(Professors) truly do care about you. That was something that made me choose this school. I went with my gut, and I couldn’t imagine picking anywhere else.
As an aspiring choir teacher, Jillian Barton, ’27, wants to inspire her future students to broaden their horizons. Recently, she got a hands-on lesson in the behind-the-scenes logistics necessary for creating truly meaningful musical experiences.
Jillian served as a manager for Bridgewater State University’s inaugural high school choral festival, a day-long event that brought together more than 300 students from 23 high schools.
“I was very excited because my goal is to work with high school choirs and do events similar to this,” said Jillian, a music education major, who transferred from Berklee College of Music because she wanted a strong foundation in teaching. “Events like this are particularly important. They’re where I made most of my musical memories growing up.”
Jillian, and fellow manager Giana Uwazany, ’26, a music performance major and dance minor, helped create a welcoming festival where students sang in larger choirs than they are accustomed to joining. The event concluded with a concert where the high schoolers performed alongside 70 BSU singers.
Unlike many festivals, BSU welcomed any high school student – no auditions required.
“That was a huge, overwhelming success,” said Dr. Brad Dumont, an assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at BSU. “It made it really unique. …We had students here who maybe wouldn’t do some other festivals.”
Student organizers helped visitors navigate campus, coordinated bus parking, and handled a plethora of other logistical issues. They also networked with current teachers such as Patrick Lynch, ’24, the band and choral director at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.
Lynch appreciated that the festival was open to all without financial barriers or auditions.
“The biggest thing is how accessible it was to everybody,” said Lynch, who had some participating students who were new to chorus. “I think that’s reflective of the school and the school’s values.”
For Jillian and Giana, stepping into organizational roles helped build important leadership skills. This is just one example of the many opportunities Dumont and his fellow music professors provide for students, they said
“They truly do care about you,” Giana said. “That was something that made me choose this school. I went with my gut, and I couldn’t imagine picking anywhere else.”
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