With the close of the Fall 2021 semester, the Department of Music has continued to persevere in our new reality with the continuation of the pandemic and its variants. We are maintaining our safety protocols from the fall semester for classes, recitals, rehearsals, and performances, and continue to take advantage of the technology generously provided by the Office of the Provost and the College of Arts & Sciences. We have returned to in-person events and have installed permanent live-streaming access to our large venues on and off campus to maintain and enhance our connection with our students, alumni, and audiences. We will continue to incorporate new technologies as we anticipate changes in protocols with USG/GC policies and recommended ongoing studies and reports from professional music organizations and performing groups.

We welcomed several new faculty members to the department this past fall: Dr. Bryan Hall (Assistant Professor of Music-Orchestra Director and String Coordinator), Dr. Chantae Pittman (Music Education), Terri Crutchfield (Voice), Ngan Nei Chan-Class (Piano), and Ryan Black (Lower Brass). Our music faculty continue to pursue their research and various creative projects, and many have received invitations to perform and present nationally over the coming year. Dr. Owen Lovell (Piano) presented performances in Puerto Rico as a part of an exchange concert with Dr. Francisco Cabán in October 2021. Dr. Youngmi Kim (Voice), Dr. Jennifer Piazza-Pick (Voice), and Dr. Andrew Allen (Saxophone) presented solo faculty recitals this fall. In October, Dr. Laurie Peebles presented two sessions at the National American Music Therapy Conference: “Add-on Course K. Jammin’ In the Garage: The Clinical Use of GarageBand in Music Therapy” and “Personality-Centered Supervision for Music Therapy Students.”

The Department of Music hosted several presentations and masterclasses led by both our own faculty and guest artists. Dr. Dana Gorzelany hosted a Lecture Concert entitled “Functions of Music in Times of Plague” with Dr. Remi Chiu, Lecturer (Associate Professor of Music at Loyola University, Maryland). Dr. Bryan Hall and Dr. Owen Lovell co-hosted a violin masterclass with Francisco Cabán (Professor of Violin and Chamber Music, Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.). Dr. Owen Lovell hosted a piano studio masterclass with Fabio Menchetti (Assistant Professor of Piano at Washington State University). Dr. Hall also hosted a masterclass with guest violin and fiddle soloist Dr. Christopher Luther (Co-founder and Co-director of Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp). These activities have provided our students with experiences beyond the traditional performance stage.

Our 2021–22 concert series continues with over forty performances (in-person and/or via livestream). Our season brochure is below with a full line-up of upcoming concerts. The major highlight of the Fall 2021 semester was our ensembles returning to the stage with live audiences, especially with the Annual Holiday Concert. We look forward to the major ensembles coming together again this Spring for the second installment in The Terry Endowed Concert Series, which will highlight music inspired by Shakespeare’s literary works.. Look for information about upcoming concerts and events on our website.

We have continued to pursue community outreach opportunities even during these times. The Center for Music Education, under the direction of Dr. Tina Holmes-Davis, expanded its offerings with a student composition competition and the Fall 2021 Bobcat Keys Project (Dr. Owen Lovell, director) with Wilkinson County Schools and BASF sponsorship. Dr. Bryan Hall has been working on a new collaboration with Baldwin County Schools to create a Suzuki String Program that will provide additional opportunities for our students. The department hosted the Third Annual (Virtual) Wind and Percussion Workshop in November.

We continue to make progress on several department initiatives. With the recent Porter Hall HVAC renovation and ongoing challenges with climate-controlled storage for our collection of instruments, the administration provided funding for a replacement Steinway D piano in Max Noah Recital Hall. We have secured additional space in the lower level of the Health Sciences building for music use only and our Music Therapy piano lab is receiving some technology upgrades for future expansion. Our NASM site visit from Oct. 3-5 was a great success, and we received a lot of positive feedback about our program and its direction. We will have more to report as we complete the re-accreditation process next spring and into the summer. We also hope to start the AMTA approval process this coming semester. We are currently searching for a new Lecturer in Music Therapy/Clinical Coordinator for Fall 2022. And last, we are having great success with our monthly Zoom meetings for prospective students in coordination with the Office of Admissions.

Hopefully this newsletter provides a brief snapshot of the achievements of our students and faculty during our new normal. We are always looking for ways to continue engaging with the community. We look forward to connecting with all of our students, alumni, and Friends of Music in the near future. Please stay in touch and stay safe.

Don N. Parker

Chair, Department of Music

Professor of Music/Percussion

For educators...

