The College of Liberal Arts is pleased to announce four new chairs in the departments of Music, Communication and Journalism, English, and Philosophy. They are Sara Lynn Baird, Music; Margaret Fitch-Hauser, Communication and Journalism; Jim Ryan, English, and Michael Watkins, Philosophy.

Sara Lynn Baird earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Florida State University, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis on Choral Conducting from Florida State University. Her previous position was Interim Dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts at Louisiana State University. Baird also served as Associate Dean for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts from 1998-2007 and Director of Graduate Studies from 2005-2007. Baird served as President for Southern Division ACDA and on the National Board from 2005- 2007.

Margaret Fitch-Hauser earned a bachelor's degree in English and Communication and a master's degree in Communication from Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas, and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. For the past 20 years, she has taught Public Relations at Auburn University. During that time, the program has progressed from offering only two PR classes to being one of two accredited PR programs in the state of Alabama. She was chair of the Department previously from 1993-1996, and served as Acting Head of the Department from 1991 - 1993. In 2007, she received the International Listening Association Research Award, 2007 and the College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award in Communication and Social Science, 2004-2005.

Jim Ryan earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English, political science, and urban life. He later earned a doctorate in early American literature from UNC-Chapel Hill. His current teaching and research fields are in early American Literature and interdisciplinary American Studies. For his work with undergraduate and graduate students at AU, he received the College of Liberal Arts Early Career Teaching Award (2004).

Michael Watkins earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He received his doctorate degree in Philosophy from The Ohio State University and has been faculty in the Department of Philosophy at Auburn since 1994. Watkins is currently a Lanier Professor and was recently inducted to the College of Liberal Arts' Academy of Teaching and Outstanding Teachers.

The Auburn University Marching Band, which has entertained football fans for more than a century, will boast its largest membership in history this fall with 380 members, up from a record 372 in 2006.

"We had a great recruiting year," Marching Band director Corey Spurlin said. "We also have some great people returning."

Spurlin said 398 students attended the preseason camp this August. The camp, open to any student who registers, involves both a playing audition and a marching evaluation before members are selected.

The band has practiced in Goodwin Hall since 1974 and has since nearly doubled in size. Because of the band's growth, Auburn University is in the beginning stages of plans for a new Band Hall and adjoining practice field to be located off Samford Avenue on the west side of campus. A fundraising campaign is under way to fund the project, which is estimated to cost $15 million.

Spurlin said fans can expect about six different halftime shows this football season, in addition to the traditional pre-game show and spirit march. He said the band will also be playing new stand music in addition to all the classics fans have come to expect.

The band won the Sudler Intercollegiate Marching Band Trophy, the nation's highest award for college and university marching bands, in 2004.

In 2008, the band performed internationally for the first time. At the invitation of Lord Mayor of Dublin, they performed in Dublin's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. They also played at the St. Patrick's Festival Band Parade in Limerick and at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.

For more information about the Auburn University Marching Band, including its game day schedule, go to http://www.auburn.edu/auband/bands/aumb.

(Contributed by Natalie Nettles.)

The CLA Student Services Center (this includes all Advisor and Administrative offices) is moving to 321 Tichenor Hall. We hope to be open for advising in our new offices on Aug. 26. We will be closed on the afternoon of Aug. 21 and all day Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 in order to make the move. Please keep checking your email for updates--as with all moves, there may be some last minute changes to the schedule.

The Department of Communication and Journalism will also be moving back to Tichenor. Please look for more information from the Department.

Message from Dr. Rick Good, Director of Bands (pictured above with his daughter oboist Sarah Good, center, and his wife, Dr. Jenny Good.)

We have had the opportunity to share with you several exciting developments in our program over the last few years. The Auburn University Band won the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 2004, we outfitted our members with new uniforms in 2007, and the Marching Band was invited to perform at multiple St. Patrick's Day celebration events in Ireland in March 2008. Last summer, Auburn's Band was one of only a few selected in the country to vie for recognition by Paramount Pictures in their competition for theme music for an upcoming movie. The support of Band friends and alumni makes these and other accolades and honors possible. But I think that this year's news is some of the most exciting yet!

