Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Featured Guest: Dr. Judy Palac, Michigan State University, Associate Professor of Music Education
Judy Palac is associate professor of music education at the Michigan State University College of Music.
Judy Palac, DMA, found her passion in the field of musicians' wellness while writing her doctoral treatise on the biomechanics of the violin bow arm at the University of Texas in 1987. She has been mentored in her research and writing by Alice Brandfonbrener, M.D., co-founder of the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). At Michigan State University, where she is an associate professor of music education, Palac founded the interdisciplinary Musicians' Wellness Team in 2004. She is a licensed Andover Educator in the somatic education method of Body Mapping.
Palac has published on this topic in Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Bulletin for the Council for Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, and the String Research Journal, and presented at conferences for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), ISME, NAfME, the Society for Music Teacher Education, and PAMA . Palac was chair of the Music Education Neuromusculoskeletal Health Subcommittee for the Health Promotion in Schools of Music Conference, which provided the groundwork for the NASM accreditation standard on occupational health and safety, in 2004. She presently co-chairs the PAMA Education Committee. She is Publications Chair for ASTA, and serves on the board of Andover Educators.
Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
Featured Guest: UNT Senior Vice Provost & Professor of Psychology, Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann
Yolanda Flores Niemann (Ph.D., Psychology, 1992, University of Houston) is Senior Vice Provost and Professor of Psychology at The University of North Texas. She joined the UNT team in July of 2012. Previously she served in administrative roles as Vice Provost and as Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Utah State University, and held numerous administrative positions at Washington State University, where she was also a faculty member. She has been Principal Investigator of over 40 million dollars in federal outreach grants, as well as serving on the Washington State Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs and on multiple committees of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Indian Psychologists. Her research interests include the effects and social ecological contexts of stereotypes across various domains, the psychological effects of tokenism, and overcoming obstacles to higher education for low socio-economic status group members. Notable book publications include (with multiple authors) Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia; Black/Brown Relations and Stereotypes (which was recently featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education); and Chicana Leadership. Notable refereed journals and book chapters are published in: To Improve the Academy; The Handbook of Chicana and Chicano Psychology and Mental Health; The Handbook of Racial and Ethnic Minority Psychology; The Journal of Social Issues; Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences; Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Applied Social Psychology; Sociological Perspectives, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin; and The Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior.
Yolanda.Niemann@unt.edu
Music Education Lecture Series 2011-2012
Monday, October 1st, 2012
Featured Guest: Former Texas Education Commissioner, Robert Scott
Since his appointment to serve as Commissioner of Education and before as education advisor to Governor Rick Perry, Scott has been a consistent supporter of a well-balanced education that includes the arts. In his numerous keynotes to both the Texas Association of Schools Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators, Scott always speaks to the importance of the arts in the education of the whole child and often points to the student music groups that usually perform at such sessions as classic examples of gifted and talented students in our schools.
Scott has experienced the value of arts education firsthand through his two children, who have both become extensively involved in the arts at Bowie HS in Austin ISD. He recognizes how the arts have affected virtually every aspect of their educational growth and makes it a priority in these tough economic times not to let those opportunities for Texas schoolchildren slip away.
Scott has made three appearances at TMEA, where he has spoken eloquently about why the arts must continue to be a cornerstone of the educational process. Veteran education policy expert Scott was appointed Commissioner of Education
by Governor Perry on Oct. 16, 2007. He was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate on April 8, 2009. In this role, Scott serves as the head of the Texas Education Agency, which oversees the state's 1,200 school districts and charter schools. Scott has long been considered one of the most thoughtful and innovative education policy experts in state government. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and a member of the State Bar, Scott has provided strategic leadership to the Texas Education Agency for the past six years, serving as the agency's chief executive during a massive reorganization of its functions in the summer of 2003. In January 2004, Scott was appointed chief deputy commissioner, a position in which he was responsible for the daily operations of the agency and the implementation and execution of key statewide initiatives.
Scott's organizational abilities were on full display during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Texas took in more than 46,000 students who had fled the storm-ravaged areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, and again when Hurricane Rita slammed the Southeast Texas coast. The agency received widespread acclaim for its response.
Scott served as senior policy advisor to Governor Perry during the creation of the Texas High School Initiative in 2003 and was instrumental in the bill's passage and implementation. The initiative, now called the Texas High School Project, has been considered by several national voices as perhaps the nation's most cutting-edge reform project in secondary education. Scott has also been a noted advocate for improved early childhood education and has pressed for the improvement of school readiness for pre-kindergarten-aged children, particularly for those who do not have the resources to seek that help elsewhere.
