school of music

The all-female a cappella group released a music video of their new arrangement of “You’ll Be in My Heart” to pay tribute to maternal love.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed with Chick Corea at BYU

Graduating music performance major Kaden Larson may have never pursued a music career if he had not been diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of two. “The diagnosis was a catalyst, but it’s not a leash,” said Larson. “We can be given a challenge or something that seems unfair or something that seems insurmountable, but that is often just our way into something else.” Read more about Larson’s experience studying music on BYU News.

Convocation for the Department of Art and Department of Design will take place at 8 a.m. on April 27

Ariel Bybee leaves an inspiring legacy to loved ones and strangers alike

Last weekend, BYU Vocal Point’s newest music video “The Greatest Showman A Cappella Mashup,” received over 1 million views on the group’s YouTube channel. The video brought together aerial artists, dancers, singers and cinematographers to feature four songs from the movie—“The Greatest Show,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars” and “This Is Me.” The video’s views are not the only indicator of success. It received positive feedback across the board, including from one of the film’s main stars, Hugh Jackman, who called the video an “amazing effort” on Twitter. However, the video’s greatest success may actually lie in the behind-the-scenes work that went into creating the video. McKay Crockett, BYU Vocal Point’s artistic director and music producer, said viewers have no idea just how much work and sacrifice went into creating the video from simply watching the final product. From overcoming illness to creating a circus tent to film in, nothing about the making of the video was easy. Step one was creating a collaborative environment for students from various disciplines and areas, including The School of Music, The Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Performing Arts Management, Contemporary Dance Theatre and the BYU Cougarettes. Students not only worked with each other, but also had the opportunity to work with professionals, including filmmakers, BYU Broadcasting staff and circus performers from Aeris Aerial Arts. The next step was filming the video. The four-and-a-half minute video was shot within 12 hours during a single day. The cast and crew were faced with the task of filming three perfect, continuous takes — the longest being over two minutes long—and then editing these together in post-production. Jeff Parkin, director of the video and BYU film professor, said filming under those circumstances “was a high-wire act with a lot of intensity and stress, but created a special energy on screen. The ability to pull off such shots successfully says a great deal about the professional abilities of our BYU students.” According to Crockett, Vocal Point member Jason Bromley (BA ‘20) had one of the most difficult parts in the video. Bromley trained for weeks with former Cirque Du Soleil performer Darla Davis to learn aerial choreography for “Rewrite the Stars.” Bromley stated, “This was by far the most difficult part of the video because it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. It took weeks for my body to acclimate to that kind of strain and I endured some pretty gnarly rope burns. However, it was an amazing experience and one I doubt many other college students get the opportunity to enjoy.” In addition to learning aerial choreography, Bromley had to sing at double the normal tempo while filming “Rewrite the Stars.” This allowed the post-production team to slow down the aerial work later during editing while still matching Bromley’s lips to the normal tempo of the song. Bromley stated perhaps the most amazing part about this minute-long scene is that it was filmed in one continuous take. Difficult filming circumstances were not the only barrier students had to overcome. Vocal Point member Logan Shelton (BA ‘19) was one of many cast members to get sick leading up to filming. “I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to embody the message of the video,” Shelton said. “The whole project ended up being a miracle. Everything just fell right into place. I hope people feel empowered to be their best selves from watching our adaptation.” Crockett said despite various complications, the crew and cast were able to come together to create an unforgettable experiential learning project. “It was really meaningful to see all the energy on set and all the sacrifice that went into making the video,” Crockett said. “The final video is a real testament to how great BYU is.” This BYU Records production and its success was made possible with the help of various faculty and staff across campus, including Ben Fales (executive producer), Jared Cardon (producer), Jodi Maxfield (BYU Cougarettes director) and Jenny Tingey (choreographer).

BYU’s all-female a capella group Noteworthy is set to release their newest music video on Feb. 14 on the group’s YouTube channel. The video will feature a cover of Michael Bublé’s song “Feeling Good.”Noteworthy director Keith Evans said, “the music video’s release on Valentine’s is a perfect fit.” The lyrics of the song focus on enjoying the little things and choosing to start afresh with a positive outlook on life. Evans said, “Not only are the lyrics of the song empowering, but also the story behind the creation of the video is as well. Our adaptation of 'Feeling Good' is meant to embrace strong, powerful femininity. To do this, Noteworthy members took the lead on this project from concept to direction, capturing the group's unique grace and confidence.” Evans hopes that if anyone is feeling down this Valentine’s Day, Noteworthy’s new music video will be an instant way to “feel good.”

Jason Robert Brown and Kelli O’Hara spent time working with students while at BYU

Student performers recorded music on a Disklavier piano to accompany the art of M.C. Escher

M.C. Escher: Other Worlds will be on display from Nov. 17, 2017 - May 19, 2018 A new exhibit opening at the BYU Museum of Art will feature the mind-bending works and worlds of M.C. Escher. Even if visitors have never heard his name before, it is likely they have seen his mathematics inspired works. What fewer people are familiar with is the musical inspiration behind the prints that will be on display. In order to show this connection, the museum has brought in a Bösendorfer piano equipped with Disklavier technology which will play pieces recorded by students from the School of Music. An in-depth article on the exhibit can be read in the Daily Herald here.

Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge explain music is not just simply playing notes

Roomful of Teeth shared their vocal abilities on and off the stage and left a lasting impact on students at BYU

New professor of vocal performance and opera, Joshua Lindsay, shares his background performing in Europe as well as what brought him to BYU

A BYUtv documentary about the BYU Chamber Orchestra’s tour to the Philippines will air during General Conference weekend.

A group of students attended SliderAsia Music Festival in Hong Kong to expand and enhance their musicianship.

After a night of thunder and hail, orchestra members awoke to a beautiful, fresh morning with the sun shining, a perfect day for a tour of the alpine setting of Logatec, a city of 14,000. In preparation for the evening's benefit concert, the mayor met with orchestra members expressing gratitude for raising funds to help the city recover from January's devastating ice storm and the flood that followed. (The ice storm created a weight of more than 80 kilograms per meter of electrical wire. One could see the majority of trees in the area's forests with the tops of the trees severed off and other broken branches all around.) Members of the orchestra were surprised to see the flood lines on houses that were well up the hill. In the evening a large paying crowd filled a good portion of the city sports hall. After several local musical numbers--and remarks from the fire chief and mayor--the orchestra followed. Before the finale, director Kory Katseanes, said through a translator, 'Our final number is titled Appalachian Spring. After touring your beautiful city of Logatec on this spring day, I'm convinced that this music could have been called Logatec Spring. ' The audience gave an emotional applause of appreciation.

Leaving the uniformity of school and experiencing international learning was life-changing for pianist Kaden Larson

Competition highlights hard work of BYU Music Major