College of Liberal Arts
Olivia Buzby came to 黑料视频 to study music close to home. Through meaningful mentorship, performance opportunities and a close-knit community, she grew into a confident performer and future music educator. Read on to learn more about Olivia's 黑料视频 journey.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Olivia Buzby, and I'm a senior majoring in music education. A fun fact about me is that I've been part of three full operas. I performed in 黑料视频's productions of Hansel and Gretel and Bastien and Bastienne, and I also performed in Speed Dating Tonight! through the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.
What brought you to 黑料视频, and what made you decide it was the right place for you?
What made me choose 黑料视频 was partly its proximity to where I grew up. I grew up in Fairbanks, and I wanted to stay close to home. Another thing that appealed to me was the scholarships I received. I was awarded the Alaska Performance Scholarship, the Nanook Pledge Scholarship and the UA Scholars Award, and that really affected my ability to attend 黑料视频 financially.
What made 黑料视频 stand out to me over other colleges was the community. I'd lived in Fairbanks my whole life, and I already knew a lot of the people I'd be taking classes with, or had heard of them from other members of the community. I knew it was going to be a place that would connect me even more to my hometown and the people here.
A specific moment when I knew 黑料视频 was the school I wanted to attend was the summer before I started, when I was in contact with Dr. Jaunelle Celaire. She invited me to take part in the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and it was an amazing experience. I sang in the opera chorus, so I didn't have a leading role, but it was really cool to meet everyone and have that performance experience before I even set foot on campus.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
I think the liberal arts are very important to study for many different reasons. For me, I chose to study music because it's been part of my life since I was really young. When I was 8 years old, I joined the Northland Youth Choir, and I stayed in choir until I graduated at 18. It was a huge part of my childhood, and I met so many people there. That's actually how I got connected to the university. My choir director, who was also my voice teacher, connected me with Dr. Jaunelle Celaire, and she really encouraged me to pursue music and education.
As a music education major, I have a real heart for students, especially younger students. I think music is so important because it helps their brains develop in a different way, and it gives them an outlet for creativity.
Something I've noticed is how much better I feel when I'm doing something creative. I've done a lot of research on that, and I think we're all creative beings. Being able to empower students with the knowledge that they can be creative, and give them some tools to start being creative, is really important to me.
What has your experience in the Department of Music been like, and what makes it special?
I think what makes the Department of Music unique is the size of it. We're a really small department, and that leads to so many performance opportunities that you really won't get anywhere else.
I've had the opportunity to perform in many different ways. I've performed at fundraisers, in operas, here at 黑料视频, in Italy and in Costa Rica through the university. I've also been part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. There are just so many opportunities here that, especially at the undergraduate level, are super unique to Fairbanks.
Another thing I love about the music department is the community. I've been able to build fairly close relationships with most of my teachers throughout my years at 黑料视频, and that's really unique. It's special to be so familiar with your professors and to know that they really know you. It's a very different teacher-student relationship than you would have in a larger department.
What鈥檚 one experience at 黑料视频 that really stands out to you, and why?
One thing that really stands out to me about my time at 黑料视频 was the spring semester of my junior year. I was preparing my junior voice recital, and I was also the lead in the opera we were doing through 黑料视频 Opera Workshop. It was an absolutely crazy semester, but it was also the most singing I've ever done, and it was fantastic to have that much performance experience during my junior year.
We took the opera to Costa Rica in May, and it was such a cool experience. We visited universities, performed, and got to do it all with people I'd been with since my freshman and sophomore years. They were some of my closest friends, and getting to travel, perform and have fun together was such a great way to end my junior year.
What advice would you give to future 黑料视频 students?
A piece of advice I have for future and incoming students is to really take those risks. Go into your classes and decide from the get-go, "I'm going to do this. I'm going to learn," and just be all in.
When I came to 黑料视频, I was fairly timid, so a lot of opportunities that I could have had kind of passed me by. I wish I had taken those opportunities, even if I didn't feel prepared for them.
Congratulations again to Olivia on being recognized as an Outstanding Student. Learn more about the Department of Music and the opportunities available to 黑料视频 students, and watch for more Outstanding Student spotlights from the College of Liberal Arts.