Scott's further interests include charter school innovation, incentive awards for teachers, and a renewed focus on health and fitness and the arts in public schools.
Music Education Lecture Series 2011-2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Featured Guest: Maestro Jaap van Zweden
Van Zweden began to work as a conductor after Leonard Bernstein invited him to lead an orchestra rehearsal in Berlin. He has stated that he learned much about conducting from observing the various conductors who led concerts of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He conducted smaller ensembles initially, and became a full-time conductor in 1997.
His first Dutch conducting post was as chief conductor with the Orkest van het Oosten (Orchestra of the East, or the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) in Enschede, the Netherlands. He served in this post from 1996 through 2000. Van Zweden was chief conductor of the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague from 2000-2005, with whom he recorded the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. In 2005, he became chief conductor and artistic leader of the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest (RFO; Netherlands Radio Philharmonic) in Hilversum. In February 2007, he extended his RFO contract through 2013. In August 2010, the orchestra announced that van Zweden would step down from the RFO chief conductorship in 2012 and take the title of honorair gastdirigent (honorary guest conductor, or principal guest conductor).
Van Zweden made his US conducting debut with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1996. His second US guest-conducting appearance was with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in February 2006, a concert that was highly acclaimed. Based on this engagement, the Dallas Symphony named van Zweden their next Music Director after Andrew Litton, effective with the 2008–2009 season. His initial contract is for four years, where in the first year he is scheduled to conduct 12 weeks of subscription concerts, and for 15 weeks in the subsequent 3 years. For the 2007–2008 season, he held the title of Music Director Designate and conducted 3 subscription concerts. In October 2009, the Dallas Symphony announced the extension of his contract through the 2015-2016 season.
Music Education Lecture Series 2011-2012
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Featured Guests: Dr. Eugene Corporon & Dr. Jerry McCoy
Eugene Migliaro Corporon is the conductor of the Wind Symphony and Regents Professor of Music at the University of North Texas. Professor Corporon is a recipient of the International Grainger Society Distinctive Contribution Medallion as well as the Phi Beta Mu International Band Conductor of the Year Award. He has also received the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Citation for advancing the cause of music in America, the University of North Texas Student Government Association Honor Professor Award for teaching excellence, student rapport, and scholarly publications, the American School Band Directors Association A. A. Harding Award for making significant and lasting contributions to the school band movement, and the California State University, Long Beach, College of Fine Arts and Department of Music Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Dr. Jerry McCoy is in his eleventh year as Director of Choral Studies and Professor of Music at the University of North Texas where he conducts the A Cappella Choir, the North Texas Chamber Choir and the Grand Chorus, teaches graduate choral conducting and advanced choral techniques, and guides the choral studies program consisting of nine performance choirs. He is also Music Director of Schola Cantorum of Texas, one of the foremost volunteer choruses in Texas. He is national president of the 18,000-member American Choral Directors Association, a member of the INTERKULTUR international music advisory board (the administrating entity for the World Choir Games), and a member of the editorial board of the Choral Scholar. For six years he was founder/music director of the Texas Choral Artist, a professional chamber choir based in Dallas, Texas.
Music Education Lecture Series 2010-2011
Music Education Lecture Series 2010-2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Featured Guest: Dr. Betty Anne Younker
Associate Professor of Music Education & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Betty Anne Younker, Ph.D. (Northwestern University) is Associate Professor of Music Education and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. During her tenure at a previous post, the University of Western Ontario, she was awarded the Pedro Goldman Teaching Award from the faculty of music. In 2008, she was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by The Pennsylvania State University, College of Arts and Architecture.
Dr. Younker’s research interests include the philosophy and pedagogy of music education and critical and creative thinking. Publications and presentations (over 100) include articles in a variety of national and international journals; chapters in multiple books; and presentations at state, national, and international conferences and meetings.
