The LVC Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Kyle Zeuch, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, was selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania summer conference, New Horizons, on August 2. The virtual performance was recorded and edited by choir members during the spring 2021 semester and shared on August 2 with choral directors from throughout Pennsylvania.

Dr. Sharon Davis, associate professor of music and director of music education, presented “A researcher’s journey” at the Music Education Research Day at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, on June 21.  

Dr. Justin Morell, associate professor of music, was interviewed by Joe Ulrich of WITF regarding his new album, All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren. The album is a jazz/orchestral trumpet concerto featuring John Daversa, a multi-Grammy winning soloist from the University of Miami. Dr. Morell wrote the composition based on his experience as a parent of a non-verbal autistic child, 16-year-old Loren.

The music faculty recently announced that Tessa Shaffer ’22, a double major in music and music education, was named the 2021–22 Presser Scholar. Shaffer, one of three students to win the most recent Concerto Aria competition, earned the College’s most prestigious music award. The Presser Scholar is “Selected by the music faculty guided solely by consideration of excellence and merit. This award is an honor award and the student, in their senior year, is known as a Presser Scholar. The award includes a generous stipend to aid in continuing musical studies.”

Dr. Justin Morell, associate professor of music, will release All Without Words on April 30 . The album is a jazz/orchestral trumpet concerto featuring John Daversa, a multi-Grammy winning soloist from the University of Miami. Morell wrote the composition based on his experience as a parent of a non-verbal autistic child. It’s a theme and variations, the theme of which is a transcription of his son Loren’s vocalizations.

Professor Jeff Snyder, chair and professor of music and director of music business, moderated a panel with four other higher education recording and music business directors for the Millennium Music Conference. Snyder and his fellow faculty facilitated “A perspective of the future of the music industry: post pandemic by music educators.” The discussion centered on preparing music industry/recording students for a shifting post-COVID landscape.

Dr. Kyle Zeuch, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, published an op-ed in PennLive earlier this week. In “Why we need to sing again,” he shares the mental and emotional benefits of communal singing, and encourages all to join a choir once it is safe to do so.

Michelle Barraclough, adjunct professor of music, and students MacKenzie Kyzer ’21 and Alydia Marangoni ’22 published “Flute Tools in the Age of COVID-19 Examining Practicality” in the December issue of The Flute Examiner. The students, part of Barraclough’s fall Flute Pedagogy class, discussed the practicality of various devices used on the flute to aid in COVID-19 protection in the article. 

Dr. Kyle Zeuch, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities presented “Social Justice Songs in the Choral Classroom,” at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association Summer Conference,” and “Panel Discussion: Rehearsing, Programming, and Leading Socially-Distant Choirs,” at the Pennsylvania American Choral Directors Summer Webinar. Dr. Zeuch also served as guest conductor for the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Middle Level Honor Choirs, Wisc., and Lancaster Lebanon Music Education Association County Choir, Quarryville, Pa. 

Dr. Sharon Davis, assistant professor of music and director of music education, presented “Reflections on an inter-collegiate music creation collaboration,” at the Modern Band Colloquium.