What are Non-Art Majors Doing in Art Classes?

What are Non-Art Majors Doing in Art Classes?

Emily Holleran
For The Clock
ejholleran@plymouth.edu

Self-proclaimed lack of artistic ability doesn’t have to limit students’ opportunities in the creative world. At PSU, there is a multitude of gen-ed or elective arts courses for non-art majors.

Creativity and the Visual World is a gen-ed class at PSU. It teaches more about the creative process, rather than the product, expressed through the visual arts. History major Andrew Gauvin took the course his first semester at PSU. “My favorite aspect of the class was print making, but unfortunately we had to present a lot of it. However, I liked being able to have a job and get it done in my own time and talk to the people around me about it,” said Gauvin.

Eva Nagorka is one of the professors who teaches Exploring Music, which explores the world of classical music and introduces musical elements, style periods, instruments and composer's lives. “There are only a few art, music, theatre, and dance students in the three sections of this course. Most of the students are majors outside of the arts,” said Nargorka. “Exposure to classical music, and the arts, is what makes this course so valuable to the general
student population.”

“Many students come to the class with very limited exposure to classical music and with a perception that classical music is a ‘stuffy’ art form just for old, rich people. Soon, students realize that music, in essence, is emotional and is a powerful part of our lives.”

Lovers of music come in all shapes, sizes and majors. French horn player, Paige Schoppmann, is an English major. She joined University Chorale and Symphonic Band on a whim because she had her instrument, and she thought it would be fun. “My favorite part is how emotional it is,” she said. “It's so easy to connect with people in this capacity. Even if you don't know their names at the end of the semester, you went through an emotional journey together of learning and becoming connected to a piece of music. That's not something you can get from many other academic courses.”