![IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Zalie Mann performs “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” an ensemble piece from the fall musical Sweet Charity, to prospective students during the Fine Arts Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The showcase is a compilation of performances and demonstrations from each fine arts strand offered at McCallum. This show is put on so that prospective students can see if they are interested in joining an academy or major.
Sweet Charity originally ran the weekends of Sept. 28 and Oct. 8, but made a comeback for the Fine Arts Showcase.
“[Being at the front in the spotlight] is my favorite part of the whole dance, so I was super happy to be on stage performing and smiling at the audience,” Mann said.
Mann performed in both the musical theatre performance and dance excerpt “Ethereal,” a contemporary piece choreographed by the new dance director Terrance Carson, in the showcase. With also being a dance ambassador, Mann got to talk about what MAC dance is, her experience and answer any questions the aspiring arts majors and their parents may have.
Caption by Maya Tackett.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/53321803427_47cd17fe70_o-1-1200x800.jpg)
![SPREADING THE JOY: Sophomore Chim Becker poses with sophomores Cozbi Sims and Lou Davidson while manning a table at the Hispanic Heritage treat day during lunch of Sept 28. Becker is a part of the students of color alliance, who put together the activity to raise money for their club.
“It [the stand] was really fun because McCallum has a lot of latino kids,” Becker said. “And I think it was nice that I could share the stuff that I usually just have at home with people who have never tried it before.”
Becker recognizes the importance of celebrating Hispanic heritage at Mac.
“I think its important to celebrate,” Becker said. “Because our culture is awesome and super cool, and everybody should be able to learn about other cultures of the world.”
Caption by JoJo Barnard.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/53221601352_4127a81c41_o-1200x675.jpg)
When it comes to music streaming services, Spotify has long been the king of the hill. According to CNN, Spotify is the most popular streaming platform, with 350 million users and 150 million subscribers. If you have already enjoyed their top-notch features such as “Spotify Wrapped” and “Daily Mix,” you will be excited to know that Spotify has added a brand-new feature to its mobile app.
“Get Ready With Music” curates a playlist of songs based on the listener’s mood, the occasion and current vibe. The new feature launched Sept. 22 and partnered with insanely popular fashion influencers, Dixie and Charli D’Amelio. The feature was inspired by the “Get Ready With Me,” also known as the “GRWM” trend, that has been present on social media since 2018. The hashtag has 52.7 billion views on TikTok and one million posts on Instagram.
Spotify’s “Get Ready With Music” feature requires the listener to complete a three-part questionnaire, which determines the user’s style and creates a personalized playlist in accordance with the results.
My first impression of the “Get Ready With Music” feature was generally positive. I thought it was an innovative, fun way to interact that is different from features on other apps. Music is motivating and listening to a song in the morning puts me in a good mood before I even walk out the door. Subsequently, I would love to receive a curated playlist in the morning that sets the mood for the start of my day.
Further, this feature won me over for its satisfying intuitiveness and interactive nature. The questionnaire is user-friendly and has an eye-catching carousel where the listener can scroll through options. The prompts were fun, with textured illustrations and matching fonts. Considering all the different kinds of music available to stream, this is a great way to explore new genres and artists.
In addition, the system makes choosing music easy. However, it does require some time to sit down, take the quiz and finally create the playlist. If you are someone who rushes to leave the house in the morning, it might be too time-consuming. Nonetheless, for those who have a slower routine in the morning and are interested in exploring different music choices for your current mood, this playlist is perfect for you.
I was, however, disappointed with the results of my playlist. Most of the songs chosen were too mainstream, which was counterintuitive to my expectation of being introduced to different types of music.
Even so, I have enjoyed that “Getting Ready With Music” seems to adhere to the current season and can provide tunes in line with the time of year. The playlists now contain winter-inspired songs that encompass this mood, which was pleasantly surprising.
Overall, the “Get Ready With Music” feature is a little complicated but ultimately fun to use. I do not know if I would use this feature on a daily basis, but it is a new option for Spotify users who need something to get them in the spirit for the day.
This story was originally published on The Standard on December 5, 2022.
