A graduate of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School has received a Fulbright U.S Student Program award to Germany in music (Oboe Performance) from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Dannielle McBryan of Grove City, a 2012 graduate, will conduct research at the University of Arts in Bremen, Germany, under the tutelage of professor and oboist Christian Hommel as part of a project to study the stylistic and sound qualities of the works of past European composers in how they are locally interpreted, and contrast them with their American equivalents.
McBryan is one of more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2017-2018 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
“My time at Lincoln Park was essential in becoming the musician and person I am today,” McBryan said. “At Lincoln Park I received an excellent music education that paralleled that of my undergrad, the Manhattan School of Music. I was encouraged to think outside of the box, and fondly remember Ensemble Immersion, jazz combos, the orchestra/wind ensemble concerts, and composition seminars.”
Since graduating from Lincoln Park, McBryan received a bachelor’s degree in oboe performance from the Manhattan School of Music and started a master’s degree program at State University of New York at Purchase. She has deferred the program to study in Germany with the Fulbright program, which runs from October through next summer. She has also been performing and teaching in and around New York City.
“I am very grateful for all of the teachers at Lincoln Park during my time there, but mostly Todd Goodman, who was incredibly supportive in all aspects of my musical development. Not only did he lead the composition seminars, conduct the orchestra/wind ensemble, direct EI, and teach theory classes, but he also dedicated a lot of time to me and other students in after-school events, including PMEA festivals and other projects. He made classical music exciting, and, in this world, that is not a simple thing to do.”
“Dani is one of those students that teachers dream of having,” said Artistic Education Director Todd Goodman. “She was not only a very gifted player, but, even as a high school student, very passionate, articulate and extremely motivated. She knew what she wanted as a performer and understood the large amount of work and dedication it was going to take for her to achieve her goals. It is no surprise at all to me that Dani was awarded a Fulbright. She is a gifted musician, a wonderful scholar, and, even more importantly, a terrific person.”
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, according to a press release from Institute of International Education, Inc., which manages the program.
McBryan said the application process took about a year, and involved a grant proposal, personal statement and a 40-minute-long DVD featuring works from all the standard periods of classical music. That was in addition to a slew of educational documents and recommendations letters. She began compiling all the materials in June 2016, and submitted them before the application deadline the following October. In January, she discovered that the American panel selected her proposal to be submitted to the next panel in Germany. She was awarded the grant in March 2017. However, applicants in the performing arts are required take an audition and be accepted at their host institution, so she flew to Germany in June 2017 to take a 10-minute audition. She was accepted at the university in July 2017.
“The whole process was, by an enormous margin, the most stressful and rewarding experience I have ever had,” McBryan said.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, according to a press release from Institute of International Education, Inc., which manages the program.
The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 370,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns, according to the program’s website.
Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all areas while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 57 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.