Feb 2021
BYU SCHOOL OF MUSIC newsletter
Table of Contents 3 5 7
Finding Encouragement Through Virtual Support
Celebrating Our Seniors
Happy Valentines Day from The School of Music
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Student Accomplishments
Faculty Accomplishments
Tangents Percussion Quartet
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Finding Encouragement Through Virtual Support
H
ow have I had to adjust to COVID measures in the school of music? The answer to this question is endless. My academic classes are online; my voice lessons have had to either be outside or over Zoom; opera staging rehearsals had to be done with masks on and rehearsal breaks; choir rehearsals were done by spreading everyone 6 feet apart, wearing face masks, with multiple air purifiers going; there is almost no socializing done with my peers, either in class or at the slab; performance opportunities are non existent...the list goes on and on. As much as I haven’t enjoyed singing distanced from others with a mask on, choir has been my biggest highlight of the semester. We’ve worked on some projects that we wouldn’t usually get to do, which has expanded our circle of influence. Our most recent, and only, concert of the
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I think the lack of in-person artistry has reminded people of how much they value and miss it, and that’s apparent through their virtual support of us. Courtney Lawson
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fall semester broke the record for the number of livestream attendees. That’s crazy! There was a digital guest book that viewers could sign, and the document got to atleast 25 pages in length. I think the lack of in-person artistry has reminded people of how much they value and miss it, and that’s apparent through their virtual support of us. I’m grateful for that lesson I’ve learned this semester. - Courtney Lawson
BYU Singers and Andrew Crane, conductor Photos provided by Courtney Lawson
Sopranos - Jenny Andrus, Emma Bursell, Ally Christiansen, Samantha Gordon, Grace Hancock, Josie Larsen, Courtney Lawson, Savannah Porter, and Kayla Rawlins
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Celebrating Our Seniors: Tiffany Parker
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hen I was a freshman in High School, I knew exactly what I wanted to study and how long it would take me to graduate. Well, to my surprise, God had different plans for me. I didn't get into the major I wanted, and after getting rejected time and time again, I finally declared a degree in Music Education. Realizing that that degree also wasn't for me, I created my own: the Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Contemporary Voice Performance. It is now an official major that anyone can apply to, and I am very proud of that. I didn't quite fit in any specific box and BYU allowed me to draw my own. Were it not for my personal plans being derailed, I also would have never realized my love for sound and the technical side of live performance. I hold no bitterness toward any of the degrees I auditioned for or participated in; in fact, I'm very grateful that I didn't get what I wanted. Because it will have taken me 7 years to graduate, I have had more opportunities in more elements of music and theatre than most of my peers. I have spent several years studying tap, jazz, ballet, and hip hop from some of the best teachers in the industry. I have been able to take acting classes from professors who you can see in a lot of famous cinema today and are very well connected. Being a declared music major, I have studied opera, choral music, musical theatre, pop, rock, jazz, music theory, music history, and music teaching techniques that I use almost every single day in my personal and professional life. I have been taught how to play instruments I never would have touched before or never would have realized that I love. Because BYU allowed me to "Taylormake" my education to best fit my needs, not only was I able to study music in the way that has best helped me, I was able to declare a minor in Theatre with an emphasis in sound design and technology. This has led
to me being the composer, arranger, music director, and sound designer for BYU's production of "Much Ado About Nothing" directed by Megan Sanborn Jones. Because of connections from professors like Michelle Ohumukini, I was able to watch the touring musical company of "Wicked" from behind the soundboard and get a private backstage tour from the audio engineer after the show. It also opened doors to becoming part of the Audio Crew that runs all live sound that goes on in the HFAC. Because of the patience and knowledge of my boss and coworkers, I have learned how to mix and operate 5 different, industry-standard soundboards and have worked with some top-of-the-line Tiffany equipment. Much to my surprise again, after auditioning 5 times, I finally got into the all-female acapella group BYU Noteworthy and have had so many incredible experiences and opportunities from that, including performing for the current Prophet and the Twelve Apostles. This experience helped me grow tremendously both as a person and a musician and is something I will always be grateful for. I was able to perform in the staged reading of "Wit" by Margaret Edson at BYU directed by
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Megan Sanborn Jones and in my time at BYU, I have put on 2 voice recitals. More recently I was the lead sound designer for the series of streamed plays at BYU called Illusionary Tales that taught me how to design theatre for a streamed audience during a pandemic that will help me stand out in the industry. I have had so many incredible experiences at BYU and after taking a Music Business class, I decided that I needed to start my business account on Instagram (@t3sings) to help spread joy through various singing videos, witty captions, and to start growing myself as a business. On there I share videos of me singing, facts about me, cool events I get to be a part of, and I sometimes share some singing tips Parker on there. Through that little business, I have been able to reach a wider variety of people and have acquired some really incredible voice students. I plan to eventually build a website and hopefully get into the corporate event/ party singing industry as I continue to build my brand and get my name out there. As I approach graduation, I am confidently going towards what I know is going to be a very successful future, thanks to my time at BYU. -Tiffany Parker
I didn’t quite fit in any specific box and BYU allowed me to draw my own.
