The
halls are alive with the sounds of music…and more music…thanks
to the vision of the faculty of the Music
Department, led by David
Henderson. The
faculty have re-structured the courses, “making our curriculum
suit who we are now,” he says. “We’ve added courses
in music technology, ethnomusicology, historical musicology, and
performance, and we are redefining the requirements for the major
and minor.”
A new Center
for Arts Technology, in final planning
stages and ready for construction thanks to recent renovations to
the Noble
Center (doubling space for the arts) will be a center for
creativity, enhancing the growing interest in collaborative arts
technology. The
department also has instrumental ensembles energizing the cherished
vocal ensembles, the Laurentian
Singers and the University
Chorus.
The
changes affect more than just the students. “I developed
as a musician, especially by directing the Special Productions Ensemble,
a course that focused on, and performs, a different style of music,
from Baroque to Latin, each semester,” he explains. The course
has evolved into a Rhythm
and Roots Ensemble and a Wind
Ensemble.
Simultaneously, Henderson works with the Asian studies and film studies
programs, helping to bring Asian music to campus and offering two
specialty film courses, World Cinema and Music Video.
Indicating his belief that music should be enjoyable as well as educational,
he recalls one of his most memorable experiences at St. Lawrence: “Finding
enough people to start a Nepali drumming ensemble, and finding enough
Nepali students to be amused by our efforts.”
(adapted
from a profile written by Chinasa Izeogu ’05)
