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HIDDEN GEMS ON CAMPUS: The MSU School of Music by Marilyn King
A hush falls over the audience. Everyone watches in anticipation as the lead violin player strides onto the stage and tunes the rest of the band and orchestra members. Finally the philharmonic orchestra is ready to perform. The performance is crisp and professional. All around, people are enjoying the show. This isn’t a Detroit Symphony Orchestra performance in Detroit, however. This is a free-for-students concert put on by the Michigan State University School of Music. For music students like French horn player Kelly Moehlman, playing in front of an auditorium full of spectators is normal. These audiences are full of not only MSU students but also local residents of East Lansing who come out to enjoy the concerts, which are held at the School of Music itself or the Auditorium. The concert was held in early February in the Fairchild Theatre of the Auditorium. It included pieces by Hovhaness, (“And God Created Whales”), Camille Saint-Saens (“The Carnival of the Animals”), Tchaikovsky (three excerpts from the ballet “Swan Lake”), and Stravinsky (“Berceuse” and “Finale” from the ballet). "I’ve been involved in different orchestras since middle school,” Moehlman said. “I've been involved in band for a long time but being in an orchestra is a totally different experience.” The Philharmonic Orchestra consists of violins, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet (including bass and e flat), bassoon (including contra bassoon), horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and piano/celesta. “Most of the music we play in orchestra was written a couple centuries ago and has been played and enjoyed among other musicians for just as long,” Moehlman said. “It's just really amazing to know that so many other people have experienced that music on the same level as me." The School of Music offers several concerts throughout the year, and they are not just philharmonic orchestra performances. In January of this year, the School of Music had a faculty recital, a chamber performance, piano solo performances, symphony orchestra performances, jazz combos, wind symphonies, symphony band and concert band, tuba and clarinet solos and more. Junior music education major and trumpet player Michael Romanik has been performing in these concerts since his freshman year. He started playing with the Jazz Ensemble II. Romanik keeps busy with school of music performances. “I have also performed in concerts with the Concert Band, Jazz Octet IV, the MSU Trumpet Ensemble, and a special concert last year entitled "Stars in Our Bones," which consisted entirely of music written by the former chair of Music Education at MSU, Dr. John Kratus,” Romanik said. Out of all of these concerts, Romanik has his favorites picked out. “’Stars in Our Bones’ was probably my favorite concert so far at MSU just because it was completely voluntary, and we rehearsed till past midnight, so you knew everyone really wanted to be there,” Romanik said. “My other favorite performing experience was last year's Jazz Spectacular when we put on a swing dance, which was highly successful.”
Music majors at MSU are passionate about what they do. For students like Romanik, the School of Music is the best place he could possibly be. “Working on my fourth full-time semester at the School of Music right now, I know that this is the best decision I've made in my life,” Romanik said. “MSU's Music Education program is number one in the country, and I feel blessed every day I'm here.” There are several upcoming concerts:
“Being a music major can be tough, just because we're usually really busy and have to deal with a lot of classes scheduled at odd times, but it's definitely worth it to get to do what you love,” Romanik said. |
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