When students in Professor Ross Bauer’s music class choose between doing a report on a jazz CD or a concert, the cheaper option is sometimes a ticket to the Mondavi Center.
That’s because of the Curriculum Connections program, which provides $5 tickets for students enrolled in a course that requires them to attend a performance at the Mondavi Center. The program is designed to provide affordable tickets as well as expose UC Davis students to the renowned venue.
Bauer said many students wouldn’t choose the live concert option if not for the low ticket prices.
The long-established Curriculum Connections program has been used by many faculty members throughout the years, including Petr Janata, professor of psychology, who has been sending his students to performances through the program for about 10 years. Last year, more than 1,300 UC Davis students attended events at the Mondavi Center through the Curriculum Connections program.
Faculty members have used the program for their classes to heighten course work in addition to exposing students to leading artists and speakers from around the world.
Elisa Joy White, associate professor of African American and African studies, said it’s been popular. “Students have responded very positively and greatly benefited from the opportunity to experience outstanding global talents that seamlessly corresponded with all they were learning and discussing in class,” she said.
Katherine Lee, associate professor of music, said the program allows students to broaden their knowledge of the performing arts as well as be exposed to cultures from around the world.
“These performances may be the first concerts that students attend in a big theater,” Lee said. “The concerts are also often the first encounter with a musical culture that may differ from their own.”
Faculty members interested in the program should do the following: Contact Artist Engagement Coordinator Ruth Rosenberg by email, stating the performance you are assigning for your class, and attaching your class syllabus. Upon approval, Curriculum Connections will issue ticket vouchers to hand out to students (and one complimentary ticket for a staff member). Remind students that to secure their tickets, they must present voucher and student ID at the Mondavi Center Ticket Office. One ticket per student in the class is guaranteed for purchase at $5 until two weeks prior to the performance.
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Hailey Jenkins, Dateline, hrjenkins@ucdavis.edu