Page 6 Monday, May 7, 2012 LOCAL HEALTH The Chronicle-News ... · choirs singing “Basin Street...
1
L OCAL –H EALTH Page 6 Monday, May 7, 2012 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado YOUR BEST NEWS AND ADVERTISING SOURCE By Tim Keller Special to The Chronicle-News RATON — The Shuler Theater hosted yet another big music concert, this time hosting several dozen singers and instrumental- ists, but none of them had to take a tour bus to rooms in local motels: All of the performers were Raton locals. Raton Schools’ Music Department presented its annual community concert Tuesday night to showcase all of its musicians and singers. “An Adventure in Music” presented a full night of music, nearly three hours with short breaks and intermissions. It was the first local performance for new band and choir director Nathaniel Ashbaugh, who came to Raton in January. Ashbaugh, the fifth music director in seven years, appears to be off to a strong start. Smiles abound- ed throughout the concert — from Ashbaugh, from his young musicians, and from the audience, which was large enough that the bal- cony had to be opened to handle overflow after the concert had begun. Graduating senior Mariah Fleming, who plays flute and sings in the choir, presented Ashbaugh with a gift onstage, a large stuffed frog selected during the group’s recent performance trip to Dallas. “With his green shirts and red hair, Mr. Ashbaugh looks a little like this frog,” she remarked. “We were very lucky to get a nice guy like him to save our band and choir.” Ashbaugh stepped in at mid-year when the previous director left after only one semester. Students were dis- heartened, but now they say that Ashbaugh has brought back the joy. Equally impor- tant, he’s building on a solid foundation of musicianship established by Russell Woods, who departed the program last year. Tuesday’s concert was varied and enjoyable, rang- ing from classical pieces to show tunes, from blues to movie soundtracks, from humor to Dixieland. Not surprisingly, performance quality varied widely, with the older students’ experi- ence producing markedly more accomplished results. But all the groups had both weak and strong perform- ances: if each had left out its weakest number, each group would have fared bet- ter. All of the singers need more work in projecting their voices: the middle school and high school choirs couldn’t be heard over the piano in much of the auditorium. The audi- ence needed some learning, too: Many patrons lacked basic etiquette, talking too loudly or allowing noises from their cell phones. As Ashbaugh builds the Raton music program, these are weaknesses that he and his young musicians can help remedy. A great example was the way Ashbaugh turned his teaching skills to the audi- ence Tuesday night, having band sections, for example, each demonstrate a compet- ing theme before the whole band performed the inte- grated piece, “Attack of the Garden Gnomes,” complete with screams. Before each selection, Ashbaugh spoke directly to the audience, adding information that helped bring the audience into the piece. Performance highlights included the combined mid- dle school and high school choirs singing “Basin Street Blues” with Ashbaugh on percussion and Linda Trice on piano, followed by a tear-inducing ballad called “One Candle.” The advanced “Tiger” middle school band com- bined with the high school band to close the show with Francis McBeth’s “Canto.” The audience favorite, though, was probably a group of six young men who produced a 10-minute composition of “uncom- mon drumming.” Electric bass and drum kit accompa- nied two percussionists who banged on hardware store products and two oth- ers who banged on home- made PVC xylophones, all while being conducted by Ashbaugh, who donned a backwards cap to fit in. The piece incorporated improvised solos from per- cussionists Ryan Gray, Mark Valdez, Joshua Trujillo, and Clayton LePlatt. They were aug- mented by guest drummer Andy Petrovich and bassist Ysidro Lopez. A phrase that came to mind was, “The Ashbaugh era begins.” Tuesday night’s show presented enough fun and promise to hope that the phrase becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Summer is almost here, bringing with it plans for leisurely walks, long days at the lake, perhaps a visit to the tanning salon to get that glowing sun-kissed look as bathing suits and strappy dresses come out. Under breezy summer skies, it's easy to forget that seemingly harmless sun exposure can cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. “More than 2 million people will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Of those, the American Cancer Society predicts that nearly 77,000 cases will be the deadliest type, called