This video is a blend of text slides and self-recorded video clips. All of the professors and students featured are addressing the camera directly.
The screen fades in from black on the Brandeis University logo in white on a blue background followed by the text, "Brandeis University Department of Music. The Music Department Showcase will begin momentarily. Thank you for joining us!" as the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble's performance of "Big Wolf" by Bob Nieske plays in background.
The music continues as the following slides play on screen:
The screen fades to black as the music ends.
The screen shifts to a live shot of Karen Desmond, who says, "Hi everyone, I'm Professor Karen Desmond and I'm the chair of the Music Department at Brandeis. I'm a musicologist and in the fall I'm teaching a course on medieval music that you'll hear more about in a little while. I'm really happy to welcome you to this virtual event that's bringing together music lovers across Brandeis's campus. If you're new to Brandeis, or newly considering taking a music course or ensemble this fall, today will introduce you to the courses and performance opportunities we're offering this semester and also introduce you to many of our faculty. If you're a current music major or minor, this is a chance to see some familiar faces and begin thinking about how you want to be involved in all the department has to offer.
I know that many of you have detailed logistical questions and we're going to try and answer as many of those questions as possible today, although we're still in the process of determining some specific details, especially as it relates to the use of the Slosberg building for rehearsals and practice. Mark Berger will address some of these details in a few moments. And we'll also have a Q&A session at the end. I'd like you to take note of the chat feature in Zoom, which you should see at the bottom menu bar of your screen. So I'm going to invite you to please use the chat feature freely throughout this event to ask any questions you have, as it goes along, or just to pop in and say hi and tell us what you've been up to this summer.
This promises to be a semester like none other in Brandeis's history. And we've all been working really hard all summer to recreate our curriculum for this new, but temporary, reality. Absolutely key, however, to this semester's success will be the involvement and active roles that you each take in making it so. So to give you some sense of the energy and commitment of our Brandeis music students, we'd like to start the event with a video made last semester called "Why Music at Brandeis." After this video. I'll be back to introduce today's speakers and the format for the rest of the event. Enjoy!"
The screen fades in from black on the Brandeis University logo in white over a blue background image of the Louis Brandeis statue as an animation of the text, “Why Music at Brandeis?” comes onto the screen. Guitar music plays throughout.
The screen shifts to an exterior shot of the Slosberg Music Center, followed by an interior shot of the Slosberg Recital Hall stage.
Joanna Marcus ’22 speaks on screen: “I study music at Brandeis because of the amazing and incredible faculty.”
The background music continues, with added drums, and a shot of three portraits (photo credit: Mike Lovett) comes onto the screen. The first is Will Myers ’17 playing the harp. The second is the Lydian String Quartet’s Andrea Segar with her violin. The third is Brandeis Jazz Ensemble director Bob Nieske playing the double bass.
Dustine Reich ’20 speaks on screen: “Study music at Brandeis for the opportunity to craft your experience around what you find meaningful in music, while surrounded by the most supportive, inspiring and talented faculty, staff and students.”
The background music continues, with added synthesizer, and a shot of the Lydian String Quartet in concert at the Slosberg Music Center comes onto the screen.
Neeti Kulkarni ’21 speaks on screen: “I play music at Brandeis because I can be part of an orchestra, chamber ensemble and private lessons, with the professors always encouraging me to play more.”
The background music continues as a shot of three portraits (photo credit: Mike Lovett) comes onto the screen. The first is Hannah Germaine ’19 playing the electric bass. The second is the Lydian String Quartet’s Mark Berger with his viola. The third is Agnele Sewa ’20 surrounded by Ghanaian drums.
Aaron Newitt ’21 speaks on screen: “Why study music at Brandeis? Because you have the opportunity to make such great music with such talented people, both faculty and students. And I get to study music while also studying my passion for Spanish and I don’t have to choose one or the other.”
The background music continues, with added bass, as the screen fades into a shot of Fafali, the music department’s Ghanaian drum and dance ensemble, in costume as they perform in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium for a large crowd.
April Ginns '22 speaks on screen: “Because of Professor Musegades and Professor Casinghino.”
The background music continues, with added synthesizer, as the screen fades into a shot of Shawnee-Kiowa dancer Maggie Boyett (a spring 2019 MusicUnitesUS guest artist) performing on the Slosberg stage.
Celia Wu-Hacohen ’23 speaks on screen: “Because I can participate in so many amazing ensembles with other amazing musicians and also study my academic interests.”
The background music continues as a shot of the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble performing at the Slosberg Music Center fills the screen.
Leah Sagan-Dworsky ’21 speaks on screen: “You have a lot of attention and you get to know your professors really well and, as a music major myself, I feel like [after] graduating I’ll have a huge amount of support going forward in my future endeavors.”
The background music continues as the Brandeis Chamber Singers and conductor Robert Duff pose in their concert attire on the cobblestone streets of a piazza in Rome.
Ben Maffa ’21 speaks on screen: “Because Robert Duff, our choral director, inspires his singers.”
The background music continues as the synthesizer fades out and a group of choral singers rehearse in their concert attire at the Slosberg Music Center.
Hannah Gudeman ’22 speaks on screen: “There are some really talented and passionate musicians here and I’m very proud to call them my best friends.”
The background music continues with just guitar and limited percussion as the screen fills with an image of a student cellist wearing a swan headband and a student violist wearing a duck headband as they perform The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns in the Slosberg Recital Hall.
The screen then shifts to a shot of three portraits (photo credit: Mike Lovett). The first is Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Irving Fine Professor of Composition Eric Chasalow playing the mandolin. The second is Professor of Composition Yu-Hui Chang posing with sheet music and a pencil at the piano. The third is Sam Francis ’21 with his saxophone.
