The Music Department at Sonoma State University offers scholarships for music majors to pursue their passions. Every year to thank scholarship donors and other supporters, the Music Department puts on a Scholarship Showcase where scholarship recipients perform pieces of their choosing. However this year, things will look a little different due to the ongoing pandemic.

The Scholarship Showcase for the 2020-2021 school year will take place on March 5 at 2 p.m. via Zoom Webinar. The event is free to all.

The students featured at this year’s showcase are Alfie Halpern, Matthew Bowker and Isabella Grimes. Halpern is a soprano singer and will be performing, ‘The Sky Above The Roof’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams with pre-recorded accompaniment. Bowker is a saxophonist and will be playing two movements from the Concertino Da Camera by Jacques Ibert, using a pre-recorded piano track. Grimes is a flutist and will be playing the first movement of the Sonata for Flute and Piano by Francis Poulene with recorded accompaniment by Marilyn Thompson.

Grimes, is one of the scholarship recipients and when asked how this scholarship will help her, she said, “It’ll lessen the financial burden on my family, and continue to let me study what I love in an environment with amazing teachers.”

The SSU Music Department has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1972 and offers a variety of degree programs. Music majors can pursue Bachelor of Music degrees in Performance, Music Education, Jazz Studies and Composition, a minor in Music and a Certificate Program in Audio and Recording Production.

Students of the Music Department are in for a treat with “high-quality performance experiences” and “applied practical training” according to the Music Department website. Music majors can be prepared for careers as performers, K-12 music teachers, studio teachers and composers. The curriculum for music majors covers a variety of important skills like keyboard facility, theoretical understanding, aural perception and analysis of musical literature.

According to their website, the Music Department at SSU is, “housed at the Green Music Center- ranked No. 3 on College Degree Search’s 25 Most Amazing Campus Arts Centers.” Grimes, flutist, spoke on her first impression of the facility stating, “…the Green Music Center is gorgeous; that was my first thought upon arriving there.”

As far as what every week would look like for a music student, classes are small and create an environment of creativity. Each week, students have private lessons by faculty employed with the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet and Opera orchestras and the Santa Rosa Symphony. Professional guest artists visit often to give lectures and students attend weekly repertoire classes to broaden their performance skills. The Music Department offers a variety of performing ensembles including instrumental, choral, jazz, chamber, opera and musical theatre.

For those interested in the SSU Music Program, all students must audition to be admitted. Grimes spoke on her audition experience, “Everyone I met before and after my audition was so kind and welcoming, which helped me feel at ease.” This year, in light of the pandemic, auditions will be submitted by video for admissions for the Fall 2021 semester. 

To learn more, schedule a virtual visit where you can tour the facilities, observe classes, sit in on rehearsals, meet with department faculty and take a trial private lesson. Grimes said, “I got to have a trial lesson with my current flute teacher, Kathleen Reynolds… and that solidified my decision to attend SSU.”

Music Department Chair John Palmer spoke on what he looks for in scholarship applicants, “Good musicians take risks and learn from their errors. We want to hear players and singers who push themselves to be better.” Information on the Music Department, scholarships and the Scholarship Showcase event can be found on the SSU Music Department website.