Arts On Tap Essay
Arts on Tap for a more Sparkling Spartanburg
Combining high-level music performance with a relaxed setting.
Like the music scene in cities like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, where classical players have had a lot of success performing in casual venues more typically associated with pop genres, Spartanburg is working to be added to that list of cities! Due to its success last year, the Petrie School of Music and Converse School of the Arts has again partnered with the Hub City Tap House, home of Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery, to provide a series of performance events! The series began at 8 pm on Wednesday, October 4, and will continue on the first Wednesday of each month. This series will be a family-friendly, free, way to offer high quality music in a relaxed atmosphere, with musical styles ranging …show more content…
from opera, classical art song, chamber music to musical theatre, pop, new music & folk.
All three parties involved benefit from this collaboration; Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery gains increased business with a more varied clientele, the Converse students gain performance opportunities beyond classical, competitive venues, and the City of Spartanburg benefits by engaging college-age youth in the community and by promoting interaction in local businesses.
The Petrie School of Music students that perform at this event are often students in the new Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) in Contemporary Music and Media Applications degree program.
For them, Arts on Tap is a real-life application of their studies. For example, Laura-Clare Thevenet, a Converse junior seeking her BMA in Contemporary Music and Media applications says this of the opportunity: “It provides students with an opportunity to perform in front of a different audience than the regular PSoM crowd. Singing in Daniel [Recital Hall] is fantastic, but as contemporary musicians, we won’t always be in such a safe, close knit environment. I think it’s really important to get that sort of “real world” experience. It also helps me practice interacting with the crowd! I sing in a lot of restaurants and bars, and half of the performance is making sure there’s no dead air; it improves my stage presence.” Sophomore Sarah Goulette, in the same contemporary music program, had similarly positive remarks about Arts on Tap: “It boosts my confidence because a lot of my peers are there, so it shows that if I can perform in front of them, I can perform in front of
anyone.”
And even students in other musical areas have much to gain from this series. Mikayla Dorman (Vocal Performance, ‘20) said, “it gives us experience in a relaxed space. It allows us as musicians to explore different atmospheres, venues, mediums of music, and teaches us how to adapt.” And Petrie School of Music alumna Grace Frazor (Vocal Performance and Music Theory, ‘17) said of the experience: “It gave me an opportunity to have fun with music without pressure to be perfect. It was just fun and enjoyable, which is why I got into music in the first place.”
But Converse students aren’t the only ones benefitting from the collaboration; the greater Spartanburg community has something to gain as well. Arts not only improve quality of life, but also the local economy. In a study by the Chapman Cultural Center, researchers found that the arts and cultural community is a $32 million industry in the Spartanburg region, supporting 1,130 full-time jobs and generating $2.7 million in local and state tax revenues. Of the $21.4 million spent by the 29 groups in the study, some went to pay employees, some to buy supplies, and some to contract for services. “These actions in turn support jobs, generate household income and generate revenue to local and state governments,” the report states.
Combining high-level music performance with a relaxed setting.
Like the music scene in cities like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, where classical players have had a lot of success performing in casual venues more typically associated with pop genres, Spartanburg is working to be added to that list of cities! Due to its success last year, the Petrie School of Music and Converse School of the Arts has again partnered with the Hub City Tap House, home of Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery, to provide a series of performance events! The series began at 8 pm on Wednesday, October 4, and will continue on the first Wednesday of each month. This series will be a family-friendly, free, way to offer high quality music in a relaxed atmosphere, with musical styles ranging …show more content…
from opera, classical art song, chamber music to musical theatre, pop, new music & folk.
All three parties involved benefit from this collaboration; Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery gains increased business with a more varied clientele, the Converse students gain performance opportunities beyond classical, competitive venues, and the City of Spartanburg benefits by engaging college-age youth in the community and by promoting interaction in local businesses.
The Petrie School of Music students that perform at this event are often students in the new Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) in Contemporary Music and Media Applications degree program.
For them, Arts on Tap is a real-life application of their studies. For example, Laura-Clare Thevenet, a Converse junior seeking her BMA in Contemporary Music and Media applications says this of the opportunity: “It provides students with an opportunity to perform in front of a different audience than the regular PSoM crowd. Singing in Daniel [Recital Hall] is fantastic, but as contemporary musicians, we won’t always be in such a safe, close knit environment. I think it’s really important to get that sort of “real world” experience. It also helps me practice interacting with the crowd! I sing in a lot of restaurants and bars, and half of the performance is making sure there’s no dead air; it improves my stage presence.” Sophomore Sarah Goulette, in the same contemporary music program, had similarly positive remarks about Arts on Tap: “It boosts my confidence because a lot of my peers are there, so it shows that if I can perform in front of them, I can perform in front of
anyone.”
And even students in other musical areas have much to gain from this series. Mikayla Dorman (Vocal Performance, ‘20) said, “it gives us experience in a relaxed space. It allows us as musicians to explore different atmospheres, venues, mediums of music, and teaches us how to adapt.” And Petrie School of Music alumna Grace Frazor (Vocal Performance and Music Theory, ‘17) said of the experience: “It gave me an opportunity to have fun with music without pressure to be perfect. It was just fun and enjoyable, which is why I got into music in the first place.”
But Converse students aren’t the only ones benefitting from the collaboration; the greater Spartanburg community has something to gain as well. Arts not only improve quality of life, but also the local economy. In a study by the Chapman Cultural Center, researchers found that the arts and cultural community is a $32 million industry in the Spartanburg region, supporting 1,130 full-time jobs and generating $2.7 million in local and state tax revenues. Of the $21.4 million spent by the 29 groups in the study, some went to pay employees, some to buy supplies, and some to contract for services. “These actions in turn support jobs, generate household income and generate revenue to local and state governments,” the report states.