melanoma,” explains Donna Wood, practice leader of Clinical Operations at Quorum Health Resources. “More than 9,000 Americans are expected to die from this form of skin cancer in 2012.” To raise awareness of skin cancer prevention and the importance of early detection, May has been designated Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month by the American Academy of Dermatology. Focused on melanoma prevention, the academy encourages skin self-examination on "Melanoma Monday," the first Monday in May. The three most common skin cancers Americans develop are basal cell carci- noma, squamous cell carci- noma and melanoma. The dermatology acade- my advises that you should see a dermatologist if a mole or other skin spot is growing, changing shape, bleeding or itching. All of these can be signs of skin cancer. Skin can- cers can look different from person to person, so you need a medical evaluation from a dermatologist to ensure proper diagnosis. It's important to be aware of these signs, because most skin cancers are highly cur- able if caught early and treated appropriately. A pictorial of warning signs and images of skin cancer is available on the Skin Cancer Foundation website at ww.skincancer.org. Several factors are key when assessing your risk for skin cancer. There's a genetic link, so find out if close family members have had skin cancer. Light-skinned people are more likely to develop skin cancer, although all skin types can be affected. And exposure to invisible ultraviolet rays can cause cell changes that lead to skin cancer. This exposure can occur naturally from the sun or artificially from tanning beds or lamps. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that ultraviolet light causes 65 percent or more of melanoma. About 90 per- cent of other types of skin cancers are linked to this exposure. Additional skin cancer risk factors cited by the CDC are: ■ Personal history of skin cancer ■ History of sunburns early in life ■ Skin that burns, freck les, reddens easily or becomes painful in the sun ■ Blue or green eyes ■ Blond or red hair ■ Certain types of moles ■ Numerous moles One alarming trend is the rise in melanoma among young people aged 18 to 39. The Skin Cancer Foundation cites a recent study that shows this poten- tially deadly form of skin cancer has grown by 800 percent among young women and 400 percent among young men since the 1970s. While lifetime risk of melanoma usually is higher for males than females, the pattern seems to be reversed in this younger population. The study authors point to indoor ultraviolet tan- ning as a potential explana- tion for this trend. More females use indoor tanning, which is linked to higher rates of developing melanoma, as well as less threatening skin cancers. The good news is that while melanoma incidence is rising among young peo- ple, death from the disease is decreasing due to early diagnosis and treatment. When a doctor identifies skin spots that need to be further evaluated, the first step is usually a biopsy. All or part of the suspicious skin will be removed and checked by a pathologist for cancer cells. This often is done using local anesthesia as an out- patient procedure in the doctor's office, a clinic or hospital. If cancer is detect- ed, the next step is to "stage" the disease. This test determines if the dis- ease has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment options will be based on this staging and could include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Treatments with special drugs and lights also may be used to slow the cancer growth or kill the cancer cells. These are called pho- todynamic therapy and bio- logical therapy. Researchers are working to find new and more effec- tive ways to treat skin can- cer. One area of study is the use of a vaccine after surgery for people with advanced melanoma. The National Cancer Institute provides informa- tion about clinical trials for new treatments on its web- site at www.cancer.gov. Health advocates and agencies have developed guidelines and other infor- mation tools to encourage safe sun exposure from youth through adulthood. People of all ages are advised to stay out of the hottest mid-day sun, if pos- sible, and to realize that exposure in any season can be harmful. Americans are sun- lovers who spend a great deal of time out of doors. This enjoyment doesn't have to be dimmed by the threat of skin cancer. By taking precautions to pro- tect yourself from sun expo- sure and checking regularly for the signs of skin cancer, you can greatly reduce the threat of this common mal- ady. For more information on the American Academy of Dermatology's efforts to promote skin cancer detec- tion and prevention, go to http://www.melanomamon- day.org. This