A Note from the School of Music

Fall 2024

KC’s Corner

As we wrap up our fifth semester together – unbelievable! – I still stand in awe of the remarkable people who I have the joy of working with daily. As I travel over and over to music education conferences, conferences for music administrators, or other university music programs, I find myself speaking with tremendous pride about everyone in our School of Music who bring their very best daily. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by staff and faculty, all of whom work their magic to benefit our students. In a season of gratitude, I stand with tremendous appreciation for the energy, passion, scholarship, and dedication that are a part of every conversation I have with my colleagues.

As an educator and teacher educator, I have always appreciated a quote by the teacher and child psychologist, Haim Ginott, which has been placed by every desk I have ever had, including my desk here. I give it to senior music education majors upon graduation to remind them of the responsibility of the profession, and I gave it to our daughter, Raechel, when she began her teaching career. This quote reminds me daily of the enormous responsibility I have for educating children – now for educating the next generation of teachers and musical scholars – and it is my mantra for leadership and how I hope to work with our staff and faculty colleagues. Frankly, I believe it is a quote that beautifully represents the work that we do here in the School of Music:

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess a tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a child is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”

I am so thankful to my colleagues in the School of Music for their work to help our students become all that they are capable of becoming. Education is a noble endeavor. Teaching is a noble calling. I am so fortunate to be a part of this community who believes in the power of education, and I look forward to all that we will continue to do together.

Kim Councill
Director of the School of Music

SAVE THE DATE

U Alumni Reception at UMEA
Jan. 31, 2025 | 5-6 p.m.
Holiday Inn (1808 South Crosby Way) near the conference center

Alumni Updates

hotwest

Hot House West Swing Orchestra will perform Jan. 23 at Kingsbury Hall as part of UtahPresents season. Founded by School of Music alumni James Martak (BMU ‘14) and Nathan Royal (BMU ‘14), the fourteen-piece swing orchestra blends smooth vocals, plenty of horns, guitar, bass, and drums to create their signature swing and jazz sound.

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Mitchell Atencio (HBM ‘19), Olivia Custodio (MM‘14), Amanda Hales (DMA ‘18), Justin Morgan (BM ‘18), and Merinda Christensen Starnes (BM ‘22) are currently serving the School of Music and College of Fine Arts as Fine Arts Ambassadors.

Judge Teresa Welch (BM Violin Performance ‘94, BS Philosophy ‘96, MA Philosophy ‘02, JD ‘02) is serves Utah’s 3rd District Court since 2019.

Carl Tensmeyer (BM ‘24) Director of Choirs at Draper Park Middle School.

Lawrence Spell (DMA ‘15) has been appointed Director of Instrumental Ensembles at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY.

Matthew Mailella (DMA ‘18) is the newly appointed conductor of the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia.

Bennett Chew (BM ‘22) appeared in Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of “Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”

Ivana Martinic (MM ‘17) is performing in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Mara Davis (BM ‘24) is a first year master’s student at Eastman School of Music and playing the role of The Witch in “Hänsel und Gretel.”

Paul Leland Hill (BM ‘16) has recently appeared as Raimondo in “Lucia di Lammermoor” and Wurm in Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” at Sarasota Opera. Hill also sang Basilio in Salt Marsh Opera’s “Barber of Seville,” Colline in ”La bohème” with Opera on the James, and Henry in David Conte’s “The Gift of the Magi” with Opera De Metro.

Skyler Bluemel (BM ‘18) was recognized as Teacher of the Year at Mount Jordan Middle School and went on to be named Canyons School District’s Middle School Teacher of the Year (2022). Bluemel is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Education and a minor in Curriculum and Instruction at Louisiana State University with a full assistantship.

Stephanie Rhodes Russell (DMA ‘19) has conducted recent performances at the University of North Texas College of Music, National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera.

Michael Shoaf (DMA '24) started his first semester as an Adjunct Voice Faculty member at the Brigham Young University – Idaho campus, Fall 2024.

Michelle Pedersen (DMA '23) was offered a teaching associate position at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.

School of Music Highlights

School of Music will offer new curriculum courses Ethnomusicology and Music Therapy in Spring 2025.

The U's first High School Honor Band took place this fall providing a premier musical experience for students from across Utah and the surrounding area. For two days, students attended masterclasses with faculty and rehearsed as an ensemble.

The School of Music hosted the Utah ASTA Fall Workshop Providing students with enriching masterclasses, workshops, and networking opportunities.

Ziying Huang, (DMA, piano) won Honorable Mention in the 2024 MTNA Performance Competition Utah State Round College Division.

Piano professor Vedrana Subotic recently released her new album, "Chiaroscuro". Deseret News called it "nuanced and expressive playing, beautifully phrased lines, and a wonderfully light touch.”

Carmen Inside Out, the critically acclaimed one-woman show based on Bizet’s Carmen, has been enjoyed by enthusiastic audiences around the world since its 2017 debut. Professor Kirstin Chávez (Artist in Residence) is bringing this compelling night of theater and its iconic title character back to Kingsbury Hall, Jan. 9, 2025.