Each concert put on by the Winona State University music ensembles typically begins in the same way. Lights begin to dim, voices hush, and applause fills the room. On October 7th, 2025, however, an additional step was added. Audience members of the evenings faculty recital were personally welcomed to the show by Winona States chapter of National Association of Music Education (NAfME) co-presidents Katharine Driscoll and Heather Wilson. 

Driscoll and Wilson took the first few moments of the performance to extend special thanks to audience members for their support and to recognize faculty members who would be performing in the recital. Professor Alan Dunbar was among those faculty members and explained why the concert was important to the music department and its members. 

“It serves two purposes,” Dunbar said. “It’s a fundraiser for the student music education chapter, but it’s also a chance for all of us faculty folks to show that we can actually do the things that we’re trying to teach people how to do.” 

After the concert, it was clear that the faculty succeeded in showing their students what they were capable of. NAfME co-president Driscoll agreed that the concert was important to help music students get familiar with their professors, and she thought it was successful in doing just that. 

“I feel like it really showcased all the faculty and what they are able to do,” Driscoll said. “It’s really nice [being able to see our professors perform and think] ‘oh, they’re really good at this. They clearly know what they’re talking about.” 

In addition to helping students gain a sense of trust in the things their professors were teaching them, Dunbar hoped to show students, and even community members, that there were many ways to be a part of the music department. This was shown through the eclectic program, ranging from choral pieces, to clarinet etudes to folk songs by popular artists like Caamp. 

“There are a lot of different ways to be a musician,” Dunbar said. “We hope we achieve all of those things.” 

By showing students what they were capable of and introducing people to different forms of music, faculty members of the Winona State music department helped their student NAfME members to fundraise for their club. This concert not only served as a successful fundraising event to promote a meaningful student organization, but also helped to show students what they could someday achieve, especially with the professors who are willing to teach them.