Hartt Faculty Members Publishing, Presenting, and Performing Around the Country

During the 2012-13 academic year, Hartt percussion faculty member Ben Toth has played and presented around the country.  Last summer, he played with fellow faculty member Janet Arms, flute, at the National Flute Association annual conference in Las Vegas.  The program featured works by Hartt faculty composers.  In the fall, he performed multiple times with Percussion Group Cincinnati for the John Cage Centennial Festival in Washington, D.C., and for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas, which he co-hosted; presented clinics and a concert (with Hartt faculty colleague David Macbride, composition) at the College of Southern Nevada; served as a panelist for a discussion of the incorporation of world music traditions into a collegiate percussion curriculum; and presented a clinic for CCM students.

Hartt’s Chair of Graduate Studies in Music Education, Professor Dee Hansen, published and presented professional development sessions through the fall and winter.  The National Association for Music Education published "Aural Skills: At the Juncture of Research in Early Reading and Music Literacy" in the December 2012 Music Educators Journal.  Her article, "Assessment for Learning: Motivating Music Learning through Formative Assessment and Thoughtful Planning," was published in the 2012 GIA publication, Music Assessment Across Cultures and Continents, Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education, Bremen, Germany. Hansen also presented at several conferences, special events, and professional development sessions including: CABE/CAPPS (Connecticut School Boards, Principals, and Superintendents); The Presidents' College, University of Hartford; CREC Professional Development Day; Hartford Schools Saturday School for Principals; and the Connecticut Arts Administrators Association.

On Nov. 17, Hartt piano faculty member Luiz De Moura Castro was recognized for his life work and achievements, awarded the title of Honorary Hungarian and the Medal of the Silver Raven by the Corvina Cultural circle for his outstanding contributions in the preservation and perpetuation of the Hungarian culture – music and word – in the United States and throughout the world.

Hartt faculty member Mihai Tetel, cello, has been busy both on the UofH campus and at other locations around the country. In November and December alone, he presented a master class at Boston Conservatory, performed as a soloist with the Hartt Philharmonia, presented a master class at DePaul University in Chicago, and presented a recital in the Faculty Recital Series at Hartt. In early 2013, he will teach master classes at Florida State University, the University of Georgia, University of Tennessee, Boston University, and University of Rhode Island, and give lectures/performances at Georgia State University and Western Michigan University.

The Hartt School was represented well at the recent Society for Music Education in Ireland conference held at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Nov. 9-11. Faculty members Joshua Russell (music education) and Robert Barefield (voice) presented a research paper entitled "Integrating the Musician and Educator Occupational Identities: The Role of University Music Education and Studio Faculty Members," while faculty member Warren Haston (music education) presented a workshop entitled "Modeling and Imitation in Rehearsals: A Four-Step Modeling Sequence."

Drs. Warren Haston and Joshua Russell of The Hartt School's Music Education Division published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Arts Education Policy Review, titled "Multiple Constituent Mentoring: A Policy for Capitalizing on Authentic Learning Contexts in University Curricula." Haston and Russell provided policy and curricular recommendations for higher education institutions based on the award-winning partnerships they administrate with the University of Hartford Magnet School and the Simsbury Public Schools. In these partnerships, Hartt undergraduate music education students gain teaching experience in public schools, and graduate music education students receive experience supervising the undergraduates, preparing the graduate students for careers in higher education.

Donna Menhart, assistant professor of ear training at Hartt, has been recognized as a Master Teacher in Kodály Methodology and Pedagogy by the Kodály Institute at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where she teaches Musicianship Levels I, II, and III for the summer Kodály Certification Program, a post-graduate program endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). Over the past year Menhart has given presentations on Kodály Pedagogy at Adelphi University in Long Island, NY, and Phoenix, AZ, for OAKE; in Providence, RI, for the Rhode Island Music Educators Association; and in Hartford, CT, for the Connecticut Music Educators Association. Menhart currently is president of the Kodály Educators of Southern New England, and serves OAKE as National Program Chair for the 2013 National Kodály Conference to be held in March 2013 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

Hartt dance faculty member Hilda Morales was nominated for the first Martha Hill Foundation Students' Choice Dance Educator Award.

A new five-song EP combines the compositional talents of Hartt faculty member and alumnus Lief Ellis (electronic) with the performance prowess of guitarist and faculty member Christopher Ladd in a recording of Nordic mythological flavor. Entitled Five Nordic Sketches, this EP is a musical interpretation of five well known Nordic mythological figures for solo guitar. It is available for download on iTunes.

The Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME) was born on July 28, 2012. FAME is dedicated to promoting and supporting the work of Hartt's Director of Music Education, John M. Feierabend, through collaboration, advocacy, training, and resource sharing. Feierabend is recognized as an international leader in the field of music education, and is committed to collecting, preserving, and teaching the diverse folk music of our country. His research has resulted in two music curricula: First Steps in Music, and Conversational Solfege, and numerous publications of books, CDs, and DVDs. Details are available at www.feierabendmusic.org.

In June 2012, Hartt faculty member Paul Rutman received a Medal of Honor together with Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for "Outstanding Contributions to Brazilian Culture."

Hartt Vocal Studies faculty members Maureen O'Flynn and Claude Corbeil were featured in The Artful Mind artzine in October. The entire article is available online – to read the entire four-page article, scroll to page 12, and click on "click to read" to read in full-size.

Hartt faculty member Vanessa L. Bond has published a research paper in the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, entitled "Music's Representation in Early Childhood Education Journals: A Literature Review." Update's focus is to bring current research to both scholars and practitioners in music education. The journal is published by MENC, the Music Educators National Conference. For more about the journal, visit http://upd.sagepub.com/.

An interview with Hartt faculty member Luiz de Moura Castro, as well as a review of his current CD, will be featured in the May/June 2013 issue of Fanfare magazine, and his CD cover will be one of those included on the front cover of the issue.

Stephen Pier, Hartt's Dance Division Director (who also danced the role of Drosselmeyer), and Samantha Dunster, Community Division Dance Department Artistic Director, were interviewed on WFSB's Better Connecticut on Dec. 12, to preview the December Community Division performances of The Nutcracker. An HCD dancer also performed an excerpt on air. Watch the segment. 

Lions Gate Trio, Hartt's trio in residence (which includes Hartt faculty member Katie Lansdale), has been awarded a WELFund grant again this year to continue their project involving the compositions of Rebecca Clarke. In January, the Trio will record a CD for Centaur Records that includes music by Clarke, as well as related trios by Ravel and Ives. To read more about this year-long project, see the press release about their October concert and prison visit.