On the first day of the Summit, Dr. Walter Simonsen gave a presentation during the fourth and final session, about his personal experiences with the MUN program and how it has impacted his professional life as a musician and educator. Simonsen grew up in Mission Viejo, California where he attended high school and became active in the MUN program as a delegate. He later went on to graduate from North Texas University in 2000 where he studied jazz. He became the Assistant Director of the USC Marching Band and helped them to perform at large events such as major football games. Simonsen has had many opportunities to travel the world as he’s been to places such as Singapore, London, and Germany. He’s also worked with very well known musicians and artists such as Alicia Keys and Micheal Buble!
As stated before, Simonsen became active in MUN during his high school years in California. The program allowed him to find a love for travel as he attended conferences in Beijing and New York City, as well as Harvard and Berkeley school of music. By becoming introduced to travel, he learned more about international relations concerning how the world connects. He explained that MUN helped him learn about different world perspectives which ultimately broadened his mindset about the world.
Along with learning about different places around the world, Simonsen also worked on individual skills such as organization, public speaking, and collaborating with others. He described to his audience that he has always been a shy person, but MUN created a space where he was able to break out of his comfort zone and do things he never thought he could do. He described how MUN has taught him collaboration, leadership skills, and improvisation which are all things he uses in his professional life. For example, Simonsen talked about how he’s now able to show up to a gig and easily work with others for a show or performance while still making sure everyone feels included. He also explained that he has a strong understanding of how to handle different types of people based on how they learn. He acknowledges that different people receive and obtain information in different ways, so he has to be patient while adapting to new learning styles.
Throughout his presentation, Simonsen showed videos of himself playing the trumpet both for his band called “The Red Light Brass Band”, and for the USC Marching Band. He also engaged the delegates in his live zoom performance of a song from 1952, called “Bernie’s Tune”. The audience loved it!
When asked the question, “How do you think music can create social change?” he replied, “Music always has a goal. So for example, during the Civil Rights Movement, people created music about being black in that time and it helped motivate people to make a change. Also, people crave honesty, and music is nothing but raw emotion that reveals the truth. That’s what makes it so beautiful.” From this quote alone, it is obvious that Dr. Simonsen has a strong passion for music and how it can be seen in the bigger picture. He closed his presentation by stating that hate has no place in our world and that educated individuals are the ones who will bring us all together.
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By Audrey Pinson