semester highlights
educational scholarships to the families
of service members who were killed or
disabled. Andrew and Tamila’s scholarships
honor their father’s bravery and service.
Byrd School faculty and staff
collaborated with local government,
business and community leaders to
participate in a daylong event, “Increasing
Competitiveness through Cooperation:
Identifying and Promoting a Market Area
for the Success of Our Community.”
The program featured a moderated
panel discussion with Martin Briley of
the Virginia Economic Development
Partnership, Bill Shelton of the Virginia
Department of Housing and Community
Development and Robin Sullenberger of
the Shenandoah Valley Partnership.
Army Blues, the Navy Commodores, the
Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra, the Capitol
Bones and others. The National Jazz
Workshop was founded by Shenandoah
Conservatory Associate Professor of Jazz
Studies Matt Niess, a trombonist with the
Army Blues and senior instrumentalist
with the U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s
Own). Workshop participants studied
jazz arranging, music technology and
performance throughout the week.
CONSERVATORY
Shenandoah Conservatory hosted its 11th
annual Contemporary Commercial Music
(CCM) Vocal Pedagogy Institute. The
program was founded to meet the demand
for training grounded in voice science, voice
medicine and tested methods of CCM
pedagogy. Shenandoah continues to remain
the first and only institution to include
courses in CCM vocal pedagogy for academic
credit in a graduate degree program.
Shenandoah Conservatory held its fifth
annual Jazz Workshop this summer.
During the six-day intensive program,
participants learned from some of the best
jazz musicians in the Washington, D.C.,
area. Visiting artists included the U.S.
Shenandoah Conservatory was named
one of five major institutions to
contribute to the Washington, D.C., new
music scene. Washington Post music critic
Anne Midgette broke the news this summer
of Shenandoah Conservatory’s participation
in next season’s Andriessen 75 Festival to
be held in April honoring eminent Dutch
composer Louis Andriessen. “This puts
us in elite company,” said Shenandoah
Conservatory Managing Director Sloan
MacRae. “To paraphrase the article,
we’re considered one of ‘five major D.C.
institutions.’” Shenandoah’s participation
will be led by Assistant Professor of
Composition David T. Little, Ph.D., who
will curate the week-long inaugural season
of new music. For more information, go to
http://www.conservatoryperforms.org/.
Several conservatory students spent time
this summer performing at respected
summer programs. Kyle Albright, a
student of former Adjunct Assistant
Professor of Trumpet Carl Rowe, and
a current student of Adjunct Associate
Professor of Trumpet Chuck Seipp,
D.M.A., formed half of the four-person
trumpet section chosen by Maestro Maazel
at the prestigious Castleton Music Festival.
Senior viola performance major Justine
Preston was one of 12 viola students
accepted into the National Orchestral
Institute program at the University of
Maryland, College Park. Faculty members
Shenandoah students, faculty and
staff members traveled abroad this
summer, attending classes or conferences,
writing books, performing, conducting
scholarly research, teaching, participating
in clinical rotations and helping others
through medical mission or service trips.
Destinations where groups traveled or
individuals served included Argentina:
Rotary International, Universidad Centro
Educativo Latinoamericano (UCEL)
Spanish program; Australia: Men’s lacrosse
team; Belize: Public Health students
medical service trip; Haiti: President’s
Office; Ireland: Nursing students, jazz
ensemble tour; Jamaica: Musical therapy;
Korea: English teaching and Korean studies;
Nicaragua: Annual pharmacy, physician
assistant and physical therapy medical
mission trip; Norway: University of Oslo;
Peru: Outdoor leadership and education
students; Russia: Mass communications;
Rwanda: Hope Shines summer camp;
Uganda: La Mano of Hope; U.K.:
Conservatory Global Experiential Learning
(GEL) trip to London for musical theatre.
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