The Student Arts Card, available to all incoming first-year students, allows access to discounted tickets to a variety of BYU fine arts events, according to Aubria Soto, First-Year Experience Office Coordinator.
The $3 card, sponsored by First-Year Experience and the College of Fine Arts and Communications, can be used for BYU music, dance and theater events for performance groups such as World of Dance, BYU Vocal Point and Living Legends.
“The outcome of the Arts Card is to get first-year students involved in the College of Fine Arts and with their peers … and increase their sense of belonging at BYU as they engage in experiences on campus,” Soto said.
Robyn Watson, a BYU junior double majoring in dietetics and German studies, was a Student Arts Card holder her freshman year. Watson said having the card during her first year was highly beneficial as she adjusted to life as a college student.
She said it gave her something to do that was close to campus, as well as an excuse to hang out with new people.
“It was really great socially, and also just intellectually enlarging,” Watson said.
Watson said she used the Student Arts Card to attend a performance at least once a month. Attending the various music, theater and dance groups BYU had to offer opened her eyes to cultural experiences she said she had not had easy access to before.
The card was easy to use and had a list of the dates and performances you could use it for throughout the year, she said.
One of Watson’s favorite performances to attend using the Student Arts Card was World of Dance, which showcases a variety of dance numbers from each of BYU’s premier dance companies.
“I would encourage incoming freshmen to go pick it up as soon as possible. Every month just sit down and see what’s coming up next month, and just go for it,” Watson said.
Dallin Lyon, a junior majoring in Music Dance Theatre, is part of BYU’s Tier II International Folk Dance team and has danced in several campus performances. The Folk Dance team is one of the groups first-year students can see at a discounted price with their Student Arts Card.
He said when the student community attends these performances, it benefits the performers and audience. Performances go so much better when they have a receptive and energetic audience, Lyon said.
“Because BYU is such a diverse, talented campus, there are amazing people at BYU who can do amazing things. Watching them shine is just one of the coolest things ever,” he said.
Lyon had a Student Arts Card as a freshman and said he attended almost every performance available. He said having the card helped him decide on a major.
“I just remember being so inspired seeing the level of talent of those people, and thinking I could get to that level,” Lyon said. “I was in awe.”
Soto said attending performances as a first-year student benefits freshmen in various ways as they adjust to BYU. In addition to giving them fun ways to experience the culture and creativity of BYU, it helps familiarize them with different parts of campus.
“It can provide them with fun, stress-relieving activities in a time where they may feel overwhelmed,” she said.
According to First-Year Experience, first-year students get the card by meeting with their peer mentor. Each student gets one card, which they can take to the ticket office or front desk of each show to purchase discounted tickets. Student Arts Cards can only be used in-person, once per performance and cannot be used online in advance.
