A.ftt'.r num~rou~ new changes and improvements 11 th~ drpannwnc or mu~ic this year, everyone was singing its pn:tisc:s. "Some of the best things about the music department are the family atmosphere we have and the way we can deal with students as individuals," Kelly Neill, the newly appointed chair of the department, said. "We are trying to grow in numbers of majors, in non-major participation and our impact on campus while we seek to help our students reach their goals." Main changes this year involved the promotion of Neill to chair and the addition of new faculty members Laura Eads and Susan Shire!, instructors of music. They, along with seven new adjunct instructors, enabled the program to expand faster than in previous years by adding a new musical ensemble and vocal class. "We are trying to prepare ourselves well for the future," Neill said. "It's exciting to have so many excellent teachers here for our students." Music major junior Rives Rorabaugh expressed her excitement over the new opportunities available in the department. "Dr. Neill is perfect for the role [of chair] because of his experiences, from world-class vocal performance groups to directing high school band," Rorabaugh said. "I think his passion is going to be one of the driving forces to our immediate growth. I also look forward to the progress we make with this new team of professors." Freshmanjennifer Thomas performs a scene from "The Bad Seed" with sophomore Elizabeth Bruce on Oct. 10 in Theatre Professor Steven Frye's Acting I class. "Acting class taught me how to let people in," Thomas said. "It helped me learn how to trust people more and let my walls down." Ashel Parsons f bb Art/Design & Communication Eads also expressed her optimism about the changes and stressed the value of offering students as many different kinds of opportunities as possible. "I think it is important for our students to have as many different approaches of teaching and involvement as possible while they are here," Eads said. "It will help them be more well-rounded. I'm excited about the growth in the department that has necessitated the additional faculty." Eads also mentioned a few of her personal future goals for the department. "I have always thought that our department needs to add an opera program," Eads said. "Many students do not have the opportunity to perform a lead role in the musical, and having an opera workshop program would give more people the opportunity to perform roles, rather thanjust singing a single song for a student recital." Overall, faculty agreed that the music program's best drawing factor was its ability to offer students both a wide variety of opportunities and the individual attention they deserved. "I love getting to know and help all the amazing people in our department," Neill said. "I think these changes are good and will help us build a stronger department while holding on to the things that make us unique." Sarah Eason Students in Piano Instructor Lisbethjones' Class Piano play along to "Toccatina" by Dmitry Kabalevsky on Oct. 10. The class practiced a variety of arrangements throughout the semester to become more familiar with different chords and styles of music. Ashel Parsons
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