Music Notes

Rachel Portman is an award-winning and trailblazing composer who has written music for film, television, theatre and opera. 

Often referred to as the “Dean of Black Women Composers,” Undine Smith Moore was born the grandchild of slaves. She started her piano studies at age 7 and eventually went on to study piano and organ at Fisk University, a historically black college.

On January 14, 2022, the second edition of the “Theory and Practice of Technology-Based Music Instruction” was released in print and electronic forms

Alumnus Tiago Delgado recently joined the faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland as an instructor teaching clarinet and saxophone. Alongside his one-year faculty appointment, Delgado—a native of Brazil—is completing his doctoral studies at the University of Toronto where he’s also a teaching assistant.

This fall, Kent State alumnus Omar Roy, D.M.A., joined the University of South Carolina as assistant professor of piano and piano pedagogy. There, he teaches applied piano and coordinates group piano classes.

Pianist, Steinway Artist and Division Coordinator Donna Lee, D.M.A., was recently announced as a finalist for the 55th Annual Kent State University Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award.

Over the summer, Jay Dorfman’s, Ph.D., paper titled “Project Peer Assessment in a Preservice Music Technology Course” appeared in Contributions to Music Education, a peer-reviewed research journal of the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA). The study was conducted with Kent State students in the Music Technology for Music Educators class. Each student was given the opportunity to provide feedback on creative projects produced by their classmates. Dorfman then compared their evaluations with his own to see how they lined up.

Kishna Fowler recently appeared on an episode of “Conversations with Carl”—a YouTube series hosted by Cleveland Pops Orchestra conductor Carl Topilow.

Undergraduate student research is thriving at the Glauser School. Two students were recently acknowledged for their contributions to the academic study of music.

Throughout March, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Great Lakes Region Student Auditions took place virtually. Over 200 vocalists submitted recordings, hailing from Canada, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Five student from the Glauser School’s voice area placed in their categories: 

Thriving. Flourishing. Amazing. This is how I characterize the current state of the Music Education programs at Kent State. Despite the challenges of the last year, I am so pleased to report that we remain a division that pushes the boundaries of music education, from the newest undergraduate to the most advanced doctoral student.