Students and Faculty Perform in New York City

Utah State University faculty members mentor students often, especially in the performing arts, but a recent trip to New York City took the process a step farther. The mentored students became mentors to an even younger set of students.

 

The trip included faculty and students from the Department of Music at USU and came about following an invitation by Chamber Music America and a request to perform at the organization’s national conference. And while mentoring and outreach activities were the focus of the trip and the invitation, the collective experience was a highlight for faculty and students alike.

 

“The whole experience was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m grateful for all who made it possible,” said Mike Hylton, a junior music education major at USU. “Music education is an exciting and influential field of study and it can influence lives for the better. The trip strengthened my love of music and added to the excitement about what I’ve chosen to do with my life.”

 

Chamber Music America promotes artistic excellence and economic stability within the profession across the country, ensuring that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life. The national conference drew attendees from throughout the nation.

 

Five student members of the Caine Percussion Ensemble, along with faculty members in the Logan Canyon Winds, joined forces at the conference held at the Westin-New York at Times Square.

 

Traveling to New York provided the students ample opportunity to experience the cultural life of New York, an experience that greatly expanded the students’ academic experience.

 

“We were in New York because Chamber Music America invited us to conduct a session and perform,” said Nicholas Morrison, a member of Logan Canyon Winds and music department faculty member. “The focus was on outreach activities that involve younger musicians in performance with professionals. We performed pieces that were composed for the quintet and involved students from the percussion ensemble.”

 

The students in the Caine Percussion Ensemble also performed on their own, Morrison said.

 

“We felt great about that — it isn’t often that you can proudly boast that students from your department and music program perform in New York City,” he said.

 

Members of the Caine Percussion Ensemble include Sam Bryson, Robyn Peterson, Alissa Kirk, Michael Hylton and Tristan Wardle. Dennis Griffin, head of USU’s percussion program, is faculty advisor to the group and traveled with the ensemble.

 

Members of Logan Canyon Winds include Leslie Timmons, flute; Bonnie Schroeder, oboe; Craig Knutson, horn; Carolyn Bodily, bassoon; and Morrison, clarinet.

 

In addition to the performance at the conference, two concerts were presented at the Trevor Day School in NYC to elementary-age students.

 

“Our USU students stepped into the role of performing an outreach concert for elementary students,” Morrison said. “The mentorship relationship between the professional members of Logan Canyon Winds and the students was the focus of the conference session. The whole experience was an example of outreach and mentorship working on several levels.”

 

The program at the elementary school and the session for Chamber Music America are examples of how to successfully structure an outreach program, Morrison said.

 

“We were putting our money where our mouth was,” he concluded.

 

“Performing at the conference was great, and I learned how teachers can provide opportunities for children to play with a professional group,” said Hylton. “The school experience was even greater for me. Instead of performing for adults who are more uptight and reserved, we played for elementary kids. They were so excited to participate and enjoy the music. One child had to be told to calm down because he was bouncing around so much to the music. It was great to see how the music influenced these kids.”

 

The USU students were able to travel to the conference with support from a number of sources, including ASUSU, the university and the department of music and Chamber Music America.

 

The students and faculty mentors put their time to good use in New York with a number of activities. They attended a rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic, then attended a jazz percussion workshop at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, located at Lincoln Center.

 

“It was exciting for our students to see the level of performance by young students at a special school,” Morrison said. “They got to observe a session with a guest artist from the Netherlands.”

 

The group also attended a matinee performance at the Metropolitan Opera — catching a performance of the elaborate Met production The First Emperor by Tan Dun. The opera, co-produced with the Los Angeles Opera, features Placido Domingo in the role of Qin Shi Huangi, the first emperor of China.

 

Alissa Kirk, a senior percussion performance major, said the musical culture in New York was a highlight of the trip.

 

“We were able to attend a New York Philharmonic rehearsal, an opera and a Broadway musical,” Kirk said. “There were other concerts and we stopped to listen to a variety of street musicians playing in many different styles.”

 

“This trip provided outstanding academic enrichment for the students,” Morrison said. “The trip also provided an opportunity to get to know the students better. We have some great future music teachers.”

 

“Traveling to New York was an excellence academic experience for me,” Kirk said. “It made me more excited about being a performing musician and it opened my eyes to the possibilities there are in the world of music performance and education. We had opportunities to see music in many different forms — symphonic, chamber and popular — in a diverse cultural setting. We met interesting people and other musicians with whom we were able to exchange ideas and points of view. This kind of cultural experience is one that enriches formal education — it puts you in the real world instead of in a classroom.”

 

For information about the trip or conference, contact Morrison at (435) 797-3506, nicholas.morrison@usu.edu.

 

 

Contact: Nicholas Morrison (nicholas.morrison@usu.edu), (435) 797-3506