By ERIN UPSHAW
Staff Writer

Music often plays an important role in the everyday life of students. Take, for example, the number of students plugged into their iPods or MP3 players.

However, for some students, music isn’t simply a hobby or something to occupy them as they walk between classes, but a passion that they want to focus their life and career on. Such is the case for four APSU music students Karen Crow, Sarah Jenkins, Nicole Paul and Jay Wilkinson.

In the case of Jenkins, music has always been a part of her life in many forms, from musical instruments to singing.

“I have been singing since a very young age. I began piano lessons at age six and participated in church and school choirs all throughout elementary and high school,” Jenkins said.

“I played the trumpet in elementary school. I studied commercial music and jazz music before being exposed to classical music.”

Crow, on the other hand, has been singing for the better part of her life but didn’t start a professional pursuit until reaching APSU.

“I’ve been singing as long as I can remember, but I didn’t start taking voice lessons until my freshman year in college,” Crow said.

Even with their various backgrounds, these four students all have something in common: being named semifinalists in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) meeting held Saturday, March 27, at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.

NATS, according to the foundation’s website, is “to generate assistance to aspiring and talented singers and teachers through the development and management of various endowment funds.”

Crow and Jenkins were semifinalists in the competition’s graduate category, which according to Jenkins is a very difficult category to place in.

“The category in which I competed is known for being quite competitive. I was pleased to have advanced to the semi-finals and appreciated the opportunity to get feed-back from three more judges,” Jenkins said.

Paul and Wilkinson were semifinalists in the competition’s junior and senior categories.

Although Wilkinson didn’t make it all the way to the finals, he was proud of his performance.

“I thought I sang very well, obviously it would’ve been nice to make it to the finals, but I am still quite happy about being a semi-finalist,” Wilkinson said.

A lot of preparation was required for the competition.

“I’ve been preparing probably since the beginning of January,” Crow said. “Preparing for this type of thing takes a lot more than one might think. Learning and memorizing the music is only half the battle. Getting to the point where you feel comfortable performing the music in front of a panel of judges takes just as much effort as learning the music itself.”

In Wilkinson’s case, it was less a case of learning the music as it was polishing the songs to make sure they were ready for the judges.

“Most of the songs I have known for over a year, but this semester I really worked hard at polishing them and getting them performance ready,” Wilkinson said.

The students that participated are working towards incorporating music in to their future careers and are using their placement at the NATS competition to further their ambitions.

“Eventually I hope to teach private voice lessons to young developing singers,” Crow said.

“I also enjoy teaching elementary or high school age as well. I really enjoy performing, so wherever I end up, I hope to be able to continue to perform as well.”

Meeting Chris Killian for the first time is an experience that will likely be unforgettable.

Killian, an English graduate student, has traveled the continental United States in order to spread laughter and cheer. However, this is something that does not just happen when he is on stage.

As I talked to Killian, I felt a sense of light-heartedness and calmness that only comes from hanging out with a truly laid-back soul.

Killian has already made a name for himself in his short career. In the past, he has shared the stage with comedians like Michael Myes, Tom Green, John Caparulo, Jarrod Harris, Jon Reep, John Heffron and Greg Giraldo.

Currently Killian is getting ready to go on the road again to W. Va. and Fla. while also preparing for an upcoming spot on the Bob and Tom show this summer.

Comedian Killer Beaz claimed Killian to be “very funny and a class act,” while Dave Amerman, VH1 reality TV star, said that “Chris is sharp. The funniest stand-up comedian routine I’ve ever seen.”

As a graduate student, Killian manages a very busy schedule, including spending time with his son, attending classes and touring America. Fortunately for The All State, he was able to take a few minutes to share some of the memories related to both his life at APSU and his life on the road.

Tangelia Cannon: Why did you choose to come to APSU?

Chris Killian: My little brother was coming to APSU about the same time I was finishing with massage therapy. That’s right, I said “massage therapy,” ladies. He said I was too smart to rub naked people for a living (not to offend any would-be masseuses out there), so I should apply to school with him. So on a whim, I did, and then I got accepted. That’s the whole boring story.

TC: How long have you been at APSU?

CK: About six years now, but I really stopped counting after four, so who knows. I kind of feel like the Van Wilder of APSU, except I’m not as cool, and my abs aren’t as hot, and I don’t throw awesome parties. In a way, I guess I’m nothing like the Van Wilder of APSU, except I’m old and won’t leave.

TC: When did you first begin experimenting with comedy?

CK: Maybe around two years ago was when I started bombing at open mics in Nashville.

TC: What made you decide to make a career as a comedian?

CK: When I realized it paid more than being a teacher. God bless teachers.

TC: How has APSU affected your career in comedy?

CK: Location, location. That means it hasn’t.

TC: What did your family and friends think when you told them that you wanted to do comedy professionally?

CK: Considering what I used to do, which was sell smack to kids in orphanages, I think they’re all okay with me doing comedy.

TC: What was the best piece of advice you ever got about the entertainment industry?

CK: Listen to your gut. Don’t listen to anyone’s advice. Except for that advice.

TC: Whom, in the entertainment world, do you look up to? Why?