At Georgia College, we encourage our students to become lifelong learners. It is in this spirit that we offer a series of workshops for music educators. We encourage you to join us for our Spring 2022 workshops, which will be virtual.

April 9, 2022, 12pm-3pm: Improving Choral Timbre through Vocal Pedagogy with

Dr. Jennifer Piazza-Pick

April 16, 2022, 12pm-3pm: Instrument Repair with Jim Smelzer (Big Note Music)

Our existing initiatives, such as Violin Club, Bobcat Keys, and professional development workshops are ongoing. You may register for PD workshops here. For more information, please contact Tina Holmes-Davis at tina.holmes-davis@gcsu.edu.

For students...

Calling all music educators and studio teachers! Are your students looking for an opportunity to hone their skills or prepare for auditions? Please let them know about our workshops for students, all to be held on the GC campus.

February 12, 2022, 9am-4pm: GC Percussion Day with Guest Clinician Dr. Joe W. Moore III (in person & virtual)

Collaboration of the Bands

The Baldwin County School District is no stranger to working with Georgia College when it comes to arts education. With recent partnerships in both dance and string instrument instruction underway, another program is coming to fruition thanks to the collaboration of Dr. Cliff Towner, GC Director of Band Activities, Mr. James McMillan, Director of Bands at Baldwin High School and Mr. Jay Wucher, Baldwin County Schools Fine Arts Coordinator.

Starting this semester, Georgia College band students are lending their talents as part of a new internship program through which college musicians provide private music lessons for students in the Baldwin County Schools band program. The intent of the program is to provide mutually beneficial lessons where college musicians can apply their knowledge to real-life teaching techniques, and public school students can access private instruction on their chosen instrument.

“Any music educator that has taken or given private lessons understands it is a key ingredient to the overall success of a great musician,” said McMillan, a 2002 graduate of BHS and 2007 graduate of GC. “With the vast majority of our students not being able to afford private lessons, this will help those students close the gap on any holes in their performance abilities. This will be a great asset for both programs and it truly benefits both BHS and GCSU.”

The educators who worked together to make the collaboration a reality hope to watch the program continue to grow in the future.

On October 26, 2021, the GC Orchestra presented a robust program titled “A Few American Scenes,” featuring music by Mark O’Connor, Soon Hee Newbold, Anton Arensky, Peter Warlock, Antonio Vivaldi, and William Grant Still. The orchestra was joined by Colorado-based violin/fiddle soloist extraordinaire Dr. Christopher Luther. The GC Orchestra was also invited and featured in the Macon-Bibb GMEA All District-Honors Orchestra Concert, where GC students shared their talents with up and coming string orchestra players at the middle and high school levels. This semester, the GC Orchestra will present a mostly Baroque orchestra program alongside the Wind Symphony on March 31st at 7:30pm in Russell Auditorium, and will be featured in the Terry Endowed Concert on April 8 at 7:30pm. The String area is also very proud to have launched a violin teaching string project program in Milledgeville last November, where GC students are teaching young students at Baldwin County Early Childhood Learning Center. The district is also generously paying the GC students for their efforts, and donating money toward the GC students’ Suzuki Talent Education Certification, as well as buying several violins for the children of Milledgeville.

New GC String Area Coordinator/Orchestra Director Dr. Bryan Hall was featured as the guest violin soloist with the Balcones Orchestra in Austin, TX, and guest violin artist in recital at University of North Carolina School of the Arts with Dr. Allison Gagnon. (piano) He played several concerts in the violin section of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and was guest conductor and clinician at the Macon-Bibb GMEA All District Honors Orchestra Concert in October, Woodstock Georgia GMEA All District Honors Orchestra Concert in November, and Fairbanks Alaska Youth Symphony Summer series concert with soloist Yesong Sophie Lee in July. He recently played a chamber concert with colleagues Dr. David Johnson and Dr. Hue Jang and guest artist Steven Taylor as a part of the GC faculty chamber series.

A new voice instructor joined the voice faculty this fall. Adjunct Instructor DeLaine Crutchfield holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Music from Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio.

The voice area was pleased to have in-person voice lessons again this Fall. We were fortunate to use large spaces for voice lessons so we could keep social distance. The Voice Honors Recital resumed on September 17th, and ten students performed beautifully. Weekly studio class was held in-person and virtually—performing students sang in person while the rest of the students participated virtually on Zoom. We also had two virtual events, including a vocal health clinic with Joseph Kim on August 24th and a musical theater masterclass with Brian DeMaris on September 28th. Congratulations to students Torri Harris, Sophia Clark, Amanda Critzer, and Tori Palazzo who sang for the masterclass! And special thank you to our staff pianists, Dr. Lev Ryabinin and Dr. Hue Jang, who played for our students. All performances, such as recital class, student recitals, and voice juries, were back to in-person.

