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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact Amanda Beglin at (785) 864-4810 or features@kansan.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2001
Giant Steps Part1 The University of Kansas' department of music and dance takes a fresh
For Lawrence Mallett, the future of the University of Kansas' department of music and dance is simple: "One of the top 10 programs in the country. And we can be. I don't think there's any doubt about that. And it may be done in a relatively short period of time — five to 10 years."
Mallett approaches his new job as chairman of the department of music and dance with a determined air of inevitability. A new arrival from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he served as interim dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and as the director of the school of music, Mallett is only one of many changes that have come to the department of music and dance in recent years.
As it stands, many more are yet to come
YESTERDAYS
Mallett can afford to be brazen about his desire to have a top 10 program. KU's department of music and dance is not a musical powerhouse like Indiana University and Northwestern, but its Master of Music degree program is ranked 26th of more than 600 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, which placed it in the top 5 percent.
Mellett: Chairman of the department of music and dance, joined the KU faculty in July.
The department already has numerous standout programs. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the Lied Center of
Kansas, which is a department within the School of Fine Arts and serves as the performance facility for the entire school, including the department of music and dance.
The Lied Center, which seats 2,018 and is known for its eclectic programming, was named one of the top university presenters in 1999 by International Arts Manager Magazine.
Adjacent to the Lied Center is the Bales Organ Recital Hall, which Dr. Mark Holmberg, an accomplished organist, professor of music theory and composition, and 31-year veteran of the department says is one of the top four or five recital halls in the United States.
The recital hall complements the division of organ and church music, which, founded in 1867, has grown into one of the largest in the country.
The department also broke ground with its music therapy program, which was the first in the nation.
Today, the University is one of only 25 institutions in the country to offer a master's degree program accredited by the American Music Therapy Association.
Another area of strength within the department is the jazz studies program, which, under the leadership of Dan Gailey for 12 years, has risen to national prominence.
Its performing organizations have been recognized by Downbeat magazine and have been invited to perform at the annual International Association of Jazz Educators convention during the past decade.
"I think the program has earned a reputation — which I am very proud of — for playing a lot of new music and being pretty much fearless as far as what we program," Gailey said.
These are important recognitions, but for Gailey they're just icing on the cake.
"When I go out to talk to people nationwide, that's what people know us for," he said.
"They know us there because we're nationally recognized through some of the honors we've received, but they also know us because of who we've had here to perform with us and the type of music we play."
The jazz program is also known for the KU Jazz Festival, which is the largest jazz festival in the Midwest. This year's featured guest will be Maria Schneider, one of the world's foremost composers of contemporary jazz.
SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME
Despite these strong programs in the department of music and dance, there are immediate challenges that will need to be addressed before it can hope to climb into the upper echelon of academic and musical excellence.
Among them is the fifth floor of Murphy Hall. Housing the bulk of the building's practice rooms, the fifth floor is a major center of activity. It is also reminiscent of a medieval dungeon.
Montgomery said five new Steinway pianos were purchased during the summer with private money from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City and put in rooms devoted to piano majors. The pianos occupying these rooms were freed for use by other students.
A short walk through the fifth floor makes apparent the lack of windows or adequate lighting.
The Kauffman Foundation's donations are a start toward Montgomery's goal of $2 million for 31 Steinway pianos.
Steps are being taken to address these issues, most notably the pianos, but so far the results have been relatively minimal, said Toni-Marie Montgomery, dean of fine arts.
Several practice rooms have garbage on the floor and obscenities scrawled on the walls. Many of the pianos in those same rooms are also distinctly lacking in quality, especially for an academic division devoted to the study of music.
Mallett said he hoped to work on the aesthetics of the fifth floor, too.
"I've told the faculty I hope next summer we can get enough money to at least go in and paint the rooms and do something to make the rooms more conducive to wanting to be in there," he said.
As is the story in many academic units University-wide, funding is a problem.
"Dollars overall in the department are very tight," Gailey said. "But I think what you will find is that everyone here is able to create some amazing things with money that should be more."
One situation in which the funding shortage is an unavoidable burden on the reputation of the department, however, is in touring money.
Performing for national conventions and competitions is a primary avenue for the department of music and dance to gain exposure and augment its reputation among its peers.
"The amount of money we have whether it's from state funds or endowment funds,which are really discretionary,are very limited," Mallett said. "We really have to scramble to send student ensembles to any type of state convention or national convention."
Former director of choirs Simon Carrington left the department at the end of last year to pursue other career options. Dr. Robert Foster
Furthermore, national searches will take place this year to find new directors for the band, orchestra and choral divisions.
will leave his position as director of bands after this year to take on other teaching responsibilities within the department, and orchestra director Brian Priestman will be retiring at the end of this academic year.
Mallett said he would be looking for several important criteria when replacing these instructors.
"First and foremost, someone that'll get the job done on the podium. A good musician, a good teacher, someone that can relate well with students, that can motivate students," Mallett said. "Someone that will cultivate relationships with the music teachers around the state, will be willing to really take our ensembles to the next level, and go to the national conventions."
Contact Albin at 864-4810
Editor's note: This is the first of two installments about the University's department of music and dance. The second installment will focus on future plans within the department and will appear in the next "Hilltopics."
ANTHONY REYES/KANSAN
KU students stare curiously at Jennifer VanBruggen, Beaver Falls, Penn., graduate student, who is sitting in a cage on Wescoe Beach. VanBruggen was promoting the play Butterfly Kiss in September.