Rosemary Engelstad
As a faculty member in IUP’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Rosemary Engelstad sees every day how her life’s work impacts her students. That’s something she holds sacred about her role at IUP and beyond. Learn more about her in this week’s Meet Our Faculty feature.
What is it about the music field that initially drew you in—and ultimately keeps you interested?
Making music is a sacred process of creating sound and expressing something beyond the material. Because of this powerful, challenging, and demanding art form, I have made many lifelong friendships and cannot imagine a life without the experience of making music with others.
Why do you enjoy teaching in this discipline?
I enjoy learning from my students more than anything else. I love being a mentor and making the journey with each student. Their creative selves unfold in unique and beautiful ways. Bearing witness to a student’s growth and free musical expression is awe-inspiring.
What advice would you give students about how to succeed in college?
Before you can succeed, you have to do a bit of exploration surrounding your dreams, goals, and values for your life. In music, like other disciplines, we risk burnout and loss of motivation. So, you renew your vision daily in your heart and soul to help you get through stressful times.
Tell us something most of your students may not know about you.
I also have a degree in psychology and am a licensed massage therapist.