Steve Lopez will be the Freshman Convocation Keynote Speaker on Thursday, September 3, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. on the Oviatt Lawn
It's official: the Common Reading Selection Committee has chosen The Soloist by Steve Lopez as the Freshman Common Reading for 2009-2010. We invite all members of the campus community to join us as we prepare for the arrival of this fall's freshman class. This website offers suggestions for teaching and learning with the book; links to relevant websites; and suggestions for further reading. And in case you need convincing, here are Ten Reasons to Attend Convocation with your class (or even by yourself) on September 3.
Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez on 60 Minutes
"How Mr. Lopez and Mr. Ayers Became Friends": 60 Minutes episode (3/22/09). Morley Safer talks with both men, and Nathaniel plays cello.
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Assignments Using The Soloist
This list is a work in progress. Got an idea? Share it: fill out this form (.doc or .pdf) and/or email it to me: Cheryl Spector (cheryl.spector@csun.edu)
- Art: Schizophrenia Myth-Buster Zine (.doc or .pdf) with Myths and Facts List (.doc or .pdf) by H. Boruck
- Debate: Is Medication the Best Treatment? (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- Discussion Questions from B. Boyd(.doc or .pdf); and more questions from Penguin (the publisher) (thanks, B. Boyd!)
- General: Introduction to Stringed Instruments (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- General: Reading Questions (and Answers) (.doc or .pdf) by K. Sabbah
- General: Reminiscence Project (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- General: Topics for Writing Assignments (.doc or .pdf) by K. Sabbah
- UNIV 100: "Newspaper Reporting Project" (.doc or .pdf) by F. Ifagboyede
- UNIV 100: "Reflection: On Being Alone" (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- UNIV 100: "Exploring Careers" (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- UNIV 100 HON: "Reflection: Art, Life, You" (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
- UNIV 100 HON: "Reflection: Music Quotes" (.doc or .pdf) by E. Lerner
Nathaniel's Playlist: Music in The Soloist
You can find a complete list of the "Musical Compositions Appearing in The Soloist" (along with a brief description of each piece) on the City of Thousand Oaks One City, One Book website, along with their thanks to the list compilers:
Our CSUN list, in contrast, comes from YouTube. The Latin phrase "caveat emptor!" applies. (That's usually translated "buyer beware!" in case your Latin is not working today.)
- Bach, Cello Suite No. 1 (115): Prelude (Rostropovich); Suites 1-3 (Yo-Yo Ma [?]}; Casals
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 (105, 116ff.) and No. 5 (first movement) and No. 8 (225); the all-Beethoven concert with Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Emanuel Ax (piano) (275)
- Bloch, Rhapsody for Cello (37)
- Brahms, Double Concerto (67)
- Liszt, Piano Concerto (283)
- Mendelssohn, Third and Fourth Symphonies (67)
- Saint-Saens, Concerto for Violoncello (67) with Jacqueline du Pre at age 22; also, Carnival of the Animals (242)
- Schubert, Apreggione (190) and Piano Trio in B-flat Major (284): 1st mvmt.
- Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 (67, 285-6): first movement; andante; finale
- Strauss, Don Quixote (67)
- Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (67) and Serenade for Strings (250)
- Stevie Wonder, "My Cherie Amour," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (x)
Campus Events: Some Other Possibilities
- "The Year of the Solo": recitals offered by students and faculty in the Music Department
- A "Blue Bongo" Drum Circle public event? (The real Blue Bongo is no longer in business.)
- Lectures, workshops, and classes on relevant topics of interest to students in disciplines including Urban Studies, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Psychology, Recreation and Tourism Management, Pan African Studies, Journalism, Health & Human Development, Health Education, Health Administration, Health Sciences, Linguistics, Journalism, Music, Political Science, Social Work, Sociology, English, and Theatre....
Who Else Is Reading The Soloist in 2009?
- Bozeman, Montana: One Book, One Bozeman and Montana State University
- California State University, Chico
- California State University, Long Beach
- The City of East Lansing and Michigan State University
- One Book, One Community: Montana State University
- On the Same Page: Cincinnati and U. of Cincinnati
- One Book, One Philadelphia: the city of Philadelphia
- One Book, One Springfield (Pennsylvania)
- Thousand Oaks, CA: One City, One Book
Past Events
- Early spring 2009 faculty/staff book groups: an opportunity to discuss The Soloist with colleagues across disciplines and divisions.
- Ideas for Teaching The Soloist by Steve Lopez. April 21 and 22, 2009.
Further Reading
- A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash by Sylvia Nasar
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness by Elyn R. Saks
- The "hand of Nathaniel Ayers": actor and designer Sean Daly
- I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg
- Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Wincent
- "Teen tries to quiet the voices caused by schizophrenia." CNNhealth.com. 4/24/09. [Consider the source, please.]
- "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Another soloist: Joshua Bell, incognito, in the Washington, D.C., metro (April 2007)
- Penguin Book Group Reading Guide