Jayda Guy, aka Jayda G, a native of British Columbia, has
embraced her dual passions for science and music like few other
people in the world today. She has somehow been able to link her
experiences as a killer whale researcher to a creative mindset as a
musical DJ, singer, songwriter and producer, with a debut album
coming out this month.
The new album, “Significant Changes,” was inspired in part by
the orcas and the natural wonders of the Salish Sea, where she
conducted her studies. The album came together last year, not long
after she completed her master’s degree in resource management from
Simon Fraser University. Her research focused on the effects of
toxic chemicals on our southern resident killer whales.
“I’m trying to bring my two worlds together to bridge the
communication gap (and) engage people in a new way,” she told Andy
Malt, editor of
Complete Music Update. “I don’t know if people in the
electronic music world will want to talk about the environment, but
I think I should try! I think it’s our duty to use a platform like
this in a positive way; that’s our social responsibility.”
“Riding on a Lobster Tail” is a live show produced by
singer/songwriter/actor Angela Woodhull of Gainesville, Fla. The
program, designed to educate children, comes in two versions: a
large stage show with singers, dancers and musicians and a
one-person storytelling, sing-along show.
The story revolves around a family aboard a cruise ship who
learns about a a variety of sea creatures that they encounter.
“Queen Angelina,” as Angela is known in her stage life, tells the
story while singing about the various animals.
I discovered at least 15 songs written for the show as I
searched for music to fit with the “Water Ways” theme of this blog.
See the YouTube search page for
“Riding on a Lobster Tail.”
Amateur filmmakers have focused their talents on environmental
issues to produce some of the most creative short videos in the
eight-year history of the Eco-Comedy Video Competition.
That’s just my opinion, but I’ve been watching this competition
for years, and I know it is not easy to combine humor with a sharp
message about protecting the environment. Usually, one or two
videos stand out in the contest sponsored by The Nature Conservancy
in Maryland/DC and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at
American University in Washington, D.C. But this year seemed to be
different.
Although the number of entries was down from last year — 30
compared to 48 — I found something unique in all the finalists as
well as the honorable mentions. I was also pleased to see an
elevation in the production quality, as well as improved acting
over what I’ve seen in the past. I could envision some of these
short pieces going forth as public service announcements on
television.
A panel of five judges selected the best videos based on the
level of humor as well as the ability to deliver a clear message
about the environment to a broad audience in three minutes or less.
The winners were announced last week as the DC Environmental Film
Festival on the American University campus.
The Grand Prize winners, Theodore Blossom and Robbie I’Anson
Price, will receive $2,000 from the Center for Environmental
Filmmaking. Their video, titled “@Humanity,” is the first on this
page. Theo, based in London, is a science communicator who presents
and produces stage shows, films and comedy. Robbie, a doctoral
student and filmmaker from Lausanne, Switzerland, studies
communication and learning in honeybees with the goal of
determining how communication can improve fitness.
The Viewers Choice Award went to a video titled “Journey to the
Future” by Stephanie Brown & Tim Allen, shown second on this
page.
Here are the YouTube links to all the videos recognized by the
judges;
Grand Prize Winner:“@Humanity” by
Theodore Blossom and Robbie Price
Classical composer Alex Shapiro, who lives on San Juan Island,
has a nice way of connecting music with her passion for the local
waters in Puget Sound.
“When I’m not crawling around the shoreline and shooting photos
of wildlife, I’m working on becoming a more adept note alignment
specialist,” she writes in her blog “Notes from the
Kelp.” “I compose music, mostly for chamber ensembles and
symphonic wind bands who kindly offer my notes to the air and
anyone within earshot.”
“Notes from the Kelp” is a nice play on words, since it is both
the name of a blog
and an album of
music, two ways of communicating with people about what Alex
calls a “heartbreakingly beautiful part of the planet.”
The first video on this page is Alex’s composition “Deep”
from “Notes from the Kelp.” When I close my eyes and listen to
this piece, I think about scuba diving along the bottom of Puget
Sound in very cold waters. In my vision, I first encounter all
sorts of bottom-dwelling organisms, such as sea pens and sea
urchins, but the music also inspires a feeling of doom, which I
associate with low-oxygen dead zones where nothing can live.
Here’s what Alex writes about “Deep”: “Sometimes I make the
mistake of believing that I’m not being unless I’m
doing and moving. This piece was my challenge to
myself to be still and present. And in doing so, I’ve never
been as much before. Like the sea, my truth lies below,
and I am happiest when I am immersed.”
The second video shows clarinetist Jeff Gallagher performing
Alex’s “Water
Crossing” during a concert in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 2016. Alex
writes about what she was thinking during the composition process
in the “Recordings”
section of her website. She describes a mythical voyage in a canoe
that turns into a sailboat. Dolphins dance ahead of the boat before
it returns to the safety of shore.
I have spent some time lately perusing this “Recordings”
page for a smorgasbord of music and observations on life. It’s
here you can find a list of Alex’s musical contributions, listen to
recordings and read about her music.
I first learned about Alex and her work from the third video on
this page. It was created as a promotion for the University of
Washington, yet Alex finds a way to talk about the importance of
science and how her music is like scientific exploration. The San
Juan Islands, where she lives, has always been an important place
to study sea life and shoreline dynamics — and it’s not just
because the islands are home to the UW’s Friday Harbor
Laboratories.
Alex has been traveling a lot lately and working on various
projects, as she freely describes on her Facebook page. Also, as
it turns out, she is moving from the home on San Juan Island that
she has written so passionately about. But she’s not going far,
since her new home is another waterfront location on San Juan
Island. I look forward to further notes from the kelp.
