The
Department of Music: Professional Activities Report Form
Dena Kay Jones, Associate Professor
2008
Evaluation
Summary
Statement
This year’s activities revolved
around three main areas of concentration: realized performance goals,
administrative service and academic development.
Having the dream of bringing the Piano Sonata for Two Pianos by Bela Bartok to our concert stage for
years, I finally programmed an offering of that monumental work with another
difficult piece, Psathas’ Matre’s Dance,
a work which had a tremendous effect upon me in graduate school when I heard
percussionist Norm Weinberg perform it with a colleague of mine. This recital also included the Scriabin Fantasy in B Minor for solo piano and
the rarely heard Vaughan Williams Quintet
in D Major, scored for clarinet, violin, French horn, cello and piano. Working with seven additional musicians
(including our own Larry White, who devoted much time and talent to the
recital) proved to be difficult with the Recital Hall scheduling of El Paso
Pro-Música. I learned not to perform a
January recital at UTEP as a result.
Additionally, in the midst of preparing that recital, I soon discovered
that the publicity brochure which promotes each semester’s events would not be
launched in time to advertise properly.
Desperately, I tried unsuccessfully to salvage the project: it was
disheartening. I found myself wondering,
“Why is something so important left in the hands of a student worker?” With permission from our publicity committee,
I overtook the task and completed both the Spring and
Fall 2008 brochures in a timely fashion.
Directly after the UTEP faculty program, I had four weeks
to prepare a completely different recital of solo repertoire for an invited
performance at the
Upon returning to
After closing a difficult semester, I taught a summer
session of Music Appreciation and prepared for the historic Myra Hess Concert
Series in downtown
This past Fall 2008 semester
brought new creativity: a class offered through the University Entering Student
Program called “UNIV 1301, An Introduction to Ethnomusicology: Area Studies
Brazil” and the realization of other performance goals. In the class, we dabbled in the readings of
twentieth century social anthropologist John Blacking—who devoted much of his
work to music in culture—and thereafter moved to a book called Samba, written by Mexican journalist,
Alma Guillermoprieto. A viewing of the
documentary film entitled Favela Rising
was a life altering experience, demonstrating the power that music has—even in
the most dismal, social and economically challenged of third world places: the favelas or slums of Rio de
Janeiro. I never would have come across
that film, perhaps, had I not ventured to teach this course. Along with the new course and higher numbers
in the studio, I though I would give my hands to learning how to perform on our
historic, period instruments which have recently been either restored or added
to the Department. A true labor of love,
the first half of this faculty recital put me behind the harpsichord,
fortepiano and organ. The second half of
the program was taken outside to our first floor atrium. Always wanting to offer a recital like this,
I was happy with the results and working with other musicians. Most importantly, my students enjoyed seeing
me from this light. Resources gained,
proposals awarded and work efforts completed during this year will lead to the
following activities in the next: the return of our concert pianos, 38 new
digital keyboards for the Department, the International Joaquín Rodrigo
Festival: 2009 and a newly commissioned piece, debuted with Zuill Bailey in the
2010 Pro-Música Festival, by the Pulitzer Prize for Music nominee, composer
Roberto Sierra.
I.
Teaching:
A. Courses
taught each semester and number of
students enrolled in each course.
Place under the following headings:
Number Course Title Enrollment Semester
MUSA 1285 Applied Piano 1 Fall
2008
MUSA 1290 Applied Piano 1
MUSA 1295 Applied Piano 9
MUSA 3295 Applied Piano
(Composition Major) 1
MUSA 3391 Applied Piano 2
MUSA 5391 Graduate
Applied Piano 1 (Applied Studio = 15)
**UNIV 1301 Intro. To
Ethnomusicology:
syllabus)
MUSA 31264 Music
Appreciation for non-majors 14 Summer
2008
MUSA 1285 Applied Piano 1 Spring
2008
MUSA 1290 Applied Piano 3
MUSA 1295 Applied Piano 6
MUSA 5391 Graduate
Applied Piano 1 (Applied Studio = 11)
MUSA 1165 Piano Chamber Music 6
B. Student Ensemble Performances:
Does not apply
C. Thesis and Recital Committees
1. List graduate student
thesis committees on which you served and/or directed (include name/s of
student/s):
Rebecca Lytle, Master of Theory,
Dissertation on the works by Viteslaza Kapralova, committee member, Spring 2008
2. List recital committees
on which you served and/or directed (include name/s of student/s):
Elena Castañeda, Master of Music in
Collaborative Piano, Committee Director, First performance recital, Spring 2008
D. Assigned
advising duties during the year of review:
1.
Assigned Advising Duties for undergraduate students:
I
currently advise all piano majors in registering for the appropriate classes in
their chosen degree plan. I meet with
each student for approximately 30 minutes for an approximate total of 12.5
hours.
2. Assigned Advising Duties for graduate
students:
I
currently advise my own graduate students, informally. Their main advisor
is Dr. David Ross, but I work directly with him to see that my graduate
students or potential graduate students are going about earning the Master of
Music degree in the appropriate manner. I also have read papers and offered comments
to graduate students Rebecca Lytle and Alina Wiatrolik.