The screen fades to the Brandeis University logo in white over a blue background image of the Light of Reason, then transforms into a white background with the Brandeis University logo in blue with the words “see us in action at brandeis.edu/music” below it.
The music fades, as does the picture, bringing the video to an end.
The screen shifts to a live shot of Karen Desmond, who says, "So the Brandeis music department has three areas of activity: Performance, Music Research and Music Composition. So this event will feature a series of short two minute presentations – some will be live and some are videos – that are lined up to introduce what's happening in all three of these areas this fall. So first, Professor Mark Berger will introduce music performance at Brandeis and some specifics of our fall plans. Then Professors Paula Musegades and Matt Heck will introduce our music research classes. Professor Davy Rakowski will talk about music composition at Brandeis and Professors Judy Eissenberg, Robert Duff and Neal Hampton will speak about the wide range of performance ensembles. Three of our current music students, Neeti Kulkarni, Aaron Newitt and Tess Aalto, will close our presentations, and then we'll open it up for a Q&A. So, now it's my pleasure to introduce Professor Mark Berger."
Mark Berger appears on screen and says, "Thank you very much, Karen. Good afternoon to all of you. We are so excited to welcome you to the vibrant musical community here at Brandeis. I'm sure that many of you have questions about making music at Brandeis, especially in the current state of the world. So I'm here to take a few minutes to let you know about our music department policies for student performance, and to inform you of some of our resources for maintaining the close knit musical community that is so integral to the Brandeis experience during this time of heightened safety precautions. As a music department, we are committed to guidelines that are established based on the latest science and research about safety and musical performance. Social distancing is required as your health and safety are our top priority. And that, of course, has some huge implications as to how we will operate this fall. Keep in mind that these policies are set for your safety and the safety of the entire Brandeis community, and are constantly re-evaluated as the circumstances of the world around us evolve. Some basic questions that you might have:
Will I be able to be active as a musician at Brandeis this fall? Yes, absolutely. Although performances, especially recitals and ensemble performances will, by necessity, have to happen in slightly different ways, we still hope that all of you will continue to play, sing, compose, practice, rehearse and perform. I'll let Professors Eissenberg, Duff and Hampton speak about our ensemble offerings later in the presentation. We are taking all possible steps to ensure the safety for rehearsals and performances which will all likely involve some combination of remote instruction in addition to socially distanced in person instruction.
Another question you might have: Can you take private instruction for your instrument or voice? Absolutely. Any student may register for MUS 111a for either credit or non credit and receive weekly individual instruction from our dynamic faculty, all top performers in their respective fields. Most private instruction will, by necessity, be done remotely for the fall semester. And there are also resources to help supplement the cost for students who might have difficulty paying for lessons. Again, these guidelines for remote instruction are all based on the current guidelines set by the university and are all subject to change, as time goes on.
Will you be able to practice your instrument? Yes, absolutely. Although classroom practice room access will be curtailed for safety. We encourage all of you to practice as much as you're able. Practice in your dorm rooms and living spaces will be the best solution and special arrangements may be made for those of you who rely on music department owned instruments or large instruments that you cannot have in your dorm rooms, such as pianos or organs. Access to pianos in Slosberg will need to be carefully controlled and will involve room sign out to avoid any extraneous contact and then practice rooms or classrooms used will be carefully cleaned and disinfected between each use. We, of course, understand the community aspect and playing music in Slosberg and we want to keep that even if most of us are playing and singing from home. To help encourage the sense of community amongst our performing students, we have created a virtual practice space on Zoom, where we encourage you to log in while you practice. Even though everyone will be on mute, you'll still be able to see each other practicing, much like you would in the Slosberg basement practice room area. There's a link that is being posted into the chat that you are welcome to check out and that will also be available through our department website.
Another question, how will concerts work? Performances will definitely take place. However, depending on the latest regulations for health and safety, they might be in a slightly different form. Luckily Slosberg is equipped with excellent technology, making it possible to live stream any performance with high quality audio and video. Should safety regulations require that we not allow audiences into Slosberg, you'll still be able to perform, and all of your family and friends can watch you online. Ensembles will likely be producing interesting video productions as well. Individual degree recitals should be able to occur, following guidelines in terms of proper stage spacing and how many audience members might be allowed to be present in person. And ensemble directors are coming up with some very exciting plans for virtual productions and rewarding and creative performance experiences.
Again, we are so excited to welcome you all, and we look forward to working with you in new and creative ways this fall, and I hope that you'll all be excited to participate as music performers in the dynamic offerings that our department has crafted for you. I'm now happy to turn things over to Professor Paula Musegades and Matthew Heck to let you know about some of our course offerings."
Paula Musegades appears on screen and says, "Hey, everyone. My name is Paula Musegades. Matt Heck and I are excited to talk with you about our music history and research courses this fall. Then, after our video, we have a message from Professor of Composition David Rakowski."
The screen then transitions to a pre-recorded video. Fading in from black, the Brandeis University logo in white appears over a blue background image of the Slosberg Music Center exterior, followed by the text: "Music Research & History: Highlights from the fall 2020 schedule. Narrated by Professors Paula Musegades & Matthew Heck." Vocal chanting can be heard in the background.
The screen shifts to a white background with a portrait of Professor Karen Desmond accompanied by the text, "MUS 131a History of Music I: Ancient through Early Baroque. MUS 101a and B, or by permission of the instructor. Taught online."
A voiceover from Paula Musegades says, "First up we have MUS 131a, History of Music I: Ancient through Early Baroque with Professor Desmond. This course does have a prerequisite of MUS 101a or b and Professor Desmond will teach this course online in the fall."
The next slide shows a white background with an image of an early music manuscript, featuring a drawing of a horse wearing a crown, as well as the text "Who should take this class?" and the following bullet points: "Beautiful love songs; Renaissance polyphony; O Ecclesia by Hildegard of Bingen (Emma Kirkby and Gothic Voices); Beginnings of western music notation and counterpoint; Why this singing horse is so important..."
