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, Appalachian State University, and
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, Bowling Green State University
Co-Chairs, CMS Student Advisory Council
The Student Advisory Council (SAC) has been extremely active in 2012, continuing to focus on the needs of both undergraduate and graduate students. Two initiatives emerged as priorities for members of the SAC:
1. Provide support for institutions interested in starting a CMS student chapter
2. Maintain a high level of visibility at the national meeting in terms of student presentations and forums
The current members of the council are as follows:
Peter J. Learn, Southern Chapter
Tracy McFarlan, Northeast Chapter
Justin Glosson, South Central Chapter
Keegan T. Watson, Great Lakes Chapter
Nicholas S. Omiccioli, Great Plains Chapter
Heather Strohschein, Pacific Southwest Chapter
Matthew Simon Wilson, Rocky Mountain Chapter
Katherine Burkhalter, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Christopher Swanson, Performance, Longwood University
Gregory D. Carroll, Composition, Univ. of North Carolina-Greensboro
Kevin W. Gerrity, Music Education, Ball State University
Reeves Shulstad, Musicology, Appalachian State University
Melissa E. Hoag, Music Theory, Oakland University
Student Advisory Board Members pictured left: Learn, Watson, Burkhalter, Glosson, Wilson
2012 National Meeting, San Diego
The 2012 national conference provided an excellent opportunity for the SAC to reach out to student members. Many student attendees at the meeting were there for the first time, and the SAC maintained a constant effort to include these students in discussion and activities. In consultation with the national office, several internships and scholarships were offered for the first time to student members. Registration waivers were given to all student chapter presidents and student volunteers (registration desk, concert assistance, logistics).
Perhaps one of the most productive and engaging moments of the conference came in the student forum held on Friday morning. Twenty-four undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines and regions, along with several faculty, including those not on the SAC, were in attendance. The topics in the forum included:
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The procedure to establish a student chapter
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The advantages/disadvantages of attending graduate school directly after undergraduate degree (specifically in terms of music education)
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Options for collaborative research (with students and faculty)
Those attending the student forum included:
Keegan T. Watson, Butler University
TK Vu, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Meredith Anderson, Appalachian State University
Justin Glosson, Texas State University
Peter J. Learn, University of Miami
Katherine Burkhalter, Appalachian State University
Matthew Simon Wilson, University of Colorado-Boulder
Reeves Shulstad, Appalachian State University
Drew Griffin, Appalachian State University
Maria Knieste, University of Delaware
Carys Kunze, Appalachian State University
Bill Pelto, Appalachian State University
Barbara Weedleen, MajoringInMusic.com
Hannah Price, Appalachian State University
Robert Jones, North Dakota State University
Kevin W. Gerrity, Ball State University
Jena Root, Youngstown State University
Gregory D. Carroll, Univ. of North Carolina-Greensboro
Jennifer Sterling Snodgrass, Appalachian State University
Gene S. Trantham, Bowling Green State University
Melissa E. Hoag, Oakland University
Jenna Knaster, University of Delaware
Sarah Kutash, University of Delaware
Gillian Irwin, Muhlenberg College
Students were encouraged to attend a pizza lunch on Friday afternoon. The cost of the lunch was $8.00 and the 15 students who attended the luncheon were engaged in discussion about graduate school placement, research, and teaching philosophies. Students requested that the location for the lunch, away from the conference hotel, be an annual event. Due to the lower cost of the lunch, more students were able to register and participate in this social and informative event. Pictures from the event are included below.
Piloted in 2011, the program committee agreed to continue the student research presentation sessions for the 2012 meeting. Student proposal submissions not accepted initially by the program committee were selected for presentation in this special session. Over the course of several months before the conference, faculty members from the SAC were grouped with student presenters to work on both the abstract and paper presentation. The students were then asked to present a 12 minute “mini-presentation” of their work at the national conference. During the 2011 meeting, several students responded that they were unable to work with their mentor for an extended period of time. The SAC made a strong effort to pair students and mentors several months before the conference. This mentoring proved to be very successful, and students and audience members were given the opportunity to provide feedback. The extended period of presentation time (up from 7 minutes in 2011) enabled the students to present a broader presentation of their research.
Peter Learn, a first time student attendee, relayed the following to the leadership of the SAC:
“As a composer, not only was I able to speak with musicians from all over the country (several of which have since expressed interest in commissioning works from me), but I was able to hear what other CMS composers were writing and performing. As an educator, I was able to both learn about the research others were doing in musicology and theory, and make professional connections that may hopefully aid me in obtaining a teaching position some time in the future, which is a career goal of mine. The research presented by the members was interesting and of the highest scholastic caliber, enabling me to draw on this resource in educating my own students.”
Kate Burkhalter, a second time attendee and collegiate chapter president stated,
“The CMS National Conference in San Diego was a profound learning experience on several levels. I not only learned incredibly helpful information about graduate Music Education programs across the nation, but I was able to have the exciting experience of presenting on a panel alongside fellow students and professors. The collaboration between professors and students continues to be mutually beneficial, and I hope to be a part of taking steps to strengthen these relationships in the future.”
Student Chapters
One of the important initiatives of the society is the development of student CMS chapters. Information about student chapters was the focus of several conversations, including those in the open student forum and the student lunch. During the opening reception, we also had a chance to talk with and provide answers for faculty members who are interested in learning more about forming student chapters on their campuses.
As of December, 2012, several universities have established or are in the process of establishing student chapters.
Established CMS Student Chapter:
Appalachian State University
State University of Potsdam
University of Delaware
Washington College
University of Washington
University of Colorado
In the process of forming a CMS Student Chapter:
(Brenden McConville), University of Tennessee-Knoxville
(Maud Hickey, faculty contact), Northwestern University
(Chris Swanson, faculty contact), Longwood University
Annual Meeting of the Student Advisory Council
At the SAC meeting in San Diego, both faculty and student members provided feedback on a proposal for the 2013 meeting. The proposals were a direct result of conversations from the student forum mentioned above. The result of this conversation were two proposals:
1. The Future of the Society :A National Perspective on CMS Student Chapters
2. Lightning Answers to Burning Questions, Round 2
The questions included in the second proposal seek to address current issues facing graduate students and those searching for graduate programs.
1. How much, if any, teaching experience ought a music educator obtain after completing undergraduate studies before pursuing graduate studies?
2. What has your experience been with on online music classes. What has worked, what hasn't worked? What are some effective strategies for getting the most out of an online class? How might one build an effective online class?)
3. What are some effective ways to juggle teaching, studying, and other responsibilities?
In the discussion, it was also suggested that the program committee consider a separate call for the Student Presentation Session so that students can submit proposals specifically for mentoring. This call can be posted after the final notifications are sent from the original call for papers. We would like to see this proposal put forth to the board and program committee as we believe it would be an exciting experience for those students seeking a mentoring experience.
We are appreciative of Francesca Arnone, chair of the Committee on Academic Careers, for attending our SAC meeting and promoting continuous communication between the Student Advisory Council and the Committee on Academic Careers .
It is the continued desire for the SAC to help provide answers to our student members, and we continue to ask our student members what questions CMS should address for them. As we strive to develop student chapters and provide valuable professional development to our student members, the SAC will continue to expand its offerings to our valuable student members.