Leslie Brown Bluhm
From College of Fine Arts and Communications
Education
Leslie Brown Bluhm holds a degree music with an emphasis in harp performance from Brigham Young University. Her teachers included Alice Chalifoux, Charles Kleinsteuber, Louise Pratt and Jerold Harris. Harris had a profound effect on Bluhm. Of her experience studying with him, she said,
I have never been accused of being a morning person. Neither have I ever been highly praised for my music theory acumen. It was the combination of these facts that made my 8:00 a.m. music theory classes my biggest challenge during my freshman year at BYU.
Fortunately for me, I was greeted each morning that year by the smiling face of my theory teacher, Jerold Harris. His warmth and kindness made us glad to be in class at such an early hour. We all loved his sense of humor, even though his jokes were terrible! His lighthearted approach to teaching made it possible for him to be constructively critical of our work without devastating us. I remember one day when he played three students’ homework compositions for the class and dubbed them “the good, the bad and the ugly!” Somehow, even the composers of “the bad and the ugly” left class that day feeling unoffended and eager to try again.
I struggled through the first semester and managed to finish with a respectable grade of A-. My second semester, however, I didn’t do as well as I should have on the final exam and received a B. As the grades were issued, Brother Harris called me into his office and said that he felt that my grade did not reflect my ability. Then, he offered me the opportunity to raise my grade to an A if I would complete a special summer assignment: I was to arrange the sacrament hymn, “In Remembrance of Thy Suffering” for women’s choir, piano, harp and flute. I’m sure the harp and flute were added because these were the instruments my sister and I played. I eagerly agreed to the proposition.
Throughout the summer I worked steadily on the arrangement. I rewrote it several times. This was quite a stretch for me and required many hours, but I wanted to please Brother Harris with the final product. I was offered additional assistance when my Ward choir director at home offered to let our choir rehearse it to work out any problems. The choir then sang my arrangement during a Sacrament meeting at the end of the summer.
When I returned to school the following Fall semester, I presented my arrangement to Brother Harris. True to his word, he had my grade changed. The sweeter, unexpected surprise came later that semester when his wife, who conducted the Women’s Chorus at that time, had her choir perform my arrangement at a campus devotional. Of course, I was privileged to play the harp part!
Brother Harris was truly a master teacher. He not only taught music theory, but also love, respect and compassion. He instilled in me the desire to stretch and grow in areas of learning in which I was uncomfortable and helped me gain confidence in my abilities. How grateful I am for a caring teacher, who, while extending compassion, was really extending a greater opportunity for me to learn and grow. I will always appreciate the many lessons I learned during those early morning hours spent with dear Brother Harris.
Career
Bluhm has appeared as a guest soloist at the National Flute Association Convention in Washington, D.C., the Legacy Concert Series in Dallas and Washington, D.C. and at the Temple Square Concert Series in Salt Lake City.
Bluhm also has performed throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area as a soloist, a chamber musician and with various performing arts organizations, including the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Garland/Las Colinas Symphonies and the Octavia Harp Ensemble.
