By Kristin Yost, M.M. Piano Performance and Pedagogy ‘06
As I reflected on my first years out of graduate school with an M.M. in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from SMU, I wanted to leave some of the tidbits of wisdom I wish were given more importance in my academic career. Thriving as an artist is possible if you have the right mindset, expectations and goals. A degree is simply a piece of paper. It’s the experience, the challenges of the journey and the people you meet along the way that really lead you to your success.
Some of my most meaningful relationships came out of SMU and I am forever thankful for my time as a Mustang.
That’s just part of the story. Onward we go.
By Alix Sommers
B.A. English, B.A. Fashion Media ’20
Emily Lawler, capital and business reporter with MLive Media Group, shared the experience of her year-long coverage of the Dr. Larry Nassar abuse case in a lecture at SMU March 1, sponsored by the Meadows Division of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs.
Nassar is the former Michigan State University (MSU) and USA Gymnastics (USAG) team doctor who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sex crimes.
Lawler spent more than a year reporting on the case. At the beginning, she said the public questioned the accuracy of the story.
“He had a lot of community support – there were a lot of people who frankly didn’t believe he had done anything wrong,” Lawler said. “But despite the initial reaction, we kept going.”
within the political communication track of SMU’s Corporate Communication and Public Affairs (CCPA) that annually takes students to Washington DC.
Lasting five days for one-hour course credit, Hilltop is a way to introduce students to career opportunities in Washington D.C. while highlighting the many ways communication plays a vital role in our nation’s capital.
The blog OnStage ranked SMU Meadows School of the Arts’ division of dance number three in the list of the top 10 B.F.A. dance programs in the United States. Last year, our dance bachelor of fine arts program reached number seven on the same list.
From OnStage’s list:
In addition to campus facilities, students also have opportunities to dance in professional Dallas arts district venues such as the fabulous Winspear Opera House, Annette Strauss Square, Montgomery Arts Theatre at Booker T. Washington HSPVA and the new City Performance Hall. Features a partnership with Texas Ballet Theater, the largest, critically acclaimed, fully professional resident classical ballet company of North Texas, serving more than 100,000 individuals from diverse communities across North Texas.
The Division of Dance offers professional dance training within the context of a comprehensive liberal arts education. The goal is to develop the disciplined, versatile dance artist through a balanced study of ballet, modern dance and jazz dance techniques, complemented and reinforced by a broad range of theoretical studies and performance opportunities. The program provides an atmosphere in which students are nurtured and stimulated in their quest for artistic achievement, technical mastery and scholarly excellence.