Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Bass-less

Six Gun Lullaby was formed in the summer of 2005 in a living room in Nashville. The band, which includes Claire Adams, Tiffany Minton, and Martin Schneider, composes all of its songs collaboratively. The most noted element about the band is its intentional lack of bass guitar. Their art stems from a somewhat Nietzschean approach to the philosophy of art. To intentionally restrict one’s art may seem absurd to many, but Six Gun Lullaby believes that there can be no way of freeing one’s sound from its naturalization without first limiting oneself to what is most capricious—in their case, the bass. This idea is the basis of the band’s music. Six Gun Lullaby is slated to lend its collective musical wisdom to the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp July 16-21 at MTSU. Girls ages 10-17 will benefit from the tutelage of experienced musicians and have fun exploring their own creativity.

Contact the camp office at 615-849-8140.
sgrrc05@gmail.com

For the health of it

Tennessee ranks 40th on the Commonwealth Fund’s report card ranking states by how well they perform on 32 measures of health care. Dr. Judy Campbell, nursing, says, “As this state has worked hard to raise the funding and commitment for K-12 education, this state needs to campaign for healthier lifestyles among those living in Tennessee. Healthier living requires changes in both one’s belief system and personal behaviors. The outcomes from this type of change may be slow to show immediate progress, but so valuable when one’s life is saved from a premature death. We need a new campaign that the legislature [would] invest into and funds at a level that will help make the changes in access to care, access to health screening, and incentives for practicing healthier lifestyles.”

Contact Campbell at 615-898-5729.
jcampbel@mtsu.edu

Fussin’ about concussions

A study by the University of North Carolina finds that 20.2 percent of former NFL players who remembered having three or more concussions said they had been diagnosed with depression. Could the rate of concussions in the NFL be reduced through equipment changes? Dr. Helen Binkley, health and human performance, says the helmets do not need to be redesigned. “They do decrease the impact load force on the head/skull and do prevent many laceration injuries, fracture injuries, and even some superficial contusion injuries,” Binkley says. “The addition of the ‘Cowboy collar’ has decreased the whiplash mechanism in many of the players’ necks, which has helped to decrease the incidence of some types of concussions. The use of properly fitted mouth guards has also decreased the incidence of some types of concussions.”

Contact Binkley at 615-904-8192.
hbinkley@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE GRIDIRON GIRLS, WHOSE THEME SONG IS “THANK YOU FOR BEING AN END”--MTSU Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill and the MTSU football staff invite you to join them for the 2007 Ladies Football Clinic on Saturday, July 14 in Murphy Center. The clinic, which will feature seminars on strategy, equipment, training and rules, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with registration slated to start at 8 a.m. Ladies will be encouraged to take part in coaches’ drills and demonstrations. The goal is to provide a fun learning experience. Participants will receive commemorative T-shirts and lunch will be provided. The cost of the clinic is $25 dollars. For more information, contact Danny Lewis at 615-898-2311.

ROCK, ROLL, AND RECORD—It’s that time again! Registration runs through July 13 for the latest recording workshop for children ages 12-17 at MTSU. The workshop will be conducted by MTSU student Ryan York in the John Bragg Mass Communication Building July 19-Aug. 12. For a fee of $125 per student, York will introduce the youngsters to cassette-four-track recording, digital eight-track, computer recording and electronic music. The workshop is sponsored by the Youth Culture and Arts Center, a project of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, a nonprofit organization. For more information, or to enroll, contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

CREATIVE KIDS--Generation for Creation (GFC), a nonprofit visual and performing arts program founded in 2001, is based in Murfreesboro and housed in the local Boys and Girls Club facility. GFC’s founder, Monica Johnson, is a 1996 MTSU graduate with a B.S. in psychology and minors in speech and theatre and biology. Johnson says she created GFC to help talented children reach their artistic dreams with encouragement and positive motivation. GFC’s annual Children’s Benefit Talent Show, featuring children in the categories of art, dance, drama, music and modeling, will get underway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre. Miss USA 2000, Columbia native Lynette Cole, will host the event. Tickets are $10 each with discounts available for groups. For more information, call GFC at 615-890-7116. To request interviews with Johnson or with child participants, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.