We recently connected with Beth Robison and have shared our conversation below.
Beth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
On January 31st, 2025, the Adams State University Chamber Choir, for whom I am the director, performed at the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Conference in Colorado Springs. Our program, A Vision Unfolding: Building Hope through Connections, was representative of the Adams State Music Department’s ETHOS: Exploring Equity through Music initiative. This initiative celebrates the diversity of our students, explores the universal language of music through different cultural lenses, encourages programming music by underrepresented composers, and recognizes music as a voice for change. As I considered topics that we might highlight during this performance, I realized that the message I ultimately wanted to convey was one of hope and the desire for unity, or at least healthy and civil discourse, in times of serious division and differing visions for our country.
I have always been drawn to the music of Kyle Pederson with his messages of positivity, honesty, vulnerability, and compassion. With his latest work, A Vision Unfolding, he calls for us to reach out, build connections with those to whom we might not normally reach out, and have those difficult conversations with empathy and grace. “To explore what our nation has stood for in its best moments… a nation rooted in equality, freedom, justice, and inclusion.” To peel away the layers of otherness and find the seeds of commonality, which are central to us all.
The path of least resistance and expediency will not take us where we want to go. However, if we are committed to doing the hard work with kindness and care, we can build those bridges and create communities of hope that celebrate and demonstrate the best of our humanity.
Other performances that I have created under the ETHOS initiative include An Immigrant’s Story: Hope, Dreams, and Fears in an Uncertain Time, Black Lives Matter: Movement for Change, Listen to the Children: The World from their Perspective (after the Russian invasion of Ukraine), World War I Requiem: Remembrance and Reconciliation, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: His Life and Legacy. However, this CMEA performance was particularly meaningful due to the timeliness of the message, the wide audience we were able to reach, and the personal, cathartic impact this program had on my students, myself, and our audiences.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My music career did not begin in education, but rather as a professional musician in New York City and the metropolitan area beginning when I was 22 years old. I was blessed with many tremendous and meaningful experiences during the 16 years I free-lanced, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Schubert Theatre, as well as touring nationally and internationally.
The attacks of September 11, 2001, caused me to re-examine what was important in my life and how I could best serve and inspire young musicians and educators the way my undergraduate choir director at Ohio University, Dr. Peter Jarjisian, had done for me before I left for NYC. I wanted to pay it forward and made the decision to go back to graduate school, receiving both my Masters and DMA in Choral Conducting.
When I interviewed for the position of Director of Choral Activities at Adams State University, I was immediately drawn to its mission and how it was embraced by its faculty, particularly in the arts. The mission of Adams State University, a federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution, is to provide equitable and affordable access to education and support students who come from diverse and underserved backgrounds. To that end, the Department of Music implemented the ETHOS: Exploring Equity through Music initiative in 2016 when I was department chair.
I cannot speak definitely as to where my passion for social justice comes from. I believe it is a combination of my parents being musicians and the morals and faith in which I grew up, my father being in higher education and growing up in that inquisitive environment, always being around diverse and creative people, and injustices that I have personally witnessed and experienced. It has always been unfathomable to me that there are people who would choose cruelty and pettiness over compassion and empathy.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
This may sound simplistic, but I believe the biggest way society can support artists is by truly valuing them and arts education. Go to art exhibits, attend a play or a concert, or better yet, get involved with a local theatre group or community chorus. Donate to arts organizations and purchase art pieces by local artists. Learn about the ways in which the arts enrich and economically support your community. Engage with your school board when decisions about cuts are being made.
There are endless studies that show that employees are looking for workers who demonstrate teamwork, problem solving, creative and critical thinking, and who are disciplined. All of these skills are an integral part of the music classroom. Yet, music, art, and theatre curricula are usually the first to be cut in K-12 education. Not all of us were meant to be lawyers or electricians or doctors. We serve a different purpose.
More importantly, the arts matter. They speak to our soul and of our humanity, both connecting us and allowing us to redefine ourselves. The arts allow us to share stories and common experiences in ways that words alone cannot. They ask us to dig deep and be honest with ourselves and with each other. To use higher level thinking, to ask hard questions, and to engage in honest and vulnerable conversations, especially with those whom we may not always agree.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the most rewarding parts of being an artist is being able to tell stories in more effective and creative ways. To weave together musical pieces that might not seem related and create a narrative that ties them all together. These stories might be light or somewhat disjointed, or they can have deeper and more far-reaching implications when dealing with social justice issues. Over the centuries, music has reflected the societies of its time, and it is present in every global culture. It is a universal language. This narrative can further be enhanced by incorporating different media with music such as spoken word, visual art, video, or mixed media.
The bigger reward comes from sharing the story with my students, having them connect with the message, making it their own and in turn, sharing it with the audience. It becomes an emotional, educational, and community-building experience for all concerned. The pride my students take in their accomplishments and the messages that they share with our audiences is very empowering.
It is that rippling out effect that makes the arts so powerful and impactful. Creating an ever-enlarging platform so that many voices can be heard in unity as the story reaches more and more people. This is how the arts can affect change.
Image Credits
John Waters, Valley Courier