Faculty recitals were also held in-person and live-streamed by Dr. Youngmi Kim in Magnolia Ballroom on August 30th and Dr. Jennifer Piazza-Pick with guest Dr. R. Timothy McReynolds in Max Noah Recital Hall on November 1st. Erin Lamb gave a beautiful senior recital. Moreover, the Opera Scenes performance, Trials of Fate, was held in-person and via livestream on November 17th. We hope to have more live performances in the spring. The spring Voice Honors Recital will be held on February 18th, and we have a guest artist recital by Dr. Tana Field on March 21st.

Our 3rd Annual Georgia College Winds & Percussion Workshop on November 13th was a great success! GC woodwind, brass, and percussion faculty coached students from across the state on their All-State audition materials. Stay tuned for the 4th Annual Workshop, along with the 4th Annual Georgia College Jazz Workshop, coming up in the Fall!

Last semester, we also welcomed a new instructor of low brass. As a multi-low brass instrumentalist, Ryan Black appears in many scenes, from the classical world to salsa, often on tenor trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, or tuba. Ryan has performed with the San Francisco Opera and Ballet orchestras as well as Orquesta Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico on bass and tenor trombone. He has performed in horn sections for Natalie Cole, Sheila E., the O’Jays, and Wayne Newton, while also performing in the orchestras backing Frank Sinatra Jr. and Idina Menzel. Ryan can be heard on a variety of recordings on each low brass instrument, from jazz to video game music. He can also be heard on the Grammy-winning album of Pacific Mambo Orchestra’s self-titled CD.

Allen, Andrew. “The Red Saxophone: Hanns Eisler and ‘Applied Music’ in Weimar Berlin.” The Saxophone Symposium 44, (2021): 16-32. https://www.saxophonealliance.org/saxophone-symposium.asp.
_____. “The Masters Speak: Comparing Basic Pedagogical Teachings of Three Saxophone Pioneers.” NACWPI Journal 69, no. 1 (Fall 2021): 4-11.
_____. “Alternative Practice Strategies.” The Instrumentalist (October/November 2021): 18-19.
_____. “Stepping Towards the Stratosphere: Beginning Approaches to the Saxophone’s Altissimo Register.” The Instrumentalist (June/July 2021).
_____. Review of All Figured Out by Derek Brown. The Saxophone Symposium 44 (2021): 93-94.
_____. Review of Oracle by Randall Hall. The Saxophone Symposium. 44 (2021): 92-93.
_____. Review of Rediscovering Bauzin by Sean Murphy. The Saxophone Symposium 44 (2021): 94-96.
_____. Review of Wax and Wire. 2019. Lattitude 49. The College Music Symposium 61, no. 1 (2021).

Gorzelany-Mostak, Dana, Jennifer Flory and Jennifer Piazza-Pick (singers). Music in Time of Plague, Lecture recital with Remi Chiu (Associate Professor of Music, Loyola University-Maryland), lecturer.
Gorzelany-Mostak, Dana. Trax on the Trail: A Campaign Music Website, www.traxonthetrail.com.
_____. “Kamala Harris Rap Genius? To be presented at the Society for American Music Conference, June 20, 2021 (Virtual).
_____. Black and White on the Campaign Trail. Presented at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, September 23, 2021 (Virtual).
_____, producer. Tunes from the Trail: A program featuring music from U.S. Presidential Campaigns, 1840-1964: A Constitution Week Concert, presented by Trax on the Trail, featuring Sophia Clark, soprano, Erin Lamb, soprano, Tyler Harris, tenor, Dr. Craig Callender, guitar, Dr. Lev Ryabinin, piano, Max Noah Singers, dir. Dr. Jennifer Flory, Dr. Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, Lecturer.

Kim, Youngmi, soprano. “An die Musik,” with Dr. Lev Ryabinin, piano. Max Noah Recital Hall, Georgia College, August 30, 2021.

Lovell, Owen, piano. “A Dialogue Between Continents,” with Francisco Caban, violin. Recital performances at Georgia College, September 14, 2021; Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, September 15, 2021; Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, October 28, 2021; Canon Club/Steinway Society of Puerto Rico, October 30, 2021.
Lovell, Owen. “Improving Audio Quality for DIY Recording: What’s it Cost?” Georgia Music Teachers Association State Conference, Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, November 4, 2021.
Lovell, Owen. “Kawai ES920 - Flagship Slab on a Diet.” Product review, Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer (Spring 2021). https://www.pianobuyer.com/article/review-kawai-es920.

