eazander

Dec 9, 2020

Emma Nussman receives Masini scholarship for leadership in marching band and beyond

The Department of Music’s prestigious Toni Christine Masini Memorial Music Scholarship was awarded this year to Emma Nussman, a senior majoring in genetics and minoring in music performance and psychology. The Masini scholarship—the largest music scholarship offered at NC State—is awarded each year to one student who exemplifies academic and musical excellence, as well as…

Dec 4, 2020

NC artist’s unique handcrafted guitars tell a powerful story

Music and art are powerful storytelling mediums. They have long been used to give voice to our joy and our suffering. The handcrafted guitars made by Freeman Vines of Fountain, NC tell a complex story of history, ecology and spirituality, which began with a quest to capture a unique sound that Vines could not get…

Oct 27, 2020

Faculty find new ways to teach music during online semester

Heading into the fall semester, the Department of Music faculty all faced one enormous question: how do you teach music online during a pandemic?  The music department’s traditional lecture-style courses adapted smoothly to Zoom, utilizing features like the chat and breakout rooms built into the platform to enable students to ask questions and have small…

Oct 27, 2020

Brickyard Broadcast – Premiere Event Nov. 12

The Department of Music presents the NC State orchestras and choirs with the Concert Singers of Cary, performing the world premiere of a new work by composer Lisa Bielawa entirely in virtual reality on a digital Brickyard built by the NC State University Libraries. Missed the live premiere event? You can watch the panel and…

Oct 27, 2020

Music performance minor embraces unconventional recital

The culminating experience of a music performance minor’s five semesters of applied study is their final recital. After two years of private lessons and dedicated practice, they spend their last semester selecting and preparing 30 minutes of music that best represents their growth and aptitude on their instrument. But what happens to that recital when…

Oct 20, 2020

Foureman’s new album and virtual concert showcase bass and piano duo

When a musician releases an album they’ll typically go on tour to promote it, performing in venues across the country or abroad and giving interviews on local radio stations. Unfortunately, none of that is possible during a global pandemic. But applied lecturer and bassist Jason Foureman, whose album Duo with pianist Stephen Anderson was released…

Sep 11, 2020

Orchestras and choirs prepare new music for virtual Brickyard debut

The challenges musicians are facing during the coronavirus pandemic are largely rooted in the inability to gather. Performance venues are closed, traveling is discouraged, and ensembles are unable to rehearse and perform together. Virtual choirs and orchestras are producing pre-recorded performances, editing together each musician’s individual recording into a group work. Musicians are live-streaming solo…

Jun 18, 2020

Branam chosen as quarterfinalist for Grammy Music Educator Award

Award recipients often say it’s an honor just to be nominated. That was certainly the case for Department of Music lecturer and director of summer music camps Chris Branam when he found out that several of his students nominated him for the 2021 Grammy Music Educator Award. With nearly 2,000 nominees, Branam thought that filling…

Apr 29, 2020

New tools to help musicians, arts businesses prepare for and navigate crises

When stay-at-home orders began to be implemented across the United States in response to the coronavirus, Department of Music teaching professor Gary Beckman realized that arts-based businesses would face unprecedented and unique challenges. For many musicians, theater companies and arts studios, in-person events, classes or exhibits are the core of their business model. Physical distancing…

Apr 9, 2020

Finding Guam’s power sound

Meteorologist music alumni and twins Landon and Brandon Aydlett play the world’s grandest stages with the Guam Territorial Band. There’s something special about the bond between twins. For marching band alumni Landon and Brandon Aydlett, that bond includes a shared love of music, a shared career path, and a shared journey to the other side…