PROGRAM SUPPORT

There are many ways to support the School’s unique programs.  Here are but a few examples.

Music, Theatre & Dance Fund: 

This money is held in reserve to allow the dean to make funds available on short notice as opportunities present themselves. The Kennedy Center invited Michigan to send a group of students to perform as part of their prestigious Millennium Project in 2004, joining students invited from the country’s top schools of music and conservatories. Our performances were so well received, the School was invited to return in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.  The University Choir was invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association meetings in New York in 2004.  In November 2005, the University Symphony Band was one of only five schools invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the annual College Band Directors National Association convention.  The School of Music, Theatre & Dance Fund made it possible for the School to seize these exciting opportunities.

Musical Theatre students performing at the Kennedy Center in 2005.

Center for Career Development:

This initiative is designed to help graduates make the transition into professional life by offering resources on job openings, resume writing, interview preparation, and more. One way to support this endeavor would be to fund the Guest Lecture Series the brings School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni who have found success in a variety of arenas back to campus to share what they’ve learned with current students.

Friends Groups: 

Friends of Opera, Friends of Dance, Friends of Musical Theatre, Friends of Theatre & Drama, the Elbel Club/Michigan Marching Band—these are all groups set up to support a particular discipline within the School.

Michigan Marching Band:

The MMB is a beloved institution ever since its earliest days under the direction of the legendary William Revelli.  You can sponsor a halftime show at any Saturday home game for the Marching Band and see your name in lights—or rather spelled out by the band on the field.  Your support helps with the purchase of new instruments, uniforms, travel expenses, and more.

Senior Showcase: 

Musical Theatre at Michigan has one of the strongest reputations of any such program in the country. Vital to the graduates’ success is the annual Senior Showcase in which seniors present a revue of their best work in New York City before agents, talent scouts, and producers, the people who make careers happen.  You can contribute to the costs of sending the Senior Showcase to New York.

Musical Theatre performance of A Chorus Line

Adopt an Instrument: 

The Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments began in 1899 as a gift to the University from Frederick Stearns, a Detroit businessman who had collected rare musical and cultural artifacts in his travels around the world.  The Collection has grown since Stearns’ initial gift of some 900 musical instruments and has been carefully maintained with proper storage and display conditions. You can support this important collection through the Stearns Adopt-An-Instrument program.

For information on how you can support programs at Michigan, contact Ericka Bigelow, 734-763-0632.

University of Michigan

School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Office of Development

2005 Baits Drive

Ann Arbor, MI   48109-2085

734-647-2035