article provided courtesy of Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Quorum Health Resources . Raton school bands shine in annual concert Special to The Chronicle-News/Tim Keller The combined choirs of Raton’s high school and middle school finish off a spirited rendition of “Basin Street Blues,” accompanied by pianist Linda Trice and drummer/choir director Nathaniel Ashbaugh. Singers include middle school students Alexis Torres, Abigail, Trujillo, Allie Irvin, Savannah Trujillo, Johnny Gentry, and Estrella Vargas. High school singers include Mariah Fleming, Jacque Alcorn, Randi Vigil, Katherine Little, Shyanne Lucero and Caylene Romero. Special to The Chronicle-News/Tim Keller Tuesday night’s annual Raton Schools band and choir concert at the Shuler Theater closed with Francis McBeth’s “Canto.” Raton Middle School advanced “Tiger” musicians include Juan Prieto Archuleta, Kendra Velenquela, Forrest McConnell, Alicia Gomez, Saphire Encinias, Melanie Alderette, July Hunnicut, Heather Sandoval, ReAnne Fissel, Cierra Brooks, Shiloh Lucero, Megan Trantham, Jonathan Cariales, Andy Petrovich and Jason Harrison. High school band musicians are Mariah Fleming, Noelle McDonald, Kristina Jansen, Collette Village Center, Tara McDonald, Codi Angeli-Stone, Brooke Armendariz, Dariela Aleman, Callie Wilson, Max Gonzales, Shyanne Lucero, Christina Gonzales, Jarrett Janell, Warren McConnell, Heather Segura, Tarryn Trujillo, Jarrett Trantham, Ashley Hester, Caylene Romero, Toby Henson, Robert Calderelli and Lucas Jansen. L ET ’ S T ALK H EALTH :K IM L UCERO Knowing risks, precautions can help avoid skin cancers Here are some helpful protection tips: ■ Seek out shade, espe- cially during the midday hours ■ Wear clothing that pro- tects skin from sun exposure ■ Use a wide-brimmed hat to shade the face, head, ears and neck ■ Wear wrap-around sun- glasses that block 100 percent of both types of harmful ultra- violet rays, UVA and UVB ■ Use sunscreen with a protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher with both UVA and UVB protection ■ Do not use indoor tan- ning facilities. Helpful hints
Transcript of Page 6 Monday, May 7, 2012 LOCAL HEALTH The Chronicle-News ... · choirs singing “Basin Street...
LOCAL – HEALTHPage 6 Monday, May 7, 2012 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
YYOOUURR BBEESSTT NNEEWWSS AANNDD AADDVVEERRTTIISSIINNGG SSOOUURRCCEE
By Tim KellerSpecial to The Chronicle-News
RATON — The ShulerTheater hosted yet anotherbig music concert, this timehosting several dozensingers and instrumental-ists, but none of them hadto take a tour bus to roomsin local motels: All of theperformers were Ratonlocals.
Raton Schools’ MusicDepartment presented itsannual community concertTuesday night to showcaseall of its musicians andsingers.
“An Adventure inMusic” presented a fullnight of music, nearly threehours with short breaksand intermissions. It wasthe first local performancefor new band and choirdirector NathanielAshbaugh, who came toRaton in January.
Ashbaugh, the fifthmusic director in sevenyears, appears to be off to astrong start. Smiles abound-ed throughout the concert— from Ashbaugh, from hisyoung musicians, and fromthe audience, which waslarge enough that the bal-cony had to be opened tohandle overflow after theconcert had begun.
Graduating seniorMariah Fleming, who playsflute and sings in the choir,presented Ashbaugh with agift onstage, a large stuffedfrog selected during thegroup’s recent performancetrip to Dallas.
“With his green shirtsand red hair, Mr. Ashbaughlooks a little like this frog,”she remarked. “We werevery lucky to get a nice guylike him to save our bandand choir.”
Ashbaugh stepped in atmid-year when the previousdirector left after only onesemester. Students were dis-heartened, but now they saythat Ashbaugh has broughtback the joy. Equally impor-tant, he’s building on a solidfoundation of musicianshipestablished by RussellWoods, who departed theprogram last year.
Tuesday’s concert wasvaried and enjoyable, rang-ing from classical pieces toshow tunes, from blues tomovie soundtracks, fromhumor to Dixieland. Notsurprisingly, performancequality varied widely, withthe older students’ experi-ence producing markedlymore accomplished results.But all the groups had bothweak and strong perform-ances: if each had left outits weakest number, eachgroup would have fared bet-ter.
All of the singers needmore work in projectingtheir voices: the middleschool and high school
choirs couldn’t be heardover the piano in much ofthe auditorium. The audi-ence needed some learning,too: Many patrons lackedbasic etiquette, talking tooloudly or allowing noisesfrom their cell phones. As
Ashbaugh builds the Ratonmusic program, these areweaknesses that he and hisyoung musicians can helpremedy.
