Students are
choosing Northland’s fine arts program because it is about much more than performance.
Of course, Northland fine arts students are like students in most other fine
arts programs. They are looking to hone their skills in music, drama, and
speech through studies that challenge them and give them an academic structure
strong enough to support their pursuits in the field of fine arts, a structure
that will help them develop craftsmanship and excellence in their skill. But,
Northland fine arts students are looking for something more than the typical
classroom experience.
And, they
typically find what they are looking for. Nick Brown, a senior in Northland’s
fine arts program, explains the role his instructors play in taking his studies
beyond the typical: “The teachers in my program know their craft well. . . .
They use their unique teaching styles to communicate truths about not only the
craft we are learning, but also the God whom we all serve. They understand that
life, teaching, and discipleship are all about Him and that shows in the way
that they handle their time, communicate with their students, and prepare their
content.”
Instructors
work closely with students in the program, sharing their unique areas of
expertise to their students’ studies. Junior Merrilee McMillan, a piano
pedagogy major, explains, “No other program of study has as much
teacher-student interaction as music. During my piano lesson, I have the
undivided attention of a skilled teacher for fifty minutes every week. . . . My
relationship with my teacher challenges me both musically and
spiritually.”
Students choose
Northland’s fine arts department, however, not simply because they are looking
for quality instruction and talent. They are looking for something that will
take them beyond the ordinary uses of their craft as a performance art to the
purposeful development of a venue for communicating the Gospel message.
Students come realizing that, as performers, they will constantly and closely
interact with people needing to hear the hope of the Gospel.
Music,
speech, and drama students enter the program knowing that an effective use of
their skills could lead them to platforms where they can sing the redemptive
message of the Cross before hundreds, to classrooms where they can share it
with dozens, or to practice rooms where they can share it with individual students.
They have chosen Northland’s fine arts program because of their desire to use
their skills as life-impacting tools for God’s glory. Merrilee McMillan
explains, “I chose to come to Northland because of its emphasis on discipleship
and life-touching-life. I knew that while my music teachers would challenge me
to be an excellent teacher and musician, they would not neglect to show me how
music could be used to fulfill the Great Commission.”