For years, the Bellarmine Music Department has made an impact on the
lives of its students. Music students at BU are singing the department's praise...sometimes literally. We caught up with a handful of students to ask what they love about studying music at Bellarmine.
What is the best thing about being a music major at Bellarmine?
Rachel Gruszecki: "Honestly the community aspect of it. All of the faculty are my friends and it's just so fun to hang out with people all the time. I have met some of my best friends in the music department and I have gotten really close to everyone.
I know it might be cheesy to say we are like a family, but we really are. We say some of the faculty are our ‘mom or dad away from home.’ It's just one big happy thing going on."
Joseph Coleman: "The best thing is that there's always a challenge. There's always something new to learn and once you learn it, once you understand what's going on, then we can take that step up and you can master it. Then with mastering comes
perfection you know for a lot of people it could take up to a lifetime, but it's like there's always a journey that comes with it. I can't think of a professor that really doesn't push their students, especially for me. I'm one of the two drummers
that are in the music program. I'm constantly getting pushed, which I like."
Brandon Meredith: "The best thing about the music department is probably the almost like family environment. You get that feeling every single time you come into school even through the pandemic. The few times you may get to actually come on to
campus you feel like you're coming into a building that's full of people that you know super well. You know everyone is just so sweet to each other and so kind and we're all so close and it's really like a family aspect."
What are the Bellarmine music faculty like?
Joseph Coleman: "From my experience, the music faculty are too modest. That's really it. You don't realize just how otherworldly their
knowledge and abilities are until you take some time to pick their brain, or if you get the chance to perform with one-another. They see things in students that no one else sees, and that makes them push us to forget about limits, although
we sometimes feel like we've reached them."
What about the program drew you to become a music major?
Sarah Barry: "When I came to visit, I met the faculty. I met Dr. Mark Kano and Dr. Tim Glasscock. They made a wonderful welcoming committee. They made me feel so
welcome and like I was already a part of the family. It was something that I wanted in a program--the feeling that I could grow and be challenged."
Rachel Gruszecki: "They offer my major, music technology, which is not a very common music major around the country. I am from Ohio and there were only two schools there that had my degree, and I didn’t really like them. Then I got something
from Bellarmine in the mail and thought 'I probably won’t go there but let’s go check it out.' And of course, I fell in love with the department. It was like, 'I guess I’m going to Kentucky.'"
What has the music department taught you?
Brandon Meredith: "Being a part of the Music Department has taught me how to be a better musician in general. But also it's taught me how to make really close bonds with people and how to become more empathetic. Just being around
all these awesome people that care about me and care about what I'm doing in my life and stuff. So, that's been really cool."
Rachel Gruszecki: "It's taught me to be more confident. I just had a recital last night, which was my first recital in jazz. The jazz director, Dave Clark, he would make us do a solo even if we never had before. During my first semester my face
would get red, and I would shake uncontrollably and be nervous. But last night, I felt so calm, and I had such a clear tone. It made me realize how much I had grown and the confidence I have."
Annie Wamsley: "The Bellarmine Music Department equips you with the skills you need to be successful in any career, but especially music. The faculty help you perfect your craft and to become a more confident musician. They teach you to be a good
person with the mission of spreading love through the arts and music. This program also helps you build a community of musicians for life!"
What have you learned about yourself while studying music at Bellarmine?
Brandon Meredith: "I’ve learned that I’m meant to be in music. I struggled for so long trying to figure out if this is what I’m meant to do
but I know now that without a doubt I’m in the right field, and that’s thanks to Bellarmine. In high school I was so unsure, and I didn’t even think my musical abilities were good enough to allow me to pursue a career involving music
but music is what brings me happiness, and I wish I could go back and tell myself to embrace it a lot sooner than I did."
What is the department like?
Sarah Barry: "In the Music Department we're all kind of confined in one small building. You get to know the people in the classes you take. That's just so nice and it’s building community relationships, building connections. I was actually
just offered a position at a church through the connections. Because of this department, I can actually carry this out after college through the connections that I built. The community is so supportive of each other, especially in performances. Everyone
wants to support each other."
Brandon Meredith: "We’re like one big family, and also best friends. I mean you come in every day and you're singing with people and playing your instruments with people. Afterward you're talking about things that are going on in your life
and what's going on with them. I mean you step back and you realize that first of all, everybody has their own story in the Music Department, but also everybody wants to know your story and wants to know where you're coming from."
Rachel Gruszecki: "Everyone looks out for each other here. It's just like any community in that we can get a little tired of each
other, but at the end of the day everyone has your back and looks out for you. We joke and jab at each other, but there isn't a single person here who wouldn't help you if you asked and wouldn't push you to better yourself."
What will you remember most about the music program?
Sarah Barry: "My favorite music department memory was from Fall 2020 when Schola Cantorum (a mixed-vocal ensemble) recorded the music video for 'Sleigh Ride' in the quad. Tim rented a horse and carriage and we got to ride around the quad and
sing!"
Rachel Gruszecki: "We have this class called 'Instrumental Pedagogy', which teaches how to do lessons and write up contracts, build
a studio and stuff like that. Our professor had us do a sight-reading exercise, to practice this. She gave us a random textbook and we had to open to a random page and read as fast as possible. Our only piano major in there mispronounced Chopin’s
name and it cracked everybody up and some of us were on the floor laughing. Immediately after, she had us play a word association game and I was paired with my best friend Maggie. I started out by saying piano and we were both injured at this time,
so she said injury, I said muscles, and she said pain. So, kind of going with it. It was such a silly thing, but we were laughing so hard tears were rolling down our neck. People were looking in the classroom because we were all being so loud. It
is just my favorite thing to look back on, we were all so happy. I don’t know any other department that has those kinds of interactions."
Joseph Coleman: "There have been several instances where either we’ll text each other and be like ‘Hey I'm not doing anything this weekend. Let's get together and jam.’ There have been a couple of times we've all switched
instruments, so I went out on the piano and the horn players, they got like different horns out that they own. Just having fun and instances like that make me like this a lot. "
Sarah Barry: "I really love being in the ensembles. Schola is one that meets most frequently in my schedule. The camraderie that we have and just the banter that we're able to connect. Seeing how much Tim believes in us is mind-boggling,
even when we’re not doing that great on a piece. His energy is always so inspiring."
Brandon Meredith: "One of my favorite memories thus far is just doing a concert with all of the choirs there. We got to do our full first
concert in church with all of the choir singing. That was a really cool experience and just to be able to sing with all the other choirs, it was unlike a high school choir."
Pictured, top to bottom: Joseph Coleman, Sarah Barry, Annie Wamsley, Brandon Meredith and Rachel Gruszecki