Educational Process Does Not Stop Over the Summer for SHU Faculty

King Guest Conducts at World Renowned Juilliard Music School

Wes King was in rare company last July in New York City. King, Siena Heights music instructor and director of Bands, was only one of 10 people worldwide to be selected to conduct at the Juilliard Conducting Workshop for Music Educators.

“I had thought about applying for it for a few years but I didn’t think I would be strong enough to get in,” said King, who is in his second year at SHU. “It was a big surprise for me and my family. It was just a really cool opportunity.”

King had to apply via a DVD audition. Required was a 15-minute performance and 15-minute rehearsal. For the rehearsal part of the audition, King used his work conducting a John Philip Sousa march with the Siena Heights band.

Out of more than 200 applications, only 48 were chosen. And only 10 were allowed to conduct at Juilliard, known as one of the finest schools for the arts in the world. He received another unexpected surprise when his younger brother, Greg, and his mother, helped fund his trip.

“You had people coming in from all over the world,” said King, who joined conductors from Japan, Scotland and South Africa among others. “And I was with people who had doctorates, who were working professionally. There were only a few band directors.”

King, who earned his master’s degree in music from Mississippi State University and spent some time with the University of Arkansas marching band before coming to SHU, said the four-day workshop was intense. During that time, he had to learn to conduct two separate, very different pieces of music. The first was “Symphony No. 104” by Haydn and the second was “Serenade Opus 40” by American composer Arthur Bird.

Learning the music was one thing, but the people King had the chance to learn from was what made it such a special experience.

JoAnn Falletta, a pioneer female conductor, was his instructor for the Haydn piece. She is the director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra; music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Northern Ireland; the Phoenix Symphony and the Brevard Music Center, King then had a chance to work on the Bird piece with Eugene Corporon, director of Wind Studies at North Texas University.

“She has studied with some of the great conductors of the 20th century,” King said of Falletta. “It was just really refreshing and insightful to work with two such inspiring and accomplished people.”

King also had a chance to conduct with current and former Juilliard musicians.

“Not only was I around these great teachers and great clinicians, I was also with these fantastic musicians,” he said. “Musicians are the best teachers you could ever have. … Working with professional, world-class musicians was probably the best part of the experience.”

When King wasn’t conducting, he attended clinics and workshops and learned about new concepts and techniques that “I want to apply to my teaching,” he said.

“Just being in fantastic facilities and seeing what’s possible,” King said of the workshop. “It was just inspiring to see that much passion and love and dedication to the arts.”

There were some other SHU faculty members who con-tinued the educational experience last summer in places all over the world.

Creative Writing Institute Branches Out to Include SHU Students

Martha’s Vineyard has been a summer get-away for Alexander Weinstein since his childhood. Last July, the Siena Heights University assistant professor of English also brought some of his students along to enjoy the experience as part of the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing.

“I founded the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing due, in part, to my years of teaching writing on the Vineyard,” Weinstein said. “I’ve spent summers at the Vineyard since I was born—my family has a house in Aquinnah—and the Vineyard is one of my favorite places in the world, so part of my dream was to create a center for writers in order to share the beauty and creativity of Martha’s Vineyard with others.”

Thanks to funding from a strategic planning grant, SHU students Erin Russell, Katelyn Boulton, Aaron Morgan and Jeffrey Conolly attended the seminar on scholarship.

Weinstein founded the nonprofit institute in 2010 and currently serves as its director. The award-winning fiction writer said the goal was to create “an intimate program” that helped remove barriers between published and aspiring writers and nurture an artistic literary community. Entering its fifth year, the MVICW attracts nationally acclaimed authors and poets to teach.

Weinstein said students were selected by a panel of SHU faculty based on writing submissions and a letter of interest.

“We read the poetry/fiction looking for attention to craft, language and style,” he said.

One of the other main criteria was a student’s passion for writing and “commitment to pursue creative writing as a vital part of their life/studies.”

Each day participants attended workshops in areas like fiction, poetry and other specialties with the evenings filled with student and faculty readings—as well as celebratory dinners. Another focus of the seminar is to educate students about making creative writing into a lifelong profession.

During the week, panel discussions and workshops addressed how to seek publication of work, how to pursue an MFA and a discussion by visiting faculty of the practices that have allowed them to become successful, Weinstein said. “Our students got the opportunity to work one-on-one with visiting faculty and to have their manuscripts edited by professional publishers.”

Michael Martone, an award-wining author of more than 20 books of fition and poetry, was one of several rnowned instructors who worked with SHU students. Weinstein said the networking opportunities was another benefit of the attendees, not to mention the recreational opportunities like pristine beaches and prime fishing excursions that Martha’s Vineyard provides.

“Siena Heights students gained direct contact with institutions like MFA programs and literary presses, directly benefitting their professional development,” he said. “Not only did they get to see another aspect of the life of a creative writer, but they connected with national and global writers and scholars.”

Weinstein said he hopes to continue to grow the program, especially for his students.

“One of the big goals is to find individuals, alumni and donors who wish to fund one or more scholarships for (Siena Heights) students to attend MVICW,” he said. “It makes the opportunity possible for SHU students who otherwise wouldn’t have the possibility for this life-changing experience.”

For more information, visit www.mvicw.com.

SHU Creative Writing Program Earns National Recognition

Siena Heights University’s creative writing program was recently honored as one of the top 39 in the nation by the fourth edition of “Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers.” Author Elaina Loveland researched programs from across the country and ultimately developed her list of programs to recommend to potential students. “Siena Heights University has an excellent creative writing program,” Loveland said. “Its strengths are in its diversity of curriculum; not only are fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry course offered, but also screenwriting and playwriting. Furthermore, Siena Heights University’s creative writing bachelor’s degree includes a senior tutorial that requires a final creative writing project, which makes it distinctive.”

SHU Faculty Trio Teach in China

SHU Professor of Theater Doug Miller, Assistant Professor of Art Erin Zerbe and adjunct music instructor Michael Yuen traveled to China to teach at the China Youth University for Political Sciences from July 8-15. The hands-on workshop focused on drama performance, modern dancing, short film-making and photography. Former Siena Heights president Dr. Louis Vaccaro assisted SHU in making the connections with CYUPS. CYUPS is located in Beijing and was established in 1985. It typically offers courses and training in areas such as politics, administration, economics, management and sociology. However, by inviting professors from American colleges and universities, CYUPS is hoping to improve the artistic abilities of its students, according to CYUPS officials. Miller, Zerbe (below) and Yuen (above right) taught for one week in their respective disciplines and were in China for 10 days while tailoring their workshop curriculum.

Warner Joins Ireland Drama Program

SHU Assistant Professor of Theatre and Youth Theatre Director Joni Warner participated in the University of Maryland’s summer intensive “International Approaches to Drama in Education” program at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The international focus of this program provided the opportunity to further develop frames of reference regarding approaches to drama in education as well as pedagogical and transnational priorities in integrated arts education. Warner participated as a teaching artist, student and educational arts practitioner. She anticipates this initial involvement will lead to possibilities for future collaborative/
exchange programs with Maryland and Trinity.

Nowinski Completes Fellow at Holocaust Institute

Siena Heights University Assistant Professor of History Sheila Nowinski completed a Fellow for the 18th annual Holocaust Education Foundation Summer Institute on Holocaust and Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University last summer. The renowned program was an intensive two-week course of study designed to broaden and deepen the background of current and prospective Holocaust educators. It is open to faculty at the college or university level and to graduate students who are pursuing a Ph.D. Approximately 25 Fellows are selected annually, each of whom receives free room, board and tuition during the program.