January 16, 2007
Five music faculty selected for all-state conference
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Five faculty members from Southern Illinois University Carbondale's School of Music have been chosen to participate in the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) All-State Conference Jan. 24-27 in Peoria.
It's the 59th annual IMEA conference but it may be the first time judges selected so many scholars from one school.
"This level of participation by faculty from a single institution in Illinois is highly unusual, if not unprecedented," said Robert L. Weiss, director of the School of Music, part of the College of Liberal Arts. "I'm thrilled that our faculty are in demand for their expertise and am proud of their work. SIUC music faculty are leaders in music education and this statewide level of participation affirms the fact that we have hired some of the best teachers available."
In addition, the SIUC Wind Ensemble is one of only two college ensembles performing the evening of Jan. 25.
The conference brings together the top high school musicians in the state.
SIUC music faculty giving presentations are Ron E. Coulter, lecturer in percussion studies; Claire L. Kuebler, lecturer in flute, music history and music appreciation; Christopher L. Morehouse, director of bands; Susan D. Stewart, director of choral activities; and Pamela J. Stover, coordinator of music education.
Coulter will lead a clinic on "Rhythm: Introduction to Mastery in 60 Minutes" and Kuebler will present a clinic called "Power Practicing."
"SIUC has a top-notch music department and this conference will help with recruiting efforts for the future," said Kuebler.
Morehouse's session is entitled "Comprehensive Musicianship Made Easy: Choosing Repertoire." "Whenever I attend a conference such as this one, I walk away with many ideas that I can begin (or try) to implement in my daily teaching," Morehouse said.
Stewart will lead a discussion entitled, "There is Great Music for the Women, Too!" regarding choral literature for women's choirs. Stewart predicts "a large number of Illinois music teachers will be at this conference and it will be an opportunity for them to learn this great music…hopefully making their jobs easier," she said.
Stover will teach "Getting to Improvisation/Composition," "Integrating Children's Literature: Books to Sing, Dance & Play" and "Harvesting the Data: How to Collect Oral Histories and do Archival Research." She also will moderate a panel on "Music Teacher Education Reforms from the Society of Music Teacher Education."
Stover also plans to present a research paper on "Play-Party Games from Charles Fullerton's A One-Book Course in Elementary Music and Selected Songs for Schools, 1925 and 1929." "I am very proud that SIU has begun to dominate this conference," Stover said.
With more than 5,000 members, IMEA is one of the largest affiliates of the National Association for Music Education. IMEA is also the largest fine arts education organization in Illinois.