Parker, Don, Andrew Allen, Mia Eaton, and Chris Enghauser. 3rd Annual Jazz at the Magnolia, Magnolia Ballroom, Georgia College, September 18, 2021.

Peebles, Laurie, and Hilary Yip. “Jammin’ in the Garage: The Clinical Use of GarageBand in Music Therapy.” Continuing Music Therapy Education. Presented at the Music Therapy of Georgia State Meeting, June 15, 2021 (Virtual).
Peebles, Laurie. “Jammin’ in the Garage: The Clinical Use of GarageBand in Music Therapy.” Continuing Music Therapy Education. Presented at the American Music Therapy Association National Conference, October 15, 2021 (Virtual).
_____. “Personality-Centered Supervision for Music Therapy Students.” Concurrent Session. Presented at the American Music Therapy Association National Conference, October 16, 2021 (Virtual).
_____. “Personality and the Quality of the Music Therapy Supervisory-Intern Relationship.” Research Poster Presentation. Presented at the American Music Therapy Association National Conference, October 14-17, 2021 (Virtual).

Piazza-Pick, Jennifer. Ensemble-in-Residence with Whistling Hens, Darkwater Womxn in Music Festival, UNC Pembroke, September 23-25, 2021.
_____. Presentation of the Composition Competition Winners (virtual). Darkwater Womxn in Music Festival, UNC Pembroke. November 21, 2021.
Piazza-Pick, Jennifer, with R. Timothy McReynolds. “Have You Heard This One?.” Recital of 21st Century American Art Song, including 19 Short Songs About Chuck Norris by Dr. David Johnson. Townsend School of Music, Mercer University, October 29, 2021.

_____. “Sing a New Song.” Faculty Recital of 21st Century American Art Song, including 19 Short Songs About Chuck Norris by Dr. David Johnson. Max Noah Recital Hall, Georgia College, November 1, 2021.

Towner, Cliff. Professional leave for ongoing research on the topics of educational philosophy, inquiry, and mindfulness and how they apply to teaching music in a large ensemble setting, Spring 2022.

Where are you from?

I was adopted from China and was raised in Lincolnton, Georgia!

What year did you graduate and what degree did you receive?

I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Therapy in 2017, and later graduated with a Masters in Music Therapy in 2019.

What have you been up to since your graduation from Georgia College?

Since graduating in 2019, I have been teaching English in South Korea. While living in South Korea, I have been documenting my experience through YouTube videos! I also released an original song onto music streaming platforms for the first time!

What is your fondest memory from your time at Georgia College?

My fondest memory while being a student at Georgia College was when my MT peers and I were given an in-class assignment to create and record a song through phrases we found in the Georgia College newspaper. We were allowed to use any instruments in the inventory and were encouraged to use the loop machine. Making music with my friends spontaneously was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.

In what ways did your time at Georgia College prepare you to achieve your professional goals?

Because of my professors and their standards and assignments they gave me, I was able to discover strengths in myself that I never believed I had. I would not have been able to play guitar and sing to my favorite songs, or create my own songs if it wasn’t for Georgia College. These skills not only helped me when I was working as a music therapist but also have helped me create engaging and creative lessons as an English teacher. Most importantly, my GCSU professors always pushed me to believe in myself, and I will hold that close to me forever in my professional and personal life.

What advice would you give to current music students?

When it comes to creating something, I think it is easy to be hard on yourself. The fear of it never being good enough. For some, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and settle with doing the bare minimum. However, I encourage students to find the special spark in themselves and make something they are genuinely proud of. Choose to believe in your greatness and follow through. That’s all you need. Then, I think you’ll always be making a step towards progress.

Friends of Music are alumni, members of the community, faculty, staff, and music-lovers from all walks of life who generously support the Department of Music.

Interested in joining our Friends of Music?

Your gift to the Department of Music allows us to offer our students scholarships, fund tours for our ensemble members, and support outreach efforts, such as the Bobcat Keys After-School Piano program.

If you would like to make an online donation, please click here. Once there, choose “Other” in the designation drop-down menu and type whichever designated music area(s) you prefer in the “Other” box.

If you would like to discuss ways your gift might support our endeavors, please feel free to schedule an appointment with us via email (music@gcsu.edu) or by phone at 478-445-8289.