On Aug. 13, the music wing of the Borland Manske Center (BMC) was full of this year's newest class of music students. Kicking off the program that is known as Music Bootcamp, freshmen and transfer students spent three full days meeting faculty, participating in placement exams and auditions and building friendships among each other. 

Led by the Music Department faculty, Music Bootcamp is a specialized program that is designed to ease the adjustment from participating in high school music studies to a collegiate level of musicianship. “We want music students to thrive at Concordia. The purpose is getting incoming freshmen in the right place to set them up for success. A portion of our time is making sure that they are in the right music theory or aural skills class so that they don’t feel overwhelmed,” said Dr. Christian Hauser, Director of Music Education. 

Taking place before the events of WOW, students in Music Bootcamp attended sessions depending on their area of concentration along with other sessions such as 3D listening in the BMC recording studio. In addition, Music Bootcamp students took part in ice breaker activities such as scavenger hunts around the music building, “get to know you” Kahoot games and leisurely fun at the Laguna Beach Art Museum and the beach. 

“One of the other main purposes of bootcamp is to create a culture, build relationships, build connections and for students to find their people. That’s part of the reason why the first thing we do is the scavenger hunt… When students have a goal and they are working together, this builds instant camaraderie,” said Hauser. 

As one of the most rigorous and time consuming majors at Concordia, the first year of being in the music program presents its own set of unique challenges such as time management, scheduling individual practice time and avoiding mental or physical burn out. “I had to learn how to schedule time to do everything, including eating and resting. You need to take care of yourself,” said senior Commercial Music major Kaitlyn Bills. 

The sense of community and mutual support is very evident in the Music Department from both students and faculty. Even for upperclassmen music students, the sense of belonging and encouragement found in the department keeps them going, even during the long rehearsals and hours spent in the practice rooms. “Once you find your people, they are going to be able to help you get through the hard times and the long nights of studying,” said junior Commercial Music major Amy Held. 

The Music Bootcamp program provides a helping hand in the process of becoming acquainted with the department while also creating memories amongst students that will last them even into their upperclassmen years. “My favorite memory that I had was the night that we all met each other. Everyone just wanted to jam. We played music and having that community moment before we all separated into our respective things was really cool,” said Bills.

For more information about the Music Department or Music Bootcamp, contact Dr. Hauser at christian.hauser@cui.edu or visit cui.edu/arts/music.

Tags: Alexander Carr

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