At 4:00 PM, Thursday August 27th, I sat in on Nancy Giles’ talk about music in Kobacker Hall. The interesting thing was though, it was not just Nancy Giles talk, it was her discussion. Going into Kobacker Lobby, I thought Giles would be doing all the talking and that she would not be interested in an actual in depth conversation about music. To me, she was just another comedian/actress that would give me a good laugh. I was completely wrong.
Right away Giles set a more relaxed mood by sitting on the edge of the stage with her feet hanging off. She began by talking about how she grew up playing the viola and how she always loved music. Giles did not talk a lot about herself. She seemed completely interested in all of our lives, which was different from any other famous person I have heard speak.
Giles talked to individual people about what interested them in music and what they are planning on doing with their life. She asked questions that really made our minds work; what kind of music challenged our minds, why we love music, and even what we thought about American Idol. All of these things showed how down to earth she was. I feel like she reminded me why I love being a musician so much, and why it challenges me, personally, intellectually, and emotionally.
On Thursday, August 27, 2009, I went to Nancy Giles’ session hosted in Kobacker Hall at 4:00. I mainly thought it was going to be about this lady, comedian, actress, etc. that was going to talk to us about her life introduced to music. The opening grabbed my attention immediately. She was funny, very welcoming, and looked as though she was thrilled to be there.
She first told us how she realized that music is one of the best things that had happened in her life. She started out listening to a record player, growing up in New York mind you, and she knew she needed music.
She went to a orchestra performance when she was younger. After the performance was done, the musicians introduced each kind of instrument and showed the audience what they looked like. She saw a cello but thought it was called a viola. She decided to play the “viola”. When her teacher gave her the viola, she was stunned because it was so tiny. This wasn’t the big instrument she had wanted to play.
Well, she went on about that and of course growing up and people in her live she envied. Then, she really wanted to connect to us, the audience. I was surprised. I thought this was all about her kind of deal. She asked members of the crowd to share their life stories that made them want to become musicians and everything that led up to what they are today. I was fortunate to share my story about playing and what I want to be. She also put her sense of humor into her talking and asked our opinions on American Idol.
It wasn’t just her she was talking about; she wanted to know about what we thought in comparison to her thoughts.
The overall experience of the session was fantastic. I loved that she included everyone in her discussion and made the entire show more than an experience. It made me realize why I have passion and love for music and what brought me here today.
Kirsten Benson
August 30th 2009
An Evening with Nancy Giles
Is there any single word to describe Nancy Giles? She has appeared in many different movies including Big and True Crimes. Her essays have been shared on CBS News Sunday Morning. From the very moment she stepped on stage Thursday August 27th, the audience knew they were in for a great time. She shared personal stories where the intention was not only to make the audience laugh, but to pass on a small piece of knowledge. From a story about summer camp to a stirring piece written after the election of Barack Obama, the message was, you could do anything if you put your heart into it. As an African American looking for work in the acting business, Giles was usually given roles that seemed to be stereotypical of African American women. In college other African Americans looked her down on just because she chose to live in a “white” dorm. She proved that there was not only racism from one group to another, but also within the same racial groups.
Giles made the audience think. She engaged us. I loved the fact that she was so down to earth and willing to share personal stories with us. She told us of times when she felt so down, there really was no place to go but up. I envy that type of courage. Giles is a strong woman and she let the audience know it. At the end of the program, she took questions. It was great to see that she was interested in what the audience wanted to know.
Nancy Giles, the quirky and sensational comedian/actress, dazzled both the students and faculty of Bowling Green State University August 27th with her humorous jokes and her eccentric stories. She started out her day speaking to the musical arts students. She spoke about her own experiences with music, and asked different students about his or her musical life journey. The entire session was relaxed, and everyone could connect with Giles in one way or another.
The night performance was quite memorable. Giles started off her performance with a “folk song” that she learned at a Black Panther camp when she was a child. This alone indicated that her show would be non-stop laughter. She then talked a little about her mother and her childhood. The one thing I most remember about her performance was her different acting jobs. My favorite one was where she was a nurse and she said “I’ll get the stool softener; that should help.” After that I could not stop laughing. She also talked about her experience as a creative writing student at Oberlin College, and how she was the only black woman in her creative writing class.
