California State University, Bakersfield has partnered with Bakersfield College (BC) in several areas as of late, and most recently in the music world.
“Obviously this has been a difficult year for music ensembles everywhere,” said Dr. Scott Dirkse, Bakersfield College music professor and ensemble music director.
“It’s been very hard to offer any kind of online experience that’s in any way equivalent to what students would get. Everybody’s been struggling this year – So we’ve been trying to think of ways that we can attract students and encourage them to stay enrolled or come back next year,” added Dr. Dirkse.
Dr. Dirkse approached Dr. Leo Sakomoto at CSUB about the possibility of rebuilding orchestra at both BC and CSUB’s campuses moving forward.
Dr. Leo Sakomoto, director of instrumental studies at CSUB, knew Dr. Dirkse as a local high school band director and they’d become good friends.
“Along with his extraordinary intellect and work, just his enthusiasm for building something at BC, which really aligns with what we’ve been trying to do at CSUB. Having that partner at another institution working closely, that’s just really exciting,” said Dr. Sakomoto.
While the hope is that this encourages or stimulates enrollment in BC and CSUB’s programs, it isn’t an orchestra strictly for music students. It is open to all BC and CSUB students with string instrument experience, as well as community members.
The music program and directors see this as an outlet for those who haven’t had a chance to play music much over the last year of the pandemic.
“If you’re coming out of high school and you’re starting at a new school, joining a music ensemble is a great way to quickly meet some new people. It provides a constructive social environment and a way to meaningfully collaborate with a group, something we’ve all been missing this past year,” said Dr. Dirkse.
Dr. Sakomoto added this program not only speaks to the practical, technical level of music, but the emotional side, too. It fosters a culture of developing a good work ethic, collaborative efforts and lifelong friends along the way.
The CSUB Music Program just underwent a multi-year process to achieve national accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
“There are several CSU campuses that are accredited by the agency, as well as over 600 colleges and universities nationwide having achieved accreditation. It is a great validation of our program, but it's also a commitment to continual improvement in our program. And one of the areas that we have really been concerned about improving has been participation in our orchestra program,” said Dr. Joel Haney, Department of Music and Theatre chair.
Dr. Haney added the orchestra will help in strengthening more engagement and participation within the program and further validate the accreditation the Department of Music and Theatre holds.
“It’s part of a bigger, very deliberate effort of the music program to strengthen our quality and also simply strengthen the numbers in certain areas,” said Dr. Haney.
Aside from the music engagement this program will provide, it will also help continue to strengthen the pathway for students in their coursework from BC to CSUB.
The orchestra class is set for face-to-face instruction in the fall, with most classes taking place on the CSUB campus and concerts divided equally between both CSUB and BC. However, procedures and guidelines from the university are still to come.
CSUB students interested in joining the orchestra should enroll in MUS 1230 or MUS 3230. BC students and community members interested in joining can enroll in MUSC B12A through Bakersfield College. For more information contact lsakomoto@csub.edu or scott.dirkse@bakersfieldcollege.edu.
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