May 2009

The College of Music Alumni Association is now two years old.  We are proud of our accomplishments and would like to share them with you.

The Alumni Association now co-sponsors two activities with MSU’s College of Music.  These include the receptions at the Midwest Conference in Chicago and the Michigan Music Educators’ Conference in Grand Rapids.  If you have been to homecoming the past two years you are probably aware that the Music Alumni Association now sponsors a reception before the game.  In addition to good food and camaraderie with other MSU grads, College of Music students perform for us.  There is something about hearing the MSU Men’s Glee Club singing “MSU Shadows” on Homecoming Day that tugs at the heart.  If you haven’t been, please consider attending. It’s a great party!

It was decided at our first planning session in April 2007 that one of the Music Alumni Association’s missions would be to develop programs that would give back to the College of Music.  One of them, the “Distinguished Alumni Award” is now up and running.  At the 2009 College of Music Commencement Ceremony the Music Alumni Association presented its first annual Distinguished Alumni Award to Dr. Warren Henry, PHD in Music Education 1995.  Dr. Henry has had a remarkable career and currently is Professor of Music Education at the University of North Texas.  He credits his MSU experience as a profound influence in his life and often referred to it in his keynote address to the graduates. 

There are many MSU music alumni who have highly successful music careers and we wanted to tap into this resource.  Our next project, the MSU Alumni Lecture/Recital series, will be implemented this coming school year.  This initiative will provide a yearly grant to bring in successful alumni of The College of Music to campus to participate in an interactive master class, lecture series, or a recital for current students.   We are sure that seeing successful MSU graduates will encourage and inspire current students.

I would like to thank the members of the board for their exceptional work, enthusiasm, and collaborative spirit.  Also I want to thank Rebecca Surian, Director of Development, and Jim Forger, Dean of the College of Music for their enthusiastic and unwavering support.  A special thank you goes to Gordon Spink, our outgoing treasurer, who made certain from the beginning that our finances were stable and secure.  I would also like to especially thank Bryan Jao, our outgoing Alumni Relations Officer, for his organizational skills and passion to make the Music Alumni Association a success from the very beginning.  Finally, I would like to welcome two new board members, Ted Malt and David Larzelere, and our new Alumni Relations Officer, Linda Conradi. 

As a final thought, if you are not a member of the MSU Alumni Association I encourage you to join.  A portion of your membership fee comes directly to the College of Music Alumni Association and helps us fund all of our initiatives and activities.  I hope to meet you at our next event!