Pam Musil Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

2020 Retiring College Faculty and Staff Honored for Their Service

Noelle Barrus — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 19:26:20 +0000

Eight faculty and staff members from the College of Fine Arts and Communications retire this year This year, several faculty and staff in the College of Fine Arts and Communications will be retiring after years of honorable and dedicated service. During their decades of work and teaching at BYU, these individuals have strengthened our college community and have inspired the minds of countless students. “We acknowledge all the hard work that those retiring faculty and staff dedicated to their time here at BYU,” said Dean Ed Adams. “Each one of them contributed to the various achievements within the college, and although they will be missed, we wish them all well in their future.” Among those retiring are: Randall Boothe, Rosalind Hall, Sharon Heelis, Debbie Hendrickson, Michael Hicks, Kevin Kelly, Pam Musil and Adrian Pulfer. Randall Boothe | Music During his 43 years working at BYU, Randall Boothe was not only a professor but also a director. He served as associate dean of the college for five years. Boothe taught Private Voice Instruction, Young Ambassadors Performance and Junior Music Dance Theatre Seminar. He also directed the Young Ambassadors, Lamanite Generation, Curtaintime USA, BYU Sounds, Sounds of Freedom, 9 Homecoming Spectaculars, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and 18 main stage musical theater productions. Rosalind Hall | Music Rosalind Hall originally came to BYU after studying at three previous schools; the University of London, University of Edinburgh and London’s Royal Academy of Music. Hall came to BYU to pursue post-graduate studies in choral conducting and in 1999 returned to BYU to teach vocal performance ensembles and choral conducting. Hall was the director of the BYU Men’s Chorus and Concert Choir. Sharon Heelis | Art Sharon Heelis worked for the Art Department for nearly 40 years. Through the years, Heelis witnessed many changes to the department — including the first computer in the office. She started her career as a part-time student secretary and soon thereafter earned a full-time position working as the gallery secretary, and culminating her career as the department secretary. Heelis also earned a degree in Art History while working for the department and taught evening classes for Art in basket weaving. Debbie Hendrickson | Advisement Debbie Hendrickson joined the College of Fine Arts and Communications Advisement Center in 2010. Hendrickson began her career at BYU as a student, and she worked part-time in the Admissions Office. After she graduated, Hendrickson worked full-time in the Admissions Office for three years and then worked for nine years as an Admissions Counselor. She then worked in the Graduate Studies office for two years as an advisor. Debbie’s gentle nature, caring compassion and thorough work have endeared her to hundreds of students, faculty, administration and most especially to the advisement team. Michael Hicks | Music Michael Hicks came to BYU to teach composition and theory in 1985. Hicks is a composer, performer, and writer. His orchestral, chamber and solo works have been performed by countless artists across the US and also by BYU students and faculty ensembles. He is the distinguished author of six books, dozens of historical and analytical articles, and his poetry has been published in multiple outlets. Hicks also won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award three times during his career at BYU. Kevin Kelly | Comms After 19 years at the global advertising company “Ogilvy & Mather,” Kevin Kelly joined the School of Communications at BYU in 2004 to teach strategic planning, account management and the senior capstone classes. Kelly helped improve BYU’s advertising program by revising the curriculum, including adding copywriting as a discipline. Because of his 25 years in advertising, Kelly built bridges between academia and the profession by adding many internships and a recruiters fair, giving students opportunities to access the advertising industry. He also chaired a task force under Elder Ballard to find new ways to use paid media to enhance missionary efforts of The Church. Kelly received the 2020 Distinguished Advertising Educator Award from the American Advertising Federation. He also co-authored “The Ark” with Michael McLean, a musical about Noah and his family which premiered off-Broadway in 2005. Pam Musil | Dance Pam Musil worked for the Dance Department for 27 years. Musil served as the Contemporary Area Administrator for eight years and as Department Associate Chair for five years. She was a professor of contemporary dance, and excelled in dance science and education. For five years, Musil worked as the artistic director of DanceEnsemble. Musil was also a section editor and chapter author for the textbook project “Case Studies in Dance” and she is the current co-editor of “Dancing Across the Lifespan: Age-related issues in Dance.” Adrian Pulfer | Design Adrian Pulfer came to the BYU Design Department in 1985. His creative work has been featured in almost every professional design publication and has won many national awards. The American Express “Portraits” campaign won several gold awards including “Campaign of the Decade.” Pulfer not only received the Karl G. Maeser Research Award, but he is also a multi-year recipient of the Graphis Platinum Award for excellence in teaching. He also worked as art director and associate editor of Graphis Magazine.

