Brass performance student Ann Bateman shares how an experiential learning opportunity has enhanced her time at BYU
I had the opportunity to attend the International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC) at Arizona State University this year through the School of Music. The IWBC is a conference that brings women and men together to celebrate and support female brass players from around the world. Honestly, the only reason I registered for this conference was for the trumpet competition on the first day of the conference, but I gained so much more from unexpected workshops and concerts throughout the week.
First off, I love that the IWBC traditionally starts off with the first “missed note” of the conference — a trombone player got up on stage and played an awful note at the start of the conference on purpose. This was done to take away the anxiety of being the first one to miss a note at the conference because someone already messed up! No one is perfect at performing, and this first “missed note” reaffirmed this truth that we so often forget.READ MORE