Auburn University is in the beginning stages of plans for a new Band Hall and adjoining practice field to be located off Samford Avenue on the west side of campus. Our current facility in Goodwin Hall served us well for a number of years. However, when it opened in 1974, the estimated number of band members was 200. Now, 35 years later, we have close to 400 students dedicating long hours of their time to make your Auburn game day experience outstanding. With twice as many uniforms to store and double the instruments to house, we need a much larger and updated rehearsal area.

Once complete, this newly launched project will provide a practice field located right next to a new Band Hall with a recital hall for concerts and other events. Additionally, the new Band Hall will have an indoor practice area with modern acoustics to maximize our ability to train and educate our talented students. This will be a better storage solution for valuable instruments, equipment and props - some of which we have to leave in trailers next to the current practice field. More importantly, it will be a much safer environment for our students as they practice, rain or shine, throughout the year.

A few years ago, we asked you to help us purchase new uniforms and last year you helped us travel to represent Auburn University in Ireland. Your gifts have always played a big role in our ability to have an adequate number of matching instruments for our members and helped with the basics we need to run our day-to-day practices, recruiting efforts and more. We need your continued involvement more than ever as we launch this project!

Please visit this link and select Auburn Bands to make a gift today. We pledge to continue our legacy of outstanding performances for your enjoyment!

WAR EAGLE!

Rick Good
Director of Bands

The Department of Music at Auburn University is pleased to announce three admission and scholarship audition dates for the 2010-2011 academic year. Auditions for all performance areas will be held on February 6, February 11 and March 6, 2010 in the Goodwin Music Building on the campus of Auburn University.  An invitation is extended to all prospective students and their families.

Students who are required to audition, as well as those not required to audition but are seeking eligibility for scholarship consideration, should plan to attend one of the audition dates. Audition requests must be completed online by the published deadlines. Detailed information on the various degree programs, deadlines, application procedures and other requirements can be found on our website. For more information and to schedule an audition, please visit: auburn.edu/music

The Department of Music at Auburn University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. Degree programs are offered in performance and music education at the undergraduate level and music education and graduate level.

Contact Information:

Department of Music
Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334.844.4165
music@auburn.edu
www.auburn.edu/music

By Morgan Stashick

One of the South's finest choral directors and music educators has made her way to Auburn. This month, Sara Lynn Baird begins her Auburn career as the new Chair of the Music Department.

Baird earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Florida State University, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education with an emphasis on Choral Conducting from Florida State University.

Her previous position was Interim Dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts at Louisiana State University. Baird also served as Associate Dean for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts from 1998-2007 and Director of Graduate Studies from 2005-2007. 

"This is my first employment with Auburn and I am coming here from LSU, so I will be changing my tiger stripes to blue and orange!" Baird said.

Baird has been choral and music director for several schools and churches across the southeast. She has published and contributed numerous choral reviews to the Choral Journal, has coauthored an article published in the Southeastern Journal of Music Education, and has served as president for the southern division of the American Choral Directors Association from 2005-2007.

A group of Auburn choir students has joined the likes of George Gerswhin, Judy Garland, Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Beatles by performing at Carnegie Hall in New York.

The group of 28 Auburn students participated in a June 14 performance at the famed concert venue. The students represented each of Auburn's six choir ensembles: Chamber Choir, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, Gospel Choir, Vocal Chamber Ensemble and the AU Singers. William Powell, director of the choral activities at Auburn, directed them for part of the performance.

"The music, which was in Latin, intially was challenging, but with Dr. Powell's encouragement and help we performed beautifully in the most amazing concert hall I have ever been in," said Lola Obebe, a junior who has been a member of the University Choirs for two years. "Plus, I made new friends and got to explore New York City for the first time."

The students were invited last summer to be part of the 2008 Carnegie Hall Concert Series by MidAmerica Productions, which sponsors more guest concers in Carnegie Hall than any other company.

"The significance of this invitation speaks very highly of the Auburn University music department," Powell said. "Since we currently do not have a perforning arts facility on our campus, it was especially rewarding for the students to have the opportunity to perform not only with other fine musicians from around the country, but also in one of our country's greatest musical landmarks."

The students collaborated with several other college, high school, community and church choirs from around the country. They also were accompanied by a resident orchestra, the New England Symphonic Ensemble, for the 40-minute concert which included two works by Franz J. Haydn, "Te Deum" and "Missa Brevis St. Joannis de Deo," also referred to as "Litttle Organ Mass."

