I am very pleased to have worked with Barbara Brown in the Education Department of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for the Fall 2017 semester. I executed a variety of projects, participated in off-site commitments and developed a professional network. My investment through RPO has increased my productivity and motivation as I look towards pursuing higher education and professional opportunities.
Juggling short term and long-term projects has helped me stay focused and on top of my work. At the beginning of the semester I started by preparing envelopes, flyers and contact information to send to schools and businesses advertising RPO’s Around the Town concerts. This was work that I could intersperse between other long-term projects including developing teacher contact lists and registration spreadsheets for RPO’s Primary and Intermediate concerts as well as preparing instrument petting zoos and crafts for OrKIDStra events. While I also enjoyed assisting other individuals in different departments with a variety of tasks including copying, scanning and preparing documents, I knew where to continue my work for large projects. This variety of project types helped me feel free and engaged throughout the semester.
I was also fortunate to travel with Ms. Brown to off-site meetings and commitments. I prepared materials for Around the Town concerts and OrKIDStra events as well as setting up and breaking down tables, stands and posters. I also have fond memories traveling with Ms. Brown to a meeting of directors for a music competition as well as a Rotary sponsored event featuring an RPO brass ensemble. These musically inspired events have helped me see how professionals and organizations navigate audience engagement, outreach and musical advocacy throughout the community. Moreover, the time spent with Ms. Brown during our travels has been invaluable. Having also graduated from Eastman, we discuss music, performing and our own lives and families. These enriching excursions complemented the focused time I devoted to tasks in the office as well as exposing me to real world examples of music providing value to the community.
For perhaps my most important project, I met with Vice President of Artistic Administration Richard Decker to devise an agenda for contacting Eastman faculty about RPO guest artists willing to do events like open rehearsals, meet and greets, lectures and master classes. We needed to start emails to faculty, agents and artists immediately to reserve spaces and develop each artist’s itinerary, setting aside time that did not conflict with RPO orchestra rehearsals and other commitments. With these time sensitive logistics, I sought additional guidance from Rebecca Sealander, Concert Production Manager. With Ms. Sealander’s oversight, I crafted emails introducing myself and offering assistance to several Eastman faculty in organizing guest artist events. I was fortunate to receive enthusiasm and interest and successfully scheduled events for conductor Christopher Seaman, composer Allen Shawn, pianist Olga Kern, and duo piano group Anderson & Roe, as well as getting the process started for other artists to be continued in the spring semester. These encounters with high profile individuals has challenged me to refine my professional personality in writing and speaking. I have also felt greater self-value as a functioning member of RPO and Eastman by organizing these amazing opportunities for students and staff.
I am thankful for the generous support and care of individuals like Barbara Brown, Rebecca Sealander, Richard Decker and Leslie Scatterday during my internship. My mental clarity and outlook has developed due to consistent interactions with professionals in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Institute of Music Leadership, for which I am eternally grateful. I am also fortunate to have been in the position of interacting personally with community teachers in New York and children of all ages so willing to allow music into their lives. As I look towards graduate school, I want to continue expanding my perspective and seek challenges and opportunities. My fond memories of working in the RPO Education Department will serve to continually reaffirm my increasing love of teaching and desire to craft musically enriching encounters for all in their journey through life.