Personal Development Plan
Julie VW
Principals of Arts Administration
September 11, 2002
St. Mary's University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
SYMPHONY CENTER - The hallways of Symphony Center echo with the sounds Mary Had a Little Lamb and the Hummel Trumpet Concerto, but the noise subsides once the door to the small room at the end of the hallway closes. Instead of the diplomas or certificates found in most offices, an assortment of quotes hangs from the walls. "My offices have always been plastered with quotes" Julie Vander Woude, director of The Symphony Centers Academy, admits with a smile. "Everyone I know gives me quotes, it's almost like a baseball card collection! I can't leave a good quote on a scrap of paper somewhere to get lost, so I tape it to the wall where I can see it. The best quotes eventually get a frame!" The door closed, one's eyes are naturally drawn to the back of the door where a small black frame holds not a quote, but a mission statement:
Mission Statement
As a lifelong learner,
I want to seek, question, discover, and understand.
As a teacher,
I contribute to the success of others, recognize beauty,
and value the process and experience over a final product.
"Don't read THAT!" laughs Julie "It's about me, not The Academy. I can get you a copy of our Mission Statement if you like, but that's on the back of the door so only I'd see it!" After a reflective pause Julie continues, "Actually, I suppose my personal statement does correspond to what the Academy is about. We give people the chance to learn, and just enjoy the process of music making, regardless of age or end result. I've never looked at it that way before."
Another frame rests on Julies desk, but instead of a treasured family photo, it holds a Madeleine L'Engle quote,
A great painting or symphony or play doesn't diminish us,
but enlarges us, and we too want to make our own cry
of affirmation to the power of creation behind the universe.
This surge of creativity . . . has nothing to do with degree of
talent. When I hear a superb pianist, I can't wait to get to
My own piano, and I play about as well now as I did when
I was ten. A great novel, rather than discouraging me,
simply makes me want to write. This response . . . is the need
to make incarnate the new awareness we have been granted
through the genius of someone else.
"This city has a great resource in The Symphony Center," she explains, "especially with the new eclectic musical performances. People get excited when they come into contact with something great, and our mission at the academy includes harnessing that excitement and inviting people to create music instead of being just a spectator." Julie continues with an example, "I remember, as a kid, going to the zoo with my grandmother We watched the elephant show and a dolphin show. I don't remember anything else, except leaving the zoo and wanting to be an animal trainer so I could play with dolphins and elephants. I didn't have any particular love of large mammals, but the performances inspired me and I thought it'd be neat to train animals to do tricks for the shows.."
"So many people in our audiences go home after a performance excited about what they've experienced, just like I got excited about elephants. They start thinking ‘I wish I could play guitar' or ‘I never should have quit 7th grade trumpet lessons.' The Symphony Academy exists to help fulfill those wishes, and get rid of old regrets."
The Symphony Center Academy, located at 12345 Main Street, in Anytown, offers music lessons and performance opportunities typical to any music school or store, but goes a step further in regularly offering free classes and workshops to everyone in the community. "People can come in and participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. I want everyone to be involved and actively experience music. For some, that might mean weekly saxophone lessons, for others it could mean a single workshop with one of the musicians on staff."
"I see The Symphony Center and The Academy working together in a two step process. First people have to come through the door and be inspired by the incredible things happening on our stage. Then, once they've begun ‘dreaming by night', to paraphrase another quote from T.E. Lawrence, we give them the encouragement and tools to wake up and actually live out those dreams. Some 60 year old woman with arthritic hands may never be able to play a piano concerto; and not everyone who plays electric guitar will sign a multimillion dollar record contract, but dreams don't have to be realistic. A person can have a fun chasing after the impossible!"
Chasing after the impossible might be Julie's enduring legacy with The Symphony Center. Five years ago, with slowing ticket sales and a demographically stale audience, The Center made an organization wide decision to re-define how a symphony orchestra should look and sound. Instead of limiting the repertoire and musicians to the classical western tradition, Symphony Center now programs a wide range of music including jazz, folk, and assorted ethnic music. As the programing changed, audiences began to expand and grow.
The changes have not come without criticism, some have attacked the Symphony Center's new direction claiming standards have been lowered in the name of diversity. Julie adamantly disagrees "We hire different kinds of musicians. They might not have the high powered degree from Julliard, but they are experts in their genre and field. They are teaching and learning with the rest of the musicians on stage who are also virtuosos. I think the standards have risen since the orchestra began performing different styles.".
The interview coming to a close, Julie opens the door, where someone has taped a Robert Fulghum quote to her door. "I love it!" she cries, "we should look into making that the new motto for The Academy, listen to this, ‘Never forget that music is much too important to be left entirely in the hands of professionals.' I need to buy a frame for this one!"
* * * *
My Dad read my fictional New York Times article and laughed. "By 2012," he giggled, "you will have enough quotes to wallpaper an office!" As we talked about me, he cited "drive, determination, and focus" as my personal strengths and said, "You are a terror when you set your mind on something!" I agree. Profound intelligence, fabulous creativity, and a quick wit may not be my defining characteristics, but I compensate through intense work and sheer determination. My quiet style of leadership, flexibility, and a wild imagination also contribute to my strengths. When we started to discuss areas where I should focus my improvement and development efforts, he suggested I work on becoming more social and "less of a loner." Naively certain of my future success, Dear Old Dad refused to speculate on what a ten year career path might look like for any of his children, commenting only that "whatever you're doing, you'll be doing it very well."
To fulfill my father's blind faith in his children, and achieve my own personal goals, I want to develop confidence in my ability to express myself both verbally and in written communications. With time and considerable energy, I can hammer out the right combination of words to express myself, but its a long process, and I'm never sure of being "right." I'd like to do an internship where I could work with the education program of a performing arts organization, preferably a music ensemble. I want to know, and work, with people who dream big impossible dreams and put in effort to make those dreams happen.
The fictional Julie told a New York Times reporter, "Impossible dreams don't have to come true." The real Julie believes that as well and enjoys the impossible process more than the final unimaginable product. I am ready, let the adventure begin!