The voiceover from Paula Musegades continues, "Now, you should absolutely take this course if you want to listen to beautiful love songs, plainchant and Renaissance polyphony, including this chant by Hildegard of Bingen. (vocal music plays) You should also take this course if you want to learn about beginnings of Western music notation and counterpoint, or if you just want to know why this singing horse is so important in the history of Western music."
The screen shifts to a white background with portraits of Professors Emily Frey and Eric Chafe and the text, "MUS 133b History of Music II: Late Baroque and Classical. Prerequisite: MUS 101a and b, or by permission of the instructor."
A voiceover from Matthew Heck says, "In History of Music II: Late Baroque and Classical, join Professors Dr. Eric Chafe and Dr. Emily Frey as they explore the major styles, genres, and compositional techniques of this rich period. Listen to works from Vivaldi, Bach and Handel, through Beethoven and Schubert and ask questions about their history, their sound and why we should care about them in the first place. Enrollment is open to those studying on campus and remotely, that have completed 101a or b, and instruction for the course will be offered in a hybrid format. So join Dr. Chafe and Dr. Frey on this journey into the heart of the classical music canon."
The screen shifts to a black and white photograph from a 1970's discotheque, overlaid with the following text: "Love is the Message: Dance Musics & their Cultures from Disco to Dubstep. MUS 48B. M/W 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm."
Matthew Heck's voice continues, "What is disco? Or what is real disco? And what is house or techno? What's the difference? This music forms the core of a long tradition that stretches from the jazz discotheques of interwar France, to the sound clashes of Jamaica, to the early rave days of Ibiza, to America's contemporary mega-festival culture. Join Professor Matthew Heck for Love is the Message: Dance Musics and their Cultures from Disco to Dubstep and investigate the history of contemporary popular dance music. We will explore the people, places, sounds and social contexts that ignited these scenes, and how they transformed and shifted with the times. The class will be completely online and there are no prerequisites."
The screen then shifts to a white background with a portrait of Professor Paula Musegades and the text, "AMST/MUS 55A Music in Film: Hearing the American Cinema. Examines the aesthetics and the history of music in film. Taught online."
A voiceover from Paula Musegades says, "Finally we have American Studies/MUS 55a, Music in Film, with Professor Musegades, and in my class, we're going to meet online and dive into both the aesthetics and the history of music in film."
The screen shifts to a white background with a black and white movie still of a man climbing out of a window high above the city below next to a large clock that reads 2:45 pm, as well as the text, "Silent Film & Cue Sheets. Harold Lloyd, Safety Last, 1923."
The voiceover continues, "We're going to start way back in the silent film and cue sheet era when the only sound in film was music, with films like Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last." A brief sample from the film's music plays.
The screen then shifts to a white background with a brief video clip from the film East of Eden, featuring the musical score and images of a man running through a field while children watch, another man stands in front of a car while a woman fans herself and the first man runs to a bicycle, with the text, "Golden Age & Hollywood Renaissance. East of Eden (1955), Leonard Rosenman."
The voiceover continues, "We'll trace music's development through Hollywood’s Golden age and the lush, late-Romantic scores of people like Eric Korngold, followed by the experimentation and branching out with films like East of Eden with the highly Coplandesque score of Leonard Rosenman."
The screen shifts to a white background with a brief video clip from Star Wars: A New Hope, featuring the musical score and an image of a young man (the character of Luke Skywalker) staring off wistfully, with the text, "Blockbusters to Today. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), John Williams."
The voiceover continues, "And we’ll move all the way up to some of the leading composers of today with music from Hanz Zimmer to Danny Elfman to – of course – John Williams."
The screen shifts to a white background with a blue half-circle containing the text, "See you in class" and the following bullet points in black on the white background: "MUS 131 a History of Music I: Ancient through Early Baroque; MUS 133b History of Music II: Late Baroque and Classical; MUS 48b Love is the Message: Dance Musics and their Cultures from Disco to Dubstep; AMST/MUS 55a Music in Film: Hearing American Cinema."
The voiceover continues, "So, we have four exciting music research courses for you this semester, and we can't wait to see you in class!"
The screen fades to black and then comes up on the Brandeis University logo in white over a blue background image of the Slosberg Music Center exterior, followed by the text, "A message from David Rakowski, Walter W. Naumburg Professor of Composition." Rhythmic piano plays in the background.
David Rakowski speaks on screen: "So, I have been asked to tell you about courses that will be interesting to anyone who is thinking about music composition. Of course, we teach music at all levels, so you don't have to be a major in order to take any of these courses that I am going to briefly list for you. If you want to become a music major, one of the tracks available to you is a composition track, which gives you some special other privileges, including composition lessons and so forth.
Our first course, a very basic course, which is Fundamentals of Music, MUS 5(a), will be taught by Professor Mark Berger, and it's basically something that teaches you how to read music, even if you already know something about reading music, and gives you the very basics of theory so you have some understanding of how pieces work and how to listen to music and so forth.
Then we have our two years of theory. If you become a music major, then two years of music theory are part of the requirements, and they are both being taught every year, and this year, MUS 101, which has Fundamentals as a prerequisite, so you should know something about music theory before you take that class. And so a whole year class with an ear training lab that is co-requisite, and you will learn the more basics about music, how it works, phrase structure, chords, and there will be some composition projects as well. The final project for first year theory, MUS 101, is to write a string quartet, which the Lydian Quartet – the professional quartet at Brandeis – will perform and record for you. Second year theory is more advanced topics and more advanced composition. That is being taught by Professor Erin Gee.
Then we have Undergraduate Composition, MUS 106, also being taught by Professor Erin Gee. This is not exactly a beginning course in how to write music, because it does have Fundamentals as a prerequisite, but it's basically giving you a whole bunch of different kinds of pieces to listen to and to learn from, and to use as models for your own compositions, so there is a lot of writing in this course.