Nancy Giles is a brilliant woman, and she gave everyone in the audience both joy and laughter. The one quote that inspired me the most was “The crap you do is part of the journey to something greater.” What that means to me, is that even though I might not like everything I have to do, it will be beneficial in the end. Nancy Giles is a remarkable woman, and an incredible role model for anyone chasing their dreams.
On Thursday, August 27th at 8:00PM I attended an event at Kobacker Hall. Nancy Giles, a commentator, comedian, and actress gave a talk about her life and all the different things she’s gone through. Giles really kept me interested in what she had to say. She was hilarious but also serious when she wanted to get a point across.
I’ve never really heard someone in person talk about how hard it was to be a person of color in the 70’s. It was really an eye opener when she talked about how she was treated in college at Oberlin. It wasn’t just that she was African-American, she is also very tall and that made it even worse because people would make fun of her for that too. When she talked about the one job she had where she dressed up and looked at herself in the mirror and realized how beautiful she was really made me sad because when she walked past one of the men, he asked her if she was a man or a woman. That made her self esteem drop so much and I hate when ignorant people like that man do that to other people.
Everyone in the audience seemed to enjoy listening t o her as much as I did. I’m glad there are people like Nancy Giles who go from place to place talking about their life experiences with others. It helps people realize how bad some people have it and it makes us want to be better people.
Moira McNeil
Group One
I attended the discussion with Nancy Giles on August 26, 2009 at 8pm in the Arts Village. Nancy was energetic and wanted to know about what happens in the Arts Village. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and it felt as if we were talking to a cool aunt rather than a well known comedian and actress. She was willing to answer any questions that we had and told them to us in great detail. She shared with us her personal experiences about the stage and about her college education. I am a performance major so to hear her personal experiences on the stage being a black woman in a white male dominated field was inspiring and insightful.
Nancy Giles seemed to be extremely intrigued about the activities and the mission of the Arts Village. She told us that she had wished so much that she had a program like this at Oberlin where she attended college. While she was at Oberlin she they groups of people where grouped into race, sex and majors. I am grateful to have this program to join the people who love the arts no matter what race, sex or major they are in. My hour with Nancy Giles was a lighthearted and enjoyable time. I have gained so much from her advise and so grateful that I had a chance to listen to the wisdom she was willing to give us.
I went to the eight o’clock session with Nancy Giles on August 27th. She was a very vibrant, interesting speaker. She told a great story that was inspiring and also funny. Giles told many different stories from her childhood, to college to all her different jobs/careers, to Barak Obama winning the election, to present time. I really enjoyed what Giles had to share with us. Her stories have interesting concepts and even though she didn’t come right out and say it, she gave good advice. She wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be rather boring, but it was a lot of fun. She was funny and she definitely knows how to get her audience’s attention. I thought it was a wonderful presentation, with a great background. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to hear her speak. It gives all of us a different perspective, different eyes to look through. What might mean nothing to us, might mean the world to someone else.
I felt that Nancy Giles pretty much hit the nail on the head everything she said I pretty much agreed with I mean the whole creative writing story is what sums up what high school was where all the teacher wants is what they want and no input from you. Why is that I mean yeah it was a creative writing class you are supposed to be creative and show the world who you are through words but when people stereo type you can’t express yourself so what are you supposed to do? For example the one story she told that stuck out in my mind was about a class she took at Oberland College it pretty much summed up the whole idea that back in the day you couldn’t be yourself you always had to live up to what people think or expect you to be there was no thinking for yourself which I believe is a lot of bull. You should be allowed to think for yourself even back then but that was then and this is now thank God. And yes she was a good person to go and see last thursday she was great.
I attended the 8 o’clock session with Nancy Giles on Thursday. At the beginning of her presentation, I found myself laughing quite a lot, along with others in the audience, especially when she asked us to take the hands of others around us and sang a song from a Black Panther camp. Many of her stories were very funny and I laughed a lot during parts of her presentation. However, I began to notice other people laughing as I listened to her sometimes solemn stories. As she told us stories of her life as a child growing up in a discriminatory time, I found myself empathizing with her, even feeling bad for her, but not laughing. I wondered how other people could be laughing at things that were so far from funny. I realized, later, that it could’ve been because of her presentation of these stories and the fact that she can look back on harder times and laugh at herself.
