Elizabeth Heatwole, Contributing Writer
The recent introduction of the College’s radio station, Woo91, into the ground floor of Lowry has marked a new era for the station. Outfitted with updated technology that provides an enhanced broadcasting and listening experience, the station has set its sights on filling the ears of Wooster students with a lineup of music. This past Sunday, Feb. 19 a broadcast on iHeartRadio featured an eclectic show titled, “Songs that Would Kill a Victorian Child.”
As one may expect, the music was representative of a broad scope of instruments, voices and topics, each foreign to Victorian era ears accustomed to the soft melodies of classical music. “I choose themes every week that would blow a Victorian child away,” commented the show’s host, Julia ‘JG’ Garrison ’25.
Woo91’s hour-long show kicked off with “The End Has No End” by The Strokes, contributing to this week’s theme, “They Just Like Me FR,” in which Garrison exposes listeners to relatable songs and personal favorites. Past motifs have included “Western Week” and “British New Wave Invasion.”
During her first year, Garrison began her involvement with Woo91, as she “wanted to do radio…because I love music and sharing music has always been something I’ve enjoyed.” Continuing by touching on the process behind the construction of each show, which requires song choices and an aptitude for radio technology, Garrison said, “Every DJ who has a show on Woo91 must be trained by an executive member…on how to use the equipment. As for my role in the show, I do it all! I choose the theme for the week and begin crafting my playlist based on the theme I’ve chosen.”
In a world in which radio often takes a back seat to the immediacy of streaming, an evening that includes a return to the lost humanity between radio host and listeners is refreshing and intimate. The nature of the purposeful, hand-chosen selection of songs that construct “Songs that Would Kill a Victorian Child” is a far cry from algorithmically selected music; the show’s music is the result of soul. As Woo91’s broadcast swarmed my small dorm room, I kicked back, propped my feet on my desk and took in the next hour of music. I, sheltered in my dimly lit room, watched the breezy weather passively as one song faded into the next, and an aura of happy security wrapped itself around me, a result of the evening’s playlist. If I were a Victorian child, I may not have been as content, but for a college student in the 21st century, “Songs that Would Kill a Victorian Child” provided the ideal combination of novelty and relaxation.
For additional information on the radio show, follow @songstoplayavictorianchild on Instagram and tune in on Sundays at 5:00pm.
The Wooster Voice 