And then finally, MUS 107, which is called Intro to Electro Acoustic Music, is about electronic music production and composition. There will be plenty of hands on instruction, and you will have time in Brandeis's Electro Acoustic Studio to learn about the "stuff" that they've got and you will be able to take that also into your compositions if you so choose."
The screen fades to black and then comes up on a live shot of Professor Judith Eissenberg, who says, "Hi everyone. I'm Professor Judith Eissenberg. I'm a founding member and second violinist of the Lydian String Quartet. A little bit about the quartet, the quartet tours, records, commissions and premieres new works. Brandeis is our home and you, our students, are a big part of what we love doing, working with you. The members of the Lydian perform on campus, have open rehearsals, and play student compositions, both undergraduate and graduate. You will come across us in private lessons, chamber music, theory and composition and the Intro to World Musics course. We have a commissioning prize every other year. This spring we'll be premiering a new piece for clarinet and string quartet written by the American jazz pianist, composer, electronic musician and writer Vijay Iyer. We're planning just how and what our performance modality will be this semester and possibly we can have some open rehearsals even if you're not on campus.
I put together a short video introducing you to chamber music, the Ghanaian music and dance ensemble, Fafali, and the intercultural residency program, MusicUnitesUS. Just a little bit about chamber music before you see that video. I'll be the head coach and chamber music, which is one of the hybrid courses on campus, meaning it will be open to musicians in person and online. I posted my syllabus, so you can get an idea of how that will work. We'll go with the flow and I anticipate it will be a mix of interesting collaboration across modalities with discussion, collaboration, playing for each other and performance, probably a combo platter of Zoom, streaming from Slosberg, pre-recorded things and definitely multi track performances. Maybe even some collaboration with artists outside of music, maybe dance, visual. I encourage coming fully loaded with imagination as we undoubtedly will disrupt the conventional boundaries of what chamber music is, even redefining what a "chamber" is. Check out the syllabus and once you register, the class "latte" (web)site is open for exploration. So come on and join. Here's the video. Enjoy it. Afterwards, Professor Duff will talk about his part of the building."
A pre-recorded video begins with a black background and the following text in white: "Exploring Tradition. MUS 116a: Chamber Music with roots in European Art music; MUS87a: Music and Dance from Ghana; MusicUnitesUS."
The video continues with another black screen with the following text in white: "MUS116a Chamber Music: From Page to Stage. Exploring the repertoire; Collaboration; Comparing Interpretations; Weekly rehearsals and coaching; Shaping a performance. Instructors: Lydian String Quartet, Pianist Evan Hirsch." String Quartet music starts to play in the background as the screen shifts to a video of a Student String Quartet in performance on the Slosberg stage. The video then transitions to a recording of a student Trumpet and Piano Duo, followed by a Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano. As the trio plays, the following text appears on the screen above them, "How does music hold meaning? What is the unique narrative of a piece? How do we shape a performance?" The trio continues as the earlier text is replaced by, "Take it every semester, credit or x-credit. Taking two semesters fulfills your Creative Arts requirement." The screen fades to black as the music fades out.
The video continues with a black screen with the following text in white: "MUS 87a Music and Dance from Ghana. Join the drumming and dance ensemble FAFALI. Director: Ben Paulding." The sound of a Ghanaian singer with drums in the background starts as the screen shifts to a blue background with a white version of the Fafali logo filling the screen. The video then transitions to a recorded performance of featured artist Koblavi Dogah and the members of Fafali in full costume, singing, dancing and playing on the Slosberg Stage. The following text scrolls at the bottom of the screen, "Fafali studies and performs the music, song and dance of Ghana. We perform both on-campus and off-campus every semester and have even performed for the President of Ghana! Historically a highly international ensemble, members have come from Ghana, Togo, Jamaica, Haiti, Tanzania, Cape Verde, China, the US and more! In Fafali, you will study dance-drumming music from the Asante & Ewe traditions, collaborate with professional musicians and dancers from West Africa, and even get a chance to show your own style! To enroll in Fafali, sign up for MUS 87a in the fall semester, MUS 87b in the spring semester. Two semesters of Fafali fulfills your Creative Arts requirement, and Fafali also counts towards the CAST minor (Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation). No equipment required; all instruments and costumes are provided. Just bring yourself, your friends, and be ready to drum, sing and dance!" The screen fades to black as the audience cheers for the performers.
The video continues with a black screen with the following text in white: "MusicUnitesUS: Intercultural Residencies, Public School Partnerships; Global Currents Concert Series." Rhythmic, percussive music begins as the screen shifts to an image of six individual performer headshots with the text, "Mazel Tov Cocktail Party | Nov 9-14, 2020" above and the text, "Led by world music superstar David Krakauer's unbridled clarinet, six musicians combine Syrian, Jewish, Cuban, Brazilian, Iranian, African and jazz influences for original and re-imagined soundscapes."
The music continues as the screen fades to black, and the following text appears in white, "MUUS Intercultural Residencies. Artists of high accomplishment from around the world come to Brandeis University each semester. Classes across campus invite residency artists for performance and conversation. The goal of these residencies is to deepen understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures through exploring artistic traditions, promoting intellectual inquiry and encouraging cultural exchange." The music shifts to an electronic, instrumental pop song as the screen transitions to an image of six musicians standing together in sunglasses against a yellow background. Above them is the text, "From Puerto Rico - Balún | Feb 22-27, 2021" and at the bottom of the screen is the text, "Brooklyn-based electronic indie band Balún self-identifies as transnational, focusing an incredibly wide field of genres and influences into a revelatory sound that evokes both of the band's homes and the distance between them."
The screen then fades to black as the music fades out and the video ends.
