Guest article by Summer@Eastman Marketing Assistant Reginald Bowens, DMA Candidate for the Degree of Jazz Performance in Piano
Pictured: Reginald Bowens performing in his final student recital for the DMA degree in Hatch Recital Hall on October 24, 2023. Photographer: Cleveland Willis
I am Reginald Bowens, a third-year doctoral scholar in the Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media program at Eastman, and I am privileged to be the marketing intern for Summer@Eastman. I am also pursuing a Music Education minor and nearing the completion of the Arts Leadership Certificate Program (ALP). This has been the most intense semester of my doctoral studies. In addition to being a full-time student, I serve as a full-time Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. At Howard, I teach courses in vocal jazz improvisation, individualized instruction in jazz singing, and jazz choirs. I am also a co-advisor for the undergraduate chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America at Howard, and I am an active e-board member of the Rochester (NY) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. I have learned a lot about myself this semester. Two of the greatest lessons I learned are to prioritize my mental health and that “balance is key.”
Bowens with SAASy, Howard University’s treble vocal jazz ensemble in the Howard University Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.) Photographer: Lawrence Randall
It has been a joy to improve my skills through mentorship with my supervisor, Dr. Sylvie Beaudette. She has truly helped reshape my perspective of marketing in 2023. In addition to being an intern, I am taking other courses in digital marketing (an elective course in the ALP), jazz theory, and composition. My composition course focuses on writing and orchestrating pieces in multiple genres; this course prepared me to present my third and final doctoral recital. This recital was especially important to me because it featured a few of my world premieres that I have been writing for years. Two of the featured pieces were made possible by the Presser Foundation because I was a recipient of the 2022 Presser Graduate Music Award. During the residency period for Presser, I traveled to conduct research with sacred jazz industry professionals that I admire greatly, including Dr. Cedric Dent (Nashville), a founding member of the Grammy award-winning vocal group Take 6; Dr. Alton Merrell (Pittsburgh), an incredible pianist and professor of music at West Virginia University; and Mr. Hamilton Hardin (Atlanta), a stellar, world-class multi-instrumentalist.
Bowens and SAASy behind the historic Howard University Founders Library (Washington, D.C.) Photographer: Lawrence Randall
During the week of my recital, I also facilitated a recruitment trip to Western New York for my Howard University treble vocal jazz ensemble (SAASy) and three of my outstanding Howard University colleagues (junior and senior faculty). As a part of this trip, SAASy performed in my recital and received an ovation. As director, I was touched by the audience’s response to my students who had been working diligently. It was an incredible experience for us all, and I am grateful that my worlds were able to merge for this memorable moment in my student career. All the successes helped me recover from the panic attack I suffered a few days before my recital. I was overwhelmed with the challenges of balancing school, work, my internship, recital preparation and related last-minute changes, the recruitment trip, and the death of my grandfather.
With so many things going on at once, I learned to constantly reevaluate “what is most important.” One of the most challenging decisions I made this semester was to resign from my church job lead pianist position. I had been playing in churches since age 11, so I am very familiar with juggling school and work, simultaneously. However, I came to the realization that at this time, it was a bit much to manage both, and that is okay. My former therapist said, “Just because you’re good at overcoming obstacles does not mean you have to create them.” I am glad to have experienced therapy for a few years because it has helped me navigate through these tough times, and in spite of everything I have been dealing with, I have obtained peace. Peace is most important to me.