In 1860s France, Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville created the earliest existing recording of the human voice. Although he couldn’t quite figure out how to play it back, he committed the recording to a piece of paper, which survived for a century and a half. In 2008, researchers found a way to do what de Martinville could not- they played it aloud.

When they did, they heard a voice singing “Au Clair de la Lune,” a French folk song dating back to the early 18th century. Although scratchy and unclear, this voice undoubtedly belonged to a woman- making this the first recording of not only the human voice, but also the female voice. It began a long tradition of women recording music for mass consumption.

In the mid-1800s, recorded music was typically instrumental. However, the capacity of the phonograph was expanded in the early 1900s with Ada Jones, who was nicknamed ‘The First Lady of the Phonograph’. Jones was an opera singer, and, according to the Library of Congress, “her clear, strong voice and excellent diction [made her able] to successfully record on commercial cylinders and discs.” 

As jazz and swing evolved during the early 20th century, several women rose to fame, such as Blanche Calloway, a singer, dancer, and composer known for her ‘Hi-de-Ho’ call and response and for her leadership of the first all-male jazz orchestra under her own name- ‘Blanche Calloway and Her Joy Boys’. Around the same time, violinist Ginger Smock gained notoriety for her beauty and compositions. PhD candidate and modern jazz violinist Laura Risk describes Smock’s piece Strange Blues as “alternately sassy and delicate”.

This label sums up the general personas of female musicians in the 1920s, ’30s, and ‘40s. Moving between comedic pieces and feelingly deep ballads, female musicians were expected to have a mastery of almost every emotion and the ability to use it in their music. 

With the rise of disco in the 1970s, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, and other female artists popularized the traditional concert. Large arenas, flashy costumes, bright lights, and dance routines became the norm, as opposed to the typical ‘stand and sing’ format of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Things only got bigger in the ‘80s and ‘90s, as Madonna, En Vogue, the Spice Girls, and Cyndi Lauper started to tour.

In the 21st century, women are dominant voices in every genre, from pop, to rap, to folk, and everything in between. “I feel like women artists are the only people that truly understand what young teenage girls like me feel, understand, and just think,” DuPont Manual junior Christine Lee said of her experience with music by women. “Like, contrasting to male artists who will never really understand our souls. I just feel more connected with women in music.”

“Just from a personal perspective, it’s good to express yourself. That’s why everybody plays music. But, I mean, it is hard. Women in music aren’t taken seriously,” said Brown’s resident “girl musician”, Janelle Pitmon- who students may recognize from her performance of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ at Brown’s annual Black History Month program this February. “A lot of the time we have to compete twice as hard as men. I know I get, like, competitive with boys when they play the guitar.”

Pitmon’s statement echoes the sentiments of many female musicians in the industry. In an interview with music news source Pitchfork, Icelandic alternative singer Bjork said “Everything a guy says once, you have to say ten times.” 

English electropop singer Lily Allen contributed to this conversation in an interview with NME. “You will also notice, of the big successful female artists, there is always a ‘man behind the woman’ piece… You never get that with men. You can’t think of ‘the man behind the man’, because it is a conversation that never happens,” she said.

However, it’s worth it to make your mark on the industry. “I think it’s empowering as a woman to master an instrument because women are so frequently overlooked, especially in music,” said Pitmon.

“Women make good music,” said DuPont Manual junior Wilson Young. “They have a certain gift that cannot be achieved through men’s music.” After a pause, he added, “Also, they have good lyrics and good voices.”

However, women’s voices remain underrepresented in the industry. Even as they dominate the Billboard charts- as of March 10th, 2023, 8 of the top 10 songs on the Billboard 100 are by or feature female musicians- they deal with discrimination in their field. “I absolutely have encountered sexism in the music industry,” said alternative hip-hop artist Janelle Monae in an interview with NME. “I don’t look at myself as a victim. I think some people just are not taught any better.” 

Women are also discounted behind the scenes. According to 2022 research by NPR, women only make up 12.7% of songwriters, and only 2.8% of producers are female. 57% of top songs released in 2022 had no female songwriters, and according to Statista, only 13.8% of Grammy nominees between 2013 and 2022 have been female.

