ATTENTION MUSICIANS!

Summer 2008

Dear Wagner College Student,

Congratulations on your admission to Wagner College! I write to all music enthusiasts to make you aware of some of the exciting opportunities we offer in the Music Department and to invite you to get involved in our activities and courses. Although Wagner is a small college, there is a lot going on musically.

Wagner College is known for its excellence in the arts, and Music is one of its strong suits. Singing in a choir or playing in a band is one of the most meaningful and enjoyable activities available to college students. Our community of musicians and singers is close and supportive; strong and enduring friendships are made in Choir, at Band practice, and during Guitar Ensemble rehearsals. We also offer a full range of courses in music theory and history, from medieval music to Bach, Beethoven, jazz, and world music. The secret is to get involved early in your college career.

We will hold a Music Information Meeting on Friday, August 22 at 6:00 PM in the Wagner Union during Orientation Weekend. Also, please feel free to call me with any questions you have, or to email us. It would be helpful to know of your interest before you select your courses, in order to avoid schedule conflicts.

I would love to help you find the ensemble or course that is right for you. I have included information about our musical groups and courses to pique your interest. Additional information is available on our website. I will be happy to supply you with more information and to put you in touch with the director of any group that sparks your curiosity.

I look forward to welcoming you on August 22 and to an exciting fall semester. Welcome to Wagner!

Dr. Roger H. Wesby, Director of Choral Activities, 718 / 390-3205, rwesby@wagner.edu

A note to any student who may want study Music Theory:

The Music Department has a short quiz to test your knowledge of Music Theory that will help us place you in a class of the right level.  If you think you might take Music Theory at Wagner, even if not in your first semester, please take the time (10-15 minutes) to complete the test, and mail it back to:

Mrs. Shirley Bock, Music Department, Wagner College, 1 Campus Road, Staten Island, NY 10301

You're on the honor code, so please don't look up any answers in a book, or ask a professional musician for help. By completing the test as best you can you will help us put you in the right class.   Here’s the link (below) to download the test. Have a great summer!

http://www.wagner.edu/departments/music/theory_placement.pdf

Dr. Robert Delfausse, Music Theory, Director of Bands; 718 / 390-3135, rdelfaus@wagner.edu

Also, please check out our web site:

http://www.wagner.edu/departments/music/

CHORAL / VOCAL OPPORTUNITIES

Wagner’s choirs are well known up and down the East Coast and perform in a wide variety of musical styles, from masterworks of sacred and classical music to jazz, world music and show tunes. The Wagner College Choir is our mixed touring choir. We sing in many exciting venues, like Carnegie Hall, perform concerts with local symphony orchestras, and tour annually. The Chamber Singers, a select group drawn from the College Choir, will continue to explore the great a cappella literature, whether Palestrina or PDQ Bach, and will be prominently featured in several concerts during the year. Our Treble Concert Choir performs everything from early music and traditional American music to the latest works for treble voices. Our vocal jazz ensemble, Stretto, was featured on the Wall-to-Wall Joni Mitchell Tribute at Manhattan’s Symphony Space, broadcast on WFUV-FM, and performs close harmony jazz, doo wop, gospel, folk music, and standards. Our Jazz Lab focuses on vocal jazz style and solo singing. We also have an Opera Workshop, which brings together many of our finest singers to present opera scenes and performances of complete operas.

INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS

We have a very fine Concert Band conducted by Dr. Robert Delfausse, which performs several well-attended concerts a year on our campus. The Band plays everything from Sousa marches to symphonies and show tunes, and often plays jazz standards with a vocalist. Our Jazz Ensemble is a full big band and plays on and off campus, at festivals and in clubs, offering a mix of straight-ahead jazz, rock, fusion, Latin and standards, often with vocalists. We also have a Jazz Improv, a small group that serves as a lab for improvisers. The Richmond County Community Orchestra, conducted by a Wagner faculty member, rehearses on our campus and is always looking for good players.

In addition, we have a Guitar Ensemble, which plays everything from Renaissance music to jazz, rock, and even hillbilly, often joined by singers, flautists, cellists and percussionists. Many of our singer-songwriters are in this group and are featured in its performances. Our Percussion Ensemble and Chamber Music groups also explore a wide range of repertoire with expert faculty coaching.

MUSIC COURSES

This fall we are offering the following courses of special interest to music enthusiasts.

MU 20                         Performance Hour

MU 101           Music Fundamentals

MU 111           Music Theory I

MU 112           Music Theory II

MU 215           Musicianship II

MU 213           Keyboard Lab

MU205                        World Music

MU207                        Medieval & Renaissance Music

MU237                        Diction for Singers

Learning Community

MU 102           Introduction to Music Lit. &

IT 107             Italian