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Retiring Dance Professor Pam Musil Reflects on 27 Years at BYU

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 20:19:19 +0000

After serving the Department of Dance for 27 years, professor Pam Musil retired after the end of Winter semester 2020. The following are her own words. As an undergraduate dance student, I felt that I had found my home within the Department of Dance. I still remember how in awe I was of my professors. To me each of them, in their own ways, epitomized what and who I wanted to become. I remember looking specifically at Dee Winterton as he was introduced at a state AAHPERD meeting, and wondering how he had accomplished so much! I felt I would never be able accomplish anything near what he had done. Looking back now, I realize that through a lifetime of “plugging away” within the discipline, most of us accumulate accomplishments in a similar way. One reason why the Department of Dance felt like home to me was because I always felt cared for and nurtured by the faculty. I was often amazed that they even knew my name. Nurturing and caring have been hallmarks of the Department of Dance for as long as I can remember. I have felt a strong call and stewardship to show my own students the same degree of nurturing and care that I encountered as a student. I only hope I have been a fraction as successful in that nurturing process as my own professors were. Throughout my tenure here at BYU I have had many opportunities to travel and to seek professional development. I have been pushed to write and to publish, and in doing so, have learned to be a better writer. I have served as a faculty member among colleagues who I consider to be among the best in the profession. Given all of these opportunities, I have always counted myself fortunate, and in many ways unworthy to be here. “Imposter Syndrome” is a real condition that many, often women, experience when working in highly challenging environments. I certainly experienced it many times myself as I wondered if I was really capable of doing all that was expected of me. Those feelings have driven me to be the best I could be, and to contribute and serve in whatever ways possible. When I count the many blessings of working here at BYU, my students are always among those that I count most dear. I have been blessed by and have learned from my students throughout my career as a dance educator. Looking back, I am amazed at how many students I have taught throughout the decades that I have been a dance educator. When I think of all that my students have taught me, I often receive the quiet assurance that I have been the receiver of profound lessons that are exponentially greater than any lessons I have given. Read the full essay in the Department of Dance newsletter.

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Dance Professor Encourages Transformative Change

admin — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 21:50:36 +0000

BYU dance professor Pam Musil addressed students about the path of transformative change during a devotional on Tuesday, August 6. Musil shared the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (through the) perfect will of God.” “The type of transformation that Paul speaks of implies a change from our carnal, natural state to a more godlike state wherein we can abide God’s presence,” said Musil. Musil discussed five principles she believes are requisite to take part in that kind of transformative change. Read the full article at universe.byu.edu or see the highlight video at speeches.byu.edu. Read additional coverage at news.byu.edu.

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Dance Professor Pam Musil to Speak at Devotional

Morgan Reis — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 21:01:36 +0000

The devotional will take place at 11 a.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center. Pam Musil, professor of contemporary dance and dance education in the Department of Dance, will be speaking at the Summer BYU Devotional on August 6. Musil has taught courses on kinesiology for dancers and dance education at BYU for 26 years. In her teaching, Musil hopes to teach students about the correct practice, anatomy and function of the body to enable them to keep their bodies healthy and allow them to dance for a long time. “My greatest accomplishment as a dancer and educator is seen in the accomplishments of my students,” said Musil. “I am astounded by their many talents and accomplishments — I am humbled in knowing that I might have had a sliver of influence in their lives.” In addition to teaching at BYU, Musil’s work has been published in various journals of research, policy reviews and textbooks. She has presented at conferences across the U.S., Italy and China. She has also traveled to Mumbai and Bangalore to teach dance pedagogy workshops. Musil, a certified Franklin Method Educator (FME), currently serves on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Dance Education and Arts Education Policy Review. Previously, she has served on the Board of Directors for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and was the president of the Utah Dance Education Organization. At the end of 2018, Musil was featured in a documentary short, “And I continue — A conversation about dancing and aging,” which debuted at the National Dance Education Organization Conference.

