{"id":4176,"date":"2022-11-29T13:34:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T18:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=4176"},"modified":"2022-11-29T16:23:24","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T21:23:24","slug":"the-smith-family-making-music-with-mansfield-for-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=4176","title":{"rendered":"The Smith Family Making Music with Mansfield for Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"
Howard and Olynda Smith in 2015 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Casey Wood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nimportance of music for developing healthy communities and societies has been\nknown since ancient times. Plato said, \u201cMusic is a moral law. It gives soul to\nthe universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and\ngaiety to life and to everything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However,\nin a time of limited public funds, music is often cut in favor of more\n\u201cpractical\u201d disciplines.\u00a0 Given this reality, it is important that we, as\nprivate individuals, support institutions that continue to feed the soul of our\ncommunities through music. Mansfield University and its vocal music program is\nsuch an institution.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSmith family has long been associated with the vocal program at Mansfield,\nbeginning in 1957 when Olynda Chaffee Smith received her music education\ndegree. Over the years, Howard and Olynda Smith have supported the program with\ntheir time and gifts. They saw this as an essential way to strengthen their\ncommunity. It is with this in mind that the Smith family continues to support\nthe vocal program in honor of the important work that our parents started.\n\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSmith family has touched countless Mansfield students through several decades\nof loyalty and support to Music at Mansfield. Howard and Olynda participated in\nsix European tours with the Concert Choir traveling to 10 different countries\nfrom 1996-2011. \u00a0They were present when Mansfield earned Gold at the World\nChoir Games in Graz, Austria. The Smith family has sponsored countless\nscholarships for voice majors and provided funding for choral travel. Mansfield\nChoral Director Dr. Peggy Dettwiler shared, \u201cMansfield’s esteemed choral\nprogram wouldn\u2019t be where it is today without the Smith family and their\ngenerosity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nSunday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m., more than 300 singers composed of Mansfield\u2019s\nConcert Choir, Alumni Choir, and six schools in Pennsylvania will converge in\nNew York City to perform a concert in Carnegie Hall celebrating the life of\nMartin Luther King.\u00a0Four of the high schools participating are directed by\nMansfield Alumni. This is yet another opportunity made possible by the generosity\nof the Smith family and their belief that music makes better.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support Music at Mansfield visit give.mansfield.edu\/<\/a>\u00a0and specify your designation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Casey Wood The importance of music for developing healthy communities and societies has been known since ancient times. Plato … Continue reading >The Smith Family Making Music with Mansfield for Decades<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6V0yH-15m","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1012,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=1012","url_meta":{"origin":4176,"position":0},"title":"Presidential Coin for Excellence Awarded to Longtime Trustee Howard Smith","author":"Terry Day","date":"October 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 Longtime Trustee Howard Smith was awarded the Mansfield University Presidential Coin for Excellence by President Fran Hendricks on October 25.Smith of West Burlington, PA served on the Mansfield Council of Trustees for 30 years before retiring from the board in 2013. He and his wife Olynda (Chaffee), a\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"MU President Fran Hendricks and Howard Smith.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Presidential-Coin-Howard-Smith-683x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Presidential-Coin-Howard-Smith-683x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Presidential-Coin-Howard-Smith-683x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":345,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=345","url_meta":{"origin":4176,"position":1},"title":"Renowned Music Scholar & Human Rights Activist to Visit","author":"Terry Day","date":"September 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 Andr\u00e9 de Quadros, conductor, ethnomusicologist, human rights activist and music educator, will make three public presentations while in residence at Mansfield University on October 13-14. All presentations are free and open to the public. On Monday, October 13 at 4:30 p.m., de Quadros will present \u201cShould Music be\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Andr\u00e9 de Quadros","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Andr%C3%A9-de-Quadros-259x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4244,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=4244","url_meta":{"origin":4176,"position":2},"title":"Mansfield University Student and Alumni Concert Choirs Perform at Carnegie Hall in honor of MLK","author":"rmcnamara","date":"February 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The finale featuring the MU Concert Choir, Alumni Choir, and five high school choirs performing \u201cWay Over in Beulah Lan\u2019\u201d MANSFIELD, Pa. \u2014 53 students in the Mansfield University Concert Choir, along with 55 Concert Choir alumni, performed at the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City on Jan. 15\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/thumbnail_IMG_3648.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/thumbnail_IMG_3648.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/thumbnail_IMG_3648.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/thumbnail_IMG_3648.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/thumbnail_IMG_3648.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4055,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=4055","url_meta":{"origin":4176,"position":3},"title":"MU Music students to provide back-up vocals at Josh Groban concert","author":"rmcnamara","date":"June 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"photo: Brian Bowen Smith MANSFIELD, Pa. - 20 Mansfield University music students will provide back-up vocals for multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban during a concert at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y. on Tuesday, July 5. 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