Before appointments at the university level, Dr. Younker taught in public schools in band, choral, and general music settings. In addition she taught flute at beginning to university levels. Presently she serves on a variety of committees for the College Music Society, is a committee member for the North American region of the International Society for Music Education and the Michigan Music Conference Executive Committee, and is past president of the Michigan Music Educators Association. As a musician, Younker is a member of the Vocal Arts Ensemble in Ann Arbor, Michigan, guest teaches in area schools, and serves as a solo and ensemble and band adjudicator. (bio taken from UM School of Music, Theater & Dance website)
Music Education Lecture Series 2010-2011
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Featured Guest: Dr. André J. Thomas
Director of Choral Activities & Professor of Choral Music Education
André J. Thomas, the Owen F. Sellers Professor of Music, is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music Education at The Florida State University. A previous faculty member at the University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Thomas received his degrees from Friends University (B.A.), Northwestern University (M. M.), and the University of Illinois (D.M.A). He is in demand as a choral adjudicator, clinician, and director of Honor/All-State Choirs throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia.
Dr. Thomas has conducted choirs at the state, division, and national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). His international conducting credits are extensive. They include conductor/clinician for the International Federation of Choral Musicians, summer residency of the World Youth Choir in the Republic of China and the Philippines, winter residency of the World Youth Choir in Europe, and a premier performance by an American choir (The Florida State University Singers) in Vietnam. He has been the guest conductor of such distinguished orchestras and choirs as the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England, and guest Conductor for the Berlin Radio Choir in Germany. Since 1988 he has also served as Artistic Director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus.
Thomas has also distinguished himself as a composer/arranger. Hinshaw Music Company, Mark Foster Music Company, Fitzsimmon Music Company, Lawson Gould, Earthsongs, and Heritage Music Company publish his compositions and arrangements. Dr. Thomas has produced two instructional videos "What They See Is What You Get" on choral conducting, with Rodney Eichenberger, and "Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice" on adolescent voices, with Anton Armstrong. He is a past president of the Florida ACDA, and the past president of the Southern Division of ACDA. (bio taken from FSU website)
Music Education Lecture Series 2009-2010
Music Education Lecture Series 2009-2010
Wednesday, February 24
Featured Guest: Mr. Michael Colgrass
Composer and Author
Michael Colgrass (b. 1932) began his musical career in Chicago where his first professional experiences were as a jazz drummer (1944-49). He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1954 with a degree in performance and composition and his studies included training with Darius Milhaud at the Aspen Festival and Lukas Foss at Tanglewood. He won 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Déjà vu, which was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic. In addition, he received an Emmy Award in 1982 for a PBS documentary “Soundings: The Music of Michael Colgrass.” Among his recent works are Crossworlds (2002) for flute piano and orchestra commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered with soloists Marina Piccinini and Andreas Heafliger. Pan Trio was commissioned and premiered by Soundstreams Canada in 2005 and premiered by them with Liam Teague, steel drums, Sanya Eng, harp and Ryan Scott, percussion. In 2003 he conducted the premiere of his chamber orchestra version of the Bach-Goldberg Variations with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in his living room for is wife’s 65th birthday. As an author, Colgrass wrote My Lessons With Kumi, a narrative/exercise book, outlining his techniques for performance and creativity. He gives workshops throughout the world on the psychology and technique of performance, in which participants do exercises from this book. His newest book, MICHAEL COLGRASS: Adventures of an American Composer, will be published by Meredith Music in February of 2010. The Aesthetic Education Institute in Rochester, NY. He conducts frequently at New Horizons Institutes—national and international events for New Horizons Band and orchestra members.
Music Education Lecture Series 2009-2010
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Featured Guest: Dr. Roy Ernst
Professor Emeritus
Roy Ernst, professor emeritus, taught at Eastman for 25 years and chaired the music education department for 12 years. In 1991, Dr. Ernst started the first New Horizons Band at Eastman for the purpose of creating a model program emphasizing entry and reentry points to music making for older adults. Later, he became the founding director of the New Horizons Music Project, funded by the National Association of Music Merchants and the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers. In that capacity, he used the New Horizons Band as a model to assist in starting more than 150 similar programs in the United States and Canada. Born in 1938 in Troy, Michigan, Dr. Ernst received his BS and MS degrees from Wayne State University, and a PhD from the University of Michigan. He began his teaching career in elementary and secondary schools in Michigan, and was part of the performance faculty of Wayne State University from 1964-1968. In 1971, he was appointed assistant professor of music at Georgia State University, Atlanta, where he became chairman of the wind department and conductor of their wind ensemble. In 1984, he was a visiting professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Ernst’s honors include the President’s Arts Achievement Award from his alma mater; an Outstanding Educator Award from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; the Richard Snook Educator Award from the Monroe County Music Educators; an honorary doctorate from the University of Western Ontario, and recognition as a Grand Master of Music Education by the Music Educators National Conference. Dr. Ernst has published books and articles on conducting, flute performance, and music education, and is founding director of The Aesthetic Education Institute in Rochester, NY. He conducts frequently at New Horizons Institutes—national and international events for New Horizons Band and orchestra members.
