Articles by author: eknight

• A community in harmony dazzles Niagara audiences

  Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | By eknight

  

  Image caption: The Brock University Choir shared the spotlight with powerhouse arts organizations Chorus Niagara and Niagara Symphony Orchestra for a memorable performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines on Nov. 3.

  Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

  Concertgoers were recently brought to their feet by a powerful collaborative performance of Verdi’s Requiem.

  Chorus Niagara, with support from the Brock University Choir (BUC) and Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO), performed the musical masterpiece to a packed house at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (FOPAC) on Nov. 3.

  Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Associate Professor of Music and Conductor of BUC, which is comprised of students from across campus, said the concert was not only a valuable performance experience, but also represented an important opportunity for Brock to deepen its community connections through the arts.

  “Chorus Niagara welcomed us all so warmly and the concert was an unforgettable experience that I know will resonate with choir members for a long time,” she said.

  Famous for its compelling, theatrical mood, Verdi’s Requiem brings together vocal soloists, a chorus and full orchestra to deliver a dynamic and powerful performance.

  Musical works of this scope demand a large force of players and singers that can only be realized through collaboration, Rensink-Hoff said.

  “We could not have performed this piece on our own and are grateful for the opportunity to engage with such an iconic choral masterpiece,” she said.

  Artistic Director of Chorus Niagara Robert Cooper echoed this sentiment, adding he hoped the experience of sharing the stage with professional singers and musicians will prove formative for Brock students as they pursue varied career paths.

  “Working with conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff and the Brock University Choir was a choral collaboration coup,” he said. “The singers’ abundant vocal vitality, infectious enthusiasm, disciplined musicality and always professional presence assured a peak performance of Verdi’s monumental Requiem.”

  Beyond the success of the performance, Rensink-Hoff also affirmed the importance of working alongside area arts organizations to help students build bridges with the community and make connections in the professional world.

  “An experience such as this shows aspiring musicians and artists not only what it takes to mount a significant production, but the power of creative collaboration between groups to foster a sense of community and togetherness through music — this is why we do what we do,” Rensink-Hoff said.

  The Department of Music will take the stage at FOPAC again in a series of instrumental ensemble performances beginning in late November.

  On Wednesday, Nov. 27, Conductor George Cleland will lead the Brock University String Orchestra in From the Heart featuring music by Bach, Mozart, Grieg, Puccini and Anderson.

  Brock Big Band will delight audiences with Big Band Extravaganza led by Conductor Zoltan Kalman on Monday, Dec. 2, followed by a performance with a “night at the cinema” theme, Movie Night, from the Brock University Wind Ensemble on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

  Tickets for all performances can be purchased through the FOPAC Box Office.

   

  Tags: brock university choir, Chorus Niagara, community connections, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, music, Niagara Symphony Orchestra
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Special Events

• Embracing music’s healing powers

  Friday, June 14, 2024 | By eknight

  

  Image Caption: Samantha Bowman (BMus ’24) discovered her passion for using music to treat illness through her Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Therapy at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

  FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

  Guiding people on a journey of healing through music — especially those facing mental health struggles — was something Samantha Bowman (BMus ’24) knew in her heart she always wanted to do.

  On Friday, June 14, Bowman walked across the stage during Brock University’s 115th Convocation and became one step closer to achieving her dream of helping people through music therapy.

  Bowman’s path to earning a Bachelor of Music with a Concentration in Music Therapy Foundations came with many unexpected turns, such as applying to — and dropping out of — several post-secondary programs that were not a good fit.

  When she eventually received a mental health diagnosis for depression, her life completely changed.

  “I had been living with depression for a long time, but not known it. Suddenly, everything clicked into place,” she said.

  Bowman knew that music was going to be an important part of her path forward.

  As a vocalist, however, encountering an injury to her instrument — her voice — was not in the plan.

  Bowman decided that while singing would always be part of her music practice, she would shift her professional interests toward becoming a mental health professional that works with music therapy.

  When she was accepted into Brock’s Department of Music at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), she immediately felt that she was supported and set up for success in her chosen field.

  “When you are learning in a safe and supportive space, you just thrive,” Bowman said. “Your best comes out and that’s what I felt at Brock, I was fostering the best version of myself.”

  Karin Di Bella, Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Brock, said students sometimes start in programs because that is what they feel they should do, or that others want them to do. If it’s not something that truly interests them, however, they may struggle.