University President Jay Gogue and his wife joined former Vice President of Development Bob McGinnis and his wife in the audience.

Leading up to the concert, the Auburn group volunteered to perform at two City of Auburn events, the Veteran's Day ceremony and the Mayor's Memorial Day breakfast, for which the mayor's office made a contribution to the group's travel fund. In addition, each student raised $1600 to travel to New York.

After more than 15 years of researching African-American spirituals, Auburn University music professor and professional singer Rosephanye Powell has released a CD titled "Motherless Child."

Powell, a professor in Auburn's College of Liberal Arts, said African-American spirituals, songs that enabled slaves to develop a sense of community, are considered by many anthropologists to be the first true American folksong. However, Powell's collection has been updated with a more contemporary sound. She has taken traditional spirituals and given them a mix of R&B, urban, gospel and jazz feel.

The project grew out of her concern that, because of its association with slavery, many African-Americans "do not embrace the spiritual or do not consider it relevant to the times in which they live; others are ashamed of it; and still others just see it as 'old music.'"

By updating the sound, Powell says she hopes to spark a renewed interest in the African-American spiritual in mainstream America so that this part of black history is not lost. She notes the success of Wynton Marsalis in reviving jazz music as part of her inspiration.

Powell says she hopes to reach out to young people, especially young African-Americans, with the contemporary sound of her spirituals.

"While they're enjoying the musical flavors, I want to be speaking to their minds," she said. "I want to encourage young people to look back to history for the strength to succeed and achieve in today's society. I believe that the African-American community can move forward as we appreciate our heritage and pass on to our children all of the wonderful accomplishments of our forefathers - including the strength and courage to overcome slavery."

"Motherless Child" takes the listener on a musical journey into American slavery - from Africa to America. The 10 tracks are a tapestry of music, narratives and drama that provide insight into the heartaches, pains, joys and hopes of the slave community. The title track, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child," depicts the feelings slaves had when their loved ones were sold away, something to which every slave could relate.

"This song was a shared expression of heartache that provided a sense of community for slaves," she said. "So, I felt that it was the perfect theme for the project."

Other well-known spirituals that Powell has transformed on her CD include "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," "Balm in Gilead," "Deep River" and "Soon-a-Will Be Done," among others.

The songs, which feature Powell's classically trained, yet soulful, soprano voice combined with passionate narratives and engaging harmonies, are meant to provide both entertainment and enlightenment.

"My goal was to produce a multi-faceted project that would serve as a tool for music educators, a means for outreach to diverse cultures, and, of course, artistic entertainment," she said.

"Motherless Child" CDs and mp3 downloads are available online at cdbaby.com, iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon.com. For more information or to view music videos, visit www.inkhornmusic.com or www.rosephanyepowell.com.

Powell is an internationally acclaimed composer and arranger of choral music. She has over 100 published works, including some for the Hal Leonard Corporation, the nation's leading music publisher. As one of the country's premier women composers of choral music, her works are in great demand at schools, churches and choral festivals around the world.

(Contributed by Lisa Marshall.)

Contact: Rosephanye Powell, (334) 844-3163 (dunnprt@auburn.edu), or
Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu)

 Dr. Rosephanye Dunn Powell, Professor of Voice at the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, was recently honored as a recipient of the "Living Legend Award" during the 2009 African Diaspora Sacred Music Living Legends Festival held in Los Angeles, California. The festival, presented by the African Diaspora Sacred Music Program of California State University Dominguez Hills and the Music Department of El Camino College, honors the music of composers and performers who have made important contributions to the development and preservation of African-American sacred in the United States.

