| Ceremonies marking the formal appointment of the new Dean of the Eastman School of Music took place Sunday. Jamal Rossi's investiture ceremonies in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre included a classical saxophone performance by the dean.
The ceremonies also included the presentation of the Luminary Award to Martin Messinger, a longtime supporter of the University of Rochester.
It's been about a year since the death of former Dean Doug Lowry, and Rossi tells WXXI News that he's in the midst of working with a variety of leaders to talk about how they want to see the Eastman School develop in the next several years.
"To still enable that level of depth and excellence while also providing a broader education that will give a student versatility so that they have the capacity to be a great oboist in an orchestra, but they also can play a show, do other things, perhaps teach other things."
Rossi says one of the emerging areas the Eastman School is exploring is how it can work with students who are interested in adding various types of digital and visual types of expression to their music education. Rossi is also concerned about cutbacks in music education in public schools, something he says is a very necessary part of inspiring a student's creativity in all kinds of endeavors.
Another goal of Rossi’s is to work with parents, lawmakers and others to emphasize the importance of funding music education in public school. |