The screen shifts to a live shot of Professor Robert Duff, who says, "Good afternoon. My name is Robert Duff and I conduct the choral ensembles at Brandeis, oversee the voice program, vocal performance and musical theater tracks and contribute to the vocal LBF program. Today, I'd like to talk with you about all the vocal and choral offerings this coming semester.
First, I'd like to discuss with you the Early Music Ensemble. The Early Music Ensemble explores the music of the 16th century when singing and playing were as commonplace as eating and drinking. Under the direction of Professor Sarah Mead, the ensemble will discover the soundscape of Shakespeare's world and the popular songs that Michelangelo hummed as he worked. Every student – throughout the semester – may adopt a historical instrument for the semester from an array of choices, from recorders of all sizes to both strings and harps. Weekly small group coaching and lessons will be supplemented with demos, recordings and online sessions, where you'll learn to read from facsimiles of beautiful manuscripts and early printed music. The ensemble will team up with students from across the country who are discovering early music in their own programs, getting to know an online practice buddy, ensure your explorations and discovery while you become familiar with your instrument. Singers and instrumentalists of all kinds are welcome. Each student must have basic music reading skills with some kind of ensemble background, but no prior experience with historical performance is necessary. Professor Mead will be conducting Zoom interviews in lieu of live auditions this fall.
The Chamber Singers and the University Chorus are the two choral ensembles at Brandeis. There is an ensemble available for any student who wishes to sing. The Chamber Singers, which is MUS 81, is Brandeis's premier vocal chamber ensemble consisting of 24 students. Repertoire of the Chamber Singers includes both a cappella and accompanied music from Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The University Chorus, MUS 82, is a larger mixed choir and includes members from the entire Brandeis community including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. They perform music that has endured the vast western tradition. This coming fall, we'll be looking at dividing our semesters into four three-week learning modules, where we'll be studying styles of composition and developing music skills, learning from guests composers and working with live, living composers through Zoom. Auditions for the for the choral ensembles will be done through pre-recordings. Those recordings will be accepted beginning August 15, and that will be followed up with Zoom interviews, which will be conducted on the week of August 23. Each learning module will include in person rehearsal if possible with physical distancing and masks, online learning, click track recording our work together and biweekly guest lectures. Come be part of a vibrant community of musicians and friends.
Additionally, we do offer private voice lessons through the department. This is MUS 112 and is taught by five of our most gifted voice instructors. Each weekly lesson is an hour in duration, and voice lessons will be done remotely for the fall semester. Thank you for your time and interest. If you have any questions about singing at Brandeis, please be in touch. Now it is my pleasure to introduce Professor Neal Hampton."
Professor Neal Hampton appears on screen and says, "Thanks very much. Hi, everyone. Here's a look at some of our other ensembles. The video will be followed by recorded and live presentations by our current students."
A pre-recorded video begins with an image of the Brandeis University logo in white over a blue background image of the Slosberg Music Center exterior, followed by the text, "Instrumental Ensemble Overview: Orchestra (84a), Wind Ensemble (85a), Jazz Ensemble (83a) & Improv Collective (86a)." The screen then shifts to the Brandeis University logo in white over a blue background image of the Louis Brandeis statue and the following text flashes across the screen as orchestral music begins in the background: "84a Orchestra, 85a Wind Ensemble, 83a Jazz Ensemble, 86a Improv Collective."
Professor Neal Hampton speaks on screen: "Hi, I'm Neal Hampton. I'm the Conductor of the Orchestra, and today I'll be speaking to you about the Orchestra, the Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble and the Improv Collective." The video transitions to the orchestra performing on the Slosberg stage with Professor Hampton conducting and the text, "84a Orchestra," appears at the top of the screen. Professor Hampton continues, in voiceover, "Orchestra meets on Thursday nights and we'll be working in a hybrid online format with some people rehearsing in person and others joining by video. The goal will be, with several projects, to create video performances representing our work during the semester, we can share with family and friends. In other classes, we will be exploring historical context of the music we're working on, developing our musicianship and collaborating with composers and musicians in other ensembles at other institutions, perhaps."
The video then shifts to Thomas Souza conducting the Wind Ensemble as the text, "85a Wind Ensemble" appears at the top of the screen. The voiceover continues, "The Wind Ensemble is led by Thomas Souza and perform a wide variety of wind ensemble repertoire, and this semester, they'll be focusing on music of William Grant Still."
The video continues with Bob Nieske conducting the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble with the text, "83a Jazz Ensemble" at the top of the screen. The voiceover continues, "The Jazz Ensemble will meet on Wednesday nights and is led by Boston bassist and composer Bob Nieske. It will be taught in an online format this semester, focusing not only on performing but also on learning how to arrange for jazz ensemble. Students will record their solos and the big band parts to a backtrack, which will be assembled into a performance video, and also will be able to learn specific techniques on arranging for jazz ensemble."
The video then cuts to a performance by the Brandeis Improv Collective as the text, "86a Improv Collective" appears at the top of the screen. The voiceover continues, "The Improv Collective, led by Tom Hall, will meet on Tuesday evenings. In it, you can learn how to become a more fluid, creative and joyful improviser by working in individual and group contexts. The work will be tailored to the virtual environment completely, and will also include a survey of improvised music with particular attention paid to its application in human relationship and in social justice. Each semester you can register for ensembles in the credit or non credit section. Two semesters of credit will fulfill your creative arts requirement."
Professor Hampton then appears on screen again and says, "If you would like more information about any of these groups, please visit the web page or contact the professors directly. Thank you." The screen then shifts to a white background with a blue half-circle in which it says, "Join us" and the following text appears against the white background: "MUS 83a | Jazz Ensemble, MUS 84a | Orchestra, MUS 85a | Wind Ensemble, MUS 86a | Improv Collective. Learn more: brandeis.edu/music/ensembles." The screen then fades to black as the background music fades and the video ends.