E. Student accomplishments during the year of
review. See Appendix Two for
supplementary materials.
1. List degree or other
major recitals given by students:
Elena Castañeda, Master
of Music in Collaborative Piano Recital,
¨
Haydn Trio for Flute,
Piano and Cello with Jennifer Rodriguez, flute and Miguel Campos, cello
¨
J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Keyboards in C Minor, BWV
1060 with Claudia Luna, piano II
¨
Gerald Finzi Song
Cycle, Before and After Summer with
George Wheeler, baritone
2. List student
accomplishments in competitions, in publishing articles or significant events:
A. Eight students
advance through UTEP Department of Music “gates”:
¨
Four students pass the double jury (1
in the Fall 2008 semester, and 3 in the Spring 2008 semester)
¨
Four students pass from 1290 into
1295 (1 in the Fall 2008 semester and 3 in the Spring 2008 semester)
B. Guillermo Gutierrez, Master Class with UTEP Alum,
Thomas Azar, November 6, 2008, First four movements from Pictures at An Exhibition by Mussorgsky.
C. Natalia Garcia Ferreiro, Master
Class with visiting artist, Trefor Smith, October 1, 2008, En
El Alhambra by Isaac Albéniz. Studio
members were also interviewed
for the UTEP student newspaper, The
Prospector.
D. David Moreno,
Sophomore in Piano Performance, performs the first movement of the Poulenc Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano at the
2008 April Music Gala with Jacob Salaz, oboe and Rodolfo Muñoz, bassoon.
E. Select studio
members perform for the 2008 April Music Gala Reception: Candice Sierra, Evelyn
Rios, Abigail O’Leary, Misaki Sakuma, Rodolfo Urias, Juan Sanchez and Black
Duncan.
F. Blake Duncan, Master Class with
visiting artist, Svetlana Nagachevskaya, February 23, 2008, Adagio
from Mozart Sonata in F Major, K. 332.
G. Evelyn Rios,
Departmental Recital,
H. Participant in the
¨
Evelyn Rios (Piano Minor), performed
the Finzi Eclogue
I. Former student and UTEP Music Department
Graduate, Thomas Azar, attended the Beijing International Music Festival in the
summer of 2008
J. Piano Scholarship Recipients (during 2008):
1) Blake Duncan
2) David Moreno
3) Evelyn Rios
4) Natalia Garcia Ferreiro
5) Abigail O’Leary
F. Recruiting Activities (document each
recruiting activity):
January and February, 2008 Recruiting
letters and phone calls to local piano and public school class piano teachers
regarding upcoming Scholarships Auditions
II. Research or Creative Activities: Scholarly activity, composition, UTEP faculty performances, invited
non-UTEP performances, or other Creative Activity during the year of review.
A. Publications, recordings and
completed works. Include title, publisher (or stage of publication), company,
journal citation, commissioned work, known performances of compositions or
arrangements:
Brief mentioning in:
Early Music 2008 36 (1): 159-160; doi:10.1093/em/cam156
Early
Music, Vol. XXXVI, No.
1©Gerard Doderer 2008. Published by Oxford University Press, All
rights reserved.
Click Here for article.
B. Recitals, major clinics, concerts,
major lectures/lecture recitals, scholarly presentations. Include nature of
presentation, place, date and special circumstances, such as a professional
meeting, competition, professional engagement, etc:
November 23, 2008 Invited
Collaborative and Solo Pianist (professional appearance), An Afternoon of French
Music for Voice and Piano, with Orit Eylon, mezzo soprano, Music Forum, El Paso Art Museum,
El Paso, Texas. Program included:
¨ From Fête Galantes
I, “En Sourine,” “Fantoches” and “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy with
Orit Eylon, mezzo soprano
¨ From Suite
Bergamasque, “Claire de Lune” for solo piano by Claude Debussy
¨ Jeux d’eaux by Maurice Ravel
¨ Fiançailles pour
rire and Banalités: Cinq melodies sur des
poèmes de Guillaume Apollinaire pour chant et piano by Francis Poulenc with
Orit Eylon, mezzo soprano
¨ From Danzas Españolas, No. 2 "Oriental” and No. 5
“Andaluza” by Enrique Granados
¨ From Los Cantos de España, “Córdoba,” and ”Leyenda” by Isaac Albéniz
¨ Aranjuéz, ma pensée by
Joaquín Rodrigo
¨ Fantasia Bética by Manuel
de Falla
February 15, 2008 Invited
Lecturer (professional appearance and recruiting effort) on Spanish Nationalism
in Twentieth Century Spanish Piano Repertoire, Piano Majors, University of
Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi.
¨ Fantasy in B Minor,
Op. 28 by Alexander Scriabin
¨ Piano Sonata in D
Major, Op. 10, No. 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven
¨ Suite para piano, Serenata española, Cuatro piezas
españolas, Aranjuez, ma pensée and Preludio
de añoranza by Joaquín Rodrigo
January 10, 2008 Invited
Soloist (professional appearance) for the 2008 Bach to Lunch Concert Series, El Paso Pro-Música, El Paso Art Museum, El Paso,
Texas. Performance included the Scriabin
Fantasy in B Minor, Op. 28 and an
impromptu performance of a little Bach Prelude
in E Major.
