A few days after Spring Semester wraps up, a group of Ball State students will have the opportunity to travel to China and perform with the Beijing Jazz Orchestra.
On May 8, a group of 19 students and six faculty members will head to China as part of the recently established exchange program between Ball State's College of Fine Art's and China's Sichuan University in West China.
Mark Buselli, assistant professor of music performance and director of the university's jazz program, will be the faculty mentor for the trip.
Buselli said he was approached last fall by the College of Fine Arts dean who said a Chinese university had requested a group of Ball State students come visit the country and perform.
"This is huge for the university and for the music program," Buselli said. "We're taking our jazz ensemble on an international tour."
The 12-day trip will give participants the chance to travel and sight-see in the country as well as the chance to perform with the city's orchestra. The students will also be performing three concerts at Chengdu University.
Graduate student Jen Johnson is a part of the group travelling to China and said she is looking forward to playing for an audience that has had little exposure to American Jazz music.
"The fact that we're going over there to play American music for them is something that is really cool," Johnson said.
Having the opportunity to experience a different culture is something most Westerners are used to, Johnson said. It's nice to be able to play to an audience that will really be able to appreciate the music, she said, citing the fact that China is a communist country and exposure to anything that is American or Western is slightly limited in the country.
Although Ball State students are traveling to China this summer, the favor will soon be returned in 2013 when students from the Sichuan University will make a visit to Muncie.
Johnson said having an opportunity like this is something that will have an effect on the rest of her career, and she is looking forward to the effect coming out in her music.
"As an artist, any life experience that you have goes into your art," Johnson said. "They effect how you play music and how you write music."
Students will not only have the chance to perform internationally, but also while in China they will be able to see different Chinese landmarks, such as The Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.
Buselli said this exchange is a really great example of the type of education the university offers and will no doubt contribute to raising university enrollment in the arts.
"Let's face it," Buselli said. "Ball State is about immersive learning. This is about as immersive as you can get."
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