Dr. Powell was recognized, in part, because of her contributions as the nation's most-recognized African-American woman composer of published, sacred choral music. She has received international acclaim for many of her choral works which are published by the Hal Leonard Corporation, the nation's leading music publisher, and are performed by many of the country's premier conductors in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia. Additionally, Dr. Powell, a published author in major journals, has garnered national attention as an authority on the African-American spiritual, having performed as a concert artist and lectured yearly at major universities and churches around the country. This spring, Dr. Powell was invited by the Tuskegee University to serve as its guest lecturer for the 2009 Dawson Institute which is committed to the preservation of the African-American spiritual. Each year, this lecture series invites nationally-recognized African-American composers and researchers to serve as lecturers on the subject. As well, Dr. Powell has been contracted by the Oxford University Press (New York) to serve as the editor for its collection Oxford University Press Spirituals for Upper Voices to be released in 2010. And, most recently, Dr. Powell released her ground-breaking CD entitled Motherless Child which is dedicated to sparking renewed interest in the African-American spiritual in mainstream America.

When asked why she embarked upon this historic project, Dr. Powell replied "to make sure that present and future generations, especially African-Americans, do not allow this important music to be forgotten. The African-American spiritual is considered by many anthropologists as the first 'true' American folk song. Thus, it is a root of all American music." Dr. Powell and other scholars are concerned that, because of its association with a difficult time in American history, many African Americans do not embrace the spiritual or consider it relevant to the times in which they live; others are ashamed of it; and still others just see it as "old music". Having worked with young singers, as well as high school and college/university choirs all of her adult life, Dr. Powell understands the need to make spirituals appealing to young people and those outside of academia if this music is to be preserved for future generations. "People in Europe, Asia, and Africa are intrigued and fascinated by this music while Americans tend to neglect it. I would like to see this change."

When asked why she entitled the project Motherless Child, Dr. Powell passionately explains that the centerpiece of the project is the spiritual Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child. This song was one of the most well-known songs of the slave community because "every slave could relate to it, since each had either been sold away from loved ones or had experienced their loved ones being sold away. Thus, the unimaginable heartache experienced in the 'selling away' was a feeling to which every slave could relate. So, I felt that it was the perfect theme for the project." Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child was a shared expression of heartache that provided a sense of community for slaves."

Dr. Powell's compelling CD seeks to take the listener on a musical journey into American slavery-from Africa to America. Her distinctive vocal style demonstrates a wide-range of musical influences, including gospel, jazz, R&B and classical music. The ten tracks are a tapestry of music, narratives and drama that provide insights into the heartaches, pains, joys, and hopes of the slave community. Spirituals include Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, Balm in Gilead, Deep River, Soon-a Will Be Done, and Ain-a Dat Good News. But they don't sound like what one usually expects to hear in a spiritual. From the first track the listener will be struck by the awareness that this is no ordinary musical rendering, but a true artistic masterpiece. Its passionate message is sure to speak to the hearts of music lovers of all ages!

What are her far-reaching goals? "I want to encourage young people to look back to history for the strength to succeed and achieve in today's society. I believe that the African-American community can only move forward as we appreciate our heritage and, through oral tradition, pass on to our children all of the wonderful accomplishments of our forefathers. These include character traits such as strength, perseverance, a determination to learn, and a commitment to hard work and achievement."

CD's and mp3 downloads are available nationally on-line at CDBABY.COM, ITUNES.COM, NAPSTER.COM and AMAZON.COM. They are available in Auburn at Hastings (Glenndean Shopping Center) and Lifeway Christian Bookstore (Opelika Road).

For more information or to view music videos, visit www.inkhornmusic.com or rosephanyepowell.com .

Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at Auburn University is eligible to submit a video. Only one video may be entered per person or group.

$500 will be awarded to the creator(s) of the video selected as the first place winner. The creator(s) of the second and third place videos will receive $250 and $150, respectively. Prize money is sponsored by Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts.
The three winning videos will also be showcased on the CLA website.

To submit a video, upload your video on YouTube and then email its url to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "CLA YouTube Contest" in the subject line of your email, and include in the body of the email the names of the person, persons, or group submitting the video. The College of Liberal Arts will make your video available for viewing on the contest website. You will receive confirmation email from the College of Liberal Arts indicating that your video entry has been received.

In the event that you are unfamiliar with how to upload a video to YouTube, directions are available at http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57931.

Videos need to be between one and five minutes in length.

The deadline for submitting videos is March 27, 2009. Videos received after the deadline cannot be considered.

Between April 1 and April 5, students are invited to vote for their favorite contest video by sending an email to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "Vote CLA YouTube" in the subject line of your email and indicate the title of the favorite video in the email's body. Only one vote per person will be tallied.

