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| AQ Difference |
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| Outstanding Senior Awards 2009 |
| Graduating senior Catlin Brooks was honored as the Music Department's Outstanding Senior for the 2008-2009 academic year. |
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| AQ Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Scores Top Honor Nationally |
| Grand Rapids composer and Aquinas College Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, Roger MacNaughton, has been awarded first place in the United States for his composition “Charlevoix Keepsake” by the International Music Aid Awards. Performed by MacNaughton on piano and Steve VanRavenswaay on cello, the winning composition is one of six original instrumental tunes written by MacNaugthon and recorded on the 2006 Acoustic Arts CD release Winter Canvas. >>More |
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| This year in the Music Department... |
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| Doc Brewer (a.k.a. Associate Professor
Paul S. Brewer, Ph.D.) has an incredible group of young musicians
in the Aquinas College Jazz Band this Fall! Again, he has been
creating some great new tunes for the band, with some composition
competition coming from student band members, Dave Doppel -
guitar, and Tim Wawrzynczak - trombone. Look for upcoming performances
on the Music Events
page. |
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| The New Dimensions ensemble takes flight
this year under the leadership of Mr. Steve Talaga, Adjunct
Assistant Professor of Music. Vocalists, Violinists and more
are joining forces to experiment with rhythm and improvisation
techniques within styles that range from Minimalism to Rap.
With the foundation for this music coming from the Percussion
family, the students are crossing boundaries and unleashing
talents that they didn't know they were capable of back in August. |
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| Sr. Catherine Williams, Associate Professor
of Music, who is an adviser to Choral Music Education and Liturgical
Music students, has teamed up with local expert in Elementary
Music Education, Sue Kaiser from the Forest Hills Public Schools
system, to teach K-6 Elementary Vocal Methods and Materials.
Traveling from the AQ Music Department classroom to Sue's music
room at Collins Elementary School, our students enter the professional
world where they are able to experience their 'lab' in the same
setting where children daily sing and count and play and learn. |
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| This year, Barbara Witham McCargar, Department
Chair and Associate Professor of Music, is integrating the highly
acclaimed area of study, "What Every Musician Needs to
Know About the Body" from Andover Educators, into the core
of the Vocal Music Program. "Each day I see a student discover
some new ease and freedom in their breathing and singing ability,"
she states. "It is phenomenal to me how simple ideas, thought
through with clarity, can make such an astounding difference
in a person's experience and performance." |
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| 2005 AQ graduate, Tricia Berger, BMEd
in Instrumental Supervision, recently told her beloved piano
instructor, Mary Hurd, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music,
that scholarship dollars from Aquinas College, including the
Music Department Endowed Scholarships, made the difference between
her attending a state college and attending AQ! Find out more
about our scholarship process on the Music
Scholarships page. |
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| Where are they now? Find out what
AQ music grads are up to! |
| December 2005 AQ grad: Peggy (Margaret) Bynoe, BMEd Choral Supervision |
| August 30, 2006: "I ended up getting called for an interview last Tuesday from the Forest Hills District.
They were looking for some part time music teachers. The interview went really well and before I left on Wednesday to return to the (Mackinac) Island I had signed a contract and was hired! I will be part time at Central Woodlands 5/6 building teaching 5th grade music. I'm very excited, but it has happened all so fast. I'm thankful for the people I know in the district that helped me and made me aware of this position. At least I have my foot in the door and hopefully it might lead into something more stable as the year goes on. I'm eager to get started and help out as much as I can. I've met the staff and the other music teacher
I will be sharing the time with. Everyone is extremely friendly and have made me feel welcome!" |
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| 2005 AQ grad: Jeff Kamaloski, BS
in Computer Science; Music minor |
| Has been hired as the Director of Music
at St. Mary of Mount Carmel Shrine in Manistee. The position
involves playing the organ for the 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.
