MAKING MUSIC, BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
IT ' S AMAZING HOW A SIMPLE INSTRUMENT CAN HELP FOSTER A GROWING MUSIC CULTURE ON CAMPUS.
found himself leading the entire program. By 1995, he was teaching full-time and officially named Assistant Professor. In 1998, he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Those early years were marked by creativity, determination, and a DIY spirit.
“ There was a lot of on-the-job training,” Bob recalled.“ When we started a chorus, I directed it— even though I’ d
- JARED DENHARD never led one before. I arranged most of the music myself to fit our students’ abilities.”
This commitment to making music accessible to all laid the groundwork for a community-centered program.
Creating a New Orchestra Experience
By the early 2000s, interest in campus music was growing— not only among students but in the surrounding community. In 2002, Bob helped form the Greenspring Valley Orchestra, a new ensemble for musicians of all levels. With only a few used percussion instruments to start, the group held rehearsals in a campus lecture hall before outgrowing the space and moving to the gym.
Still, the community came together. The orchestra’ s first concert in December 2002 was a success, and it has continued to thrive ever since— drawing musicians from across the Baltimore area and Stevenson students to perform one concert each semester. Its success inspired the creation of more ensembles, expanding opportunities for musical connection on campus.
Fostering Music Appreciation Through the Ukulele
In 2010, a surge of national interest in the ukulele sparked a new idea. Longtime adjunct instructor Jared Denhard, who taught at Stevenson from 2000 to 2022, founded the Ukulele Ensemble— a group that blended music instruction with Hawaiian history.“ You can use the ukulele to teach a lot— especially music theory,” Denhard said.“ It’ s approachable. It helps students understand what musicians go through.” The ensemble debuted with a successful concert in 2010 and has performed every semester since. For a few years, Stevenson even hosted a ukulele festival, with the ensemble sharing the stage with the
Greenspring Valley Orchestra and music faculty.
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