Music – Points of Pride

Missouri Western Music’s Jenkins receives national award

sfowler4 — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:46:55 +0000

Dec. 10, 2024–Dr. Derek Jenkins, associate professor of music composition and theory at ��߲��, received the Marian Anderson Award in Social Justice from The American Prize for his composed piece “Dreams of America” for brass band and still images.

Dr. Jenkins is a composer whose music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Brazil by the Cheyenne and Dubuque Symphony Orchestras; Fountain City Brass Band; Dresdner Bläserphilharmonie; Czech National Concert Band; Banda Sinfônica Municipal de Hortolândia; Seattle Wind Symphony; U.S. Army Materiel Command Band; Youth Symphony of Kansas City; Mid America Freedom Band; the Carinthia, Joseph Wytko, and Saxophilia Saxophone Quartets; Ensemble for These Times; Songeaters; as well as individual artists, university bands, honor bands and honor orchestras around the country. Jenkins holds degrees from UMKC and Rice University. More information can be found at .

The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college and university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings.

Students perform with St. Joseph Symphony

kheier — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 20:49:10 +0000

Two ��߲�� students performed with the St. Joseph Symphony at the Missouri Theater on April 20.

Student performers were aria and concerto contest winners Sara Poet, senior music major from St. Joseph, and David Welter, junior music major from St. Joseph.

Kathleen Holeman honored by Allied Arts Council

Creative Services — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:39:02 +0000

Kathleen Holeman, a part-time voice and piano faculty member, was named Artist of the Year by the Allied Arts Council at the 2023 Mayor’s Awards for the Arts. In addition to teaching at Missouri Western and in her private studio, Holeman has been a working jazz vocalist, pianist and trombonist locally and in Kansas City and the Ozarks areas for over 36 years. For the past several years, she has been the director of St. Joseph Big Band, which entertains area residents and visitors monthly. Holeman is a Missouri Western alum, receiving a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1990.

Assistant Professor Bob Long awarded Outstanding Arts Educator

Creative Services — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 13:28:03 +0000

Assistant Professor Bob Long received one of the Mayor’s Awards for the Arts for Outstanding Arts Educator for 2023. He received his award at the Allied Arts Council annual meeting held at the Benton Club on Thursday, July 27, 2023.

Dr. Aaron Grant Wins Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education

Creative Services — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 19:14:45 +0000

Dr. Aaron Grant, assistant professor of music, is this year’s Missouri Western recipient of the Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education for his exemplary work in music theory teaching, advising and mentorship. This award recognizes Dr. Grant’s tireless dedication to students and the university.

Music Professor Publishes Two Articles

jpanella — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:09:13 +0000

Dr. Aaron Grant, assistant professor of music theory, recently published two new articles in top-tier journals of music theory. “Structure and Variable Formal Function in Schubert’s Three-Key Expositions” was published in Music Theory Spectrum and “Reaching Outside the Classroom: Infusing Public Music Theory into the Undergraduate Core” was published by the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy. Both represent work Dr. Grant brings to his music students at Missouri Western. The pedagogy article, in particular, talks about some of the innovative applied learning and community-engaged learning initiatives Dr. Grant has been developing in his music classes. For more information, check out , which interviewed Dr. Grant about this article.