I had the great pleasure of getting to learn from and work with Arlene in various settings: 2 years of taking her musicianship lab, TAing 550/560, being a piano student in the applied music program that she oversaw, and her being my advisor.
There are some quotes from educators that stick with you forever and the quote I’ll always remember from Arlene is her telling our advanced musicianship class, “These are your skills, not mine,” while we struggled to get through atonal sight singing melodies. Arlene always cared about her students walking away from her classes with practical skills, but the thing I really appreciate in retrospect is the practice ethic she inspired in us. She encouraged us to take responsibility for our skills, and even if we struggled (I remember the nerves many of us felt going into her office for individual exams and piano juries), she always welcomed us and encouraged us when we were ready to try again. She cared about the small wins. She also understood that sometimes instead of giving musical criticism or educational suggestions, the best thing she could do for her students was ask, “How are you?” and genuinely want to hear the answer.
Even while expressing disappointment that I didn’t play piano recitals as often as she would have liked, she always showed up to the theater productions I music directed. Arlene constantly put aside her ego and the self-importance which plagues so much of the field of education (“my class is most important”) in order to support her students as full, well-rounded people, and I believe that’s what made her the heart of the music department. Arlene was a vital part of my college and music education in general. I’m so grateful I got to learn from her and spend time with her, and I will miss her greatly.
Cassandra Ball ’17