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Journalism Story, Uncategorized

Bloomingtunes Hits the Right Note: A Cappella Group Gears Up for their April Performance


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Kaixin Chen, Natalie Anderson

April 3 BLOOMINGTON, Ind.

From a little practice room in the Jacobs School of Music, voices layer upon each other creating a perfect harmony. Inside, a circle of singers warm up for rehearsal, joking between songs and correcting each other’s parts politely. There is no conductor or lead singer, just a group of women making something from scratch, building off of each other’s talents. 

For the members of The Bloomingtones, an all-treble a cappella group at Indiana University Bloomington, performance is only half of their narrative. In just two years, the group has become a creative space, where members are musically challenged, gain performance opportunities, and a sisterhood that sings together. “I wanted more performance opportunities”, said Julianna Banfe, the co-founder of Bloomingtones. “Being in an all women’s space was very important to me.” 

Founded just two years ago on the top of Goodbody Hall, The Bloomingtones were formed to provide more a cappella opportunities for treble-voices students, and at the heart of the project was Julianna Banfe and Ella Fox. Fox explains how the group 

That culture starts at the top. Fox and Banfe, who help lead rehearsals and arrange songs, have seen the group expand in both sound and spirit. Banfe says, “Leading rehearsals, arranging music for us to sing, obviously that stuff is difficult, but it’s also so rewarding because it leads to just a great outcome.” 

Performance to The Bloomingtones is about so much more than product, but about the process. Although they rehearse faithfully and push each other musically, the group appreciates the process and the growth that comes from challenging themselves, trying out new arrangements, and learning to sing with a single voice. That validation is rewarded at performances, where the group’s cohesion and hardwork shine through. Whether they’re singing at a campus showcase or the ICCA’s, audiences see more than just their vocal talent but their teamwork. 

Of course it takes work to achieve their hard work. The ensemble rehearses several times weekly, and members pour out extra hours arranging music, designing the show program, and helping grow the club even further. At a university that is competitive, especially among performance majors, The Bloomingtones offer a welcome community. It is a musical outlet built on community, and is proven by their success.

Ella Fox and Julianna Banfe lead the group in practicing for their upcoming performance. The group brings together a variety of music lovers, all coming together for the love of music.

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Public Relations Story

Apple CEO Tim Cook Announced the Apple Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

Media Contacts
Madeline Gray
Graham DeWitte
Kaixin Chen

CUPERTINO, California (Sept. 9, 2014) — Apple CEO Tim Cook has unveiled Apple’s most personal device yet in the Apple Watch, with features designed to create a customizable, stylish, and powerful experience that hasn’t been possible before in any product on the market today.

“We have been working incredibly hard for a long time on an entirely new product,” Cook said. “We believe that this product will redefine what people expect from its category.”

The video displayed after Cook’s introduction showed off a sleek, modern design for the Apple Watch with easily customizable elements that will make for a unique, stylish experience for any user. Cook, wearing the watch himself, emphasized the importance of the functional user interface that will allow for an enjoyable and easy user experience. A standout feature regarding this is the digital crown, or the dial that doubles as a button on the side of the watch to allow for scrolling, zooming, returning to the homescreen, and other uses that are infinitely easier than if users were forced to tap and pinch to control the screen.

Jony Ive, the Senior Vice President of Design for Apple, then presented the features included in the Apple Watch to make it both fashionable and functional for all users, as well as Apple’s motivations for doing so.

“It’s driven Apple from the beginning, this compulsion to take incredibly powerful technology and make it accessible, relevant and ultimately personal,” Ive said.

Ive spoke on the impressive accuracy of the Apple Watch’s timekeeping abilities, staying with 50 milliseconds of true time at all times, as well as the range of watch faces that allow for a chic and personal time-telling experience. Beyond watch faces, the Apple Watch is uniquely modifiable through its 6 strap types that can be effortlessly swapped out at any time. With this range of straps, including the sport band, leather loop, leather modern buckle, simple leather classic buckle, stainless steel link bracelet, and milanese loop, all users can find a style that fits their personality and needs.

College TA does her work while wearing Apple Watch
Qin Li, a Teaching Assistant at Indiana University, does her work while wearing her Apple Watch. The Apple Watch has a multitude of customizable aspects such as the watch faces and straps, allowing users to show their style and flair through the product.

Beyond the straps and watch faces, the Apple Watch itself has a range of styles that can fit each user’s personal goals and priorities. The Apple Watch has three distinct collections, the first of which is the Apple Watch, made from a custom alloy of stainless steel. The Apple Sport collection is made to be 60% stronger than a normal alloy without being bulky or heavy. The Apple Watch Edition is made from 18-carat gold designed to be twice as strong as normal. The ability to mix-and-match as you please between the range of options available with the Apple Watch will allow all users to prioritize what they want and easily adapt their Watch to fit that.

After displaying the design of the Apple Watch, Vice President Kevin Lynch came up to demonstrate the innovative capabilities of the Watch. The Apple Watch’s watch faces can be customized on the watch itself to allow for important information to be displayed, as well as Glances allowing for users to swipe to get more relevant information throughout their day. The Apple Watch also is linked with the iPhone so as to notify the user through a tap on the wrist whenever a notification comes through, allowing for a private yet unmistakable reminder that users can then check by lifting their wrist watch to see. A feature that Lynch was particularly proud of was the Digital Touch feature, which allows users to send taps, drawings, or even their actual heartbeat to another user through the use of the combined Apple Watches. Finally, Lynch explained how Apple has given third-party developers the ability to expand the Apple Watch’s capabilities through WatchKit, which will allow companies to develop apps for the Watch beyond what is already available.

Cook then came back to present the health and fitness capabilities present within the Apple Watch, which comes with both a Fitness app to monitor all activity throughout the day and a Workout app to monitor specific workouts. The Watch has a plethora of features designed to track health, including an accelerometer for total body movement, sensors on the bottom of the Watch to track one’s heart rate, and a GPS to determine distance traveled. The Fitness app specifically tracks calories burned, amount of exercise, and the amount of times one has stood per hour throughout the day to measure health, and the Workout app can allow users to go for time, calories, or distance.

A young woman exercises while her Apple Watch tracks her fitness levels for the day.
Dian Zhong, a student at Indiana University, exercises in the gym while her Apple Watch tracks her fitness levels. The Apple Watch has a plethora of features designed to track and improve the user’s overall health, including a Fitness app to track overall activity for a day and a Workout app to track specific, focused exercise sessions.

“We think it’s gonna help a lot of people live a better day and a healthier life,” Cook said.

The Apple Watch is set to be released in early 2015 and will be priced starting at $349. It will be compatible with the iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6, and 6 Plus and is charged through inductive charging using a magnet that will also be sold through Apple.

Tim Cook speaks on the Apple Watch’s purpose as a personal, accurate timekeeping device. The Apple Watch’s main purpose is to keep time, but additional applications allow it to also serve as a fitness tracker and communication device, among other things.

Tim Cook explains the purpose of the digital crown on the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch was designed to allow for users to interact with the watch without blocking their view of the screen.

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