Reynolds College Blog

Missouri State alumni and faculty reimagine the future at international choral event

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Three alumni of Missouri State University’s Chorale attended the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) World Symposium on Choral Music Aug. 23-28 in Macau, China.

Tanner Munson, Tim Pallett and Anne Copiaco reunited with their mentor, Dr. Cameron LaBarr, at the “reimagining the future” themed event.

LaBarr is director of choral studies and Clif and Gail Smart Professor of Music at Missouri State. He currently serves as an ICFM board member and was also on the artistic committee for the 2026 symposium.

“It’s wonderful to see Missouri State University alumni involved in the international choral community at such a high level,” LaBarr said. “A huge part of the mission of our program is to bridge cultures across the world through choral music. This is a great example of that being put into practice.”

Munson presents on vocal pedagogy

Man giving a presentation
Tanner Munson discusses vocalization during his presentation at the IFCM World Symposium.

Munson graduated in 2024 with a master’s in vocal pedagogy. He displayed his expertise in his presentation, “The Collective Voice: Building Your Ensemble through the Vocalise.”

“Having the opportunity to present at IFCM’s international conference is an incredible opportunity,” he noted. “Being able to network with like-minded musicians across the globe is invaluable.”

In his presentation Munson, who now teaches at Missouri State, discussed what separates vocalise from other sounds. He reviewed how vocal instructors can target specific skills in repertoire and rehearsal work while empowering singers to communicate their music properly.

Specifically, Munson credits his Missouri State instructors for his success and growth. In addition to LaBarr, Associate Director of Choral Studies Dr. Erin Plisco and voice professor Dr. Chris Thompson were “essential” in helping him prepare.

“There’s no way that I could’ve done this without their guidance and without their help,” he said.

The entire symposium experience was “affirming,” Munson added. “It really helped me feel like I’m on the right path. I’m doing the right thing, I’m doing what needs to be done and I’ve got the best people possible surrounding me and helping me do it.”

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Art and design group attends 2026 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Confab

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Several Missouri State University faculty, students and alumni from the Department of Art and Design attended the 2026 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance (MSA) Confab Oct. 2-3 at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway, Arkansas.

The Confab is open to art and design professionals and students. “Many organizations support students, but I feel that MSA does a particularly good job,” said Associate Professor Deidre Argyle. “It’s a national organization that highly supports emerging artists.”

Argyle, who teaches sculpture at Missouri State, serves on the MSA board. She co-chaired this year’s Confab with Dr. Bryan Winfred Massey, Sr., of UCA and was instrumental in securing funding for registration and travel expenses. Her efforts allowed several Missouri State students to attend a conference for the first time.

Student work recognized at Confab

Young man standing next to sculpture and holding an award
Jacob Chatfield holds the award he received from the MSA for his sculpture “Overcome.”

Four Missouri State students had their work selected for the Confab’s Student Pop-Up show. They were Jacob Chatfield, Lillian Fitzpatrick, Lilly Johnson and Melinda Montoya.

Chatfield’s soft sculpture “Overcome” won the “Creative Dreamer” award. “I was very surprised and very overjoyed,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of some aspect of MSA.”

In addition, the Confab selected third year MFA student Gideon Agyeman’s ceramic piece “Daakye,” for its themed exhibition, “Mining the Material.” Keynote speaker and installation artist Beili Liu served as juror.

“[M]y work considers how materials record histories of making and embody relationships between people, place and memory,” Agyeman wrote in his artist statement.

Alumni work placed in extended exhibition

Meanwhile, works by alumni Olga Shute and Camryn Gulledge were on view in the “MSA Select” exhibition Sept. 1-Oct. 3. This month-long exhibition was curated by Johannah Hutchison, Executive Director of the International Sculpture Center.

Shute and Gulledge are both 2026 visual studies program graduates. [Read more…] about Art and design group attends 2026 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Confab

Heather Walters wins outstanding achievement honors in writing and teaching

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Missouri State University’s Heather Walters recently received two outstanding achievement awards from the National Communication Association.

A senior instructor in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, Walters won the association’s Outstanding Teaching Award. She has taught at Missouri State for 27 years.

Moreover, her book, “Understanding the Ethical Concerns of Generative AI: A Practical Guide,” won the Communication Ethics Division’s Book of the Year Award.