I did thoroughly enjoy her performance, though. She was an excellent and vibrant speaker who knew how to grab an audience’s attention and keep people on their feet as she spoke.
“An evening with Nancy Giles,” was a program filled with informational and musical moments. The evening started with an overview of the many events happening at the College of Musical Arts this year. The program then switched gears to the musical and comedic stylings of the HeeBeeBG’s, who performed three harmony filled tunes, before Nancy Giles took the stage. When the highly revered Nancy Giles finally took the stage the atmosphere became filled with her spunky, charismatic, confidence, as she had the audience sing a laugh provoking childlike song. Nancy Giles then began to discuss the theme of her program which was clearly her thoughts and experiences with racial discrimination. She described how racial discrimination had encroached in many aspects of her life from college to her career in acting and voice overs. Nancy Giles even talked about how some music in her life has been somewhat discriminating. After her program ended, Nancy Giles opened up the mic for questions from the audience, before she made her farewells to Bowling Green State University.
I appreciate that Nancy Giles took time away from her life to come and talk to the faculty and students of our university. I felt inspired with the fact that she was so passionate about what she believed in. I do not want to offend anyone in any way but honestly, I did not take a deep interest in what she had to say. This is because I have never really been exposed to racial discrimination in my life. I was always raised to view all people of different race, religion, or ethnicity as human beings, as equals. Therefore, I could not really relate with what she had to say. On the other-hand she did make me think of my dad and my grandma because they did grow up during times of racial discrimination and reverse discrimination. I believe her message would have been better suited for people who have experienced racially discriminating times, such as my dad or grandma. I do sincerely want to thank Nancy Giles for getting me to think of how my life would be different if I grew up during a racially discriminating time.
I attended the 8PM session with Nancy Giles on Thursday, August 27. I have to be honest I did not know what to expect when I went there. I had never heard of her and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like her or not. I thought that the group the performed right before she came out was very entertaining so I started to get a little more excited about what was to come. Then she finally came out. She started talking about some stuff and I was a little disappointed because I thought the whole night was going to be dull and boring. But I was wrong. I didn’t know that she was a comedian. I was laughing the whole time. She was such an entertaining person to listen to. And the stories about how she became what she is today were just amazing. She worked hard, and even though she doesn’t get the leading roles she still tries out because she loves what she does. Hearing Nancy Giles made me want to try harder and work more for what I want. Even though I might not be the best, I’m still going to go for it.
oligerj Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:25 pm Edit
On August 26 from 8:00 pm, to 9:00 pm, Nancy Giles came to visit the Arts Village and have some what of a “talk show” with all of us who live in Kriescher and participate in the Arts Village. It did not seem like a “talk show” persay because I felt it was rather laid back. It was more of a relaxing conversation than anything with alot of added humor. I did not know exaclty who Nancy was before I heard her speak that night, which really shocked me becuase she was such an outgoing person that I thought that I would of heard of her at least once or twice, but no.
She had more questions that she wanted answered than she had things that she wanted to input. Although everytime she did have something to say it was either very funny or otherwise very good advice for our lives. She mentioned alot that she wished she could go back and not make some of the mistakes that she did in college. She told us that she was jealous of our lifestyles and how great of a community and art/music program we have here at BG and it made me extremelly proud to live here and helped me appreciate the benifets of living in such a community as the Arts Village.
If only someday I could learn to be as outgoing and as great of a public speaker as she is. I also admire her ability to make fun of herself and laugh at everything because it means she is light hearted and dose not take life to seriously.
I would most definetley love to watch her preform more as a comedian on stage if I ever get the chance.
August 29th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Lauren Oberle
BGSU 1000
Dr. Natvig
28 August 2009
At 4:00 PM, Thursday August 27th, I sat in on Nancy Giles’ talk about music in Kobacker Hall. The interesting thing was though, it was not just Nancy Giles talk, it was her discussion. Going into Kobacker Lobby, I thought Giles would be doing all the talking and that she would not be interested in an actual in depth conversation about music. To me, she was just another comedian/actress that would give me a good laugh. I was completely wrong.
