Singer and multi-instrumentalist Makinsey Rosser brings her immense talent to the College of Music with the help of a fellowship and scholarship which are essential to recruiting students of her caliber.
After two years teaching middle and high school chorus and general music, followed by four years in church music ministry, vocalist Makinsey Rosser felt the pull to return to school and refine her voice. Her nationwide search led her to reach out to several institutions, and the voice faculty at Michigan State University stood out immediately.
“I knew that I needed to refine my voice, and I needed more practice and opportunities to perform before I could actually be on big stages. MSU was the only school that made me feel seen,” Rosser said. “My voice teacher, who is now Professor Melanie Helton, responded to me in like seven minutes, and then the rest of the MSU faculty eventually said something, too, That was different than any of the other universities that I visited and reached out to.”
Rosser didn’t expect her path to lead to Michigan. Originally from Georgia, she earned her undergraduate degree in music education from Valdosta State University, where she first discovered her love for opera.
“While I was getting my degree, I wanted to be a chorus teacher,” she said. “Valdosta State was where I found out that I love singing opera.”
It was Rosser’s time to take a step forward and pursue her master’s degree. Helton’s swift response to Rosser’s inquiry was not only timely, but transformative. She welcomed Rosser into studio classes, allowing her to sing and interact with current students.
Makinsey Rosser is confident that Professor Melanie Helton will transform her voice, and she enjoys how supportive the students are of one another at her new school.
“Professor Helton invested so much into me without me even being a student. I can tell that she is going to transform my voice,” Rosser said. “Her studio was so great. They are all supportive of each other. Such a positive, encouraging, uplifting, supporting environment.”
Rosser’s goal was clear: to attend graduate school without adding to her existing student loan debt. She shared that with MSU Vocal Arts faculty.
“I still have student loans from my undergrad that I’m paying off, so I told them I can’t stack on top of that. They knew that that was my mission.”
Thanks in part to donor-funded scholarships, Rosser’s realized her mission. She received the Elizabeth R. Stanaway Nordlund Award which is funded through an estate gift from the late Betty and Richard Nordlund. In addition, Rosser is receiving the Vocal Arts Graduate Fellowship Award. The two awards allow her to join the College of Music without great financial burden.
“Makinsey Rosser represents exactly the kind of graduate student we target in our recruiting – talented with some real-life experience, eager, curious, and passionate about singing,” said Professor of Voice and Chair of the Vocal Arts Area Richard Fracker. “We are so grateful for our donors who have proven to be game changers in our ability to recruit candidates like Makinsey to our program.”
Professor Helton is already guiding Rosser in preparing audition tapes. Helton’s echoed Fracker’s sentiment and is excited to hear what Rosser does during her time at MSU.
While studying at Valdosta state University, Makinsey Rosser opened for Wocka Flocka Flame. It is one example of her versatility as a performer.
“From the first time I heard her, I knew she would be a true Spartan, both exceptional in talent and in character,” Helton said. “She will be an excellent addition to the Vocal Arts Area, MSU Opera Theatre and the entire College of Music community.”
Rosser’s versatility as a musician – she sings, plays instruments, and performs in a variety of setting – motivates her to perform in a variety of capacities in the community, whether in a studio, singing backup for someone in a live setting, playing guitar, or playing keyboard. Her biggest dream, however, is to be an opera singer, she has already connected with the College of Music’s Director of Career Education and Music Entrepreneurship Emily Henley even before classes began.
This fall, Rosser will make her MSU Opera Theatre debut in the chorus and supporting roles of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath. With MSU’s double-cast opera productions and numerous performance opportunities, she’s thrilled to grow further as an artist.
“Professor Helton told me there is a light that is within me that shines every time I sing, and she says that to me all the time,” Rosser said. “No one’s ever said that to me before, but people have started saying it now that she said it. I’m like, okay! She saw my light, and she believes in me.”
A snowy location like Michigan still surprises Rosser as her master’s program destination. Still, she is confident she made the right choice to bring her considerable skill set to MSU.
“I’m 100% convinced that this is where I’m supposed to be because of everything that the school has to offer,” Rosser said. “It just feels like this school is rooting for all of their students.”
