Jo received a BS from Skidmore
in 1980, and recently returned to the College to pursue her
master’s. Her program of study focused on the “aesthetics
of Christian worship,” exploring how church music and
art contribute to the religious experience. A music teacher
for the past 16 years, Jo teaches her students to write, produce,
and perform their own operas. “My music students learn
more than singing and performing—they learn to build
sets, design make-up and costumes, write dialogue and lyrics,
compose music, and publicize the show.” This year, Jo’s
third graders are
producing an opera about being brave.
I think it’s safe to say that
I was the only one in my class who crossed the stage at graduation
while in labor with her second child. I started my bachelor’s
degree a little later than most people, and when I did, I was
the one paying tuition. There were things I had to give up to
go to school, and that sacrifice made college mean something
very special to me. I waited a long time before starting my
master’s degree as well, so when I did return to school,
I had my own reasons for going back. It wasn’t something
I did automatically, or because it was the next step in a list
of things that needed to be done.
Over the years I’ve spent in school, I’ve found
that the best way to learn something is to teach it. As a
student, it can feel as though your responsibility is to sponge
up the ideas of other people. But when you’re teaching,
you’re forced to put your own spin on the knowledge.
It’s up to you to figure out what’s most important.
I often felt like a teacher when I was a student in the MALS
program. I wasn’t just
regurgitating the facts I’d learned; I was trying to
show my professors the sense that I’d made of the material,
to draw their attention to my personal understanding of what
was most important.
My advisor once said to me, “No
subject’s worth studying if it’s not what you
care about.” And I think that’s a guiding principle
in this program. It doesn’t put you on the receiving
end of your education. Whether you’re writing back and
forth by email, or meeting with your professor in-person,
the way you respond is a crucial part of what you’re
taking away. It’s a little like the different kinds
of worship, which is the topic of my program of study. There
are religious services where you just listen: the priest speaks,
or the cantor sings, and you sit there and take it in. But
I was never drawn to that kind of service. I don’t just
want to feel entertained. I want to be involved; I want to
give back.
I first looked into doing my master’s
at Skidmore because of my experience as an undergraduate here—I
know what this school means. But I wanted to study the aesthetics
of worship, and a graduate program with such a focus didn’t
exist. Skidmore gave me the chance to create the program I
really wanted. Students in this program don’t come in
asking, “What can I major in?” or “Which
concentrations do you offer?” They start by saying,
“This is what I want to do. Can you help me?”
Creative Thought Matters.
Master of Arts Program
Skidmore College ·
815 North Broadway · Saratoga Springs, NY · 12866 mals@skidmore.edu · 518-580-5480