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BYU Dance Faculty Collaborate to Create Documentary on Ageism Within the Dance Community

Mason Graham — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:54:46 +0000

As she got older, Pam Musil, BYU’s associate dance department chair, had gradually removed herself from the performative and technical aspects of dance. And though she felt self-conscious about dancing on film, she did it, she said, because “this story needs to be told.” Kate Monson said it is commonplace for dancers to stop getting jobs or just bow out when they hit a certain age. “Dance has expectations similar to athletics in that you hit a prime in your 20s and then you quietly and graciously disappear from the stage in your 30s, or if you’re lucky, your early 40s,” she said. As such, Monson said, most dancers spend the bulk of their careers doing things other than performing. Read more here. Photo courtesy of Kate Monson.

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New Contemporary Dance Study Abroad Helps Students Broaden Their Experiences and Network With Members of the International Community

Mason Graham — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 23:10:44 +0000

For the first time, BYU’s Department of Dance is taking students to Europe to study Contemporary Dance. BYU’s Department of Dance has a storied history of taking its students abroad to further their education. “We have had study abroad opportunities for the past 20 years or so,” said Pam Musil, the department’s associate chair. “We started out going to China every three years.” However, the department is doing something new this year. This June, faculty and students from the Department of Dance will travel to Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague and Vienna for a contemporary focused study abroad. Students who participate in the five-week program will participate in five international dance festivals. These dance festivals bring together some of the most renowned names and companies in contemporary dance, giving the students and faculty in attendance the opportunity to watch performers they may not have the opportunity to see otherwise. “It’s a big deal,” Musil said. “It gives them the opportunity, not only to learn from artists throughout the world, but also to network. A lot of our students who are going are interested in forming their own dance companies, even working in Europe for a time, and it gives them a chance to do a lot of networking. Some of the people we’ve brought in as guests artists will be teaching at these festivals, so the students can reconnect with them.” “It’s a great ambassadorial experience for our students to be out in the world and representing BYU and our values,” Musil added. “The dance discipline can be kind of questionable sometimes in terms of the standards they embrace. We have a chance to present an alternative and be able to let the world see what a great dance program BYU has and what great students we have. I think generally when we go out in the world, people are sometimes surprised and often impressed at the quality of our students and their skills. We’re excited for that aspect as well.” Some attending students will also have the opportunity to perform while attending the New Prague Dance Festival. Musil said, “Our Contemporary Dance Theatre company has been to the Prague festival before and they came home with the grand prize that year. Regardless of the outcome of this performance, the adjudication is important, to be able to get feedback from professionals out in the world on the choreography and performance is important.” Students participating in the study abroad will also have the opportunity to go to historical sites and view art in various museums throughout Europe. This expansion of the students’ life experience and cultural exposure has been planned by involved professors to help inspire future artistic expression. “One opportunity that a study abroad like this offers is that choreography can be inspired by social or political events, other works of art or any number of things that we encounter out in the world,” Musil said. “That inspiration can happen in an isolated way in the studio, but going out into the world and actually experiencing and seeing a work of art makes the resulting work more rich and authentic.” Musil and other involved professors aim for the study abroad to be nothing less than a definitive part of their students’ college experiences and, hopefully, their lives. “It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students. I would hope some of our juniors and seniors and any students who go really consider this program a capstone. This is the pinnacle of the kinds of work they’ve been doing at the college level. It takes everything they’ve learned here at BYU and allows them to synthesize and apply it in a real-world way; to prepare for grad school and for performing careers by making connections and networking. It is a great capstone to their whole college career, a crowning experience.” Further information regarding the study abroad may be found here. (Photo courtesy of the BYU Kennedy Center)

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CFAC Faculty Honored at BYU’s 2017 University Conference

Rebecca Sumsion — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 18:57:29 +0000

