their beautiful voice and sound make me feel awesome~
02-04-2011Sara(Spain)Wow! I really liked this article, and the mixture of topics. Both choir and Mary Mary have really great voices, and the information about Minoru Yamasaki and The World Trade Center was very interesting. I love your work, because by reading VOA News we improve our English, and we make grow our knowledge of too many things! I only have to congratulate you because you are growing greater every day!
02-04-2011Stanimira(Bulgaria)It was a pleasure for me to listen to this story
02-04-2011chi-bock Jang(KOREA)VOA give me a chance to learn english with their script.Many thanks to them.
03-04-2011Jaime López Valencia(Pereira - Coombia)Thank you for the information about Minoru Yamasaki. And The world Trade Centere Center, was very interesting
04-04-2011luoshulover(china)this article and its music is very manufaction for me.thank you.
04-04-2011JIANG HOU XIANG(CHINA)I like this passage,I'm very impressed by Minoru Yamasaki.I'm vrey surperised to hear about the World Trade Center was designed by Japanese.Above all,i like this story.
04-04-2011grabielsuper!! the best article ever!!
05-04-2011Riko(Japan)Hello. I know the name of TV show "Glee" but I didn't have watched. This is very interesting article for me because I hope to watch "Glee".A lot of thanks for VOA!!
05-04-2011Duy Hung(Viet Nam)Thank for VOA. I often read imformation on VOA. I think those imformation are so interesting and so useful for me to learn E. I am not good at listening skill. I can hear and understand when people speak not fast. So, learing E is great. Thanks again
05-04-2011bonnie(us)the stories are cool..id love it. ..i think i will read voa everyday for improving my english
05-04-2011M .Niazi(Afghanistan)well I am so happy building tow tread tower that designed by Japanese .We always listen American music for English language but Mary-Mary singing peaceful and sound and fire her song Bering the magic and .... thats excellent vice be zillion life .
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