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Photo provided by Tiffany Parker
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Student Accomplishments Ariel Wong
Ariel Wong, BYU piano performance major, was the winner of MTNA’s 2021 Southwest regional division competition for the high school division. Previously, she was the 1st prize winner for the state of Utah. (Ariel skipped a grade, and being 18, still qualified to compete in this division.) She competed against the state winners from the Southwest region of the US including California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico. She now
This list of music majors (and one music minor) were all hired to sing as the chorus in a recording project for the new concert film version of Rob Gardner’s Lamb of God. You can hear them in this trailer: Other BYU faculty members performed as part of the orchestra in the same production. The film will come out on March 12. It was recorded in Park City on Feb. 3-6, 2021. These students are all members of BYU Singers and Concert Choir. Click below to hear them in the trailer.
moves onto the national finals competition taking place in March. Her repertoire included Mendelssohn’s Variations sérieuses, Op.54, Dutilleux’s Chorale and Variations, and Wagner-Liszt’s Liebestod. This is the 2nd year in a row that a BYU student has made it to the national finals. The video above is of Ariel playing Rachmaninov while competing in the 2020 Emory Young Artist competition in Atlanta where she was prize winner.
Josie Larsen Courtney Lawson Savannah Porter Grace Hancock Emma Bursell Ally Christiansen Amanda Anderson Cristy Ruiz Amanda Capener Jaycee Jensen
Logan Reid Adam Cook Matthew Paez Ethan Simpson Isaac Carlin Benjamin Peterson Music minor: Shaliah Ellingson
Angela Whiting
Angela Whiting, Voice Student of Janilyn Anderson, was named as a regional finalist and ultimately won 3rd place in the Cal-Western Regional NATS Vocal Competition. She competed in the Lower College, Musical Theatre Division. She is now eligible to compete in the National NATS Competition (July 2021).
Tanner Johnson, Jared Bledsoe, and Liam Harris
Tanner Johnson, Jared Bledsoe, and Liam Harris created the band “Solar Flare”. They have been together about a year and have been releasing singles. Their name is Solar Flare because they want to spread light. “That’s our mission. Solar Flares are bursts of light on the sun, so we found it fitting.” In January 2021, they released a new song called Photogenic. Click the link to the left to listen.
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Faculty Accomplishments
Jihea Hong-Park
Paul Broomhead
Jihea Hong-Park currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University. She recently adjudicated the 2020-2021 MTNA Eastern Division Piano Competition in both the Senior Piano Performance and Senior Piano Duet divisions. As an avid workshop facilitator, Ms. HongPark has presented at the International Teaching Artist Conference, College Music Society’s National Conferences, Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, and New York City Department of Education. Recently, Jihea Hong-Park’s proposal entitled “A Year of Experimentation: Piano Studio as a Place of Belonging, Engagement, and Ownership” has been accepted at the 2021 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). Her workshop will be presented during the Main Conference held July 2831, 2021, as well as at the Independent Music Teachers Preconference on July 13, 2021.
Paul Broomhead received a PhD in Music Education from the University of Washington in 1999. He has taught Junior High and High School choir and general music and now teaches collegiate music education. Dr. Broomhead recently published “What is Music Literacy?” with Routledge, one of the world’s top academic publishers. Dr. Broomhead has also served as co-editor and contributing author for the books “Arts Education and Literacies” and “(Re)Imagining Content-Area Literacy Instruction.” In 2020, Dr. Broomhead also published a chapter in the book, “The Choral Conductor’s Companion.” Dr. Broomhead recently published an article entitled “A New Definition of Music Literacy: What, Why, and How?”. The article will be published as the lead article in the March, 2021 issue of Music Educators Journal--the most widely read journal on music teaching and learning.
Brittany Nixon May Dr. May is an Associate Professor in the School of Music at Brigham Young University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education. Before joining the faculty at BYU, Dr. May served as the Beverley T. Sorenson Endowed Graduate Assistant for Elementary Music Education at the University of Utah where she taught courses in early childhood music education, and elementary music education.
Dr. May was nominated and chosen to receive the award for Superior Accomplishment in Music Education for the 2019-2020 school year at the Utah Music Educators Association (UMEA) Professional Development Conference on February 6, 2021. This award recognizes singular, specifically outstanding accomplishments, such as: extraordinary scholarship; grants; recognition by other professional organizations; national or regional convention performances; prestigious conducting invitations; or workshop presentations.
Andrew Crane Dr. Andrew Crane was invited to be a choral adjudicator for a virtual choral festival sponsored by McKendree University (Lebanon, Illinois). This involved three days of critiquing pre-recorded choir performances over Zoom in February of 2021. Andrew Crane was named Associate Professor of Choral Conducting and conductor of the Brigham Young University Singers in 2015.
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Alumni Accomplishments BYU alum and trombonist Master Sgt. Karl Johnson performed at the inauguration in “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band which provided music for the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The band performed “Hail to the Chief” to honor President Biden, in addition to accompanying Lady Gaga during the national anthem.
Master Sgt. Karl Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1998 from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he studied with Daniel Bachelder of BYU and Russell McKinney of the Utah Symphony. In 2000, he earned a master’s degree from The Juilliard School in New York where he studied with Donald Harwood of the New York Philharmonic.
A Call to All Alumni Join our “Let Your Light Shine” Initiative “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
We want to hear about your accomplishments! It is time to “Let Your Light Shine”, we want you to tell us about the great works you have done and are doing! We’ll take your “candle” and help it shine. Please email us at musicalumni@byu.edu
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BYU Tangents Percussion Q u a r t e t
Monta Presents
Tangents Percussion Quartet: Peyton Gleave Tanner Johnson Robert Oldroyd Nathan Winters
Montañesa is a beautiful work written for piano by one of Spain’s most prominent composers, Manuel de Falla. It is the third in the collection of “Cuatro Piezas Españolas.” Montañesa evokes a mountainous landscape in Northern Spain. This piece was arranged by Dr. Darren Bastian, Assistant Professor of Music at Brigham Young University. Tangents Percussion Quartet is a premier performance group from BYU that focuses on outreach and connection.
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