Fading in from black, the Brandeis University logo in white appears over a blue background image of the Slosberg Music Center exterior, followed by the text: "A message from Neeti Kulkarni '21 | Music Undergraduate Departmental Representative | Majors in Economics and Music; Minor in French & Francophone Studies." A plucky string quartet plays in the background as the screen fades in to a shot of Neeti Kulkarni, who speaks on screen: "Hi, my name is Neeti Kulkarni. I am really sorry I cannot be with you in person today, but I really hope what I say helps you, and you have a really great discussion with some of our amazing faculty and some of my fellow students.
So, I just want to talk a little bit about my experience in the music department with you all today. So, a little bit of context, I play the viola. I have done so, I started on the violin when I was five and I switched to viola when I was twelve and I really haven't stopped music since then. I came to college as an undecided major, but I knew that I wanted to be very involved in music because it's just been a part of my life for so long and I couldn't imagine giving it up, and so now I'm actually a double major in music and economics with a minor in French studies, which seems like it covers so much ground, and it does, but I really do like it because it allows me to use all aspects of my brain. I feel creative, but also methodical, with economics, and I can speak a different language and that sort of thing, and it's really been amazing in the Brandeis music department. The faculty really cares about you. I can tell you one story that one time my chamber group learned an entire quartet and it was too long for us to perform at the actual concert, so one of our professors invited us to her house to perform it for her family, and she genuinely cared about us and our growth as musicians and as people, and I'd never seen a professor really care about you on that personal of a level before, and that's the kind of treatment we get in the Brandeis music department, and it's wonderful. I mean, you might not have the same experience exactly as me, but I definitely think you will feel cared for and loved in this department.
Another great experience that I can talk about is how I was able to study abroad for music. So, just about Brandeis music department, it's very small and it's a really great set of musicians that we have, but I think that the faculty is really understanding that sometimes there are opportunities that are outside of Brandeis for you that they want you to pursue. So I was lucky enough to study music in Paris last year. So I had never gotten a conservatory experience before, and I really wanted to see where that would take me, so I spent a semester intensely studying music at a conservatory, I was living with musicians, I was playing concerts and it was a lot, but it was so great and I'm so thankful that the Brandeis music department let me do this.
I have taken on more of a role than I ever expected in the department. I am an Undergraduate Departmental Representative, so I am always here to answer questions about classes or what kind of courses you want to take. Any advice I might give to people is that, just try it, because it's such a small department and it's so welcoming, and it's music, it makes everyone feel better, that I really think that it's a really special place." The screen then fades to black as the video ends.
The screen then fades in from black to a live shot of Aaron Newitt '21, who says, "Hi everybody. I'm Aaron Newitt. I'm a senior at Brandeis studying music and Hispanic Studies. I'm also a Leonard Bernstein fellow so that was a scholarship that allowed me and initially brought me to Brandeis. And that's how I really caught wind of Brandeis's music program. It was suggested by my piano teacher in high school that Brandeis had a strong music program and had some really great professors, and that's originally why I applied and why I decided to come to Brandeis, because it's just, it has a lot of opportunities that really interest me.
I am the current president of the Brandeis Undergraduate Composers Collective, which is a group of students who may or may not be studying music definitely, but have an interest in creating their own music and it gives all the undergraduate students an opportunity to share their music with everybody else and have it performed and recorded, so I think that's really great. I also love participating in chamber music with other students because everybody here is just so talented. And also I recently joined a new ensemble. Last year, in the Early Music Ensemble, I just found something that I really enjoyed doing, and it was late into my Brandeis career, but it's never too late to try something new and that's something I really find admirable about the program here. I have used my musical ability in programs that aren't in the actual music department, a lot of extracurricular stuff like there's pit orchestras for the theater department that can take students from the music program. Also, I like False Advertising. It's a comedy improv group that does music stuff, and only at Brandeis can you find something like that.
Some advice for music stuff at Brandeis. The first thing I would say is get to know the faculty and staff because the perks of having smaller program here is that the professors are really approachable and super willing to do whatever they can to improve your experience here and I can speak from personal experience. I think almost every single person at Brandeis can speak from personal experience that the professors really care and they're kind of like our friends. So, only you get to do that here. My second piece of advice is not only get to know the professors, but to get to know the students as well. We learn a lot being here for four years and there are a lot of students that have been around the Music Department and know all of the secrets. It took a while for me to do that, to find somebody to help me navigate this program. But once I did, my experience improved tremendously. So yeah, I know that I'm here as a resource for anybody else. And I also think that any of the other students who are on this panel would be willing and able to answer any questions you have. So I'm now going to pass it to Tess Aalto who is going to give her insight into the Brandeis Music Department."
Tess Aalto '22 appears on screen and says, "Hello everyone, my name is Tess Aalto and I'm a rising junior at Brandeis. I have been involved in music at Brandeis since I stepped on campus. I'm an alto in Brandeis Chamber Singers and I continue my classical voice training with private lessons. So, I sought out music at Brandeis because it has always been a part of my life. I played violin since I was four and started singing when I was 12 And I now complement voice lessons with electric bass. So, I was a member of concert choir and multiple ensembles and private lessons in high school. And actually, for many years, I considered applying to conservatories, but ultimately decided to pursue medicine instead. And, regardless, I knew that I wanted to preserve this restorative musical space in my life at university. So my first steps to getting involved were researching opportunities on Brandeis's website, then signing up for choir auditions. Now, I was a mid-year, so that I came to Brandeis in January, and I was definitely a little worried about whether or not the same opportunities would still be available to myself. So, I reached out to Professor Duff to discuss some options and he assured me that I would still be able to audition like anyone else.
