Music

Andrew Kales, Bachelor of Music Education

Hometown: Orchard Lake, Michigan
High School: Bloomfield Hills High School
High School Orchestra Teacher: Scott Wolf

Secondary Major or Minor(s): Education (Music Ed)

Ensemble/Production/Organizational Involvement at GVSU:

• ASTA Student Chapter (President 2 years, Vice-President 1 year)
• Symphony Orchestra (Concertmaster + Co-Concertmaster, 3 years)
• Laker Jazz Combo (4 years)
• New Music Ensemble
• University Band
• Past experiences in Dr. Mahave-Veglia’s class chamber ensembles
   

How did you get into your field, and what led you to come to GVSU to study it?
Unlike many music majors who come from high school set on being a musician, I came to Grand Valley as a freshman completely undecided. The only thing I thought I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to pursue music full time out of fear that I would lose my love for it. I had never taken private violin lessons and only played in middle and high school orchestra every other day, but it was without a doubt my favorite part of school. I started playing in the GVSU Symphony as a non-major and for the next 3 semesters, I slowly became more involved in MTD. I started to realize that teaching has always been a passion of mine that I discovered coaching American Ninja Warrior athletes in high school, but it took experiencing music in college to realize that I could pair that passion with music. A non-major became a music minor, which turned into Music Education, and here we are 4 years later!

What are some of your favorite memories from GVSU?
I’ve been lucky enough to get to do SO much in the 5 years I’ve had at GVSU, but some standouts have been:

The various recording projects that the orchestra has participated in: Werner’s Oboe Concerto and a commission for the Violin Studio by Jeremy Crosmer in 2024, and most recently, the theme song for the Acrisure Amphitheater. I had never had any experience with recordings before college, so experiencing that professional environment alongside our professors always felt special.

3 different professional development conference trips since we restarted our ASTA Student Chapter: The ASTA National Conference in Louisville and Atlanta, The Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and not to mention 3 MMC’s in Grand Rapids. We made so many memories as a chapter through LONG minivan road trips and got to immerse ourselves in a national community of string teachers that love music just as much as we do. Especially as a future educator, these trips were about as inspiring as it gets.

Lastly, the hidden gem of picking music as a career has by far been the people. The community that music builds is SO strong and it’s obvious as soon as you walk into the PAC. It’s visible in the hallways, in the lobby, and even before all our music classes when students don’t show up early to sit on their phones, but to talk to each other! All the late night card games, orchestra outings, studio parties, pickleball games, and everything else that has come with getting to know so many people in the program have been without a doubt my favorite memories.

What is one thing you learned in your discipline while at Grand Valley?
One of the things that stands out to me most is: “Good music is good music” – said basically every music ed professor ever. I didn’t know ANYTHING about the band or choir world before GVSU. After developing my musicianship here, I realized that the same things that make orchestra sound great are essentially the same things that make band, choir, or any other type of music great: directional phrasing, tone, articulation, dynamics, and all the other music vocab that we obsess over. All of these ideas are the core of good music and as long as you have experience of knowing what great music sounds like and feels like, you can make almost any type of music improve in one way or another.

What are your plans for the future?
Next year, I’ll be teacher apprenticing with Dan DeZwaan in Allendale in elementary general music in the fall and interning in an orchestra program in the winter. After graduating, I hope to have a middle or high school orchestra program to call my own somewhere in Michigan. The community is one of the most important things that comes with a music program. It’s what got me to school in the morning when I was an orchestra student, and what kept me going into orchestra in college. My ultimate goal is to build such a strong community in an orchestra class that regardless of why a student is in my future class, they feel welcome, a sense of belonging, and can make lifelong friends along the way. Orchestra is what got me through high school, so if I can have that effect on even a couple of students, it’ll be worth it.  