  “When students come into a program that lights them up, they then succeed —  not because our program is easy, but because they are deeply invested,” Di Bella said. “Sam beautifully exemplifies this transformation and has excelled in our program.”

  Through her studies in the Music in Community course, Bowman worked with a local organization called Major Progressions Music Therapy, which provides music therapy to residents of long-term care in the Niagara region. During the course, she completed a practicum placement which she said was “transformative.”

  “It is difficult to get elderly people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia to want to get up, especially if they have chronic pain, too,” Bowman said.

  During her placement she was able to assist with using music, in conjunction with other types of care, such as physiotherapy, to help those long-term residents manage their conditions.

  Bowman also observed long-term care residents, who were non-verbal and struggling with cognition, listen to old songs they could recall the words to, which sparked joy and connection.

  Bowman said her “life has been healed” because of her own ongoing therapeutic journey and “having the chance to be a part of somebody else’s journey through music” meant the world to her.

  Thanks to her success at Brock, Bowman has now been accepted into Wilfred Laurier’s highly competitive Master of Music Therapy program, which only accepts 10 to 15 students out of the hundreds that apply.

  “Nearly 10 years after I began my post-secondary education, I am now pursuing my dream career thanks to the support and skills I gained at Brock,” she said.

  Looking to the future and motivated by her own experience, the aspiring music therapist aims to focus on mental health research and how music can alleviate suffering.

   

  Tags: convocation, Department of Music, humanities, Karin Di Bella, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Samantha Bowman, spring convocation, spring convocation 2024
  Categories: Alumni, Alumni, News

• Teaching award recipient inspires through music education

  Friday, June 14, 2024 | By eknight

  

  Image caption: Associate Professor of Music Rachel Rensink-Hoff addressed Brock’s newest graduates on Friday, June 14 during the University’s 115th Convocation. Rensink-Hoff received the Faculty of Humanities’ 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award.

  FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

  “Life is long.”

  Using these three simple but impactful words of poet T.S. Eliot, Rachel Rensink-Hoff hoped to inspire Brock’s graduating class to reflect on their experiences and take in the world around them.

  “Give yourself permission to dwell in the length of life, and do this by resisting pressures, graduates, to take shortcuts, to give up, to make hurried choices or choose the path of least resistance,” the Associate Professor of Music said during her Convocation address on Friday, June 14. “Instead, relish in surprising connections. Enjoy the subtle shades of colour and the interesting shapes around you. Take the time to observe every single little detail.”

  It is an idea that has been important to her life and work, she told graduates from the Faculties of Humanities and Mathematics and Science.

  Rensink-Hoff received the Faculty of Humanities’ 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition for her dedication to supporting students on their academic and creative paths.

  Reflecting on the honour before Brock’s Convocation celebrations, she said the most rewarding thing about teaching music is when students let go of their inhibitions and take risks.

  “There is an energy that fills a room when one student, then two, then more, dare to try new things — it has an inspiring ripple effect. I feel I’ve done my part as an educator and conductor if I’ve made space for this to happen,” she said.

  The biggest source of joy for Rensink-Hoff is when students take ownership of the creative process.

  “In rehearsal or the classroom, teaching and learning depends on the willingness of students to encourage and mentor one another. When this happens naturally, then I know I’ve done my job,” she said.

  At the core of Rensink-Hoff’s teaching philosophy is a commitment to educating the whole person, seeking to accommodate the diversity of musical experience and motivation among those she teaches.

  This helps her develop an approach to teaching that is both inclusive and rigorous, striving to help all students and singers to discover their full potential regardless of their musical background or ability.

  How people learn music, the kind of music they interact with and the advancement of digital forms of music creation translate into a wide range of musical skills and identities shaped by one’s exposure to music, family and social influences, and cultural environments, she said.

  “The prospective music student of the 21st century looks very different than was historically deemed ‘suitable’ or  ‘eligible’ for a music degree program,” she said. “As music educators, it is incumbent upon us to diversify approaches and the musical content we interact with, all with the goal of better representing the incredibly rich and diverse tapestry of global music traditions beyond the historically favoured Western canon.”

  Her research and creative work focuses on three elements of well-being: being, belonging and becoming. Through these lenses, she explores how engagement with music supports all aspects of humanity from the physical to the social to the psychological and spiritual.

  “I feel strongly about the profound impact that group singing and musical skill development can have on one’s health and sense of well-being across the lifespan,” she said.

  Tags: convocation, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine of Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, spring convocation, spring convocation 2024
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors