Speeches
Daken – I had an incredible time this year being the chapter’s musicianship chair. I appreciate the patience the chapter has had with me as I settled into an officer position, as well as the time it took for me to get used to what the chapter life is like. I would love to be the musicianship chair again this year, as I believe I can continue the string of good ideas/events I have had now that I am used to this position and its responsibilities. On top of this, I found a REALLY cool instrumental arrangement of the hymn that I would like to take a shot at recreating. It sounds almost Eric Whitacre-like, and it’d be awesome to be able to swing this sort of arrangement together for next year’s tri-greek. Regardless, I acknowledge that I need to work on communicating better with the chapter in terms of when events will be, and what events will be like/what to expect. I also need to work on planning musicianship meetings EARLIER in the month. If I am re-elected, I will make sure I do better on those two communication issues in the next year. Oh! Also making sure the music DOESN’T swell on the first degree this time if another thing I will work on (still unsure why it got so loud all of the sudden). 🙂 ❤
Quentin – Hello brothers, my name is Quentin Campbell. I come to you all today because I believe that I would be the most fit candidate for the position of Musicianship. Since my date of birth, music has always been a constant for me. With both of my parents being musicians that perform and teach on the regular, it was safe to say that trait would be passed down to me. From the moment I picked up my trumpet for the first time, to the last time I listened to music on spotify, I yearn for music. I am always talking to my non music friends about how great college music, marching band, and music classes are, and have gotten several to reconsider the act of dropping the art. As a musicianship chair, I would instill a great sense of pride in everyone in the chapter that would make even the smallest moments something to brag about to friends. I also would ensure the learning of hymns to the best of my ability and pick up the ability to conduct once again. This is my next logical step in becoming a better musician, and I hope that I will be recognized for it.
Questions
- What are some possible musicianship chair ideas that you would like to bring to the table during your term? Do you have any events that are specifically involved with the promotion of your college bands?
- (Daken) I would still like to have a successful ensemble night. The biggest killer of the ensemble night this year was the lack of participation. I believe that hosting this during the winter semester might bring up participation. I’d like to work closely with Dr. Wilson, as he runs SRH, and Dr. Tutt, as he has shown interest in this event previously, to get this event going successfully this time. This event isn’t geared towards promoting the college bands here, but rather the individual players and sections within the bands.
- (Quentin) I think holding more events promoting the many ensembles at GV would be a great start. Not simply just worrying about a cleanup for a concert but getting to hear the different ensembles play whether that be band, orchestra, or vocal. I also think it would be cool to promote more visits to GR to hear the GR symphony play.
- Name a time you have collaborated with others. How did you communicate to ensure the success of your task at hand?
- (Daken) I have collaborated with others in many different scenarios. Right now, I am working on a group project for my MLS class. This collaboration requires a LOT of communication, as it is a 15-20 minute presentation. In order to effectively communicate, we have set up a group chat, as well as shared our weekly schedules in order to plan common meeting times to make this project work smoothly. I have also collaborated with others in a music setting through ensembles and the bassoon quartet. This communication is quite different from a group project, as it is a lot of listening to other parts and deciding which part should be voiced more or what part needs to be better tuned to the chord we hold. In both settings, though, communication is a large part of efficient collaboration.
- (Quentin) In high school marching band, I became co section leader with another trumpet and naturally, we had to make a lot of compromises. One of the most memorable is when we had a disagreement on the field about a certain set. Instead of saying one of us was right, we rationally talked it through, went to the director about it, and then found out there was an error in the drill. By collaborating with him and the director, we were able to solve the drill problem effectively.
- How do you stay organized and on top of your tasks?
- (Daken) I stay organized and on top of my tasks using google calendar. I LOVE this thing – it has all of my classes and events planned into it, as well as all of my tasks throughout the semester and when/what time they’re due. I also make sure I slot time out for myself and the tasks I have to accomplish to make sure they’re done on time and done well.
- (Quentin) I keep a tab of my assignments by writing them down. These serve as reminders and satisfaction because when I finish a task, I cross it out and it makes me very proud.
- November is the month of musicianship. What ideas do you have to promote musicianship during this month? How would these ideas be carried out?
- (Daken) One of the ideas that I have for the month of Musicianship this year is continuing the google form with all of the music events on and off campus that are occurring during the month. I’d also really like to have some sort of instrumental ensemble still, but I am unsure what kind of ensemble I’d like. I’d also like to get instrument petting zoos back up during this month at some point.
- (Quentin) I believe the chapter should work to advertise the music building more during this month. That could be done through printing flyers to post around campus, holding events that serve as Q&As for non music/KKP people, and just simply talking to more individuals about the opportunities in music.
- Part of this position’s job description is to rehearse the chapter for Tri-Greek. How comfortable are you conducting and leading an ensemble, as well as picking out their music? What worries would you have regarding this task?
- (Daken) I will say that this year was definitely a major learning curve for me in terms of conducting and rehearsing an ensemble. Teaching vocal parts is NOT my strong suit, so this is something I could definitely better myself on before next year. Apart from that, I feel confident enough after our first Tri-Greek rehearsal to continue this kind of rehearsal in the future. I think organizing a bit more beforehand will help the rehearsal run smoother & give us more points to work off of when rehearsing the music, but other than that I believe that this task will not be as daunting in the future now that I know how it should go.
