Page 17 - YC360 Spring 2021 Edition

Community Impact
Continued from page 7
SCHOOL OF
ARTS & HUMANITIES
Dr. Joshua Harper
Choral Music
Singing is a lifelong passion for Joshua Harper. The Associate Professor of Choral Music shares that passion with aspiring singers, young and old.
His courses attract students working toward associate degrees in Fine Arts as well as older adults who simply cherish the expressive power of the voice. He offers a unique approach. “I encourage students to make big mistakes—without mistakes, we cannot learn.”
Community outreach is vital to YC’s music programs. “The College maintains close relationships with state high school choral groups,” Harper explains. Knowing there is no substitute for personal contact, Harper joined instrumental music colleague Chris Tenney on a statewide tour in 2019. “We visited a different high school twice a month and performed while recruiting for our programs.” Suspended during the pandemic, Harper and Tenney hope to hit the road again soon. “I believe everyone is capable of singing,” Harper says. “Some simply need a little help in learning how.”
Learn more at: www.yc.edu/v6/schools/ arts/performing-arts.html.
Digital athletes, male and female, will compete in single and multi-player formats.
Game On!
Roughrider eSports Team Launches an Era of Digital Athletics
A new kind of student athlete is coming to Yavapai College.
eSports, a digital gaming program, will join the Roughrider Athletic Department in the Fall 2021. Yavapai College will field a co-
ed eSports team and battle rival teams at other community colleges and NCAA Division I schools like Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon University, and Arizona State University.
“This offers both men and women a chance to compete at the highest level of gaming, which is new to us, but it is a special opportunity to offer this at a community college.” said
YC Director of Athletics Brad Clifford. “We are on the cutting edge of the fastest-growing sport in the world, that will bring visibility to Prescott and the Yavapai County community.”
Athletics has hired Chris Willis to
be the first coach of the Roughrider eSports team. A veteran Army Medic, with years of experience hosting
eSports tournaments and gaming on multiple platforms, Willis is excited to help Roughrider eSports achieve its full potential.
The Roughriders will compete in a newly renovated digital arena in Building 19 on the Prescott Campus, and pursue membership in the National Junior College Athletic Association eSports (NJCAAE) league, which currently competes in 12 different games, including single player, 2-on-2 or 6-on-6 formats.
Recruitment has already begun for student-athletes with a commitment to academics as well as the advanced skills to play competitive eSports. Any current or future Yavapai College student interested in pioneering
a brand-new kind of sports team should complete an eSports recruiting form on the athletic web site, www. goroughriders.com.
SPRING 2021 | ISSUE 7 17