Choir director speaks to students
“By Heart” was the theme of the third annual Music Conference held by the Logan LDS Institute Music Council, which hosted Utah State University alumnus Craig Jessop as the keynote speaker.
The conference, held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., gave students the opportunity to learn more about music and the ways they can use their talents to affect the lives of others.
The day included speakers, workshops, singing and lunch.
“Because it is the institute’s 75th anniversary, we wanted the keynote speaker this year to be someone well-known,” said music council member Jessica Westwood, a sophomore majoring in music therapy.
When the conductor of one of the most elite choirs in the world agreed to come, she said, they were not disappointed.
Jessop, the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, came Saturday to speak to students. He spoke of his love for music, stressing the importance of hard work and the ability of allowing yourself to see the bigger picture in life.
“Music has incredible power, even stronger than the spoken word, because it goes right to the heart,” he said. “Music can say what the spoken word can’t.”
Jessop was called by LDS Church leaders as the director of the 360-voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 1999. Despite his credentials, including being director of the European Band of the United States Air Forces and member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, he hasn’t forgotten his Cache Valley roots.
“Can you think of a more beautiful setting than this valley?” he asked. “I think the Wellsville mountain range is my favorite in the whole world.”
Jessop grew up in Millville, graduating from Sky View High School and then Utah State University.
After getting a bachelor’s degree, Jessop obtained his master’s degree from BYU, and his doctorate from Stanford.
Jessop said he looks back at USU “with great appreciation for the quality education I received in a quality environment. It has stood me well in my professional life.”
All four of his children have attended or are attending USU.
The conference also included workshops by two USU music department faculty and a local composer on topics including composing and arranging, music by heart, and conducting.
Students were also given the opportunity to participate in a service project.
The conference ended with speaker Diane Bastian, secretary of the Committee of Music for the LDS Church. Bastian spoke on the importance of music in religious worship as well as the capacity music has for service and “lifting our hearts.”
“Music allows us to take the time to internalize the concepts,” she said. “Develop your talents now so that you will be ready to serve. Start with your current knowledge and build up. It’s never too late to learn to play the piano.”
The theme for the conference developed from conversations within the New Horizons choir about how much memorization of a piece of music, or knowing it by heart, improves the musicality of the piece.
Choir members quickly realized how many other implications the phrase “by heart” holds, including the emotional and personal expression that music can convey.
“Music knows no boundaries – it is universal expression,” Jessop said. “Try and think of any society where music does not exist and you can’t do it. Music crosses all cultures, genders, races and leads to an enhancement of the quality of our everyday lives.”
He said he believes opportunities like Saturday’s conference to learn about music are an important part of a complete education.
Junior Rachel Tucker, a music education major, said, “Music is a part of everyone. We all express ourselves in musical ways, even if we don’t realize it. Tapping our foot on the ground or banging out a rhythm with a pencil can be musical. By being a part of musical diversity we can better learn to express ourselves because we will understand more about our emotions, likes and dislikes, and even our abilities to affect others.”
She said she enjoyed the conference because it got her excited about going out and duplicating what she learned.
Lindsay Bollishweiler, a junior majoring in music therapy, said she enjoyed Mike Christiansen’s class because he taught them that music is from the heart.
“I also learned that to go beyond the music like that you have to be prepared and really know your music well,” Bollishweiler said.
Many students found the conference entertaining as well as informative.
“One of the best moments was when Brian Peterson was conducting,” said Jordan Riley, a freshman majoring in music, of the local composer who attended. “He had his hand raised way up heavenward and then brought it down like he was starting a NASCAR race or something.”
Bastian’s lecture literally had the audience marching in the aisles with excitement.
Brent Cottle, director of the Institute Choir, said he wishes more people had attended the conference but knows that those who did come were enriched. Many students left better educated and with a greater desire to do something with their talents and abilities.
Brandtley Henderson, a sophomore in music therapy, said, “I loved the insights on how music can uplift people. Music therapy is what I enjoy doing and I know music can better people’s lives. It is really important.”
-bnelson@cc.usu.edu