Publication: The Daily Reflector, Greenville, NC
A series of seminars focusing on leadership in music-based careers will be held this month at ECU and is funded by a 7,500 grant from the BB&T Leadership Institute. The seminars will focus on educating students and teachers in leadership in a variety of musical fields, including music therapy, teaching choral ensembles and music global diplomacy.
The ECU School of Music working with College of Fine Arts and Communication and the student chapters of the American Choral Directors Association, Collegiate Music Educators National Conference and the Music Therapy Association of North Carolina will present the Lighted Torch Leadership Series in Music Oct. 14–26 at the School of Music.
The first seminar on Oct. 14 will focus on leadership and business practices for music therapists. Entitled “Looking for a New Leader? It’s YOU!,” the workshop will cover business plans, marketing and advertising, ethical concerns, and other issues related to music therapy in a community private practice, and is open to practicing music therapists and students. Barbara Reuer, CEO and founder of the non-profit music therapy companies MusicWorx and Resounding Joy, will lead the event.
The Choral Leadership Conference on Oct. 21–22 will feature Joshua Habermann, music director or the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Dallas Symphony Chorus. He will present a series of events that will focus on creating leaders within the choral classroom.
On Oct. 21, ECU undergraduate students, graduate students and church and community conductors will collaborate with him as he works with their ensembles; a Q & A session for students and conductors in attendance will follow. On Oct. 22 high school students will participate in reading sessions of choral literature and learn skills in musicianship, ensemble building and methods for leadership in choral ensembles.
The final seminar, “Becoming a Cultural Diplomat: Global Leadership in Music.” Will be held Oct. 25–26 and will focus on encouraging music students to become global leaders in cultural diplomacy.
Facilitated by John Ferguson, founder and director of American Voices, these four sessions will expose students to American Voices’ mission of cultural engagement and diplomacy through music in nations and regions emerging from isolation or conflict. Ferguson will train students to engage in cultural diplomacy to enrich the lives of people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds globally.
All here leadership seminars are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Lighted Torch Series Website or contact Jay Juchniewicz at 382–1251 [ end ]