2nd annual BSU Sings! Day offers vocal opportunities for schools large and small

BEMIDJI — Several professional pursuits were born from the pandemic.

For Bemidji State music professor Jennifer Olson, her “BSU Sings!” video series started out of a need to provide online instructional materials to ensemble directors and music teachers in the thick of the shutdown in the fall of 2020.

Since its conception, in-person musical opportunities have gradually returned and given way to another initiative: BSU Sings! Day.

“Once we were able to have (events) in person, the goal was always to make these connections to provide a service within the community,” Olson said.

Offered for the first time in 2022, BSU Sings! Day originally brought together 80 students from four high schools. This year, roughly 140 students from five schools spent their Wednesday in BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex working with music faculty in various classes and workshops.

Participating schools included TrekNorth Junior and Senior High School, Grand Rapids, International Falls, Clearbrook-Gonvick and Chanhassen High Schools.

Throughout the day, students rehearsed three pieces of music that culminated in a public performance in BSU’s Beaux Arts Ballroom. Among these pieces, “The Frozen Man” was composed specifically for BSU Sings! Day by BSU professor James Bowyer, with students premiering the piece at the concert’s end.

Students could also take part in a master class and a drum session for rhythm work.

“Those other two sessions are a little bit different because we wanted to give them a little break vocally, but also be challenged in different ways,” Olson said.

Prior to the concert, students participated in a question-and-answer session with Bemidji Choir members, who sang alongside them during the concert. Olson highlighted the opportunity to present a 170-member choir to the public.

“Even in a large city, that’s unusual to have such a large group,” Olson said, “so it’s really a fun experience and it might be a big first for a lot of these kids.”

Olson always had in mind that a mix of larger and smaller schools should participate in BSU Sings! Day.

“One of the most important services we’re providing is an opportunity for small programs to experience what it’s like to be part of a larger group,” Olson said. “A lot of these smaller programs don’t get these kinds of opportunities.”

Drawing on her own experiences, Olson noted a lack of opportunities coming out of a small town where some teachers have to teach all grade levels and classes of music.

“These heroic teachers who have to do everything,” Olson said, “they teach elementary through high school, band and choir and general music. These people have enormous amounts of work on their plates, so for them to have these kinds of opportunities is particularly important.”

Though BSU Sings! Day is currently invite-only — with four of the five participating schools also using Olson’s BSU Sings! video series — there is a waitlist available for interested schools. More information can be found by emailing Olson at jennifer.olson@bemidjistate.edu.

“The goal would be to have schools come back every other year so they can experience it again, but also offer it to newer programs,” she said. “There’s talent in every corner and it’s like finding the golden goose, to find all of these amazing kids that come from these little towns.”

Alongside the growth of BSU Sings! Day, the 52-video BSU Sings! series has reached 44,000 students representing 500 schools from across 24 states as of February 2023.

The videos cover a range of topics from music fundamentals to stage presence to musical repertoire. Olson emphasized the video series’ flexibility as teachers can use them in any order they wish.

Though each video has built-in assessments to meet state educational standards, teachers are also allowed to create their own.

“Videos can be used to supplement instruction on days when a class has a substitute teacher and can be used as curriculum supplements for certain subjects or to allow students to have additional learning opportunities outside of the classroom,” a release said. “BSU Sings! materials also help participating high school teachers demonstrate technology use standards for their professional development plans.”

Moving into the future, Olson plans to collaborate with BSU’s Integrated Media Department to reshoot some of the videos to air on public television.

“Up until now, it’s been me and one student (shooting and editing videos). I started doing it by myself, which is hilarious because I’m technically incompetent," she said with a laugh.

Having a team behind her, Olson will continue providing her resources to those who have a demonstrated need, and left off by adding, “being able to provide these opportunities is pretty special.”