A Musical Classroom should be a learning environment that encourages growth, creativity, empowerment, and never creates a level of discomfort. Jordan Smith, the current orchestra director at Susquehanna University, not only goes against these views but has permanently damaged the orchestra program and music department. Not only have the number of students in orchestra decreased but the environment in total has become uncomfortable. As a musician I need to advocate for not only for myself but all other musicians and future musicians. After three years of feeling consistently discouraged in my ability to be a creative and knowledgeable musician, I have decided to express my concerns and hope others are able to agree with me and help assure that no other students can be negatively targeted by him. (If you feel others should at least be informed of how Jordan has effected this department, please consider signing)

• On many occasions, Jordan has presented himself as a dictator in all his classrooms. Others and I have been dismissed after asking questions, consistently ignored by email, and he continues to disregard individuals’ personal problems. He will refuse to answer questions in an appropriate, musical way. Emails have been a toxic environment as well, being it is in our syllabus to respond to emails within 24 hours and he fails to do that to us. Throughout occasions of students dealing with health issues in the hospital and the loss of loved ones, he has penalized more than one person’s grade for missing the appropriate amount of class time to take care of themselves, which is unfair. Creating music is not black and white and within the walls of a school, teachers should be pushing and hoping for discoveries within music all the time. 
• Along with trying to dictate people’s lives within his classroom, he remains unaware and unreasonable to others lives outside the classroom as well. He will call his orchestra staff with knowledge of them being in class, expecting them to answer. With knowledge of a students participation in another class, he will ask a student to skip for the purpose of an extra sectional or audition, something that is inappropriate and selfish. It's especially discouraging to the students in the ensemble that are non-music majors when he choses to require an extraneous amount of time outside of this 1 credit class. Then when student's express they did not have knowledge of the assignments he refuses to bend and say it is their fault even if they weren't called to the rehearsal in which he addressed the work. With the mental health dynamic the way it is, especially at Susquehanna University, professors should try to be more aware of the environment they're creating in their classroom. 
• What is especially concerning is how many people have admitted to Jordan making them uncomfortable. Students have been brought to tears and not because they are refusing to cooperate but rather because he pushes them past emotional breaking points and places of comfort. The conversations lead by him are manipulative and only circle back to him attempting to prove students incorrect. His lack of fairness throughout seating has brought students to tears. Even this semester he has chosen to approach students in the same section with different compliments and personal encouragements for reasons that from an outsiders perspective, could only be for personal bias because no players ability is in question. This is unprofessional and in a department that’s student body choses to be encouraging rather than competitive, should not be allowed and has been another reason our involvement is low. Education, involvement, and even personality is being taken away from students and nothing is being taken away from him. 

Being a dictator in and out of the classroom, creating an environment students would prefer not to be in, and sacrificing students own comfort are sadly what has happened throughout the past three years Jordan has taught here. We will have to pay for the repercussions of his presence on this campus and I do not want other departments or schools to suffer the same consequences. Should Jordan be able to continue his time at Susquehanna or more importantly, at any other educational institution?