Anything else you’d like to add?
I just want to add a big thank you to all of the professors who I’ve been lucky enough to learn from and get to know as people in the time I’ve spent here. We have so many fantastic faculty members that are all inspiring in their own ways, know and care so much about what they do and who they teach, and have more than earned our respect for their wealth of experience in music. Also, thank you to everyone in the MTD office who does so, so much for all of us behind the scenes every day. Our crazy rehearsal schedules, scholarships, and everything else that happens in our building wouldn’t be possible without all of your hard work. Thank you!

Theatre

Allen (A.J.) Carter 

Hometown: Allendale MI 
High School: Allendale High School 

Ensemble/Production/Organizational Involvement at GVSU: 
Bard to Go: To Thine Own Self Be True (Understudy) 
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly (Peter) 
Circle Mirror Transformation (Shultz) 
Five Mile Lake (Jamie) 
PS Series 10-minute play fest: The Thought Doesn’t Count (Director) 
Alpha Psi Omega 

How did you get into your field, and what led you to come to GVSU to study it? 
When I was in high school I was looking for an opportunity to express myself in a way that still felt safe and approachable. My freshman year I was pretty close with the choir director who also directed the school musical and she recommended me to audition for the show. I then continued to be a part of the musicals until I graduated. While I was pursuing my associate degree I took a class that only counted as general credit that was a theatre class because I previously loved being involved. As a part of this class I had to go see a play and what I would experience would lead me to have a hunger to create art for the rest of my life. In the months following I took a tour of the theatre department and I had the opportunity to sit in on a part of a class and listening to the students and professor dive into the material so deeply and so passionately made me fall even more in love with the art. 

What are some of your favorite memories from GVSU? 
All of my favorite memories from GVSU are attributed to being a part of shows. My closest connections have been made either in the rehearsal room or backstage. My first show at Grand Valley, I walked into rehearsal on the first day not knowing anything more about my fellow cast members, by the time we took our final bow we all grew to be friends who still regularly talk. Even beyond that we all have a reason to come back to the theater, whether it is spending hours painting the stage black or spending hours talking in the green room before a show. I will never forget the memories I have made in the Grand Valley theatre program. 

What is one thing you learned in your discipline while at Grand Valley? 
Theatre is such a rich combination of different arts and there needs to be people in all of them for a production to be extremely successful. 

What are your plans for the future? 
After graduation, I will be pursuing a career as a theatre professional. I will be exploring many avenues, including both directing and the technical side of theatre. 

Dance

Eliana Weinert

Hometown: Armada, MI 
High School: Armada High School 
Home Studio: Main Stage Dance 

Secondary Major or Minor(s): Minor in Psychology 

Ensemble/Production/Organizational Involvement at GVSU: 
For the past 2 years, I have been the vice president of a dance club called Momentum. I have enjoyed working with members to create a show each semester. 

How did you get into your field, and what led you to come to GVSU to study it? 
I have been dancing since I was 3 years old! It has always been my passion, and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life. I had heard about GVSU’s dance program from my friends. When I came to audition, I saw how welcoming the community was at GV! 

What are some of your favorite memories from GVSU? 
My favorite memories are from the numerous tech weeks and shows I have done at GV. Being able to dance and perform with my friends is the best feeling! 

What is one thing you learned in your discipline while at Grand Valley? 
Something that I have been able to develop at Grand Valley is my sense of artistry. Through my course work, I have learned more about who I am as a dancer and how to integrate this knowledge into my movement and choreography. 

What are your plans for the future? 
After graduation I will be moving to Chicago, dancing at The Launch Chicago dance company! 

2025

Music: Lindsey O'Donnell
Theatre: Hannah Cooke
Dance: Hannah Bernhardt

2024

Music: Natalie Feldpausch
Theatre: Katie Rain Auberle
Dance: Alaina Hogan

2023

Music: Stephanie Bueche
Theatre: Anna Compton
Dance: Megan Vernier

2022

Music: Tumaini Sango
Theatre: Hamlet Arnott
Dance: Megan Wolter

2021

Music: Jim Groelsma 
Theatre: Marcus Chapman
Dance: Rya Greene 

2020

Music: Sharon Yi-Hsuan Wu
Theatre: Allyson Albrecht
Dance: Zoe Lionas