Saint Michael's College

Title: Associate Professor of Fine Arts: Music

Education: B.A. Yale University; B.A., M.A. Cambridge University; M.A., Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Areas of Expertise/Research Interests: I teach music history, music theory and musicianship, and I direct the College Chorale and Chamber Singers. My research involves twentieth-century British music, particularly operas, by composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten and Alan Bush.

Testimonial: I love it when students respectfully disagree with one another in really productive ways!

What do you like most about teaching/working at Saint Michael's College? I have the freedom to teach a wide variety of subjects and to organize my courses as I choose. Not only my department but also my students are open to my experimenting by bringing in new topics, materials and methods.

What do you like about Saint Michael's students? They all do so much! I don't know a single student who isn't involved in several activities of different kinds in addition to their coursework. They act, they sing, they play sports, they volunteer in amazing numbers for service projects, they get involved in student government and local and national politics and activism. It is all very impressive.

What is your favorite class to teach, and why? Music Theory IV. It is an advanced and fairly technical subject, and it is wonderful to see the students really coming to understand music from the inside out.

What kinds of unique opportunities are available to students in your classes or department? In all of my courses on musical repertory, such as Opera and Medieval and Renaissance Music, I take the entire class to live performances, usually including one in Montreal. Although the music department is small, we work hard to facilitate all our students' performance projects, some of which are ambitious and impressive.

Favorite Quote: "I beseech you ... think it possible that you may be mistaken." - Oliver Cromwell

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