Edited from original version: Facebook June 8, 2025
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| GPBC 2025 Panel Discussion: Performance Anxiety Lenny Hindel, Barry Stees, Amber Ferenz, Steve Dibner, Me, John Steinmetz, Dr. Margaret Fay, Dr. Sasha Enegren |
TL,DR: once again, advocate for the ARTS
BYUI Program Sustainability
I did a substantial load redistribution this semester so I could attend two conferences to represent BYU Idaho Department of Music and BYU-Idaho -- and then I took on a new administrative role -- AND THEN we learned that the entire University, including the college of Performing and Visual Arts was under a program sustainability review. The whiplash of joy and inspiration in my field with the stress of fearing the future of VITAL and VIBRANT programs has been a rollercoaster. I have Zoomed into meetings, sent emails, rage cried, and processed with colleagues while trying to soak up learning so I can be a better educator, mentor, collaborator and performer.
And I have questioned, WHY? What's the point if we continue to build a world that seeks to replace humanity with automation?
To that I say:
Get to a concert.
Go to an art gallery.
Take note of all the cool murals you see when you travel.
Drop a few dollars the next time you listen to a busker.
Keep paying for piano lessons.
Attend your 4th of July parade and cheer for the bands.
Sing along to your favorite playlists in the car.
Hum while you work.
Enjoy those movie soundtracks.
Watch short form content.
Learn something on YT.
Color with your children.
Plant flower beds.
Go to a park.
Take in a comedy show.
Dance with your friends.
Participate in community theater.
Attend professional theater shows.
And then ask yourself: where does all this beauty come from?
Artists. Creatives. Creators.
Then send emails, make donations, and DEMAND that the ARTS remain in your communities and especially within education. There are almost 3,000,000 jobs in the fine arts, a multi-billion industry across many disciplines (you can confirm that through the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Oh! And the arts actually make humans and communities better!
TO MY BYUI students:
We are seeing your posts and hearing your questions and confusion. Your degrees are safe and you will finish them. We are working hard behind-the-scenes to prove (again) that our degrees = abundant careers. We ARE working to innovate and transform. There are over 3,000 students in the CPVA. We want you here! Our programs are excellent and WILL improve as we work to prepare you for careers in 2025 and beyond. This is a review process. It's very complex and we simply don't know exactly what will be determined.
Alumni - look in your emails for alumni surveys and please complete them. Also, be sure we have good contact information for you by going to BYUI Alumni Update Information.
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We have a college with 80%+ female students, a department with 60%+ female students, and among the highest concentration of female faculty on campus. In addition to engaging in the critical tasks of proving why our programs are credible, we are also facing a less tangible cultural travesty = the professional pursuits of Women.
We have a college with 80%+ female students, a department with 60%+ female students, and among the highest concentration of female faculty on campus. In addition to engaging in the critical tasks of proving why our programs are credible, we are also facing a less tangible cultural travesty = the professional pursuits of Women.
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