Sunday masses. Jeff is also in charge of the adult and children's
choirs and is very excited about this new adventure. |
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| 2005 AQ grad: Matthew Stansfield, BA in Music: Applied Voice |
| In fall 2006, Matt began a masters degree program in the Opera Department at Boston Conservatory. Congratulations, Matt! |
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| December 2002 AQ grad: Thomas Koron, BA in Music |
| Congratulations to Thom who has recently finished his Masters degree in Composition from Western Michigan University! |
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| 2002 AQ grad: Sara Jakubiak, BA
in Music: Applied Voice |
| April 28, 2006: "I just returned from Warsaw (Poland). I performed with the Orchestra of Madrid/Maestro Jesus
Lopez-Cobos as a soloist in Beethoven's Mass in C for the 10th annual Beethoven Festival. Now I'm here (Yale University) finishing my last few weeks of my masters. (I have a) recital on Sunday and then I have a recording project to finish next week. The hectic schedule never stops! This summer I will be doing Giorgetta in Il Tabarro in Milan; my program at Yale is actually performing nine one-act operas in June and July in Milano. I'm planning to stay one more year at Yale for an artist diploma. It's a young artist program and the contacts with agents are going well and I think I need to stay one more year, but most importantly, my voice needs one more year. It has changed quite a bit since (Aquinas) and I'm finding the larger Mozart roles, early lyric Verdi and (Richard) Strauss are working best for me." |
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| 2002 AQ grad: Laura Rzeszut, BA in Music: Applied Piano |
| After leaving Aquinas, Laura attended and graduated from the instrument repair program
in Red Wing, Minn., and went on to hold a repair position in the Bay City area. "Some of you know that I accepted the band instrument repair job in Greenville, Mich. on May 26, (2006) and that I start later this month, so I'll be close to Grand Rapids again." She is engaged to her beau, Russell, who has also moved to the Grand Rapids area. |
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| 2001 AQ grad: Barbara (Cook ) Gaines,
BMEd Choral Supervision |
| Barbara is working at National Heritage
Academies: Knapp Charter Academy, here in Michigan . This is
her third year teaching music at Knapp. She's teaching Kindergarten
and First Grade General Music and 6-8th Grade Choir. She tells
us that she enjoys her job and that it has been a wonderful
growing opportunity as well as a good school to work for, where
they (the teachers) really love the students and their profession.
Barbara has also started her 18 credits towards permanent certification
at Western Michigan University in their summer program. She
did a research paper this summer on the National Standards in
Music Education concerning K-12 students composing music in
the classroom. One more note of good news, though not professional,
Barbara and her husband are expecting their first born at the
end of February, 2006! They are very excited that God is allowing
them to start a family. |
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| 2000 AQ grad: Andy Fleser, BM
in Piano Performance |
| "I'm currently living in Minneapolis pursuing my Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of Minnesota, where I study with Dr. Timothy Lovelace. My assistantship entails all kinds of responsibilities, including vocal coaching and chamber music, but is primarily in the field of opera, where I am a coach, rehearsal pianist, and continuo player for next month's University production of 'Le Nozze di Figaro.'" Congratulations to Andy who received the Master of Music in Piano Accompanying and Coaching on May 12, 2006 from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J.! |
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| 2000 AQ grad: Miriam Lynch, BMEd Choral Supervision |
| This fall she was very excited to be returning to music education, starting a new job at St. Mary's in Mount Clemens. Previously, Miriam was in Youth Ministry, living in Flushing, Mich. "I am teaching over 600 students and that keeps me busy. I have grades preschool - 8th and that can be a challenge. I do love it though." |
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| 1999 AQ grad: Erin (Flynn) Evans,
BS: Psychology and BA: Music - Applied Percussion, and 1997
AQ grad: V. Todd Evans, BM: Piano Performance |
| Are currently living in Boston. Todd is
working at St. Patrick's Parish in Stoneham as a pianist for
mass and is teaching elementary and middle school music at the
school. He has about 60 private piano students and is taking
lessons himself from Doug Buoys at the New England Conservatory.