A great example was theway Ashbaugh turned histeaching skills to the audi-
ence Tuesday night, havingband sections, for example,each demonstrate a compet-ing theme before the wholeband performed the inte-grated piece, “Attack of theGarden Gnomes,” completewith screams. Before each
selection, Ashbaugh spokedirectly to the audience,adding information thathelped bring the audienceinto the piece.
Performance highlightsincluded the combined mid-dle school and high school
choirs singing “BasinStreet Blues” withAshbaugh on percussionand Linda Trice on piano,followed by a tear-inducingballad called “One Candle.”
The advanced “Tiger”middle school band com-bined with the high schoolband to close the show withFrancis McBeth’s “Canto.”
The audience favorite,though, was probably agroup of six young menwho produced a 10-minutecomposition of “uncom-mon drumming.” Electricbass and drum kit accompa-nied two percussionistswho banged on hardwarestore products and two oth-ers who banged on home-made PVC xylophones, allwhile being conducted byAshbaugh, who donned abackwards cap to fit in.
The piece incorporatedimprovised solos from per-cussionists Ryan Gray,Mark Valdez, JoshuaTrujillo, and ClaytonLePlatt. They were aug-mented by guest drummerAndy Petrovich and bassistYsidro Lopez.
A phrase that came tomind was, “The Ashbaughera begins.” Tuesdaynight’s show presentedenough fun and promise tohope that the phrasebecomes a self-fulfillingprophecy.
Summer is almost here,bringing with it plans forleisurely walks, long days atthe lake, perhaps a visit tothe tanning salon to get thatglowing sun-kissed look asbathing suits and strappydresses come out.
Under breezy summerskies, it's easy to forget thatseemingly harmless sunexposure can cause skincancer.
Skin cancer is the mostcommon cancer in theUnited States.
“More than 2 millionpeople will be diagnosed inthe United States this year.
Of those, the AmericanCancer Society predictsthat nearly 77,000 cases willbe the deadliest type, calledmelanoma,” explainsDonna Wood, practiceleader of ClinicalOperations at QuorumHealth Resources. “Morethan 9,000 Americans areexpected to die from thisform of skin cancer in2012.”
To raise awareness ofskin cancer prevention andthe importance of earlydetection, May has beendesignated Melanoma/SkinCancer Detection andPrevention Month by theAmerican Academy ofDermatology. Focused onmelanoma prevention, theacademy encourages skinself-examination on"Melanoma Monday," the
first Monday in May.The three most common
skin cancers Americansdevelop are basal cell carci-noma, squamous cell carci-noma and melanoma.
The dermatology acade-my advises that you shouldsee a dermatologist if amole or other skin spot isgrowing, changing shape,bleeding or itching.
All of these can be signsof skin cancer. Skin can-cers can look different fromperson to person, so youneed a medical evaluationfrom a dermatologist toensure proper diagnosis.It's important to be aware ofthese signs, because mostskin cancers are highly cur-able if caught early andtreated appropriately.
A pictorial of warningsigns and images of skincancer is available on theSkin Cancer Foundationwebsite atww.skincancer.org.
Several factors are keywhen assessing your riskfor skin cancer. There's agenetic link, so find out ifclose family members havehad skin cancer.
Light-skinned peopleare more likely to developskin cancer, although allskin types can be affected.And exposure to invisibleultraviolet rays can causecell changes that lead toskin cancer. This exposurecan occur naturally fromthe sun or artificially fromtanning beds or lamps.
The Centers for DiseaseControl and Preventionwarns that ultraviolet lightcauses 65 percent or more ofmelanoma. About 90 per-
cent of other types of skincancers are linked to thisexposure.
Additional skin cancerrisk factors cited by theCDC are:
■ Personal history ofskin cancer■ History of sunburns early in life■ Skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily or becomes painful in the sun■ Blue or green eyes■ Blond or red hair■ Certain types of moles■ Numerous moles
One alarming trend isthe rise in melanomaamong young people aged18 to 39.
The Skin CancerFoundation cites a recentstudy that shows this poten-tially deadly form of skincancer has grown by 800percent among youngwomen and 400 percentamong young men since the1970s.
While lifetime risk ofmelanoma usually is higherfor males than females, thepattern seems to bereversed in this youngerpopulation.
