First off, I would like to say that it has been a pleasure running Musoffee this year. I have had the opportunity to work with a bunch of great people: musicians, sound techs and ARC staff alike. People bring their unique talents and ultimately themselves to the table; with them, Musoffee begins to take shape. Specifically, shoutouts to Tim Peveler and Taylor Eldreth for their hard work behind the board; work that often makes them the first to arrive and last to leave. Also, shoutout to all of the ARC staff for their help with setups and teardowns. I am grateful for the opportunity to run this event and I could not do it without these people.
As I reflect on this year, I have a new appreciation for what Musoffee means for this campus. At one level, we get to hear the music of our talented peers. These fellow students have worked their whole lives on their music; both in the sense that they have spent many hours learning music and that their lives inform the music they write. Their willingness to perform at Musoffee means that for a short time they get to share this lives onstage. At another level, as students gather to hear and appreciate the music of their peers, they also bring themselves in presence, in conversation, in their response to the lives of those both on and offstage. This level of participation make Musoffee more than a mere spectacle. On these Thursday nights, a very real interaction takes place as we drink coffee, listen, speak and share life.
Through these nights, I have learned that culture is a verb. When culture is merely a noun, it is something in the past; something that we come from and something we must conform to. People often refer to PLNU culture as some static monolith; a generalization that we inherit upon arrival and deposit back into the school by the time we leave. These people speak of culture in its noun form, but when culture is a verb, it happens in the present. In this way, I think PLNU culture happens during Musoffee. As we gather and take a moment away from classes; we realize that there is more to this place than education. Or rather, by participating in culture, education happens in ways that extend beyond the classroom. The Point Loma culture does not impress itself upon us, it is something we begin making when we arrive; something we take with us when we leave. For the price of $164.43 in supplies and a few hours of time, we get the opportunity to do just that for a night.
I am already looking forward to next year and the new ways that we can make culture together. Before that comes around, the last Musoffee of the year is coming up on April 16, and I would love to see you all there. Thanks for having me this year, it truly has been a pleasure.
Peace,
Randy
Grace Gaines