Congratulations to our Business Manager, Jolene Kidd, who earned her MBA from Mary Baldwin University this weekend! The program uniquely prepares business leaders to run socially and environmentally responsible businesses that make positive impact on their local and global communities. Jolene’s course of study focused on applying these skills in a nonprofit, educational environment. Her thesis was a business plan for a new product offering called InTuneNation. InTuneNation is an app that helps singers in community choirs practice more effectively at home. The app is designed to help singers build musicianship skills while developing musical literacy. You can learn more about her project in this YouTube Video. Her project was recognized by the MBU Faculty as one of the top projects in the program and was featured in MBU’s Graduate Spotlight series for 2021 graduates.
When asked what led her to this unique idea, she replied, “I sing in my church’s choir and Praise Team. During the pandemic, we were unable to sing together and many of my fellow choristers found preparing for virtual recordings difficult. I remembered how hard it was when I took voice lessons to get comfortable with hearing my own raw, unfiltered vocals, which is what we had to submit to our Music Director for the virtual recordings. And I know how hard it is to learn harmony when you don’t play piano. I used several different apps to develop the various parts of musicianship, but this is a lot of work and just too much for most amateur singers. My idea for InTuneNation was to develop an app that works with choir directors and their selected repertoire so singers can build and develop these critical musical literacy skills while also practicing the music for their choral group.”
Now that she’s finished with her MBA, Jolene reports that she’s enjoying getting full nights of sleep, spending time with her husband, gardening, and, of course, singing.
Kudos to one amazing graduate! What an achievement! The Pharmacology Department is very proud of you!