Appreciation for the arts
Appreciation can grow from hard work and dedication. But without the action necessary to achieve goals, there can be no appreciation for the end result.
In the fall of 2011, Traci Hainsworth began managing the marketing and public relations for UVU’s School of the Arts. According to Hainsworth, there is something for everyone at the School of the Arts; however, audience attendance at performances has been lacking. Her reasoning is that people are unaware of what events are going on and when they’re happening.
“On average at any given event last year, we had 65 percent audience attendance,” Hainsworth said. “This year we are striving for 75 percent, at least by reaching out more directly toward students, staff and of course the community.”
According to Hainsworth, the School of the Arts has all the right ingredients to be nothing short of outstanding.
“We have the most vibrant students and faculty,” Hainsworth said. “Everything we do is amazing. But it doesn’t seem anyone [in Utah] knows that we are here.”
According to Associate Professor of Dance Amy Jacobson, what the community and dancers appreciate are two different things. Competitions might be what the community sees, but the time and energy that dancers put into every routine are severely unappreciated.
“People want to see the end results but are unable to understand how much dancers put into each dance,” Jacobson said.
Dance Major Phillip Morehouse had been looking for the right school that could be challenging and fun. He found exactly what he was looking for at UVU’s campus.
“I love dancing. I looked all throughout the country for the right school,” Morehouse said. “Considering how well UVU has done with their various dance companies, I feel that this was the perfect choice for me.”
Even those who have gone all the way through and beyond the School of the Arts have come to appreciate its powerful influence in their careers. For instance, alumnus Nathanial Drew who earned a Bachelor of Music, has organized the Salt Lake Pops Orchestra, which has been featured twice on the website for Entertainment Tonight. Drew’s orchestra performs customized arrangements of current pop songs with well-known guests such as Lindsey Sterling, popular violinist, and Alex Boye, vocalist, whose version of Grenade by Bruno Mars has attracted over a million YouTube views.
“Through the School of the Arts, I was able to intern with Hans Zimmer and other famous Hollywood composers,” Drew said. “No other music school I’ve attended offered anything like it, and without it I would never have been able learn what I did and be where I’m at.”
With so many students being trained by such extraordinary teachers and being offered opportunities they would not have had elsewhere, it is no surprise to see the eyes of the nation shift direction toward our campus. It would be a shame for any of us to have missed an opportunity to see the next big actor, dancer, painter, or musician right here before they hit it big.