Right away Giles set a more relaxed mood by sitting on the edge of the stage with her feet hanging off. She began by talking about how she grew up playing the viola and how she always loved music. Giles did not talk a lot about herself. She seemed completely interested in all of our lives, which was different from any other famous person I have heard speak.
Giles talked to individual people about what interested them in music and what they are planning on doing with their life. She asked questions that really made our minds work; what kind of music challenged our minds, why we love music, and even what we thought about American Idol. All of these things showed how down to earth she was. I feel like she reminded me why I love being a musician so much, and why it challenges me, personally, intellectually, and emotionally.
August 29th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Carly Miltz
BGSU 1000
Dr. Natvig
29 Aug. 2009
On Thursday, August 27, 2009, I went to Nancy Giles’ session hosted in Kobacker Hall at 4:00. I mainly thought it was going to be about this lady, comedian, actress, etc. that was going to talk to us about her life introduced to music. The opening grabbed my attention immediately. She was funny, very welcoming, and looked as though she was thrilled to be there.
She first told us how she realized that music is one of the best things that had happened in her life. She started out listening to a record player, growing up in New York mind you, and she knew she needed music.
She went to a orchestra performance when she was younger. After the performance was done, the musicians introduced each kind of instrument and showed the audience what they looked like. She saw a cello but thought it was called a viola. She decided to play the “viola”. When her teacher gave her the viola, she was stunned because it was so tiny. This wasn’t the big instrument she had wanted to play.
Well, she went on about that and of course growing up and people in her live she envied. Then, she really wanted to connect to us, the audience. I was surprised. I thought this was all about her kind of deal. She asked members of the crowd to share their life stories that made them want to become musicians and everything that led up to what they are today. I was fortunate to share my story about playing and what I want to be. She also put her sense of humor into her talking and asked our opinions on American Idol.
It wasn’t just her she was talking about; she wanted to know about what we thought in comparison to her thoughts.
The overall experience of the session was fantastic. I loved that she included everyone in her discussion and made the entire show more than an experience. It made me realize why I have passion and love for music and what brought me here today.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Kirsten Benson
August 30th 2009
An Evening with Nancy Giles
Is there any single word to describe Nancy Giles? She has appeared in many different movies including Big and True Crimes. Her essays have been shared on CBS News Sunday Morning. From the very moment she stepped on stage Thursday August 27th, the audience knew they were in for a great time. She shared personal stories where the intention was not only to make the audience laugh, but to pass on a small piece of knowledge. From a story about summer camp to a stirring piece written after the election of Barack Obama, the message was, you could do anything if you put your heart into it. As an African American looking for work in the acting business, Giles was usually given roles that seemed to be stereotypical of African American women. In college other African Americans looked her down on just because she chose to live in a “white” dorm. She proved that there was not only racism from one group to another, but also within the same racial groups.
Giles made the audience think. She engaged us. I loved the fact that she was so down to earth and willing to share personal stories with us. She told us of times when she felt so down, there really was no place to go but up. I envy that type of courage. Giles is a strong woman and she let the audience know it. At the end of the program, she took questions. It was great to see that she was interested in what the audience wanted to know.
August 30th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Nancy Giles, the quirky and sensational comedian/actress, dazzled both the students and faculty of Bowling Green State University August 27th with her humorous jokes and her eccentric stories. She started out her day speaking to the musical arts students. She spoke about her own experiences with music, and asked different students about his or her musical life journey. The entire session was relaxed, and everyone could connect with Giles in one way or another.
The night performance was quite memorable. Giles started off her performance with a “folk song” that she learned at a Black Panther camp when she was a child. This alone indicated that her show would be non-stop laughter. She then talked a little about her mother and her childhood. The one thing I most remember about her performance was her different acting jobs. My favorite one was where she was a nurse and she said “I’ll get the stool softener; that should help.” After that I could not stop laughing. She also talked about her experience as a creative writing student at Oberlin College, and how she was the only black woman in her creative writing class.
Nancy Giles is a brilliant woman, and she gave everyone in the audience both joy and laughter. The one quote that inspired me the most was “The crap you do is part of the journey to something greater.” What that means to me, is that even though I might not like everything I have to do, it will be beneficial in the end. Nancy Giles is a remarkable woman, and an incredible role model for anyone chasing their dreams.
Joey Fox
August 30th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
On Thursday, August 27th at 8:00PM I attended an event at Kobacker Hall. Nancy Giles, a commentator, comedian, and actress gave a talk about her life and all the different things she’s gone through. Giles really kept me interested in what she had to say. She was hilarious but also serious when she wanted to get a point across.
I’ve never really heard someone in person talk about how hard it was to be a person of color in the 70’s. It was really an eye opener when she talked about how she was treated in college at Oberlin. It wasn’t just that she was African-American, she is also very tall and that made it even worse because people would make fun of her for that too. When she talked about the one job she had where she dressed up and looked at herself in the mirror and realized how beautiful she was really made me sad because when she walked past one of the men, he asked her if she was a man or a woman. That made her self esteem drop so much and I hate when ignorant people like that man do that to other people.
Everyone in the audience seemed to enjoy listening t o her as much as I did. I’m glad there are people like Nancy Giles who go from place to place talking about their life experiences with others. It helps people realize how bad some people have it and it makes us want to be better people.
Becky Zydiak
BG 1000
Dr. Natvig
August 30,2009
August 31st, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Moira McNeil
Group One
I attended the discussion with Nancy Giles on August 26, 2009 at 8pm in the Arts Village. Nancy was energetic and wanted to know about what happens in the Arts Village. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and it felt as if we were talking to a cool aunt rather than a well known comedian and actress. She was willing to answer any questions that we had and told them to us in great detail. She shared with us her personal experiences about the stage and about her college education. I am a performance major so to hear her personal experiences on the stage being a black woman in a white male dominated field was inspiring and insightful.
Nancy Giles seemed to be extremely intrigued about the activities and the mission of the Arts Village. She told us that she had wished so much that she had a program like this at Oberlin where she attended college. While she was at Oberlin she they groups of people where grouped into race, sex and majors. I am grateful to have this program to join the people who love the arts no matter what race, sex or major they are in. My hour with Nancy Giles was a lighthearted and enjoyable time. I have gained so much from her advise and so grateful that I had a chance to listen to the wisdom she was willing to give us.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Katie Savarese
I went to the eight o’clock session with Nancy Giles on August 27th. She was a very vibrant, interesting speaker. She told a great story that was inspiring and also funny. Giles told many different stories from her childhood, to college to all her different jobs/careers, to Barak Obama winning the election, to present time. I really enjoyed what Giles had to share with us. Her stories have interesting concepts and even though she didn’t come right out and say it, she gave good advice. She wasn’t what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be rather boring, but it was a lot of fun. She was funny and she definitely knows how to get her audience’s attention. I thought it was a wonderful presentation, with a great background. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to hear her speak. It gives all of us a different perspective, different eyes to look through. What might mean nothing to us, might mean the world to someone else.
Katie Savarese
August 31st, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I felt that Nancy Giles pretty much hit the nail on the head everything she said I pretty much agreed with I mean the whole creative writing story is what sums up what high school was where all the teacher wants is what they want and no input from you. Why is that I mean yeah it was a creative writing class you are supposed to be creative and show the world who you are through words but when people stereo type you can’t express yourself so what are you supposed to do? For example the one story she told that stuck out in my mind was about a class she took at Oberland College it pretty much summed up the whole idea that back in the day you couldn’t be yourself you always had to live up to what people think or expect you to be there was no thinking for yourself which I believe is a lot of bull. You should be allowed to think for yourself even back then but that was then and this is now thank God. And yes she was a good person to go and see last thursday she was great.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:45 am
Kate Kooser
I attended the 8 o’clock session with Nancy Giles on Thursday. At the beginning of her presentation, I found myself laughing quite a lot, along with others in the audience, especially when she asked us to take the hands of others around us and sang a song from a Black Panther camp. Many of her stories were very funny and I laughed a lot during parts of her presentation. However, I began to notice other people laughing as I listened to her sometimes solemn stories. As she told us stories of her life as a child growing up in a discriminatory time, I found myself empathizing with her, even feeling bad for her, but not laughing. I wondered how other people could be laughing at things that were so far from funny. I realized, later, that it could’ve been because of her presentation of these stories and the fact that she can look back on harder times and laugh at herself.
I did thoroughly enjoy her performance, though. She was an excellent and vibrant speaker who knew how to grab an audience’s attention and keep people on their feet as she spoke.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:41 am
Lacey’s Blog
An evening with Nancy Giles
“An evening with Nancy Giles,” was a program filled with informational and musical moments. The evening started with an overview of the many events happening at the College of Musical Arts this year. The program then switched gears to the musical and comedic stylings of the HeeBeeBG’s, who performed three harmony filled tunes, before Nancy Giles took the stage. When the highly revered Nancy Giles finally took the stage the atmosphere became filled with her spunky, charismatic, confidence, as she had the audience sing a laugh provoking childlike song. Nancy Giles then began to discuss the theme of her program which was clearly her thoughts and experiences with racial discrimination. She described how racial discrimination had encroached in many aspects of her life from college to her career in acting and voice overs. Nancy Giles even talked about how some music in her life has been somewhat discriminating. After her program ended, Nancy Giles opened up the mic for questions from the audience, before she made her farewells to Bowling Green State University.
I appreciate that Nancy Giles took time away from her life to come and talk to the faculty and students of our university. I felt inspired with the fact that she was so passionate about what she believed in. I do not want to offend anyone in any way but honestly, I did not take a deep interest in what she had to say. This is because I have never really been exposed to racial discrimination in my life. I was always raised to view all people of different race, religion, or ethnicity as human beings, as equals. Therefore, I could not really relate with what she had to say. On the other-hand she did make me think of my dad and my grandma because they did grow up during times of racial discrimination and reverse discrimination. I believe her message would have been better suited for people who have experienced racially discriminating times, such as my dad or grandma. I do sincerely want to thank Nancy Giles for getting me to think of how my life would be different if I grew up during a racially discriminating time.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
Caitlin Guenther
I attended the 8PM session with Nancy Giles on Thursday, August 27. I have to be honest I did not know what to expect when I went there. I had never heard of her and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like her or not. I thought that the group the performed right before she came out was very entertaining so I started to get a little more excited about what was to come. Then she finally came out. She started talking about some stuff and I was a little disappointed because I thought the whole night was going to be dull and boring. But I was wrong. I didn’t know that she was a comedian. I was laughing the whole time. She was such an entertaining person to listen to. And the stories about how she became what she is today were just amazing. She worked hard, and even though she doesn’t get the leading roles she still tries out because she loves what she does. Hearing Nancy Giles made me want to try harder and work more for what I want. Even though I might not be the best, I’m still going to go for it.
September 20th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
oligerj Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:25 pm Edit
On August 26 from 8:00 pm, to 9:00 pm, Nancy Giles came to visit the Arts Village and have some what of a “talk show” with all of us who live in Kriescher and participate in the Arts Village. It did not seem like a “talk show” persay because I felt it was rather laid back. It was more of a relaxing conversation than anything with alot of added humor. I did not know exaclty who Nancy was before I heard her speak that night, which really shocked me becuase she was such an outgoing person that I thought that I would of heard of her at least once or twice, but no.
She had more questions that she wanted answered than she had things that she wanted to input. Although everytime she did have something to say it was either very funny or otherwise very good advice for our lives. She mentioned alot that she wished she could go back and not make some of the mistakes that she did in college. She told us that she was jealous of our lifestyles and how great of a community and art/music program we have here at BG and it made me extremelly proud to live here and helped me appreciate the benifets of living in such a community as the Arts Village.
If only someday I could learn to be as outgoing and as great of a public speaker as she is. I also admire her ability to make fun of herself and laugh at everything because it means she is light hearted and dose not take life to seriously.
I would most definetley love to watch her preform more as a comedian on stage if I ever get the chance.