Women have come far in the music industry since 1860. However, there is a long way to go before women are truly equal to men in music; they are still held to a much higher standard of songwriting and performance. Even the most exceptional female singers, songwriters, and performers have their styles attributed to male influences. “I think, recently, women are taken slightly more seriously than the past, though it’s an ongoing fight for gender equity in the industry and we can only hope for a future where gender identity is only attached to your creation as much as the creator intends,” said Nelson County High School senior Keegan Frost.

This Women’s History Month, acknowledge women in music! Alongside the exceptional women mentioned in this article, listen to other albums by female singers, songwriters, and producers. If you need a place to start, check out the list of albums recommended by your fellow students, including seniors Chloe Fitch and Alexander Diakov, juniors Peyton Jones and Janelle Pitmon, and sophomore (and reporter) McKenzie Reasor:

Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks (1981)

RENAISSANCE - Beyonce (2022)

songs - Adrienne Lenker (2020)

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse (2006)

Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides - SOPHIE (2018)

Control - Janet Jackson (1986)

Storyteller - Carrie Underwood (2015)

Blue - Joni Mitchell (1971)

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You - Aretha Franklin (1967)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Ms. Lauryn Hill (1998)

Ys - Joanna Newsom (2006)

Diamond Life - Sade (1984)

Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996)

Remember That I Love You - Kimya Dawson (2006)

Retired from Sad, New Career in Business - Mitski (2013)

A Seat at the Table - Solange (2016)

Tapestry - Carol King (1971)

Beatopia - beabadoobee (2022)

Speak for Yourself - Imogen Heap (2005)

THE LIZ 2 - Armani Caesar (2022)

Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)

Stepping out of my comfort zone and reading a young adult novella after only really reading graphic novels seemed like a challenge to me, but then I picked up a novella set in a universe that I’m very familiar with, the universe of Heartstopper. This novella is called Nick and Charlie

You may know Heartstopper from the Netflix series of the same name—but before the story of young lovers Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring made its way to Netflix, Heartstopper originated as a webcomic by Alice Oseman. This story follows two high school students named Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring. Charlie is a gay man who plays the drums and runs fast. Nick is (as Charlie’s friend puts it) a “rugby lad.” He plays rugby and likes Marvel. As the story progresses Nick slowly discovers himself as bisexual and dates Charlie.

While Heartstopper starts when Charlie is in Year 10 (American 9th grade), Nick and Charlie takes place two years later. Nick is a year older than Charlie and Nick is about to go off to university, but Charlie cannot handle being left behind. They’ve planned to do long distance and visit each other every two weeks, but Charlie is scared that isn't enough. His Tumblr posts have been filled with people poking and prodding, asking if he’s sure that long distance is the way to go. People have been sharing horror stories about how their long distance relationship didn't work out. All of this leads to some shocking events.

The majority of people who I asked who have read the webcomic series are interested in reading the novella at some point. Junior, Libby Mook, said, “I’d definitely read it, I loved the Webtoon and the show was super cute.” I also heard some people saying since they heard the book was sad they didn’t want to read it. As meantioned before, this book can be a real tearjerker.

Nick and Charlie is a good read for people like me who want to dip their toes in some new water. With a decent font size and entry-level verbosity, the text in Nick and Charlie is far from crowded or overwhelming. There are also images on some pages. I would definitely recommend it. It’s not necessary to read the webcomic before going in, but it definitely enriches the experience. However, I’d only recommend it to high schoolers and older as it is a young adult novella. This book has some heavy and mature topics. I personally shed a few tears reading the book, but it is a good read.

Daphne Powell, a sophomore at Brown High School, has made extraordinary accomplishments as she's grown up. When she was young, Daphne loved being active. Gymnastics was one of the sports that she enjoyed the most. Swimming came around because of a physical disorder that affected her joints. Later, she found diving, which combined both gymnastics and swimming; this was the start of many achievements. 

Being only a sophomore in high school means there is more time to grow in a sport. Daphne already has some titles but wants to go a little further with them. Powell says, “I want to break the school record and get more people at Brown to join! I think it would be really cool to have some sort of Brown School legacy for diving.”

It is hard to know what the future holds, but you can plan. Diving brings Daphne a lot of joy, and she wants to spread that joy! Dive is something she might want to continue once she graduates.  “Continuing diving in college is also something I am interested in, if given the opportunity,”she said. 