Recognition included four university awards and three college awards. Several faculty from the College of Fine Arts and Communications were recognized as part of the 2017 University Conference for their outstanding efforts and accomplishments. College faculty include Curt W. Holman, Thomas B. Russell, Jean S. Applonie and Jeffrey L. Parkin for university level BYU Faculty and Staff Achievement Awards and Joseph Ostraff, Pam Musil and Rodger Sorensen for college awards. University awards were recognized at the opening session of the University Conference. Recipients were given their awards during a presentation by CFAC Dean Ed Adams at the college meeting on Wednesday Aug. 30 along with the college award recipients. University Awards The University Conference Committee recognized the awardees by saying, “Over this past year and throughout their careers, these awardees — professors, nurses, directors, secretaries, editors, technicians — have found, in the simpleness of a daily vocation, significant ways to contribute to the university. We recognize each one of them and thank them for helping us remember our foundations and build on new opportunities.” Curt W. Holman | Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award Holman, professor and chair of the Department of Dance, was awarded the Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award. The award honors faculty members for “outstanding research and creative accomplishments,” given through the Karl G. Maeser Scholarship Society. Holman’s creative endeavors include work as the artistic director of the Ballroom Dance Showcase Company and Ballroom Dance Company. He has created over 45 works of ensemble choreography for the Ballroom Dance Company, 21 commissioned pieces for professional competitors in the cabaret category, seven of which received first place awards at the U.S. National Championships with three of those being invited to present internationally. At the college meeting Dean Adams said, “This work, created for academic and professional ballroom dance, places (Holman) among the top creative artists in his discipline. Professor Holman is a consummate citizen and a well-loved mentor and teacher. He is an expert teacher who continually hones his craft and infuses his creative work into his teaching.” Thomas B. Russell | General Education Professorship Russell, teaching professor in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts (TMA), received the General Education Professorship as recognition for his work with the “Introduction to Film” general education (GE) course. This award is given to faculty who give “outstanding contributions to undergraduate general education” and put their scholarly interests toward serving the university community. More than 350 students enroll in the Introduction to Film course taught by Russell each semester. He focuses on student learning through thought-provoking lectures and discussions that help students ponder the influence films have on their thinking and actions. Russell has also been working to make the Intro to Film course available as an online course. “Professor Russell is an engaging leader whose presentations of film principles encourages students to explore their own media literacy interests and abilities. He has been a force in improving the course over time,” Dean Adams said. Jean S. Applonie | Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award Applonie, adjunct professor in the School of Music, conducts the Women’s Chorus audition choir. She received the Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award which is given to part-time faculty who have worked at the university for at least five years and have “demonstrated excellence in teaching or in other professional responsibilities.” Applonie has served as an adjunct faculty member for over 15 years. In addition to conducting Women’s Chorus, Applonie teaches teacher education courses, instructing hundreds of future choral educators throughout her career. She has also served in the American Choral Director’s Association Western Division. Dean Adams credited Applonie with the transformation of the Women’s Chorus. “During her 15 years as an adjunct faculty member for the School of Music, Jean has moved the Women’s Chorus to one that is central to the choral program.” Jeffrey L. Parkin | Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship Parkin, teaching professor in the Department of TMA, received the Randall Morgan Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship. The fellowship recognizes “the sacrifice and efforts by the university’s support service.” Recipients receive a “transfer of positions and budget to enhance teaching and learning,” as explained by the University Conference Committee. Parkin prepares film production students for their future vocations by engaging students in practical production work. The fellowship will continue Parkins’ effort to improve teaching and learning, especially efforts designed to achieve the Aims of a BYU Education, according to Dean Adams. “Professor Parkin is a charismatic classroom leader whose coursework and syllabi reflect his desire for students to collaborate with each other in creative settings,” Dean Adams said. “His work at the university has influenced his students to be prepared and detailed producers of quality products.” College Awards Recipients were selected from nominations from department chairs and school directors over the past year. Each recipient has been at the university for at least five years prior to their nomination and are faculty “whose commitment to excellence and performance as citizen, teacher, and scholar is exemplary and merits recognitions by the CFAC community” said Dean Adams. Joseph Ostraff | CFAC Excellence in Research and Creative Work Award Ostraff, professor in the Department of Art, is a successful painter, but also excels with mixed media, video and photography. He has participated in several prestigious exhibitions, residencies and awards. Ostraff has been awarded the competitive Utah Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship three times, a considerable accomplishment for an artist. Ostraff lectures regularly on a national level and has lectured internationally as well. He has participated in 244 juried exhibitions, presented 53 lectures and received numerous grants. “He is not only prolific in the creation of artwork, but he exhibits his work regularly and extensively in quality regional, national and international venues,” Dean Adams said. “Professor Ostraff loves to create art with faculty and students from our institution and other institutions. He is integral to the strength and vitality of the department and has a positive influence on students.” Pam Musil | CFAC Excellence in Teaching Award Musil, professor in the Department of Dance, has an in-depth knowledge of kinesiology and experience teaching abroad in India. She is devoted to continual learning and is involved in international teaching pedagogical discussions. Teachers and students agree that she is invaluable to the department. One of her students wrote, “Pam Musil is absolutely [...]

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