Music Education Lecture Series 2008-2009
Music Education Lecture Series 2008-2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Featured Guest: Dr. John Kratus
Professor of Music Education
John Kratus is professor of music education at the Michigan State University College of Music. He received Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Northwestern University. Kratus teaches secondary general music methods, music education foundations, creativity, and philosophy of music education. He is published in the fields of creativity and curriculum development in the "Music Educators Journal," the "Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education," "Psychology of Music," "Canadian Music Educator," and the "Journal of Research in Music Education." Kratus was previously director of Music Education at Case Western Reserve University for 10 years, and has also taught at Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University.
Music Education Lecture Series 2008-2009
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Featured Guest: Mr. William H. Lively
President and Chief Executive Office
Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation
William H. Lively has distinguished himself in diverse fields, including education, development and entertainment. With enthusiasm and dedication, he has undertaken numerous challenges during his career. One of the greatest is his current role as president and chief executive officer of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, charged with raising $257 million from the private sector toward the total cost of $275 million for a world-class performing arts center for Dallas. When completed in 2009, the new facilities will help Dallas become one of the nation’s leading cultural centers.
A native of Dallas, Lively earned a Bachelor of Music degree from SMU in 1965 and a Master of Education degree from the University of North Texas in 1970. Returning to SMU in 1973, he devoted the next 25 years to a variety of roles, serving for the last seven years as vice president of Development and External Affairs. Lively founded the university's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series, Doak Walker National Running Back Award, and SMU Athletic Forum. He helped to establish the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies. Lively was director of The Campaign for SMU during its initial stages. His SMU honors include the "M" Award, Outstanding Administrator of the Year Award and honorary Doak Walker Award. During his years at SMU, Lively also served as band director for the Dallas Cowboys and executive producer of game day entertainment.
Lively left SMU in 1998 to become president and CEO of Up With People, headquartered in Denver. Two years later, he returned to Dallas to assume leadership of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation.
Music Education Lecture Series 2007-2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Andrea Peterson, 2007 National Teacher of the Year
On April 25, 2007, President George W. Bush presented the 2007 National Teacher of the Year award to Andrea Peterson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Music and Education from the University of Washington and is a National Board Certified Teacher in early and middle childhood music. She has taught at Monte Cristo Elementary School in the Granite Falls School District (Washington) since 1997.
Upon her arrival at Monte Cristo Elementary, Ms. Peterson found a music program that was in disarray and severely under-funded. However, by reaching out to the community at large, she was able to get the necessary resources to bring music back into the students’ lives and foster their talents both inside and outside of her classroom.
Working with colleagues and administration, Ms. Peterson created a cross-curricular approach to teaching music. By building upon lessons taught in other classes, students gain a deeper understanding of music as well as other subject areas. Through cross-curricular education, students, who were not succeeding in traditional subject areas, have found other avenues to develop not only an understanding of the subject material, but also encouragement to create their own.
One of the most popular projects in Ms. Peterson’s classes is the creation and performance of an interpretive musical, where students create a play from one of the books they have read in another class. Students work together to choose the music that best fits with the overall feel of the play, and then perform for the greater community. Through her sponsorship, performances bring the community together to celebrate and honor not only the performers, but also great traditions and memories.
Ms. Peterson was chosen as National Teacher of the Year, from among the 2007 State Teachers of the Year, by the oldest and most prestigious awards program to focus public attention on excellence in teaching. National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the ING Foundation, is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers. In June 2007, Ms. Peterson began a year as a full-time educational spokesperson.
Liz Shropshire, Founder of Kosovo Children’s Music
Initiative and Shropshire Music Foundation
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Liz Shropshire received her B.A. from Brigham Young University in Music Composition and Theory, and an advanced graduate degree from the University of Southern California in Composition for the Music Industry. Her experience includes more than 25 years teaching experience, including five years' teaching emotionally-disturbed elementary and secondary school students in Los Angeles, private and public-school music instruction; service as educational director for the Long Beach Symphony; and many years of composing for commercial and church venues.
