2015 is the 25th anniversary of the band programs at GW. We celebrated with an alumni reunion earlier this month where we played at the GW v. UMass basketball game. We prepped social media accounts and we planned a schedule of activities. We were so excited to see how far the program had come, and even more excited to see where it was going.
The recent cuts to the programs that shaped our college experience put something of a damper on our internet debut.
Here’s the petition to restore the Department’s funding. Within a few days of its launch it has over 1,100 signatures. Below, GWUBAF highlights some perspectives from our alumni.
“I am on the verge of finishing a PhD in musicology, an accomplishment that could not have happened without the start I got through the GWU department of music. For the student looking to make a career in music, the department is a unique blend of small and big such that opportunities arise that could never happen at a larger school and would be impossible at one with fewer resources. For instance, as a conducting student under Benno Fritz, I was afforded the opportunity to conduct the wind ensemble in both performance and concert. Working with the top ensemble at the University was a better learning tool than any number of hours in front of a piano or air-conducting as I would have had to do as an undergraduate at another institution. Without a wind ensemble, that would never have happened. There were enough opportunities to be able to allow a student to take some of them. It was practically an internship within the department.
But it’s not just for people who have made a career in music that the department is valuable. Indeed, as told in these signatures, countless other people have found friends, community, and lifelong learning through the music department. People rarely come to GWU to study music. They do, however, come to a high-stress university in high-pressure areas and naturally look for artistic releases. Music is one such release. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was a noted clarinetist. The National Institutes of Health have their own in-house orchestra. These are not people who focus primarily on music, but these are people to whom music is an invaluable part of their lives. And for hundreds of students at GWU, the same can be said.
The changes proposed do not cut the music department, and the administration would have you believe that we should be thankful for that. But they do hamstring the department in such a way that future cuts are inevitable. Without the chance to take lessons or perform in ensembles that fit their abilities and needs, what reason do students from across the university have to turn to the department? Enrollment in classes will decline, faculty will leave, and eventually the department will be a ghost of its former self that is practically begging to be given the axe. It won’t happen immediately, but these cuts are a way to kill off the program without having to actually do that. And killing this program will irrevocably alter the fabric of life at GWU in a way that cannot possibly have any positive impacts.” – Rob Lintott, Class of 2008
“I’m signing because I’m a non-music major/minor who has taken lessons every semester I have been in residence in GW… Lessons have allowed me to continue to advance my study of music while at GW and better contribute to the ensembles in which I participate. Music has also proved important in unexpected parts of my life: I got my job for post-graduation after doing several case interviews…and talking to a senior partner for a half-hour about music and my participation in GW’s ensembles. GW’s support for non-majors make the department open in a way that few are, and has to me, previously demonstrated GW’s commitment to promoting a well-rounded liberal arts education worthy of a prestigious university, instead of the overly pre-professional focus it is often accused of. GW’s proposed cuts to the music department threaten to undermine one of its primary messaging campaigns: that we are a university worthy of respect in all fields, not just in international affairs and politics.
Furthermore, timing and way these cuts were conveyed to the faculty and students of the department have undermined my faith in the institution. As a soon-to-be alumna, I had hoped to leave the university confident in the future of the programs I have loved and with faith in the integrity of the institution from which I will receive my degree. Instead I am concerned for the future of a school that so rapidly and opaquely makes decisions while seemingly ignorant of their repercussions on students, faculty, and the long-term future of the university as a whole.” – Elizabeth Nelson, Class of 2015
Of course, the cuts don’t just impact band. Alumni across the music department were drawn to GW because of the arts’ accessibility, and credit their college and postgraduate successes in no small measure to the arts.
“I came to GW to study political science, and the strength of the GW political science department was integral to my decision to come to GW. But also important to me was a strong music department to provide me with extracurricular opportunities. The presence of the GW orchestra factored into my decision when choosing GW, and I’m not sure if I would have chosen to come to GW if it did not provide me with music opportunities. Please keep the GW music department strong for the non-music majors and minors who love the program and what it offers.” Paul Melmeyer, GW Orchestra, Class of 2013
GWUBAF’s activities will continue, cuts or no cuts. We will be launching a mentoring program in a few months that will capitalize on so many of our alumni having majored in other departments. Thanks to this intellectual diversity, we can support current band students wishing to enter any number of industries, from the foreign service to engineering. We’re looking forward to it.
GWUBAF 