Get ready for the sound of brass, percussion and wind. The sight of students forming shapes, one step at a time. Maybe the buttery taste of stadium popcorn and the touch of a crisp, October breeze whispering across your cheek. But months before, in the muggy heat of a summer day in southwest Missouri, the first thing Dr. Brad Snow notices at Wehr Band Hall is the smell – … [Read more...] about Building leaders, one step at a time
Dr. Cameron LaBarr’s goal for his students in Missouri State University’s choral studies program is that they connect so deeply with a performance that it just clicks, that they feel it in their souls. The question that drives his rehearsals, performances and interactions with students is: What actions can cause those special moments and connections to happen? The … [Read more...] about Finding harmony
Inside her office sit two grand pianos, with a desk pushed up against the corner. The sounds of students practicing drift through the walls. She prepares for performances in between lessons with students. A Juilliard-trained pianist, Choi Witte, assistant professor of piano at Missouri State University, blends her teaching with a passion for performance. She calls music a … [Read more...] about Passing notes: Sharing a universal message through performance
Dr. Jason Hausback, associate professor of music at Missouri State University, was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in high school. But after learning to manage it, he finds performance empowering. “I’d rather play a trombone recital for 1,000 people than speak in front of three,” Hausback said. He was introduced to the trombone in the fourth grade. He liked the … [Read more...] about Empowerment through performance
The message came from an 87-year-old woman in Missouri. Days earlier, Payne, a professor of music and professional opera singer, performed with the Springfield Symphony for a special Black History Month concert in February 2018. There, Payne’s baritone delivered soaring solos and narrated the second half of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The woman … [Read more...] about Singing between the lines
"I think everybody is creative to some degree, whether they're creating artistic products or finding new ways to be an accountant or a building contractor," said Prescott, professor of music at Missouri State University. "Creativity is part of the human persona," he said. "People will say, ‘Well, I'm not creative.’ They just aren't realizing that creativity lies in a lot of … [Read more...] about Making a statement through the creative process
“There might be images or moods or characters that are suggested by the poetry, and I try to reflect that in the music I write,” said Murray. His piece “Tempest Fantasy,” on the CD “Spellbound” which was released by Navona in 2013 was recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra based in Olomouc, Czech Republic. But its original iteration was vocal music Murray composed for … [Read more...] about Making music in his mind