“The faculty. It’s all about the faculty,” said Diego Rivera, MSU professor of jazz studies, saxophone and improvisation.
It’s hard to talk about the College of Music without focusing largely on the faculty that has shaped it throughout its 80 years of accreditation.
“(The College of Music) has an exceptional faculty that is very collaborative and has a tremendous work ethic, focused on rocketing forward,” said James Forger, dean of the College of Music.
With students from 35 different states and 23 countries, the College of Music has made a name for itself as a top program in the country.
Whether it’s the MSUFCU Jazz Artist in Residence program, which brought acclaimed bassist Christian McBride to campus last week, or its wide range of areas of study for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, the College of Music continues to hurtle forward in prestige in the world of music education.
A rich history
Though the department was fully accredited in 1934 by the National Association of Schools of Music, its history runs much deeper than that.
Students first began to pursue music in 1860 at the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, as MSU was known back then.
According to the MSU University Archives & Historical Collections, in 1870, the first campus band was formed by Civil War veteran Ransom McDonough Brooks. Music was also a part of the women’s program curriculum until a separate music department was created in 1919.
In 1927, music education became a degree program, though it was only a small department in the College of Arts and Letters.
In the late 1980s it became a school of music. It finally was recognized as the College of Music in 2007, when the MSU Board of Trustees recognized the school’s growth and prestige among national music performance and music education programs.
Trumpet professor Richard Illman said this progression was not just a change of name — it showed an improvement in the quality of the program, and deservedly so.
Alumnus Jim Barry, class of 1973, taught music for two years in Holly, Mich. and 31 years in Okemos.
Barry, who is now retired, said the curriculum in the College of Music is so well-balanced that students can go there and get the greatest instruction in anything.
A memory that stands out for Barry, who was an instrumental music major and a member of the Spartan Marching Band, was his entrance into the Notre Dame football stadium after a big MSU win. Notre Dame students were enraged by their loss, and harassed Barry and the other members of the Spartan Marching Band as they entered the stadium. But this was Barry’s first Big Ten game, and the grandeur of thousands of fans and the spirit of college football overpowered the jeers from the Notre Dame students.
Some of Barry’s fondest memories come from playing in the MSU Symphony Band under director Kenneth G. Bloomquist. Bloomquist came to MSU in 1970, and Barry remembers him as an outgoing and motivated individual who was passionate about his students. It was from him that Barry learned how to motivate and get the best out of students.
Barry said all of the professors in the music program really cared about the students and their futures. His professors even assisted him in getting a job after graduation.
He feels that his education in the music program helped him grow in so many ways, and prepared him well to get out in the workforce and start teaching.
“It’s easy when you’re in a high pressure environment to care about the students only as performers, but these teachers truly cared about the students as people,” Barry said.
In tune
Rivera spent time in and out of classes at MSU, but always stayed in contact with director of jazz studies Rodney Whitaker. Rivera said when it came time to finish his degree, Whitaker made it an easy transition for him to get back into the college routine. The year after he graduated, Whitaker offered him a position on the faculty.
“I felt obligated in the sense that I really wanted to see the program thrive, and anything I could do to be a part of that,” Rivera said.
Being a professor at MSU also gave Rivera a chance to work with someone as passionate as Whitaker. In turn, Rivera has developed that same passion for his students.
“Being able to see the students get that ‘aha’ moment, if it’s in the classroom or in a lesson or at a performance,” Rivera said of his favorite moments in the classroom. “Just to see students work incredibly hard to chase their dreams, and to see the smaller moments when they start to piece their careers together.”
Illman’s favorite aspect of teaching is interacting with students and colleagues.
“It’s good to be with people that are friendly and great musicians ... we just have a good time,” Illman said.
Illman enjoys that most of his teaching is one-on-one, something a lot of professors in other fields don’t get to experience.
Cello professor and Co-Chair of the String Area Suren Bagratuni said he chose to teach at MSU because he met some of his colleagues at the interview and became excited to work with them.
“I have the best job in the universe because I have exceptionally wonderful and talented colleagues,” Forger said.
Continuing forward
Rivera has been at MSU for 12 years and said all the changes during his time here have been positive.
“The department continues to attract and retain very high quality faculty and the type of student we’re attracting has gone up,” Rivera said.
The college used to get students who were targeted by other institutions in the state, but now it is getting nationally and internationally recruited students, Rivera said.
Music education senior Alina Tamborini grew up in Okemos, and was involved with the College of Music from a young age.
Her father, an MSU professor, enrolled Tamborini when she was 2 years old in early childhood classes at MSU.
When Tamborini was in high school, she auditioned for the Spartan Youth Wind Symphony.
“That was when I knew my relationship with the College of Music was one to stay,” Tamborini said.
The college has allowed Tamborini to pursue a unique musical journey in her education, as she majors in both oboe performance and vocal music education.
“The opportunity here was so vast I could not pass it up,” Tamborini said.
The strong graduate program in the College of Music provides opportunities for students to participate in graduate conducting ensembles. It’s those opportunities that Tamborini relishes the most.
“The small ensembles are where I learn the most and can collaborate with the other talented musicians,” Tamborini said.
Music performance sophomore Keane Garcelon said his entrance into the College of Music was unexpected. Though he initially planned on majoring in biochemistry, he auditioned for the College of Music on a whim, just to see if he was good enough. After Garcelon was accepted, he toured the college and found a welcoming and inspiring environment.
“The students here are so incredibly talented and I couldn’t help but be inspired to work hard so that I might meet the level of excellence set by them,” Garcelon said.
The Jazz Artist in Residence program is another one of the recent changes to the College of Music. It provides one-on-one instruction, collaboration and performance opportunities with the world’s very best jazz musicians.
The musicians host workshops and public performances throughout the course of a week. Later in the week, they travel with MSU jazz students to perform at elementary, middle and high schools across the state.
On Oct. 10 at the Fairchild Theater in the Auditorium, the public enjoyed a performance from jazz bassist Christian McBride. McBride inspired many MSU students during his week at MSU, as well as the students he reached in schools throughout the state.
The Jazz Artist in Residence program has made MSU’s jazz program one of the top 10 in the country.
“The college is working very hard to make our facilities better and better,” Bagratuni said.
