The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance Involvement for Non-majors

I'm an RA in Newsom Hall.

Yeah yeah no. Not my favorite place in the world but can't complain too much.

Alright, so I'm Jennifer. I'll just do a little intro and then we'll get started and people can just join us as they log in. Welcome this is Csus College of Liberal Arts web and R that is focused on music, Theatre and dance. And today we have two guests. Jennifer Clary is from the Music, Music Theatre and dance program and will is one of our student ambassadors. So would you both like to share a little bit about yourself? Starting with Jennifer? And then we'll go to will.

OK hi my name is will and I'm a sophomore at CSU. I'm apart of the Ambassador team here and I'm currently majoring in history with a concentration in social studies education, but I also have a minor in music that I'm working on and I'm in the percussion studio and I'm also in the CSU Orchestra as well.

Well, we're so happy you were able to join us today, especially with your background with music. And I'm the recruitment coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts. I'm also a grad student, so I I'm in the shoes of a student half the time and in the shoes of an employee the other half. But I get to work with will in the other ambassadors, and I love it and I can be a point person for you all, as you're navigating your way through the CSU process and deciding where you want to go to college. So I'm going to put my email.

Here in the chat for you as a resource in that, then I'm going to turn it over to Jennifer because she has a ton of information to share with you today.

Yeah, I'd just say definitely being involved as a non major. I took the route as a minor but there's so many options when you're not a major like the marching band was a great one for me. I made a lot of my closest friends there. That's a really good place. It keeps you busy in the afternoons and at night when class is slowed down so it feels like you always have something to do and it's also really good place to feel a bit like school pride as well when you're involved 'cause you're going to every football game and I also go to the volleyball games and.

Play there, and so you get to go pretty frequently and go celebrate your sports teams, even if they're winning or losing, you still get up. Go have a good time with all your friends, which is fun. And then our concert bands and our orchestras and stuff like that. Those are also fun, but those are a little more academic in nature typically, so will play some hardware repertoire. If you're looking to be challenged or anything like that, and then also as a minor, you do get access to like 130 minute lesson a week with.

Someone who typically has their PhD on whatever instrument you're looking into. So I get one with Doctor Hollenbeck, and it's just 30 minutes a week and you go and they just help you push your craft forward and just explore your musicianship. But it's not a huge time obligation, which is really nice from non majors as well.

So Jennifer, while we're waiting for some questions, I have a couple in there would be for you and will. So I think you know I have a sister who is a freshman at CSU, Ann. She loves music. What are things that a freshman or someone coming in to see if you might not know to look into as far as double majoring minoring, you know being apart of kind of some other musical group like what are those things that you would just direct?

People too, if they have an interest in music.

I took music history so the upper level of that one, but I know a lot of kids are taking music appreciation and they all generally enjoy it. There weren't a lot of things about music that they don't really know about and it kind of just brought into your perspective from what you think you know so highly recommended for your a UCC credit on that one.

Yeah I did and it looks like we have some other questions coming in, so here's one. Are there opportunities for pit orchestra for musicals? And then there looks like there's one more after that.

Thank you so much Jennifer. It looks like we have another one from Madeline in its dance opportunities for non majors, Golden poms or other groups. Non academic since I believe CSU does not offer a dance minor.

Jennifer, I can also look for the Golden Pumps link if you want to continue to share information.

Jennifer, with the Golden plums be under spirit squads. Is that where you were looking OK?

OK, and I'll see if I can find guns. Email here and put it in the chat. It also looks like they may have a phone number for Don. I think with the pandemic right now, the best way to get ahold of people is through email.

So let me.

Create what other questions do you all have today? Please use your chat to type them in there and then while waiting to see other questions will what ever made you think too or decide to minor in music? What was that process like for you?

Um well to minor in music. I actually started out as a major, but then I switched majors. I was a music major, but I switched out of it and I wasn't really going to stay involved with music. But then I was presented with the minor opportunity and they would give me most my credits, only out about two or three credits a semester to my overall course load. So it bumped me up from like this semester. I would have been at 12, but now I'm at 15 credits instead.

I think they're constantly updating things, so will our dorm.