Videos will be judged by members of the College of Liberal Art's Civic Engagement Planning Committee. Videos will be judged based on the five criteria outlined below:

• Relevance to the contest theme
• Extent to which the video provokes productive reflection, discussion, debate, and/or critique regarding civic responsibility as a feature of learning and living at Auburn University
• Creativity
• Originality
• Number of student votes

Contest winners will be notified via email on April 10, 2009.

View the Video Entries

• Submitted by Amanda Morris
• Submitted by Ashley Nunn
• Submitted by John Anderson
• Submitted by Griffin Limerick and John Collins
• Submitted by Jillian Clair
• Submitted by Mallory Rice

Beginning February 15, the Auburn University College of Liberal Art's Department of Music will host the Tasman String Quartet in a month-long residency. The group will serve as guest faculty at Auburn, perform in concert and travel the state giving lessons and workshops.

Founded in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2006, the Tasman String Quartet includes violinists Anna van der Zee and Jennifer Banks, violist Christiaan van der Zee and cellist Miranda Wilson. The Quartet was mentored by the New Zealand String Quartet and quickly gained acclaim and was invited to perform in many cities. They were also invited to perform for Chamber Music New Zealand and Radio New Zealand.

Since 2007, the group has been at the University of Colorado in Boulder completing a residency under the guidance of the Takàcs Quartet. Their recent achievements include a fellowship to the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, an invitation to perform at the Julliard String Quartet Seminar in New York, the Honorable Mention in the finals of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition in Missouri and the Jeremy Rutenberg Chamber Music Competition in Florida.

While in residence at Auburn, the Tasman Quartet will be involved in several special events. A concert on Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Department's Goodwin Hall will kick off the residency. The concert is free and open to everyone; a reception follows the show.

As part of its residency, the group will travel the state conducting workshops at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and at schools in Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuskegee, Opelika and Mobile. The group will also be involved in several events on campus. Besides instructing classes in the Music Department, the group will visit a graduate poetry writing class in the English Department and collaborate with the Music Department in several concerts.

Brought to Auburn under the auspices of the Breeden Eminent Scholar Chair, held by Dr. Howard Goldstein of CLA's Music Department, the group will offer unique opportunities in string education and performance for students and faculty as well as the general public. The residency is coordinated by Goldstein, the AU Music Department and the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities.

For more information about the Tasman String Quartet and its residency, visit www.auburn.edu/cah or call 334-844-4946.

Goldstein, a professor in the College of Liberal Arts Music Department, will hold the Breeden Chair during spring semester 2009. As part of his appointment, he will coordinate a wide variety of performances, classroom instruction and outreach activities for the Tasman String Quartet, which will be in residence at Auburn University from February 15 through March 15, 2009.

The Daniel F. Breeden Eminent Scholar Chair was established in 1989 to provide support for both the academic and the outreach missions of the College of Liberal Arts. The chair is supported by an endowment from Dr. Daniel F. Breeden; the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities facilitates its selection and activities.

Persons named to the Breeden Eminent Chair must be nationally recognized in their field with outstanding credentials in arts or humanities. They must also demonstrate potential and willingness to engage in outreach activities in the community. The Breeden Chair must also contribute a unique quality, characteristic or function to the teaching and learning objectives of the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Goldstein fulfills these criteria in an exemplary way. 

Trained at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Dr. Goldstein has 35 years' experience playing in and conducting orchestras, both internationally and here in our community.  His belief in the importance of orchestral music to the cultural life of a community led him to seek teaching and outreach possibilities for fellow musicians that would enrich both the university and the community. Dr. Goldstein is especially interested in rekindling an enthusiasm for string instruction and hopes that the Tasman Quartet's month-long residency "will inspire a redoubled effort to retain string players on a permanent basis, so that we will be able to offer this essential component of music education and performance to our students as well as the state."

The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities is the dedicated outreach office for the AU College of Liberal Arts.  Founded in 1985, its mission is to strengthen the bonds between the academic community and the general public through arts and humanities initiatives in schools, towns, and communities around the state.  For more information about the Center and Dr. Howard Goldstein's appointment to the Breeden Eminent Scholar Chair, go to www.auburn.edu/cah or call 334-844-4946.