In August 1999, Liz took leave of her musical career in Los Angeles to embark on her work in Kosovo. She solicited donations of more than $5000 in instruments and music before traveling to Kosovo as a volunteer with the Balkan Sunflowers Organization. In January 2000, Liz founded the Kosovo Children's Music Initiative (KCMI) to establish musical education and performance programs advancing the welfare of Kosovar children and communities. In October 2004, Liz began the Peace Through Music Northern Ireland project, bringing together war-traumatized children from segregated communities for music classes and concerts. In March 2005, she began establishing Peace Through Music Uganda to work with the war-affected children of Uganda.
Liz’s organizational responsibilities include program curriculum development and staff and volunteer training for the Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and Uganda programs, as well as teaching, conducting seminars, and speaking engagements on peace, children, war-trauma, and tolerance in the United States. She spends most of the year living and working in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and Uganda. She also supervises the daily operations of the Shropshire Music Foundation, established in 2000 to provide funding for all of these programs.
Music Education Lecture Series 2006-2007
Dr. Cliff Madsen, 
Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Music
and Coordinator of Music Education/Music Therapy/Contemporary Media
at the College of Music, Florida State University
Friday, September 29, 2006
Dr. Clifford Madsen teaches in the areas of music education, music therapy, research, and psychology of music. He has authored and co-authored many books and is perhaps best known for Teaching/Discipline: A Positive Approach for Educational Development, Experimental Research in Music, Competency Based Music Education, Applications of Research in Music Behavior, and Vision 2020: The Housewright Symposium on the Future of Music Education.
Music Education Lecture Series 2005-2006
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser
Monday, October 17, 2005
Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser is author of The Art of Successful Teaching, The Joy of Inspried Teaching, Music Advocacy and Student Leadership, and co-author of Hal Leonard's Essential Elements and of Teaching Music through Performance in Band.
Jerry Blackstone, Co-Director of Choirs and Coordinator of the
Conducting Department of the School of Music University of Michigan
Friday, March 3, 2006
Jerry Blackstone regularly appears with the Chamber and University Choirs and the world acclaimed UM Men's Glee Club. In addition, he teaches conducting at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and jointly administers a choral program of nine choirs.
Blackstone has appeared as guest conductor from coast to coast and internationally in 12 foreign countries. In Buenos Aires, performing with the UM Men's Glee Club, critics hailed "the impeccable blending of voices, exquisite musicality and notable rhythmic capacity...Blackstone's undoubted leadership made itself known in the delivery, each time more perfect, of pieces by mostly contemporary composers. ...This was an occasion in which the joy and healthfulness of singing without unnecessary stiffness was transmitted with a deep love for music.
Music Education Lecture Series 2004-2005
Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Boston University & Tanglewood Institute
Monday, October 11, 2004
Ann Howard Jones, Professor Music; Director of Choral Activities; Conductor, Boston University Symphonic Chorus and Chamber Chorus; Conductor, Young Artists Chorus, Tanglewood Institute. BM, MM, DMA, University of Iowa. Assistant Conductor, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus; Conductor, Atlanta Symphony Youth Chorus; Musical Assistant, Rogert Shaw Singers and Festival Singers and the Robert Shaw Institute. She has taught at universities in Iowa, Georgia, and Illinois as well as at Wittenberg and Emory Universities and has been a Fulbright scholar lecturer in Brazil in choral and vocal pedagogy. Dr. Jones has conducted over 20 All-State choruses.
Dr. Don Hodges, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Monday, November 8, 2004
Donald A. Hodges is Covington Distinguished Professor of Music Education and Director of the Music Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hodges received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has authored book chapters and papers on Music education and music psychology and has made presentations to numerous state, national, and international conferences. Dr. Hodges has served on the editorial boards of Music Educators Journal and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education and is past president of the Texas Music Educators Conference and Texas Coalition for Music Education. Recent research efforts have included brain imaging studies of musicians, supported by a $250,000 grant from the Texaco Foundation. These neuroimaging studies are done with colleagues Peter Fox, Larry Parsons, and Steven Brown, at the Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Music Education Lecture Series 2003-2004
Marguerite Wilder, Honor Band Conductor and Clinician
Spring 2003
Marguerite Wilder is widely recognized as a conductor and clinician, having conducted Honor Bands throughout the United States, Canada, England, Italy, Turkey and Australia. Serving as a resource person for in-service sessions, she works with both local and regional school systems and universities. This year she presented clinics for the Georgia, Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania, California and Minnesota State Conventions. During the summmer, Mrs. Wilder serves as a conductor/clinician for the Bands of America Concert Band Camp in Normal, Illinois and the University of Nebraska Middle School Band Camp and Clinic. Mrs. Wilder has taught at Tapp Middle School of Cobb County, Georgia; Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, and The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the director of the Middle School Band Program and assisted with both the lower and upper school band programs. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University.
