Those passing the Joseph F. Smith building on Friday may feel for a moment they have stepped back in time to an 18th century concert hall. While iPods and MP3 players make this possible for individuals on demand, Education in Zion is allowing this experience to become communal with “Music Fridays.”
Last Friday, a quartet serenaded students who passed by for an hour outside the entrance to Education in Zion. Joe Abernathy, a business marketing major from Fairfax, Va., was on the phone with his wife, but he hung up to listen.
“I love a lot of music,” Abernathy said. “It gets you to relax. I think there should be a lot more of it.”
Abernathy expressed interest in music spreading across campus, from Brigham Square and the plazas, to the generally unused amphitheater by the duck pond south of campus.
Like Abernathy, Erin Jones, an american studies major from Ramona, Calif. said the performance was a refreshing break from the routine students often find themselves in.
“I was going to go into the JFSB and I just had to stop, it was so beautiful,” Jones said. “The other stuff can wait. This is totally making my whole day. I like listening to music that’s recorded, but it is so much better live. It is a reason to stop and enjoy something beautiful.”
The Education in Zion gallery is responsible for organizing the performance as part of Music Fridays, a promotion for the gallery.
“A lot of people haven’t heard of the gallery before, or haven’t used it,” said gallery educator, Jacob Bromley. “The goal is to attract people to the gallery for people to utilize it.”
Generally, Music Friday performances showcase artists in the gallery itself. The acoustics of the building allow passersbys on first floor to hear the music from above.
“Music travels down the spiral staircase and people come up,” Bromley said.
Bromley’s hope is that the music will draw people to the gallery and allow them to learn more about the goal of Education in Zion.
“The focus of the gallery is to gain knowledge about both secular and spiritual knowledge,” Bromley said.
Concerts will continue throughout the fall and winter semesters every Friday from noon to 1 p.m., with tours of the gallery ranging from five minutes to one hour.