So it didn't really seem like too much academically to take on, but it also just allowed me to have a place where technically it is still class and you are still have to show up for attendance, but it was a place to go. Do something that I enjoy outside of reading a textbook and studying. So I just really enjoyed that opportunity to have a filter to go kind of let some stress out and bang on some drums and stuff like that.

And then they also left me a little bit of a. They allowed me some money as well. Scholarship little bit of scholarship money for my minor, which that helps as well. 'cause it covers most my tuition in the minor. So it practically just makes it free to stay involved. For me, that was a great opportunity as well that I don't really want to turn down, but it's a great experience for sure, and it definitely keeps my schedule busy. But that's kind of how I like to be, so that way I'm not really sitting in new, some too bored or anything like that.

And for those of you who don't know, Newsam is one of our residence halls. Anwyl as an RA there. So he's kind of a big deal, but.

That's OK, that's good to know your journey into into the minor. Um, Jennifer, as far as it goes with your role, have have there been any advantages that you've seen for students who have either double majored minored or been involved in some way with in music, Theatre, and dance?

Absolutely. I think my own experience. You know? I'll start there that as an undergrad I was a communications major, but I knew I wanted to work in music and so to work in performing arts. You know, you need to have the clout of understanding the terminology and knowing, for instance, like what instruments are in an orchestra and what instruments are in a band and what are the four.

Or more parts inquire, and so.

It would be the same if you um, well, let me finish that button and I'll go on so because I knew all that I. But then I have my communications degree, which is a requirement for the job that I have. I could be a communicator for four.

The airline industry or restaurant, right? So it just built up my clout within being a communicator for music because I understand it so we have stage managers in theater that go on to run like an event space, but because they are organized and they know.

That in an event space like say that that has weddings or concerts. They understand lighting, they understand ticketing, they understand. They know how to be organized and so that is a way that they.

Pursue their career, but having an interest in theater lends itself to rounding out their skill set.

Yeah, I think I would agree with that. Um, it looks like Madeline has a question here. She said. Can you audition for higher level dance classes? 200 or 300 level? This is Madeline's mom. She is at dance. Oh, that's awesome. Maddie Madeline is a competitive dancer, dances a minimum of 15 hours a week and his dance for 11 years. I do not want to pay tuition for lower level classes that may be too advanced. She may be too advanced.

Or

Yes, so thank you for that question. Um, she is absolutely able to get into an upper level class if there is space available, so you know that changes semester by semester as the dance majors sign up and get placed in the different classes on their track. So the best person to contact again is Emily Morgan and she can let you know what is going to be available.

Now you know she may not know until it gets closer to the semester, but definitely there are non majors in some of the upper division classes.

Great thank you, Jennifer.

Will what are the hidden gems of the program? What have you come across that you think are things that?

Are kind of standout things within music, Theatre and dance. And if you don't know, that's fine, Jennifer. You can also ask or answer this one.

Um, I'd say one thing that really stands out as the faculty that we have at CSU. We have a lot of really, really well qualified professors, and I know among theater we have a lot in orchestra. Obviously our orchestra director is one of my favorite people on campus. Maestro Kinney button. Then my lesson professor is also really great, and they're really great meeting you where you are, which is kind of nice. Like they obviously expect a pretty high degree of preparation. But if you're struggling or having a hard week or classes are getting rough, they're always willing to, kind of.

Bring it down and meet you in the middle, which I always appreciate.

Other than Nats, um they they love bragging about this. Anytime you join ensemble, but people who are involved in School of Music, Theatre and dance, their grades almost always are higher than other peoples in across the University. 'cause it's just a place for them to get involved. And I found that to be somewhat true. I can't say my grades are the best in the world, but there's definitely scenarios where they're worse, so helps keep you involved in it. Helps with time management.

And then Lastly, the people that we have are just fantastic. Although like students that are there, they're all really passionate and understanding as well, which is really fun when you have groups of competitive people but also ones who are there to have fun and just want to play with you as well. So it makes it really enjoyable when you're kind of meet a lot of your good friends there and you're able to get a little competitive with them and make jokes and stuff like that. Some of my favorite stuff.