Dr. Cynthia Taggart, Michigan State University
Monday, September 22, 2003
Dr. Cynthia Taggart is an Associate Professor of Music at Michigan State University. She also directs and teaches in the Early Childhood Music Program of the Community Music School of Michigan State University's School of Music. As an MSU faculty member, she received the prestigious Teacher-Scholar award. Dr. Taggart's publications include co-authorship of Music Play, Best Music for Young Bands and co-editorship of Readings in Music Learning Theory, in which she wrote chapters entitled "The Measurement and Evaluation of Music Aptitudes and Achievement" and "Rhythm Syllables: A Comparison of Systems." She is also in the process of co-authoring Jump Right In: The General Music Curriculum. In addition, she has written extensively for professional journals. Her research interests are early childhood music, measurement, psychology of music, music learning theory, and music aptitude.
Professor Rodney Eichenberger, Florida State University
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Rodney Eichenberger, Professor of Choral Music, teaches graduate choral conducting, choral techniques, and conducting pedagogy. He has lectured and guest conducted extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Professor Eichenberger is the program coordinator for the choral conducting division of International Workshops with recent summer seminars held in Biarritz, France; Stavanger, Norway; Glasgow, Scotland and Graz, Austria. His instructional video on choral conducting with Andre Thomas, "What They See Is What You Get," released in 1994 by Hinshaw Music Company, is now in its ninth printing. For the past 25 years, he has been an active participant in choral music education in Australia and New Zealand. He has guest conducted and lectured at the Swedish Choral Directors Association Convention in Orebro, Sweden, presented sessions at the Third World Symposium of Choral Music in Vancouver, British Columbia, and presented workshops at "Buenos Aires Sings," the First International School and Youth Choral Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Cindy McTee, University of North Texas Composition Studies
Spring Semester 2004
Cindy McTee holds degrees from Pacific Lutheran University (B.M. 1975),Yale School of Music (M.M. 1978), and University of Iowa (Ph.D. 1981). She also completed one year of study in Poland with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Academy of Music in Cracow (1974-75). Dr. McTee taught at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash.,from 1981-84, and subsequently joined the faculty of the University of North Texas, where she is Regents Professor of Music Composition. She has received numerous awards for her music, most significantly a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship (1992) and an Award in Music (2002) from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Fulbright Fellowship, and a Composers Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She was also winner of the 2001 Louisville Orchestra Composition Competition, and in 2002 was selected to participate with the National Symphony Orchestra in "Music Alive", a residency program sponsored by Meet The Composer and the American Symphony Orchestra League. McTee's compositions, which according to critic Charles Ward reflect a charging, churning, celebration of the musical and cultural energy of modern-day America, have received performances by leading orchestras, bands, and chamber ensembles in the United States, Japan, South America, and Europe.
Music Education Lecture Series 2002-2003
Chris Azzara, Eastman School of Music
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
Christopher D. Azzara is Associate Professor of Music Education at the EastmanSchool of Music in Rochester, NY. After receiving the Bachelor of Music degree from George Mason University, he taught instrumental music in the Fairfax County Public Schools and performed as a pianist in the Washington D.C. area. He later received a Master of Music and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. Prior to joining the Eastman faculty, Dr. Azzara was Associate Professor of Music Education at The Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theatre of the University of Hartford, CT.
Dr. Azzara has made important contributions to advancing the understanding of improvisation in the music learning process. His research and publications are concerned with meaningful relationships among listening, creating, improvising, reading, composing, and analyzing music in general, vocal, and instrumental settings. He is invited frequently to present in this country and abroad, and he is the author of numerous articles and books including Creativity In Improvisation, Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series, and Concert Selections for Winds and Percussion (GIA).
Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Friday, February 28, 2003
Now in his ninth season as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony, New York-born Andrew Litton is one of but a handful of Americans heading a major American orchestra. During his tenure, he has raised the orchestra's international profile, led the orchestra on two major European tours, appeared three times at Carnegie Hall, and produced 18 recordings, one of the largest recent outputs of any American orchestra. The Dallas Symphony recently extended Litton's contract through 2006, making the Dallas/Litton partnership one of the currently longest and most successful in America.
Andrew Litton has appeared as guest conductor with more than 100 of the world's top orchestras and opera companies, including those of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Moscow, Tokyo, Israel, France, and all the major orchestras of Britain, and the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, and the opera houses of Dallas, Saint Louis and Los Angeles.
Andrew Litton received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Juilliard in piano and conducting. The youngest-ever winner of the BBC International Conductors Competition, he served as assistant conductor at Teatro alla Scala and Exxon/Arts Endowment assistant conductor for the National Symphony under Rostropovich. Mr. Litton resides in Dallas where he is a highly visible and active member of the community.
Thomas Regelski, SUNY Fredonia
April 7, 2003
Dr. Thomas Regelski, Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Fredonia, taught in the School of Music for thirty-five years, teaching choral methods, secondary general music, and psychological and sociological foundations for undergraduates. His own research has focused on action theory, a field of scholarship that bridges sociology, philosophy and psychology, which has had important implications for curricular development, music teaching and music making. Dr. Regelski's research has been published in leading journals around the world, and he also has published two texts on teaching music with a third in press
Music Education Lecture Series 2001-2002
Julie Scott, An Introduction to Orff
October 25, 2001
This presentation highlighted the basic tools of Orff teaching through an interactive, live performance with the Kimball Elementary School Orff Ensemble. Ms. Scott and the Kimball Elementary School Ensemble also performed with the UNT Concert Choir in the UNT Murchison Performing Arts Center on November 1, 2001.
Julie Scott was the elementary music specialist at Kimball Elementary School, Mesquite ISD. She now serves on the music education faculty at Southern Methodist University and is the Director of the Center for Contemporary Studies in Music Education at the University of North Texas. Ms. Scott teaches in several Orff certification programs and is a nationally known clinician. Center for Contemporary Studies in Music Education (CCSME)
Dr. David Elliott, University of Toronto (Modernity, Postmodernity, and Music Education)
November 19, 2001
This session examined assumptions about what music IS, what music education IS, and what music education research outght to be, based on the "worldview" called "modernity." This session challenged modernist notions of music and argued for the advantages of a post-modern view of music and music education. This session was sponsored by the Federation of North Texas Area Universities.
Dr. David Elliott was Professor Music and chair of Music Education at the University of Toronto. He is now Professor of Music Education at New York University. He has also taught at Indiana University, Northwestern University and the University of North Texas as a Visiting Professor of Music Education. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and book chapters, he is also an award winning composer/arranger and the author of the book Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education.
Dr. Richard Colwell, Research in Music Education
February 12, 2002
This session explored issues related to research in music education, specifically highlighting the second edition of the Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning.
Richard Colwell has taught and chaired departments at the University of Illinois, Boston University, and New England Conservatory of Music. He is founder of Bulletin of the Council for Research on Music Education and The Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning.Dr. Colwell is editor of the second edition of the Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning.
Dr. Edwin Gordon
Music Learning Theory and Music Education
This session examined the major components of Music Learning Theory and how it is applied in school music programs. Presentations included a morning session and an afternoon session. This session was co-sponsored by the Federation of North Texas Area Universities.
Edwin E. Gordon is known throughout the world as a preeminent researcher, teacher, author, and lecturer of music education. His work has been portrayed nationally on the NBC Today Show, in the New York Times, and in USA Today. He is the author of six highly regarded music aptitude tests, as well as numerous books, articles, and research monographs. He was recently inducted into the MENC Hall of Fame.
April 22, 2002
Cynthia Nott and The Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas
Children as Artistic Music Makers
This presentation was an interactive workshop with the CCGD and explored how to develop children's musicianship. The chorus performs extensively throughout the Dallas area. It has been the guest of Celine Dion, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Singers, the Mesquite Civic Chorus, and Voices of Change.
Cynthia Nott has been artistic director of the CCGD since the spring of 1997. Prior to full time involvement with the chorus, Nott taught in the public middle school choral setting for 23 years. She earned her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State.