“It is always so rewarding to know that the long hours you put into typing ideas, editing and revising had some notable impact on others,” Walters said.

Teaching style uses current events and case studies

Walters developed and currently teaches the department’s AI and Human Communication (COM 310) course. She also teaches Ethical Issues in Communication (COM 313), Media Law & Ethics (MED 581) and Public Relations Theory and Research Methods (COM 219). In addition, she teaches ethical communication and coaches the speech and debate team at Greenwood Laboratory School.

Her teaching style, she said, is “current event and case study intensive.”

“Integrating current event discussion in the classroom helps students translate theory into practice,” she said. “[It helps them] understand why what they are learning in the classroom matters for their everyday life.”

To facilitate learning, Walters created a set of online activities that complement her textbook.

“There are not many of those resources available in this specific discipline,” she said. “I think [the Association] found my teaching style innovative and reflective of sincere effort to bring a discipline like ethics—which is often stereotyped as ‘ancient’—to life for students.”

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Missouri State Chorale launches new album

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The Missouri State University Chorale has released a new album, “The Cardinal and the Roller,” a collaboration with the University of Pretoria Camerata from South Africa.

It is now available on multiple streaming services, including Spotify. Apple Music has also included one of the tracks on its curated playlist, “The Classical Voice.” 

Featuring eight South African tracks and eight American tracks, the album is the final product of a long-held dream for Dr. Cameron LaBarr and Camerata conductor Michael Barrett. It marks the fourth time the Chorale has worked with Grammy Award-winning producer Dirk Sobotka and the team at SoundMirror, LaBarr said.

Throughout their long friendship, the two often imagined how beautiful an album featuring both of their choirs would be.

When the Camerata received an invitation to perform in the United States as the headline choir at the National American Directors Association Conference, LaBarr and Barrett saw their chance. The door for the Chorale and Camerata to take flight together had opened.

Check out more Chorale music

Title song symbolic of partnership

The title song, “The Cardinal and the Roller,” symbolizes the union between the Chorale and the Camerata ensembles. In the piece, a lilac-breasted roller, a South African bird, and a cardinal, an American bird, take flight together. Composer Susan LaBarr wrote the music, and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri wrote the words.

“’The Cardinal and the Roller’ album was the project of a lifetime,” said LaBarr, director of choral studies and Clif and Gail Smart Professor of Music. “Combining the Chorale and Camerata for this work created one of the most beautiful musical experiences of my career. This album will forever serve as a reminder that the gift of singing can unite us all.”

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Revamped public sociology class embraces community engagement

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When Associate Professor Dr. Lyle Q. Foster learned about the Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project, he immediately saw an opportunity to apply its concepts in the classroom.

Specifically, Foster had his eye on revisiting Public Sociology and Community Studies (SOC 398), a course offered through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

“I felt it was time for a revamp of the course, and some of the [project] criteria really interested me,” Foster said. “Community sociology is such a passion for me. The opportunity to blend it with entrepreneurship—a personal passion—seemed ideal.”

The project is a faculty and staff cohort initiative run by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) American Democracy Project.

Foster applied to the project, was accepted and began training in March. The training, which ended in June, included a one-week conference and several virtual sessions with cohort members.

From there, Foster was eager to implement its objectives into his community-facing classes “as soon as possible.”

Community-engaged learning focuses on economic mobility

Previous public sociology courses have always used community partnerships, Foster said. Key to the revised course, however, is the concept of economic mobility.

The goal of economic mobility is already built into the role of the community partners, Foster said. The revised course, however, allows students to also learn about its importance. For them to achieve this, Foster specifically sought businesses “where the students could potentially see themselves as customers.”

Foster also wanted students to work with businesses that are entrepreneurial in nature but have only a few employees. Doing so, he explained, allows the students to directly engage and work with the store owner/entrepreneur.

Moreover, he sought businesses willing to work with university students and listen to their ideas. The results, he noted, are community partners invested in the planning and evaluation of the course.

“Community-engaged learning encourages a still more active role for the community…in the curriculum design and the student engagement experience, which is quite exciting,” Foster said. “There is a different level of curiosity and engagement with this approach.” [Read more…] about Revamped public sociology class embraces community engagement