Awesome, thank you so much. It's always nice to have a student perspective and it's always nice to you know we have all the information about. Here's the programming. Here's what we offer, but it's nice to know what your actual experiences in the program to our participants. Again, if you have any questions, just type it in the chat. But my next question is for you, Jennifer.

We have a lot of students who, you know, they are high achievers in the College of Liberal Arts and sometimes they are in the Honors program. How does the Honors program align with music, Theatre and dance, and how successful are honor students within Music, Theatre and dance?

And, well, I think it's be goes in line with what will just said that honor students bring a high achieving level or approach to their studies. But but being in music, Theatre and dance for instance, all use being in a theater production where every night you're in rehearsals in the couple weeks leading up to the play, you have to be organized.

And I think that the honors students have already demonstrated that they are. But this puts it to the test and or if it's opera Week or if it's a concert week for the Wind Ensemble or if marching Band is going on the road for a bowl game.

You have to demonstrate an and an put to the test.

These skill sets that you come to the University with, but Conversely it will help you learn that. So if those are areas that you may still be a little.

That they don't have a lot of experience in well then.

You're going to get experience in that and and what will set is right that the grades for performing arts students.

Across the country, an in study after study are are are always shown to be higher, and I think it's because you are expected to.

To to get all of your other classes done and then go to rehearsal and and still you know there's there's not a lot of leeway for just saying, oh that's OK. You had rehearsal, you know your English paper is still going to be due tomorrow, but somehow I always see the honors students. They make it happen. They really do, and I'm I'm so impressed. Always by the level of discipline and the level of commitment that.

That the honor students and music theater and dance show to everything that they do. So I think it just is something that they have. And then it's something that gets ingrained more and more.

Yeah, well thank you so much for that perspective and I think you know if we don't have anymore questions, we can probably wrap this up a little bit early, but I would like to end on something someone shared once with me when I was just in the job market and I was an educator. Ann, I had a parent come in and help in my classroom and she was talking about how her company she was a VP of a biotech company in the Bay Area. She said they actually would look for.

A music background or language background on resumes. She said they would get so many qualified applicants and for her she knew if a student had music or language or something along those lines. It showed that this it was a person who had started something and continued with it overtime and that it was a person who had discipline to develop something overtime. And that's always stuck with me. That, you know, music is not.

Instrument, you know instruments dance theater. Those kinds of skills you can't just pay for them overnight, like it's not something that just happens. You really have to develop it like Madeline's mom was saying, you know she's been dancing for 11 years to get to the level that she's at. And that's the truth. If you really want to be performing at a high level with any instrument, you're going to need to put in that time. Jennifer, you mentioned you play the violin and.

No, I'm sure your first few months playing the violin you were screeching on the strings. I'm sure it took months to actually make beautiful music, and so I think that's something to think about as you're considering your options for college and considering attending CSU is just the value in music, theater, and dance, and that it won't just be an experience as well said, it's going to be a great experience. We have great faculty and staff, but it's going to be something that will be.

You'll carry it with you for a lifetime, not only into the workforce where it shows that you have discipline, but even just for you know the joy of playing an instrument into you. Know all your years. My grandparents still play the piano. They still do that. Family functions and things like that. So I just want to thank you for coming today. Obviously we want you to choose CSU, but more importantly, we want you to find the perfect fit for you. And our job is to get you as much information as we can.

So that you can make the most well informed decision. So I encourage you to reach out to me. As I mentioned, I put my email in the chat. You can reach out to Jennifer as well and I really want to thank will for being here today. It's your second music classes. You're busy guy and I really appreciate you just taking time to share what your experience has been, because I think that student voice is the most important voice as students are trying to decide. You know where to go to college and what to choose. So thank you everybody for coming today and we hope you have a great afternoon.

Jennifer anwyl. Is there anything you would like to add?

It was just wonderful to have the opportunity to be able to chat with you today and please, like Jessica said, feel free to reach out.

Awesome.

And then I just say if you're on the border of getting involved musically, or dance or theater orchestra, I'd say just go for it. At least your freshman year. Just try to get involved 'cause you never know what will happen if you did it. But if you did, you meet so many people. It's just a really great experience that I can't really speak more highly of.

Yeah, I agree with you on that, um, alright, well thank you everybody and hope you have a great rest of your day.

Thank you.

Hi.