Sigma Alpha Iota

Winter 2019 6 PAN PIPES MUSIC NOTES I was honored to receive an SAI Professional Education Development Grant to participate in the College Music Society National Conference in Vancouver, Canada in October 2018. From its Mission: "A consortium of college, conservatory, university, and independent musicians and scholars interested in all disciplines of music, the Society provides leadership and serves as an agent of change by addressing concerns facing music in higher education." College Music Society (CMS) is an umbrella organization for musicians in all spheres of musical academia. I was selected to present a poster at the conference about the growth of the Mississippi University for Women Department of Music, where I serve as Associate Professor and Chair. is was an extraordinary professional opportunity as only 28% of proposals were selected. My presentation "A Musical Renaissance: e Reestablishment of a Music Department" described how our department was able to increase our enrollment by 300% to the highest enrollment on record, all while increasing our retention and graduation rates and focusing on having a diverse and inclusive community of music majors. In the process, we revised our curriculum, created new classes and degree tracks, attained reaccreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), hosted three major music conferences (MS Music Teachers, MS Federated Music Clubs, and College Music Society Southern Regional conferences), and organized the annual International Music by Women Festival - an event celebrating the contributions of women composers historically as well as in the present day. Our students have won awards and received scholarships from state, regional, and national organizations and music competitions, and they have continued their achievements past graduation. I am proud of our accomplishments and I wanted to share what we have learned and strategies we used with my colleagues at the College Music Society. In 2012, when I first started in my administrative position, I eagerly listened to the advice of my more experienced colleagues at the CMS National Conference in San Diego, and found their ideas invaluable during the process of rebuilding our music program. In addition to presenting my own poster session, I was able to attend numerous sessions from colleagues all around the country. Some of my favorite events included: a performance by Stephen Runge of piano works from Western Canada; two wonderful presentations about the life and work of Florence Price – "Nevertheless, She Persisted: Solo Piano Music of Florence B. Price" presented by Linda Holzer, and "Exploring the Life and Songs of Florence Smith Price" presented by Elizabeth Momand; and "Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), Marian McPartland (1918–2013): 100-Year Celebration" presented by Susan Wheatley. All of these sessions featured samples of compositions by women composers, and, since I specialize in performing music by women composers, and organize the Music by Women Festival, I was very excited to hear their research and performances. One of my former faculty members at the University of Miami, Stephen Zdzinski, presented a poster, "Extracting Articles, Presentations, and Workshops from your esis or Dissertation." It was exciting to see other colleagues from all around the world and hear about the great work they are doing at their own institutions. Participation in an event of such magnitude makes me appreciate that while the world of music may seem large, the longer I am actively involved in it, the more connections I see. In some ways, this conference is a reunion with colleagues and musical friends I have made in all stages of my career. My participation in this conference would not have been possible without the help of Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. I am very proud to be an SAI sister and grateful for all the support the association has given me throughout the years, both personal and professional. SAI has played a pivotal role in my career since I joined as an undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University. I am forever thankful for all the opportunities and friendships our sisterhood provides. An initiate of Iota Phi Chapter, pianist Julia Mortyakova is the Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women and the Founder/Artistic Director of the Music by Women Festival. She was a recipient of the 2012 Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies Career Performance Grant. Dr. Mortyakova is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Vanderbilt University, New York University, and the University of Miami. Notes from Vancouver

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