“It’s a dream-world, this place,” says choir director and music lecturer Wendy Looker. “From the checkered tile floor, to the minotaur that comes out at night, this place couldn’t get any more exciting.” The music department offers many classes aside from private lessons for specific instruments. Conducting, music history, music theory, music appreciation, vocal pedagogy, choir, chamber singers, and instrumental ensembles are a few of those extra classes.
Guilford College’s music department isn’t just any department, however. Since the new labyrinth was added to the side of Dana, students practice during daylight hours and schedule lessons during mid-day.
“I believe the new addition to Dana adds character to the building,” said Dr. Grace Johnson, chair of the department. Johnson soon heads off to teach her vocal pedagogy class, listening to the growls and snarls from the minotaur echoing through Dana’s halls.
“I find that the minotaur and I have a special relationship. He keeps the beat and I play the sax,” says associate music professor Craig Whittaker.
Other professors who find the minotaur a great accompaniment to their music include: part-time piano professor Michael Parker and part-time guitar professor Kami Rowan.
There are 20 music professors on Guilford’s campus. Before the new Dana pet arrived, music would continue throughout the night. Since then, students seem frightened during evening hours, hurrying away from the building.
“I don’t see what there is to be afraid of. He’s just a friendly little guy,” said Parker. “We all alternate feeding him. It’s great fun. If we’re lucky, sometimes he’ll play tag with us. Of course, he’s always it.”
“I like his horns. They’re sharp and pointy. They remind me of my baton,” says Looker, as she finishes her conducting class.
Some students, though, find the sharp, pointy horns threatening.
“They scare me. Who wants a pet that rams its head into walls? What if it got loose? What if we got lost in the labyrinth and couldn’t get out? I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m going to watch my back, and think twice before I go in there,” said junior and music major Mary Tudor.
“I’ve now added a small section on Greek mythology in my music history class,” said Johnson. “I figure while they’re getting history lessons, they might as well know where he came from.”
“I want to know what he looks like,” said junior Edward Gotha during a practice break from his flute. “I wonder if he dances to our music.”
“I think his presence allows for students to feel less threatened by the arias they’re singing and more by their shadows,” said Johnson. “He adds a new meaning to the words ‘stage fright’.”
Lately there has been concern of how the incoming first-years will manage. Some believe the minotaur will appreciate new musicians. Others think the possibility of first-years getting lost in the labyrinth is too high. Some fear parents will get upset if they send their kids off to college, never to be seen again.
“I’m telling you, I wouldn’t want to be swallowed up by the music department. How would they explain that to my parents? That I’d been swallowed by a giant beast that saw me wandering the halls of Dana?” said sophomore and music major William Orange.
Though the minotaur can be loud at times, professors have reached a consensus about keeping him.
They believe he is a constant reminder that their students are improving.
“As much as I love him, I know that my students are truly on their way to becoming professionals. If they weren’t, they’d sound like him,” said Johnson.
Controversy only remains in students’ eyes.
As for the religious studies department, which shares Dana with the music department: “We don’t mind because it gives our students a chance to see an ancient Greek myth come to life,” said religious studies professor Eric Mortensen.
Of course, approval had to be given by the President of Guilford College, and Chabotar’s words summed up the new addition perfectly: “This is what makes Guilford College a magical, special place.”
APRIL FOOLS FOLKS!!!