C. Faculty Performances at UTEP:
¨
Concerto in C Major for Two Harpsichords and String
Quartet, BWV 1061 by J. S.
Bach with Thomas Azar , harpsichord II, Leslie Chen, violin
I, Christopher Noel, violin II, Jesse Hernández, viola and Benjamin Vickers,
cello (first movement)
¨
Andante
Rondo for Two Clarinets and Fortepiano
by Berhard H. Crusell with David Ross, clarinet I and
Bettina Ross, clarinet II
¨
God Is Our Righteousness for Guitar and Organ by Chris DeBlasio
with John Siquerios, guitar
¨
Reine de Musette by
Jean Peyronnin and J’attendrai by
Dino Olivieri with Curt Warren, jazz guitar and Erik Unsworth, bass
¨
Jeux d’eaux by Maurice Ravel
¨
A l’apres-midi d’un faune for Flute
and Piano by Claude Debussy/Nikolai Platonov
with Joy Zalkind, flute
¨
Fiançailles pour rire
and Banalités: Cinq melodies sur des poèmes de Guillaume
Apollinaire pour chant et piano by Francis Poulenc with Orit Eylon, mezzo
soprano
D. List adjudication assignments,
including date and place:
E. Work(s) in progress:
http://utminers.utep.edu/dkjones/Rodrigo.htm
F. List attached (supportive)
materials:
Appendix Seven
¨
Others’ publicity of
offered recitals
¨
Article in Ventanas:
The Enjoyment of Fine Southwestern Living
¨
Non-solicited emails,
letters and cards
III. Service:
A. List committee work and/or
administrative responsibilities for Department, College, University,
professional societies or others:
¨
$70,000.00 awarded
through a grant proposal submitted, co-authored with Dr. Lowell E. Graham, for
38 replacement digital keyboards for use throughout the Department. This project is still ongoing, as I will be
overseeing the withdrawal of old instruments and installation of new ones.
¨
$140,000.00 awarded
through a grant proposal submitted, co-authored with Dr. Lowell E. Graham, for
the rebuilding of both Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall concert instruments (Steinway
and Bosendorfer)
¨
Publicity Brochure of
Events for the Department of Music, both for the Fall and Spring 2008 semesters
¨
Music Gala Committee (Reception for Donors and Alums)
¨
Undergraduate
Oversight Committee, Chair: Although this committee was not successful, much
work toward “cleaning up” procedures was done as Music Faculty voted to
solidify administrative actions in regard to our undergraduate students’
progress, based on recommendations from this committee’s work
¨
New Faculty Handbook
Committee, Chair (minor revisions for the Fall 2008 semester)
¨
College Music Society, Faculty
Representative
¨
Administrative responsibilities for
the Piano Area including piano loaner program, all piano scholarships, Ivories
on the Border guest master classes and performances, preparation of
students for the Spring Gala, piano inventory for the entire building, key
administration, budget for Piano Division and publicity
B. List workshops, educational clinics,
guest speaking engagements and/or other outreach presentations given:
El Paso
Symphony Keyboardist (approximately five season subscription concerts plus the
Youth Concerts and Christmas Concerts), January – October, 2008
El Paso
Symphony Pre-Concert Lecturer (approximately four season subscription concerts)
El Paso
Symphony “Music Sandwiched In” hostess (three brown bag sessions), January –
April, 2008
Series
of Outreach Recitals in
the summer of 2008:
July 11, 2008 Main, Downtown Library, El Alma de España
July 16, 2008 Judge Marquez Branch Library, El Alma de España
June 24, 2008 Dorris Van Doren Regional Branch
Library, El Alma de España
Click here to see select outreach programs of 2008.
C. List other service activities,
including course and curriculum development:
New course developed and offered for the Department: UNIV 1301, Introduction to Ethnomusicology:
Area Studies Brazil
Constructed and printed the Job Alike brochure in a last minute
effort
IV. Membership in Professional Societies:
January
2004-August 2008
August
2002-present El Paso Music Teacher Association,
April
2001-present Music Teachers National Association
1999-present
College Music Society
V. Honors and Awards:
¨
Tenure awarded and rank advanced to Associate Professor,
¨
Commissioning project
for a new work from Pulitzer Prize in Music nominee Roberto Sierra to be
debuted by Zuill Bailey and myself at the 2010 Pro-Música Festival. This award was made possible by the
generosity of Linda and Stuart Nelson of NYC and came as a result of the
publication of the Piano Music of Joaquín
Rodrigo CD.
¨
$7,000.00 awarded
from the Program for
Cultural Cooperation
Between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and United States Universities for the
proposal entitled, Joaquín Rodrigo: His
Life and Music – Bringing a Bit of Spain to Our Border,
¨
Who’s Who
Among Executives and Professional Women, Biltmore Who’s Who,
This is a true
and accurate statement of my activities and accomplishments.
Dena Kay Jones
January 3, 2009
