For a while, I was the only piano performance major at Southern Arkansas University. I realized, very quickly, that the music program needed more than what they have been given. I started attending in Fall 2012 and had no idea that I would be the only person in my given major of choice. For four years, I was surrounded by vocal majors, instrumental majors and education majors, all with a deep affinity for music, but none following the same path as I was.
As part of being a music major, I was required to join an ensemble in which to perform music with. I was given a choice between the choral program and the band program. I joined the Heritage Singers choir and I loved it because it provided me with a community and the chance to make friends with other like-minded music majors. I knew that the band program was not for me. Nothing against the band program, but I knew I would much more likely enjoy myself in the choral program. Luckily, our choir professor, Dr. DeSeguirant is the most generous, respectful, understanding professor I have ever had, and one of the kindest men I have ever met. He teaches us how to sing with precision and develop our craft in ingenious ways, all while treating us like people, instead of disrespecting us. I owe much of the good times I enjoyed with the choir to him, because he allows us to be ourselves.
It makes me sad that the choral program doesn’t have more funding from the school to allow for Dr. D’s amazing skill to be shown to the community through our voices. I actually look forward to going to choir because I know that I will have a good time in class. Most students would probably agree that having a good time in class is very uncommon.
I would recommend joining choir to anyone that loves to sing and wants to be a part of a community of kind, caring and like-minded individuals. It was because of the choral program that I, along with many friends and classmates, got the chance to travel to New York City and perform at Carnegie Hall. That was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The music program should allow for many more trips like that to allow other students to have those life-changing moments. Before performing at Carnegie Hall, I was always nervous before every performance, but, strangely, during that life-changing performance, I was not nervous at all. Something happened to me there, like a light being turned on. Since then, I have never been nervous about joining my choral brothers and sisters on-stage. I have performed since then and I have always felt nothing but happiness when standing on that stage.
The administration seems to believe that a perfect performance is more important than the students actually learning and remembering the lessons that make up their major. I am not saying that students shouldn’t care if they mess up, but we are undergraduates and this is the time and place for us to be allowed to mess up if it happens. I tend to remember more when I am having fun when learning, instead of being taught by a strict, ruler-slapping nun. The entire point is to learn, not to be treated like a child. If I am 30 seconds late for class, and I receive a tardy, and then you call me out in front of everyone to make an example of me, that makes me think less of you as a professor and my motivation for this class drops to almost zero. I am there to learn from you, not be punished by you. As the students need to learn what the entire point of this major is, so do the professors, and so does the administration.
Another amazing professor that inspires me continuously is Dr. Dan Dykema. I don’t think I have ever seen that man make a mistake while playing the piano. His vision of the music program and his commitment to his craft are incredible. The first time I witnessed him play, I was hit with an epiphany of, “This is the point!” He evokes such emotion in his playing. The time I have spent with him, learning under him, soaking up as much information from his limitless knowledge of music as I can, has been invaluable to me. It almost hurts to know that one day he will retire. It also hurts for me to see how so few others are willing and able to spend time with him to learn from him. In my four years as a music major, I shared the title of piano major with two other people. In four years, there was only three people interested in majoring in piano performance. Think about that. Now curl up into a ball and cry. Without more people wanting to attend SAU as music majors, piano majors in particular, I fear that his talents and knowledge is wasted on this university. Because of him alone, the music program should be 10 times larger.
I cannot blame anyone for the lack of young people entering SAU as music majors. Especially as vocal majors, and piano majors. I cannot blame the professors because they go above and beyond what their duties entail. I cannot blame the administration because they are doing their job to the best of their abilities and they don’t and probably won’t ever understand what makes the music program special. If the number of graduates dwindle, they are forced to consolidate. I cannot blame the students because they are doing what they think is best for them. Many people would love to learn music and be great musicians but a lot do not want to put in the practice. Many that decide to become music majors end up dropping for that very reason. Others are amazing musicians but cannot pass their theory classes.
The only improvement that can be made is for us, musicians that are in school, musicians that have already graduated, young people that are interested in attending SAU as music majors, to spread the word and show others the light. Tell your friends that if they have any love for music, any skill musically at all, to give serious thought about joining Southern Arkansas University’s music program. Whether it be the band, the choir or the piano program, more students need to be involved in community outreach. Yes, the school needs to provide more funding for music, but it is always going to be up to us to get younger people involved in music by showing them how amazing of a skill it really is. Show them what they can do with it. Show them that it isn’t just a path to nowhere, but rather a golden ticket to careers that most people never even contemplate. Music is such an integral part of our society, and imagine how gray the world would be without people that actually understand it and without people that can play it. Without our generation, showing the next what can be done with our love of music, with hard work and practice, with dedication, the next generation of students will continue to follow other paths and it will lead to SAU’s music program to decline until the university cuts it altogether. If you love music as much as I do, then you should feel the same. Our music program has a hidden potential that has yet to be unlocked. There have been moments where I have been a witness to a momentary glimmer of that potential. Every now and then something happens in choir, or in theory class, or even when I am practicing my own music, that fills me with joy and sometimes even blows my mind. There is some kind of magic in Brinson and in the Band Hall. I encourage anyone reading this to explore that magic and feel welcome to join in. Make sure that SAU’s music program doesn’t become extinct!