Todd is an active performer, playing piano with various people
as the opportunities arise. Erin is at the University of Surrey
(UK) working on a collaborative Ph.D. in Circadian Biology with
Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston. She is also working
on a master's in Biology at the Harvard Extension School. Erin
expects to finish her master's by the end of 2006 and her Ph.D.
should be finished in 2007. Erin is working on figuring out
if melatonin provides protection against breast cancer in blind
women. Erin volunteers at Frog Peak music publishers - the late
Rupert Kettle's suggestion. |
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| 1999 AQ grad: Diana Peffer Johnson, BMEd Choral Supervision |
| "I teach 4 Choirs, 2 General Music classes, Drama Club and Guitar Club at K.D. Waldo Middle School in Aurora, Ill. Waldo usually has a student clientele of approximately 900 students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. I am also a new teacher mentor and have served on Turning Points Reform Model Council, Positive Behavior Intervention in Schools (PBIS), Fine Arts Festival Planning Committee, Curriculum Council for the Fine Arts and developed a new Humanities class with three other teachers. I have been teaching at
this school since 2000." |
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| 1997 AQ grad: MaryAlice (Clor)
Miller, BMEd Choral and Instrumental Supervision |
| As far as what is going on in her life:
son, Abraham, is 2 1/2 years old and the love of her life along
with Jason, her husband, who is entering his 3rd year of remission.
They still live on Hall Street in an old two story house that
has constant issues. MaryAlice is working for Wyoming Public
Schools K-5 music in three Elementary buildings: West, Huntington
Woods and Parkview. Currently, she also directs the Choristers
Children's Choir at St. Jude Catholic Church and is filling
in for the time being as their Music Director until someone
is hired. Life keeps her busy and she is enjoying every minute
of it. MaryAlice has also started work on a masters degree in
teaching. |
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| December 1995 AQ grad: Louis Sinigos,
BM: Voice; Music Education Endorsement in May 2000 |
| Lou is teaching K-4 Music at East Oakview
Elementary and 5th & 6th Grade Band at Highlands Middle
School in the Northview Public Schools system. His fourth grade
Honors Choir won first place in their division and the Overall
Award at Music in the Parks at Great America (Illinois) in May
2005. Lou brags that they out-scored all of the other choirs
including middle school and high school choirs from four states!
He earned the M.M.Ed. from WMU with his graduation thesis on:
the use of hand chimes to improve music reading. Lou and two
of his children were very involved with the percussion world
of Rupert Kettle and were on campus last May for the memorial
service to honor Rupert. Son, Spiro, is a Jazz Studies Major
(performance - Drumset) at WMU. He is in the Jazz Orchestra
and Jazz Octet. This spring he will be playing with three-time
Grammy Nominated Jazz Artist Stefon Harris. Daughter, Melina,
is the section leader of Northview High School 's Drumline and
Wind Ensemble. She is also the drummer in the NV jazz band.
And young Eleni is the leader of the percussion section at
Crossroads Middle School. She enjoys going to all of her brother's
concerts and her sister's MCBA marching band competitions. A
great family tradition is going strong in the Sinigos house,
with wife and mother, Cheryl, keeping all on time! |
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| 1974 AQ grad: Greg Knowles, BMEd Instrumental Supervision |
| October 17, 2006: "After graduating from AQ I moved to Los Angeles and worked
there as a record producer for over 20 years. Included in that were several very successful
pop, R&B and country albums, audio books, children's albums, etc. I also served 8 years
on the Board of Governors, 6 years on the Board of Trustees, and 3 terms as President
of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy Awards). I am currently
living in New York, where I continue to produce albums mostly in classical and jazz. I am
also on the Music Faculty of the Juilliard School - teaching music business
classes, music theory & harmony, and music history - for the past 7 years.
I continued my education, did my bachelor in music education, masters in
percussion performance, and my doctorate in conducting. I also do seminars for various
college music departments on music publishing, the record business, and preparing
your demo and selling yourself." |
