MUSIC DEPARTMENT
A Message from the Chair In this newsletter, we proudly introduce our new full-time faculty members, Dr. Sharon Davis, Dr. Matthew Erpelding, and Dr. Bethany Stiles. We also bring news of the new Audio & Music Production Program and recently purchased music education technologies.
In This Issue • New Audio & Music Production Degree Program
This year is particularly rich in guest performers and presenters. This fall, the King’s Singers will perform and be in residence; see the related article in this newsletter. The annual VALE Music Industry Conference, held the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21 this year), will now be the VALE Media Industries Conference. It will include all media, such as video, Web design, and more. Please email Professor Jeff Snyder at snyder@lvc.edu if you are interested in participating or would like additional information.
• VALE Media Conference • Music Education Technologies Update: Collaboration and Creativity • Meet Our New Faculty • The King’s Singers
Looking forward to the College’s 150th anniversary in 2016, for two weeks in January and early February, we will host a group of Brazilian music students in a program organized by Dr. Shelly Moorman-Stahlman, professor of music and College organist. American banjoist and folklorist Stephen Wade will be in residence in February, and Cambodian flutist and political activist Arn Chorn-Pond will visit LVC in March. Also in March, the Cypress String Quartet will once again be in residence. All of these events are in addition to our normal full schedule of recitals, concerts, and choral and orchestral tours. Please see our “News” and “Events and Performances” links at www.lvc.edu/music, and visit our Facebook page for additional information.
Dr. Renee Lapp Norris
Chair and Professor of Music
I’m excited to share that, among our part-time faculty, Dr. Ai-Lin Hsieh has joined our string program, teaching applied cello. Hsieh earned a D.M.A. in cello performance from the University of Maryland, and currently is assistant principal with the York Symphony. She also performs with the Central Pennsylvania Symphony. Ms. Gail Ober, former Principal Bassoonist with the Harrisburg Symphony, has joined our faculty as well. Cherie Van Zant ’92 and Trisha Hocker ’02 are new administrators in the Music Department. Van Zant, a music graduate of LVC and Duquesne University, is the director of graduate and community programs. She oversees the Summer Music Camp and the Community Music Institute, and administers the Master of Music Education Program. Van Zant can be reached at 717-867-6383 or vanzant@lvc.edu. Hocker, a management graduate of LVC, is the administrative assistant to the Music Department, and our primary contact for scheduling auditions and other Music Department business. She can be reached at 717-867-6275 or hocker@lvc.edu. We welcome opportunities to visit with you. Please contact me at 717-867-6283 or norris@lvc.edu or Cherie Van Zant if you would like to visit the College. If you are a music educator, our faculty are happy to visit your classrooms. I look forward to seeing you soon.
New Audio & Music Production Degree Program (AMP) The department received official approval for the revision of our long-popular Music Recording Technology (MRT) Program. The new program, Audio & Music Production (AMP), is a bachelor of music degree that focuses on audio and recording for a wide range of applications, including studio recording, post-production, game audio, concert systems, and more. No physics or math required; we’re looking for artistic musicians who love audio and recording and want to discover a career in this field. We also left room to explore other areas of interest, so it’s easy to pursue studies in composition, jazz, digital media, business, creative writing, physics, or other areas. We believe the AMP program provides students with opportunities to explore, which will help them find their niche in life.
Dr. Barry Hill
Professor of Music, Director of Audio & Music Production
Music Education Technologies Update: Collaboration and Creativity conference
VALE Media Conference November 21, 2015
The 10th annual Music Industry Conference in 2014 was celebrated as a milestone with more than 50 alumni presenting and 200-plus in attendance. Even Betty Ross ’13, in Uganda, was able to take part in a panel using Skype. After meetings with digital communication student representatives, the students have decided to expand the conference to reflect the current state of the music industry. The VALE Music Industry Conference will now be the VALE Media Industries Conference and include all media such as video, Web design, etc. Email Professor Jeff Snyder (snyder@lvc.edu) if you are interested in participating or would like additional information. You can also visit www.valemusicgroup.com.