Daphne has been involved in the sport for a few years. With the experience, she knows that this sport is not for everyone and suggests seeing if it’s really “for you” before getting started.

“I think that if someone is interested in diving, they should start with a low-stress summer rec. league, because it is a good way to get the basics, have fun, and figure out if it is something you want to do more seriously in high school,” says Powell. “I don't think students should join just because of the titles won, but because they enjoy it.” 

Daphne said that diving has changed her life. “I gained a new perspective on sports and life in general too.” 

Dive is something that she is passionate about, and she wants to keep moving forward with. It is a fun competitive sport that can be overwhelming at some points, but overall it’s worth it. “It's been 3-4 years of diving and I still get the same joy I did after ripping a dive. Diving has given me friends and resources, and it is just a huge part of my life that I really love. I don't know what I would be doing without it,” Powell states. 

Daphne has come so far in diving from where she started, yet there is still more to see. She’s still in high school, and her career is just beginning- especially if she goes to college to dive. Dive has made an impact on her life  and has helped her get where she is today. ”I have made so many friends through dive, and they have really changed my life.”

On Sunday, March 12, 2023, the 95th Oscars took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. It was a groundbreaking, and in many ways historic, ceremony, called a “Comeback” Oscars for many of the night’s winning stars.

Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, and Michelle Yeoh were all nominated and awarded for their work in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, which swept the Oscars with 7 wins- including Best Directing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and the lauded Best Picture title. The film made Oscars history, being the first ceremony since 1977 at which performances from one film have been responsible for three of the four acting awards. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won the award for Best Directing- the third time in Oscars history that the award has gone to a pair of directors. Michelle Yeoh was the first Asian actor in history to win Best Actress, while Ke Huy Quan was the second to win Best Supporting Actor.

Another milestone was reached in the Best Costume Design category. Ruth Carter, who won in 2019 for her work on the first Black Panther film, won again this year- making her not only the first Black woman in history to win the award, but also the first Black woman to win twice.

“I believe the Oscars is very racist towards people of color. For many years, they’ve always looked over people of color and snubbed them from awards,” said Brown School junior Peyton Jones. “This recent Oscars was much better with its awards as a handful of POC actors and actresses won in big categories, like Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor,” she allowed, “but even though this year was different, it doesn’t take away from earlier years with lack of diversity.”

As for comebacks- Best Actor winner Brendan Fraser was a major success in the ‘90s with films like The Mummy and George of the Jungle. However, due to personal and career challenges, he stopped acting in 2013. Many thought we’d seen the last of Fraser, but he made a triumphant return to film in 2022, and his emotional performance in The Whale earned him the win.

Like Fraser, Best Actress nominee Michelle Yeoh starred in many action films in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Her career never came to a halt the way Fraser’s did, but she inched her way out of the spotlight until the release of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. In her acceptance speech, Yeoh triumphantly exclaimed “Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you are past your prime!”

Interestingly enough, Supporting Actor and Actress winners Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis have similar stories. Quan was a major star of the ‘80s, appearing in the Indiana Jones franchise and The Goonies. He took a 20-year acting hiatus, during which he worked as a stunt choreographer and assistant director before taking the role of Waymond in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. As for Curtis’ career: she alternated between on- and offscreen work throughout the 2000s and 2010s. To Gen Z watchers, Curtis is most famous for promoting probiotic Activia yogurt in the mid-2010s. “Jamie Lee Curtis was so good in the Activia commercials,” said Twitter user Jack Corbett. “She deserves this.”

Some viewers weren’t so on board with Curtis’ win. “I feel like they kind of got the wrong person for Best Supporting Actress. I honestly thought the girl who played Joy deserved to win, it was so much- not that Dierdre (Curtis) wasn’t an important role within the movie, but come on,” said junior Layne Pry.

“Yeah, it was weird,” agreed junior Jessica Nguyen. “It didn’t make sense to me.”

One of the only categories that Everything, Everywhere, All at Once was nominated for and didn’t win was Best Original Song. However, the artists of each song did perform at the ceremony- excluding Mitski, one of the writers and performers on ‘This is a Life’ from Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, whose part in the duet was covered by actress Stephanie Hsu. “I was kind of sad that Mitski didn’t show up,” said Brown School junior Janelle Pitmon, “but I was glad to see David Byrne.”

