Nov. 19, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Augustana University.

During a global pandemic when there have been questions about whether music should be made at all, Augustana University is finding ways to hit all the right notes.

Augustana announced the creation of its School of Music in May — its second school developed in the university’s history, following the announcement of the Sharon Lust School of Education a month prior. 

Despite the challenges of navigating the pandemic’s restrictions on traditional music-making, dean of the School of Music Dr. Peter Folliard and his colleagues have forged ahead, creating health and safety protocols based on scientific research regarding aerosol emissions.

“It’s what we have to do to stay safe – follow the best studies and research related to COVID-19 and the performing arts,” Folliard said.

Based on the research, the School of Music is limiting the use of chairs and room capacities, as well as directing traffic within its spaces. The university has acquired personal protective equipment, including customized masks and instrument bell covers and bags, so students can sing and play the instruments.

With the use of these specially designed masks, you’re able to hear the choirs surprisingly well, said director of choral activities Dr. Paul Nesheim.

“What has impressed me and blessed me the most is our students; they’re hanging in there and rolling with it as best they can. We’re all in the same boat, and they’ve still been digging in and making some beautiful music,” Nesheim said.

Because it takes 20 minutes for a fresh outdoor air cycle to filter through each space, students and faculty are being asked to move to a different location every 30 minutes while making music before the spaces are wiped down and used again.

Director of jazz studies Dr. Brian Hanegan, who supports the guidelines, said unfortunately that also means having to move equipment every half-hour.

“I think the students are doing a good job, and I think the institution itself has empowered us to be successful. It is challenging and does wear on you some for sure,” Hanegan said.

Typically, this would be a very busy time for the School of Music, filled with robust concerts and performance tours, but those have been postponed because of the novel coronavirus.

One thing that hasn’t been canceled though is the longstanding tradition of Augustana’s Christmas Vespers. The School of Music is now recording its 2020 production: “Risen With Healing in His Wings.”

Using Augustana’s state-of-the-art recording studio, the university’s choirs, band and orchestra are able to record remotely from the Winden Choral Room, Lillehaug Instrumental Room and Hamre Recital Hall — presenting the large-scale performance safely and unlike anyone else in the country. The concert is scheduled to air on South Dakota Public Broadcasting at 8 p.m. Dec. 18 and 7 p.m.  Dec. 24.

“The pandemic has brought so much suffering, and we need music now more than ever,” Folliard said. 

In the meantime, as part of the university’s strategic plan — Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 — the School of Music is in the process of developing an undergraduate program in music entrepreneurship and exploring the addition of graduate programs in music performance and music education. The school also is finding more efficient and better ways to recruit students. The university is using a new recruitment software platform that is helping the School of Music create more targeted and one-on-one recruiting experiences between faculty members and potential students. 

“It’s really similar to sports. Coaches don’t just seek to recruit a football player; they look for a quarterback. It’s the same for us — say we need a tenor or a baritone saxophone player, we are working to recruit them in that same personal way,” Folliard said.

What might be the greatest driver for an increase in enrollment for Augustana’s music programs and students of all majors is the School of Music’s newest initiative. Assistant director of bands and director of athletic bands Dr. Larry Petersen is working with director of bands Dr. Christopher Unger and percussion instructor Daniel Sailer to bring back the Augustana Marching Band — offering an annual scholarship to first-year students who join.

The resurrection of the marching band will occur in two phases. The first phase is underway with the launch of a drum line, which took place this fall. Led by Sailer, the drum line has performed several times on campus, receiving an enormous amount of praise from staff, faculty and administrators, with more students interested in the ensemble than there are instruments. 

“By the time we launch in the fall of 2021, we’re going to have this heartbeat of the ensemble in place and ready to deliver. The drum line is the key to our success in getting the marching band going, and it’s all about support and proper personnel, and we have all of that in place,” Unger said.

“Our marching band will not only enhance the student experience but will change the game-day experience and athletics in ways that we don’t even understand yet, so it’s truly an exciting time.”

The second phase of resurrecting the Augustana Marching Band will include equipping the band. The School of Music has developed a partnership with Yamaha and local music providers to equip students with the instruments. The marching band uniforms, currently in the design phase, will incorporate the university’s colors and core values. 

“A marching band is the most visible part of any music program on a collegiate campus, and it’s time that Augustana got the band back together,” Folliard said proudly.

The first time Augustana’s marching band — The Marching Vikings — was documented was in the 1936 Edda, Augustana’s yearbook.

For decades, The Marching Vikings provided much of the color and sound  for Viking Days parades, leading anywhere from 20 to 40 other area marching bands through the 15-block route in downtown Sioux Falls.

In 1964, The Marching Vikings even made national television, performing during halftime for the Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions game in Minneapolis.

In 1977, band director Leland Lillehaug reported to the Argus Leader that the university had made the decision to “drop marching band some time ago,” reportedly in 1974, and only assembled for Viking Days homecoming festivities, which continued into the 1990s.

Indeed, it’s time Augustana got the band back together.