The LVC Music Department continues to upgrade equipment and instruments in order to meet the needs of the 21st-century learner. This summer, supported by a generous donation by LVC alumni Dr. William R. Higgins ’64 and Judith Baker Higgins ’64, we purchased 20 iPads along with an assortment of music-creation software. These tools will enable our students to explore their creative abilities and develop teaching strategies that will facilitate musicianship for their future students. Learning and becoming proficient in many musical styles is a part of the music education curriculum, and with the purchase of modern band instruments, LVC students will work in collaborative ensembles to reproduce and create music in contemporary styles. Their ensemble efforts will be assisted by The JamHub silent rehearsal studios, which allow multiple students to rehearse together in one room aided by headphones. We also have added a large non-western percussion pack to our collection to enrich and expand multi-cultural musical experiences.
Meet Our New Faculty
The King’s Singers
Sharon G. Davis
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Music Education
Dr. Sharon G. Davis is our new assistant professor of music and director of music education. Prior to LVC, Davis taught music at primary and secondary schools, as well as at international schools in Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore. Davis has been published in the International Journal of Education and the Arts, Research Studies in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education and the International Journal of Music Education, Practice. Her contributions to edited books include Learning, Teaching and Musical Identity: Voices from Across Cultures (ed. Lucy Green), The Oxford Handbook of Music Education (ed. Gary McPherson), Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra (Clint Randles and David Stringham, eds.), and, most recently, for the second edition of The Child As Musician: A Handbook of Musical Development (Gary McPherson, ed.). She holds a B.M. from Youngstown State University (Ohio), Dana School of Music; M.M.E. from the University of Central Florida; and Ph.D. from Oakland University (Mich.).
Matthew Erpelding
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
Lebanon Valley College has the honor of presenting a weekend performance/ residency with The King’s Singers. Select local choirs will have the opportunity to work with the King’s Singers during their residency. The concert on Friday and Saturday’s workshops are free to the public. The King’s Singers performance is made possible through the generosity of the Leslie Wareham estate. Leslie’s widow, Ruth, is a 1945 LVC music graduate. We sincerely hope you will join us for this amazing weekend!
Dr. Matthew Erpelding is our new director of choral activities. He conducts the Concert and Chamber choirs, and teaches courses in music education and choral conducting. Prior to LVC, Erpelding was director of choral activities at Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, N.J., as well as at Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford (Ill.). He also is a composer, and has considerable experience as a church musician. Erpelding conducted the Sanctuary Choir at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rockford (ill.), and was director of the Chapel, Youth, and Bell choirs at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids (Iowa). He holds a B.A. from Luther College (Iowa), M.M. in choral conducting from Northern Illinois University, and D.M.A. in choral conducting and pedagogy from the University of Iowa.
Friday, Nov. 13, 2015
Bethany Stiles
2 to 3:20 p.m., Lutz Hall, Blair Music Center, Residency with Select High School Student Ensembles, Open to the Public
Artist Teacher of Student Voice and Musical Theater
Dr. Bethany Stiles is an accomplished performer and musical researcher, performing frequently in opera and musical theater. Stiles’s research has focused on United States art song, contemporary chamber music, and musical theater; however, she is currently developing a research project to promote the underrepresented vocal music of Central and South America. Stiles is equally at home performing operatic and musical theater roles, including Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Carmen (Carmen), Les Misérables (Fantine), Children of Eden (Eve), and Of Thee I Sing (Emily Benson). Her awards and recognition include New York Lyric Opera Theater National Semifinalist, MacAllister Vocal Competition winner, Metropolitan Opera Council Encouragement Award, National Association for Teachers of Singing Finalist, Bomhard New Music Debut Artist, and numerous summer research grants. Stiles earned her B.M. in music education and voice performance, and B.M.E. from the University of Kentucky; M.M. in voice performance from the University of Louisville; and D.M. in voice performance and literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, completing a thesis on Peter Lieberson’s award-winning orchestrated song cycle Neruda Songs (2005).
7:30 p.m., Lutz Hall, Blair Music Center, Performance, Open to the Public
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lutz Hall, Blair Music Center, Residency with LVC Student Ensembles (Concert Choir, College Choir, Chamber Choir), Open to the Public The King’s Singers will hear these ensembles perform a short piece and make suggestions for improvement.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015
The King’s Singers will hear four high school groups perform a short piece and make suggestions for improvement. Twenty minutes will be allotted for each group.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015
3:20 to 4 p.m., Lutz Hall, Blair Music Center, Group-sing with Audience Members, Other Choirs are Invited to Attend
The piece to be performed will be selected from the public domain and be accessible to all participants before this event. Please join us for this unique opportunity!