Anyway, so for some more background about myself: I'm not a music major. I am majoring in biology with a minor in French and Francophone studies, while completing the pre-health track. I'm a member of multiple clubs such as Waltham Group, pre-health and French club, and I also work as a personal trainer at the gym at Gosman and I'm an athlete for USA Powerlifting Federation. I offer this context just to show you that it is possible to balance music with your academic and personal curriculum. I haven't had any difficulty doing so. This goes without saying, I am quite busy, but personally I really like that and it feels quite enriching to include all these things as a balance in my life. And that's why music is particularly significant. So, regardless, I tend to schedule a lot into my life and music is a space where I can take a moment and breathe a little, while still feeling like I am creating something special and contributing to the community around myself. Private lessons are a wonderful space to work on personal repertoire and technique. And then when I come to Brandeis Chamber Singers on Tuesday and Thursday, I know that I have around 75 minutes to commit myself to the pieces we are looking at and collaborate with others and I don't have to worry about my other academic commitments like orgo homework or anything like that. So during this time I put a pause on these things and I focus completely on the repertoire we're working on and I really find myself returning to my schedule feeling rejuvenated and calm.
So, for advice I would offer to other students, do not be afraid to try new ensembles and talk to others in the department. It's really important to be vocal about how music will fit into your schedule so that you can completely commit yourself to these groups and immerse yourself in the various experiences. And the faculty here are more than happy to have these discussions and support you. I want to conclude by sharing a recent highlight of my time in the Music Department at Brandeis. During the fall semester of 2019, we are working on a variety of pieces in French and I was able to collaborate with my peers in Chamber Singers on the pronunciation of some French pieces and chatting with my French teachers. So I really enjoyed combining my love for music with my current studies in French. Thank you for your time and I'm completely happy to answer any questions."
Karen Desmond appears on screen and says, "Thank you Tess, Aaron and Neeti, and all of our other speakers today. So now we have a portion dedicated to your questions and hopefully we can answer most of them. At the moment, I think we are now going to show videos of all of our panelists today, so you should be able to see everybody who is here."
The screen then fills with a grid of up to 18 individual live videos of the following participants: Karen Desmond, Tess Aalto, Judith Eissenberg, Cheryl Nalbach, Aaron Newitt, Deborah Rosenstein, Sarah Mead, Tom Hall, Ben Paulding, Mark Berger, David Rakowski, Matthew Heck, Neal Hampton, Robert Duff, Bob Nieske, Paula Musegades, Jean Meltaus and Andrea Segar.
Professor Desmond continues, "We have here Sarah Mead and also Tom Hall, Ben Paulding, Davy Rakowski, Bob Nieske and Jean Meltaus are here also to answer your questions, in addition to all of our speakers today and Cheryl Nalbach, our program administrator, who's also on screen here. She's been monitoring the questions in the chat and in the Q&A, so she will read your questions and then she'll either be able to answer your questions, she's one of our music department oracles, or she will feed them to whoever is appropriate. Also, if you'd like to ask your question in person, you can be on video. Just indicate that in the chat if you'd like to ask a question in person, type that and you'll be able to do that. So Cheryl, maybe you can start us off with the first question."
Cheryl Nalbach responds, "Thank you very much, Karen and welcome to all of the students who are with us today, new and returning. I'm going to dive right into the questions. Thank you all and students, as you do think of questions, please do type them into the chat window so they can be addressed here. We have about 15 minutes remaining. And just as a reminder, this is being recorded, so we'd be happy to send it to you after so that you can refer to the questions and answers that are addressed today. You'll also see a link in the chat window to a general email address where you can type questions after today's session and those will come directly to the department. It's music@brandeis.edu. We have a question from Alex Pickett: how will private lessons work next semester? I'm just going to give a quick answer to this, and then allow our instrumental and choral lesson directors add some detail. My preface is just to reiterate what Professor Desmond and Professor Berger said earlier that we are following very closely the state and university guidelines. For access to Slosberg Music Building, those decisions are being made presently So we are monitoring those daily. And of course, we hope that all private lessons or as many as possible will be able to be taught in the most safe manner. Generally speaking, a lot of them will be remote. Depending on your instrument, there could be some on campus. So that's the general answer. We're still working on it. We're working with limited space in the building and most will be remote. I'd invite Professor Nieske and Professor Duff to add details about your respective areas."
Bob Nieske says, "Hello, I guess I'm Professor Nieske. I just put my email address in the chat. So if you have, there's not a lot of time here to go into things. If you have specific questions about lessons, specifically, the way to go about registering for lessons, you do that – if it's instrumental lessons – you'd come to me for that. If it's vocal lessons you go to Professor Duff and we'll straighten you out on that. If you are a violinist, cellist or violist you go to the individual people from the Lydian Quartet because they have their own sections. And like I say, we don't know what's going to happen. It could change from week to week. At this point, it looks like piano lessons very well may be able to be in person. Wind lessons will start virtually and string lessons, you can talk to Mark Berger about that, but that will probably be a hybrid kind of situation. Professor Duff, I'll pass it over to you."
Robert Duff says, "Thanks, Bob. Voice lessons, as I mentioned, will be done remotely. We've been working all summer with the voice instructors on finding the best software that will get high quality audio. Each lesson is one hour in length, each lesson will be recorded and uploaded to a student's portfolio so you can watch your development throughout the entire semester and those portfolios, the students will have the option of being able to share them with each other so that they can actually give feedback to each other [amongst] the voice students."
Bob Nieske adds, "I have one little correction for Professor Duff. The lessons are 50 minute lessons. So that's my only correction. Otherwise, you did great."