- (Quentin) While I have never officially been the conductor of a full ensemble, I would very much be up to the task. I did take lessons on conducting when I auditioned for drum major in high school and I’ve even led small ensembles so I believe I would have the sufficient skills to conduct. My worry would be that I wouldn’t get a refresher on conducting because it has been a bit.
- Have you ever had a conflict with others? If so, how was this conflict resolved?
- (Daken) I have definitely had conflict with others. One way I have found to resolve conflict is to remain as neutral to the situation as possible. By keeping a neutral mindset, it allows for clearer thinking, and more effective communication between parties. Conflicts I have had this year have taught me to be a better human being, which in turn helped boost the positive mindset I bring to conflicts. A lot of the conflicts I have had have been resolved through simple communication or an apology.
- (Quentin) To use the same example from before, I had a conflict with my co section leader in high school when we had a disagreement on a certain set. Instead of arguing about it, we discussed it during a break, went to the director about it, and then found that it was an error in the drill. With my ability to rationally talk to the other section leader, we were able to solve the problem without the need of arguing.
- List a time that you have planned (or helped plan) an event. Was this event successful? What made it successful/unsuccessful? If you have not had to plan an event, then name a time you’ve helped set up or run an event, and how successful/unsuccessful this setup was.
- (Daken) An event that I have planned for is ensemble night (womp womp). Unfortunately, this event didn’t work out, as we had a lack of participation from the community and within our chapter. I think that finding a better time to host this event, as well as more promotion of the event throughout the year will help gain more traction towards the event, and will hopefully make this event more successful.
- (Quentin) While on my high school swim team, during my junior and senior year, I helped plan several events outside of practice to rally the team for meet’s. These would include pasta dinners, hangouts, bleaching hair for leagues, and other fun activities. These all turned out really successful and my teammates really appreciated them and the drive I had to make them happen. My biggest event I helped plan was my own grad party. Of course my parents helped a bit with funding, I got all the right yard games, food, and chairs set up so my guests could have an enjoyable experience.
- Do you have any general worries with holding an officer position?
- (Daken) I definitely feel a lot better going into an officer position this year as opposed to last year. With this last year of the Musicianship chair, I’ve been able to feel out what tasks and timelines I need to accomplish with an officer position. Therefore, I’m not worried about the skills and tasks of holding an officer position. On top of this, I have a lot more free time next year now that I will not be in music lessons, and will NOT be taking 18 credits (this was so rough this semester), meaning that I will have a lot more time to accomplish the goals and events I have in mind for the chapter in terms of musicianship.
- (Quentin) The only worry I have is that I’m concerned about being swamped with work. I would just want to be assured about help if needed and that the workload isn’t too much on top of my normal college workload.
- A part of the musicianship chair is the promotion of musicianship both on campus and in the surrounding community. How do you currently promote music on campus or in your community, and what ideas do you have to connect others on campus and in your community with music?
- (Daken) Currently, I promote music by performing in ensembles and chamber settings. Community wise, I am a part of the Allendale Jazz Orchestra. This group hosts several community events, one of which is coming up in July and is called ‘Jazz in the Park.’ We also perform at several nursing homes and hospitals throughout the year to bring music to those who aren’t able to freely experience the symphony or perform their own instruments anymore. On campus, I have been a part of the GVSU Bassoon quartet, which has had a few community and campus outings this year. One of these outings was to perform before the GRSO performance of Elf. This promoted the music we perform on campus through community outreach. On top of this, I have also elected to do collaborative piano this semester, which has a concert at St. Cecilia’s on the 4th, and our mission point concert on the 5th. 🙂 I would love to connect others on campus and in the community with music by the same methods that AJO and collaborative piano do, which is outreach. I would love to find ways to play outreach events, whether this is performing at a local high school or performing music in nursing homes. This will connect other musicians together with our chapter and our campus, and will help showcase the music we can throw together here at GVSU.
- (Quentin) As it stands, I love to talk to my non music friends about the opportunities in college music. I’m always bragging to people how good it is and how many great individuals one meets being a part of it. I think a way we could spread this thought process would be by having more members of the chapter support this practice and advertising in their own way too
- Why do you want to be the Musicianship Chair?
- (Daken) I want to be the Musicianship Chair because I love everything about music. I love going to the symphony, and I absolutely love performing music. Next year, my music minor ends, but I refuse to give up music, so I am still continuing bassoon in ensembles. I also love the learning and growth that music has to offer. Over this last year, I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher through music, as I have found better ways to practice, more ways to have sympathy for those who are incredibly busy or struggling with performance anxiety, and how to effectively show others methods to learn music without killing the fun music provides. I would love to be the Musicianship Chair to share my enjoyment and learnings with others who also love music. To promote music, to me, is such an incredible gift, and being the Musicianship Chair is part of this promotion.
- (Quentin) I want to be the Musicianship chair because I believe it is the next logical step for me in becoming a better leader and musician. By holding a position of power in the chapter, more importantly the most musical one, I would fulfill that and it would get me more step to achieving my full potential in collegiate music.
Kappa Kappa Psi - Mu Kappa 