The rich notes of a harpsichord ring out amid a London instrument collection, an Illinois State University music major at the keys.
Then the student is told that this was 18th century composer George Frideric Handel’s harpsichord from the 1700s. She stops playing and begins to cry.
“It just suddenly hits you, the magnitude of the history we’re part of and have inherited. You realize you’re part of this lineage. She’ll never look at a piece of Handel’s music the same way again,” said Professor of Musicology Allison Alcorn. “She played his harpsicord. She played the harpsichord he composed Messiah on.”
Held once every two years, the ISU Music in the UK study abroad program offers Illinois State students from various majors a chance to explore and experience the rich cultural history of music in London and Scotland.
During the three-week trip, students visit historical sites, attend class, and discover ways to experience music both old and new, from dancing at a cèilidh (pronounced: KAY-lee) in Scotland to a backstage tour of London’s Royal Opera House. The trip’s summer schedule from mid-May to early-June makes the class uniquely accessible for students studying music.
“Music majors don’t really have an avenue to study abroad because every musician is a critical part of an ensemble. They can’t just take a semester or a year and go abroad to another school, because usually, when you switch teachers, you have to learn a new technique,” said Dr. Alcorn, who travels with the students. “But studying abroad, it’s important that they have that opportunity as well. It’s about a lot more than music; it’s gaining confidence as a world citizen.”
In between class presentations and navigating the London Tube, students learned new ways to read the history of the music they love.
“The director of the collection of the Royal College of Music takes us into their collection for a great tour. We go into their storage areas, and they lay out a number of their instruments on tables,” said Alcorn. “Our students learn about how you pick up a musical instrument and study it. How do you read it like a document? It’s a primary cultural indicator, so how do you read the culture in the instrument?”
Junior music therapy and vocal performance major Kennedy Carico particularly enjoyed the chance to touch history.
“We got to play instruments from the Baroque and Renaissance eras. Never in my life did I think I would hold an instrument that old,” said Carico. “The person that was running our tour at the museum, she let anyone who played the modern-day version of the instrument try the older version. I got to play a lute because I play the guitar.”
Along with experiences including a tour of Westminster Abbey or a climb up Arthur’s Seat, the trip also allowed students to learn hands-on skills.
“The University of Edinburgh has a world-class Musical Instrument Museum. They do a three-hour tour of the collection, and then they talk about what a curator does,” said Alcorn. “Then our students design a virtual exhibit and explain what instrument they chose, what their theme is, what their lead cards say, and what their exhibit signs would say. They get feedback from the conservator and the curators on the exhibit they designed.”
This year, the students also had a rare opportunity while touring Oxford thanks to Illinois State voice professor Dr. Justin Vickers.
“He was doing a fellowship at New College in Oxford, so we met him there. He gave us a tour and he was able to take us to the formal dinner at New College,” said Alcorn. “It was a once in a lifetime experience.”
Carico did her best to make the most of every adventure.
“I saw the Rosetta Stone. We went to a bagpipe museum and got to see someone playing bagpipes in real time, which was way harder than you’d think. We saw a string quartet. We saw a lot of organ recitals. We did a walking tour of London and Edinburgh, just to see everything,” said Carico. “I saw Carmen at the Royal Opera House and actually got to meet Carmen afterwards, which was crazy cool.”
Alcorn said the program is about a whole lot more than music.
“The primary goal for me is to give students an opportunity to gain self-confidence, and to gain another vision of the world and their place in it,” said Alcorn. “But also, for musicians who spent years studying these composers in these places, you can’t quantify what that does, bringing life to what you’ve been studying for years.”
For Carico, the trip brought her back in tune with her lifelong love.
“Doing this at the end of my sophomore year was really helpful, because being a music student, you can lose that passion. We just do so much throughout a day. It can get hard to keep pushing and keep going. You can lose sight sometimes, but after doing this and learning about such deep musical history,” said Carico. “I feel like I’m ready to go again. I got my passion back.”