Cheryl Nalbach laughs and says, "So many details to remember. OK, thank you both. And again, if you have more questions about this simply contact either professor or email music@brandeis.edu. Another question I have. If I do not intend on getting a major or minor in music, will I still be able to get private tutoring on campus as an extra curricular, and will I be able to perform if I'm not a music major or minor? The answer to both questions is yes. So if you are a vocalist, please be in touch with Professor Duff. If you are an instrumentalist, please be in touch with Professor Nieske. Thank you for that question. Next... Who can I contact for private piano tutoring? Please start by contacting Professor Nieske and he will put you in touch with our wonderful piano instructors. OK, we have some questions in our Q&A session: Will percussionists be able to practice in the building? And what about students who play piano as a secondary instrument? I invite any any of our ensemble directors to chime in on this. My short answer is we're still gauging the accessibility to the building. So we should be able to answer you in more detail in the weeks ahead on both percussion and piano. Directors and professors, would you have anything to add to that? No, OK. So, again email music@brandeis.edu and please also watch our web page because, as we learn more about practice room availability in the building, we will be posting that just as soon as we know.
Karen Desmond adds, "I'll just chime in for a second. So, one of the things we will be doing is, we know how much space we have and so, what we need to do once students register is figure out how many, what the need is, and then we'll be able to figure that out. There's a lot of moving pieces at the moment, which is why we can't give you that direct answer right now. But we will, as you know, in the next couple of weeks, be figuring all of that out once the registration numbers come in.
Mark Berger says, "I would like to add too, just for for the piano use, we will obviously have to prioritize our registered piano students to give them first priority for use of the pianos in the building. However, if you are a pianist and interested in studying piano, the best way to secure your practice space would be to make sure that you do register for piano lessons. You can feel free to contact Evan Hirsch to talk about that. He's our wonderful faculty pianist and he can answer any questions you might have about piano study at Brandeis."
Cheryl Nalbach says, "Thank you both. We're doing OK on time. We have about five minutes remaining. So we'll continue: Can incoming students be paired with an older student mentor, if they want one? This is a question that we address on a case by case basis for students who are absolute beginners in music, and I'd be happy to talk with you more offline about that. If you email music@brandeis.edu, I can go into greater detail and we can talk about your background, but for the most part, we have a wonderful, talented roster of instrumental and vocal instructors that are very eager and experienced to teach you. So again, it's something we can discuss in greater detail offline. And thank you."
Deborah Rosenstein interjects, "I might just chime in," as Aaron Newitt says, "Even if it's not an official thing I'd totally be available to be anybody's friend."
Deborah Rosenstein laughs and says, "I was also going to say I know that some of our graduate student composers have been mentoring undergraduate composers. I don't know if Aaron or Davy want to speak to that, but that's sort of another mentorship we have in the department."
Aaron Newitt responds, "Yeah, that is something we've been doing with the undergraduate composers collective club is we've been starting to pair undergraduate composers with graduate composers and just giving a sense of what graduate composition is like, having somebody to bounce ideas off of. And it's really great."
Cheryl Nalbach says, "Thank you both Aaron and Deborah, that's terrific. [Next question:] I see that the presentation is being recorded. Will it be posted anywhere publicly to share with others who couldn't be here live? Yes, it will. I believe the plan is, once it is fully uploaded and edited, that it would be available on the Music Deptartment web page. You could also email that same email address, music@brandeis.edu, and we'll be sure to send it to you.
Another question about using the building, I think we've addressed part of this: Will students be able to use the pianos and practice rooms? Professor Berger had just addressed that and we are learning more about that and we will certainly keep you informed. Will there be any necessary precautions, such as wearing a mask? Will the pianos be cleaned in between students? Good questions. Yes, there is a mandatory order to wear masks in all public places on campus, including in Slosberg music building. If you do not have them, you could contact me ahead of time at music@brandeis.edu and we'll make sure that they are provided. And pianos will need to be cleaned in between student use. In fact, there will also be a brief period of break in between student use for any rooms that are being used for private practice, and we will keep you apprised as to who is doing the cleaning. It may fall on each of you individually or it may fall to others in the department. So we will keep you apprised of that, but just be prepared that you may be asked to use provided sanitary wipes to to clean instruments, including pianos.
Here's a choral question: How competitive and collaborative is the choral environment at Brandeis? Professor Duff?"
Robert Duff replies, "It's very collaborative. It's about building community spirit and there is really a culture of non-competition, while we try to excel."
Tess Aalto adds, "Just to quickly add onto that as a member, I completely agree with everything Robert Duff has said, and it's a very warm environment. Each rehearsal, it definitely feels like we're all working together. So I don't find any competition."
Cheryl Nalbach says, "And the ensembles are wonderful. I have to say, as a singer myself, I'm envious. We have just a couple minutes remaining, so I'm sorry that we won't get to all of the questions, but we will definitely be happy to follow up with you after today. You can, again, email music@brandeis.edu. But let's get one more question in here: How can we reserve a time slot to use the pianos? That is something that we are actually currently working on as Professor Berger and Desmond mentioned earlier. It will – in large part – depend on registration and how many students are registering for lessons, particularly on piano, and we do have a lot of returning Brandeis students that we need to prioritize. So again, once we have all those numbers, we will contact each of you with a sign up system. It will be staggered so that health and safety are prioritized. Thank you for asking that. At this point, I think I'm going to hand it back to our host Karen Desmond to close out the program. We look forward to answering all of the remaining questions offline."
Karen Desmond says, "Thank you, Cheryl and thanks everyone. And again, I encourage you if you have more questions as the summer progresses to be in touch with us. We have been recording this event and will put it on our website. In addition to that, we're also building a special FAQ section of our website that will incorporate all of these questions and answers, and also answer any other questions that are coming in as you email them to us. You can also reach out to any of us individually with questions. All of our individual contact information is available on the Brandeis music department website or you can send an email directly to music@brandeis.edu. So thanks very much again everyone and we're all looking forward to seeing you again very soon. Bye!"
All of the panelists wave goodbye as the screen fades to black and the video session comes to an end.