CK: There are tons of comics I look up to. Everyone I have met and hung out with has been super cool, even the famous ones. Way too many to name.
TC: What is your earliest memory of being a comedian, or telling a joke as a comedian as a child?

CK: The first time I attempted stand-up comedy, I just remember talking into a microphone to a room full of maybe 15 people and eliciting no response. No uproarious laughter, no booing — just a blank set of faces in the darkness looking at me with pity. Now that I think about it, it was eerily similar to the first time I had sex, too.

TC: What came first, the comedy or the music?

CK: The music definitely came first. I started writing joke songs just to make some friends laugh and I never, ever imagined it would turn into this.

TC: Why did you decide to combine the two?

CK: Mainly because I’m lazy.

TC: Which do you like better, singing or comedy?

CK: I like both. I seriously have the best job in the world. I travel, can drink on the job, and help people forget about their problems by laughing at my problems. It’s a dream job.

TC: Did anyone ever put you down or tell you that you were not good? If so, how did this affect you? What did you do?

CK: Oh yeah. The first night I showed up to an open mic I had my guitar with me to play a joke-song and afterwards, this dickhole comic came up to me and said, “This is stand-up comedy. We tell jokes. Don’t bring that crap here again.” I was a newcomer so I abandoned my guitar for a little while, but his whole comment really peeved me for a long time. Comedy, to me, is anything that makes someone laugh, so I eventually picked the guitar back up and then I punched that guy in the face (in my mind) and decided to do my thang (sic). You’ll be happy to know that the bad-advice comic has since gained a lot of weight and found no success whatsoever. Maybe it won’t make you happy to know that. Maybe it just makes me happy, but it does. Is that catty of me?

TC: When/how did you realize that you were good?

CK: By good, do you mean awesome? If so, then I guess I’d have to say I’ve always had a feeling.
TC: Where was the first place you performed?

CK: My first paid gig was at the South Street Comedy Club in Jackson, Tenn.

TC: What was the first joke you told to a crowd?

CK: I don’t remember, but I’m sure it was racist.

TC: What is your favorite joke to tell?

CK: Any joke that doesn’t bomb.

TC: What inspires you to create your material?

CK: My material is basically a series of FML moments that I think other people can relate to, and if not relate to, then at least laugh at.

TC: Have you ever used things about APSU to create material for your comedy?

CK: Not APSU directly, but crazy people, like ex-girlfriends, that I met at Austin Peay … ? Maybe.

TC: Do you ever get nervous before you’re perform/tell a joke?

CK: I used to, but then I realized a hundred years from now everyone will be dead and nothing I say will matter, and that tends to take off a lot of pressure.

TC: Have you ever had a bad experience or audience?
CK: Early on I did. But I find that was more of a problem of me not being funny rather than the audience being bad. If someone knows what they’re doing, they can get any audience to listen, especially if the audience is drunk.

TC: Where all have you traveled to perform?

CK: A lot of places.

TC: Where is your favorite place to perform? Why?

CK: I really have a lot of clubs that are just a hoot to perform in.

TC: If someone wanted to get into the field of entertainment, what advice would you give them?

CK: Listen to your gut. Don’t listen to anyone’s advice. Except for that advice. Seriously, after that advice right there, cease all advice listening.

To find more out about Chris Killian and his comedy, visit www.ckcomedy.com and www.facebook.com/ckcomedy. F

By CHASITY WEBB
Assistant Features Editor

On Friday, April 9, Chi Omega Women’s Fraternity held it’ second annual Wings For Wishes event in the MUC Plaza.

Participants in this event paid a $7 fee for a ticket and were invited to an “all-you-care to eat” chicken wing buffet.

Local wings vendors including Buffalo Wild Wings, Dominos, Hooters, Zaxby’s and Choppin Block donated the wings for the event.

T-shirts were also sold at the event and there was a silent auction. Many items were included in the silent auction.

Several of these are themed baskets created by the women of APSU’s Chi Omega chapter. For example, there were baskets created for each fraternity and sorority.

“Some [other] items auctioned were the poster signed by Keith Urban, free spa days, gift cards to restaurants and a three-month membership to the YMCA,” said sophomore Chi Omega member Sarah Nagy. Nagy served as the Wings for Wishes chair.

The Make-A-Wish foundation is Chi Omega’s national philanthropy, which was the organization they chose to raise money for.

The foundation’s mission is to grant children with life-threatening medical conditions their one true wish.

According to the Make-A-Wish foundation’s Web site, www.wish.org,it was founded in 1980 when Chris Graicius, a young boy, realized his life’s dream was to become a police officer.

The organization granted his wish and has continued to grant wishes for thirty years.

At the previous years event, Chi Omega raised $5,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation. This year they added to their pot by raising $7,000.

According to the President of Chi Omega Women’s Fraternity, Kelsea Cox, each wish costs about $5,000 to grant a wish. For the two years that Wings for Wishes has taken place, Chi Omega has been able to grant two wishes.

“On average it costs $5,000 to grant a wish, so we are able to grant another wish this year. Therefore I say the event was successful,” Cox, a junior elementary education major said. “I am so proud to be a part of this event.”