We are very excited that, after a long and intensive search, Mark McCoy will be the new dean of the School of Music.
During the selection, in which we called for School of Music and College of Liberal Arts students alike to participate in open forums with the candidates, Dean McCoy had an opportunity to meet students from all walks of DePauw life. Given that he has become so well-acquainted with our campus, we are, for lack of better words, excited that Dean McCoy is excited.
One of the oldest private institutions for music education, the school of music is what makes DePauw a ‘university,' and we are thrilled that the dean is interested in finding opportunities to bring the School of Music curriculum out of the Green Center for the Performing Arts and incorporate the rest of campus.
Although specific plans to do so have yet to be outlined, we hope they include opportunities for student performances outside of the music building, collaboration on academic projects between various College of Liberal Arts departments and the School of Music, and perhaps even more music- and arts-oriented services in the community.
While a dean who encourages bringing the music to the rest of campus is intriguing, it becomes students' responsibility to reciprocate that energy and excitement. If more concerts are held, whether in the Green Center or other campus spaces, we should at least try to attend. Whether that means supporting a friend who is performing, or taking an hour out of our busy week to hear the works of a composer we've never heard before, it is our continued responsibility to engage, or at least appreciate.
There is also a responsibility on the part of the performers, whether students, faculty or visitors. Invite your CLA friends to recitals and large group concerts. Announce upcoming events at your fraternity or sorority chapter meetings. Bring a friend along to a required music event. Recital attendance is so frequent for music students that it becomes burdensome, but a non-music student can benefit substantially from exposure to a new musical style, artistic period, or flat-out bizarre instrument.
The school of music is host to all kinds of entertainment. Whether it's conventional, large-group performances, or one that includes electric violins and flutes so big they stand on the floor, music students and CLA students alike have a lot to learn.
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