The study authors pointto indoor ultraviolet tan-
ning as a potential explana-tion for this trend. Morefemales use indoor tanning,which is linked to higherrates of developingmelanoma, as well as lessthreatening skin cancers.
The good news is thatwhile melanoma incidenceis rising among young peo-ple, death from the diseaseis decreasing due to earlydiagnosis and treatment.
When a doctor identifiesskin spots that need to befurther evaluated, the firststep is usually a biopsy. Allor part of the suspiciousskin will be removed andchecked by a pathologist forcancer cells.
This often is done usinglocal anesthesia as an out-patient procedure in thedoctor's office, a clinic orhospital. If cancer is detect-ed, the next step is to"stage" the disease. Thistest determines if the dis-ease has spread to otherparts of the body.Treatment options will bebased on this staging andcould include surgery,chemotherapy or radiationtherapy.
Treatments with specialdrugs and lights also maybe used to slow the cancergrowth or kill the cancercells. These are called pho-todynamic therapy and bio-logical therapy.
Researchers are workingto find new and more effec-tive ways to treat skin can-
cer. One area of study isthe use of a vaccine aftersurgery for people withadvanced melanoma.
The National CancerInstitute provides informa-tion about clinical trials fornew treatments on its web-site at www.cancer.gov.
Health advocates andagencies have developedguidelines and other infor-mation tools to encouragesafe sun exposure fromyouth through adulthood.People of all ages areadvised to stay out of thehottest mid-day sun, if pos-sible, and to realize thatexposure in any season canbe harmful.
Americans are sun-lovers who spend a greatdeal of time out of doors.This enjoyment doesn'thave to be dimmed by thethreat of skin cancer. Bytaking precautions to pro-tect yourself from sun expo-sure and checking regularlyfor the signs of skin cancer,you can greatly reduce thethreat of this common mal-ady.
For more information onthe American Academy ofDermatology's efforts topromote skin cancer detec-tion and prevention, go tohttp://www.melanomamon-day.org.
This article providedcourtesy of Mt. San RafaelHospital and QuorumHealth Resources .
Raton school bands shine in annual concert
Special to The Chronicle-News/Tim Keller
The combined choirs of Raton’s high school and middle school finish off a spirited rendition of “Basin Street Blues,” accompanied bypianist Linda Trice and drummer/choir director Nathaniel Ashbaugh. Singers include middle school students Alexis Torres, Abigail,Trujillo, Allie Irvin, Savannah Trujillo, Johnny Gentry, and Estrella Vargas. High school singers include Mariah Fleming, Jacque Alcorn,Randi Vigil, Katherine Little, Shyanne Lucero and Caylene Romero.
Special to The Chronicle-News/Tim Keller
Tuesday night’s annual Raton Schools band and choir concert at the Shuler Theater closed with Francis McBeth’s “Canto.” Raton Middle School advanced “Tiger”musicians include Juan Prieto Archuleta, Kendra Velenquela, Forrest McConnell, Alicia Gomez, Saphire Encinias, Melanie Alderette, July Hunnicut, Heather Sandoval,ReAnne Fissel, Cierra Brooks, Shiloh Lucero, Megan Trantham, Jonathan Cariales, Andy Petrovich and Jason Harrison. High school band musicians are MariahFleming, Noelle McDonald, Kristina Jansen, Collette Village Center, Tara McDonald, Codi Angeli-Stone, Brooke Armendariz, Dariela Aleman, Callie Wilson, MaxGonzales, Shyanne Lucero, Christina Gonzales, Jarrett Janell, Warren McConnell, Heather Segura, Tarryn Trujillo, Jarrett Trantham, Ashley Hester, Caylene Romero,Toby Henson, Robert Calderelli and Lucas Jansen.
LET’S TALK HEALTH: KIM LUCEROKnowing risks, precautions can help avoid skin cancers
Here are some helpfulprotection tips:
■ Seek out shade, espe-cially during the midday hours
■ Wear clothing that pro-tects skin from sun exposure
■ Use a wide-brimmed hatto shade the face, head, earsand neck
■ Wear wrap-around sun-glasses that block 100 percentof both types of harmful ultra-violet rays, UVA and UVB
■ Use sunscreen with aprotective factor (SPF) of 15 orhigher with both UVA and UVBprotection
■ Do not use indoor tan-ning facilities.
Helpful hints