Brown alumni Hayden Kenning was also disappointed in this year’s ceremony. “Banshees of Inisherin and Tar were robbed,” he said simply.

Regardless of your feelings about this year’s winners, there’s no doubt that this was a landmark Oscars- and one that sparked a good deal of debate.

Ross and Marshalls are two popular retail chains offering brand-name clothing, accessories, shoes & houseware. They can be hit or miss because they are discount department stores. Although the stores aren’t consistent, people still prefer one over the other because of the products sold.

MacKenzie Bridwell, a freshman at Brown High School, likes both but for different reasons. “I like Ross better because they have some nice things for a cheap price and you can find some cool things for reasonable prices, but I think that Marshall’s has better products at more expensive prices,”said Bridwell. 

She added, “Sometimes I do find some useful stuff, and other times I just find little stuff I could use, but I’ve never left without something.” 

Allie Clemons, a junior at Butler Traditional High School, was more set on one store.      “I shop at Marshall’s pretty often. I don't shop at Ross much. I think Marshalls has a wider range of products,” she expressed. “Overall for Marshalls is that I always find something I can use, or I find what I'm looking for. It’s always a hit when I go to Marshalls, and I never leave with nothing.” 

Jordyn Luttrell, a sophomore at Brown High School, took a different turn with why she prefers one store over the other. 

“Marshalls store is more clean, but I feel like they have the same products as Ross, just the products are more neatly placed and cheaper. It’s a hit or miss, depending on the day that you go. Most of the products are a reasonable price for both stores,"stated Luttrell. 

People like the stores because of their own preference. It could be because of cleanliness, price, or products. To most, it's just about what they have, since it is not always the same. Both stores each have their own pros and cons, but it is hard to leave either of them empty handed.

With spring break over, April might seem like “just another month” to many students, but this month is far from it during 2023. There are many things to look forward to during April, so get ready for some April amusement.

The big thing is obviously going to be spring break. A whole week away from school, grades, and those who you do not like. It’s every student's dream- especially a student who needs a break from working and studying. This is the first week of April, which starts off the month of fun.

The week after may drag by slowly, but many can be excited for Junior/Senior prom. The theme for the 2023 prom is “Fairy Garden” and it is taking place on Saturday the 15th at Story Louisville. Tickets are $50. Prom is a great thing to a lot of students, so this is definitely something to look forward to.

As we inch closer to the end of the month, during the third week of April, on Friday the 21st, Brown School has its Earth Day celebration. Then, after  school on the 21st,  the middle and high school Let’s Glow Crazy dance, taking place in the lobby and gym. These two dances are taking place separately, however they’re the same dance just at different times.Although the dance is happening in the lobby and gym, there will be other activities, too, like glow in the dark badminton in the back of the gym. The front of the gym will be the dance floor. Just like the silent disco, there will be a hallway to the side for people to talk to friends and play games if dancing isn’t your thing. Tifaney Parry shared with me this quote “The Brown School pep club is proud to present the Let’s Glow Crazy dance, a free dance for all students with snacks provided! The gym will be blacklight, so wear neon clothes and accessories. This is the last dance of the year so we at the pep club encourage you to attend!” Tifaney is the sponsor for the Brown School pep club, which meets every tuesday to discuss activities to boost school spirit, such as the pep rally, spirit weeks, and school dances. 

By the last week of April, everyone is getting in the “end of school” groove. Effort slows down, classes get more laid back, and students prepare to say goodbye to their friends, teachers, and grade. However, don’t get too into that groove. We still have a week left of April, plus all of May. During this last week of April, we have a tentative date for our Move-A-Thon, being Monday, April 24th. On Wednesday, April 26th there will be a Kindergarten field trip to the Zoo. This is definitely something to look forward to.

It seems everyone has something to look forward to in the next month. Field trips, dances, celebrations, and so much more. I asked for anonymous responses to a question about what most people were excited about in April. Most responses said prom, but I got one response talking about the Glow dance. There’s much to look forward to, so prepare for April. The Brown Bears are going to have a super spring.