Here's - VanderCook College of Music

Dr. Charles T. Menghini
College President
There is something special about VanderCook College
of Music. It’s not tangible. It’s not something that you
can measure. Despite these days of standardized tests
and accountability…that is, boiling everything down to
a number and determining the probability…one thing
is certain: the spirit of VanderCook College of Music is
getting stronger every day. What is that spirit? Well, in
our promotional materials we call it “passion.” Share
your Passion!
My former music
professor and
dear friend, Tim
Lautzenheiser, routinely
says in his talks to music
educators, “You’re only
worth what you give
away.” Sharing your
passion is “giving it
away.”
This year’s annual report
is dedicated to some
special people who give
it away. Inside these
pages you will read
about people who give
of their time, talents,
and treasure. All of the
people highlighted in
these stories (and there are so many more) help make
VanderCook College of Music a special institution with
a special purpose…enriching lives through the power
of music education.
Each of us has so much to give, and every time
something in my life isn’t the way I want it to be, I
realize that I need to do something for someone. I
need to give something away. It can be as simple as a
good morning hello or a smile, or it can be offering to
help someone in the form of a service project. It can
“This year’s annual report is
dedicated to some special people
who give it away. Inside these
pages you will read about people
who give of their time, talents,
and treasure.”
be giving a little extra effort in a rehearsal or a few
more dollars to a special cause. It doesn’t matter what
it is. What matters is that I do something. And every
time I do, I feel good because I know that I can make
a difference. So can you.
This year, I am asking you once again to support the
efforts of this great college. I am asking you to support
the people who make it possible for VanderCook
College of Music to realize its mission now and for
years to come. I am
asking you to support
VanderCook College of
Music by helping us
provide our students
with the facilities and
resources necessary to
continue our growth
and to expand the
influence of this great
college and the positive
impact music and music
education has on all of
our lives. If you’ve done
it before, I’m asking you
to do it again. And if
you have yet to support
VanderCook, I am asking
you to do it now! We
have big plans and we
will not be able to do it alone. We need you to “Share
Your Passion” with us.
As you flip through these pages, I hope that you will
take time to not only enjoy the photos, but also to read
the stories. These stories are about people who “give
it away.” They epitomize the old saying, “worth their
weight in gold.” These folks are but a sampling of the
great people who make VanderCook a magical, musical
place. I hope that this year you will join them!
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