ANNUAL DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM REPORT
Department/Program:
Music
Submit to Dean by February 15
I.
Department/Program Vision, Mission, Philosophy and Description
A. Vision Statement
B. Mission Statement
The Music Department shall prepare students with a foundation for a career in
music, while providing educational enrichment and cultural opportunities for the
college and the greater community
C. Philosophy
1. Teaching Philosophy & Pedagogy
The music department has embraced a traditional philosophical approach to
designing music curricula that meets its mission, goals and objectives within the
size and scope of the music unit. This approach serves students seeking careers in
performance or music education, while understanding the important mission of
serving the members of the community as well. The department balances these by
offering a traditional curriculum of studio lessons, performing ensembles, lecture
music classes, and supporting laboratory classes. One-on-one teaching is the
accepted, pedagogical method of teaching the student’s principal instrument.
Performance classes are offered for each various musical instruments and
disciplines. Ensemble experiences are deemed appropriate to cultivate teamwork
and expose the student to a broad spectrum of music literature. Lecture and lab
classes assist the student in understanding music in a fundamental and historical
context. These experiences lead the student to a comprehensive musical
experience, and prepare him/her for self-expression, creative work, and to become
a valuable member of his community.
2. Digital Learning Philosophy
The Music Department joins Casper College’s effort to broaden the public’s
access to its offerings through distance education. At this writing, four courses are
offered by distance education. Additionally, courses are being offered in the
summer
3. Dual Enrollment Philosophy
The music department embraces the philosophy of dual enrollment, and considers
it essential to the success of well-prepared music majors. BOCES enrollment in
studio lessons appears robust, and equips the student with fundamental technical
and musical skills. In addition, the department offers three courses suitable for
General Education requirements for non-music majors. MUSC 1000 (offered in
the traditional setting as well as a telecourse) is designed to fulfill 3 general
education credits in Fine Arts. Music Fundamentals [MUSC 1010] may be less
successful as a viable general education course because it is one credit short of the
three-credit Fine Arts requirement, but it is also intended for remedial training of
potential music majors and has been showing success as such. As a distance
education course, MUSC 1030 offers further opportunities for high school seniors
across the state that intend to major in music.
D. Articulation Agreements (if applicable)
The music department enjoys articulation agreements with a number of institutions in
the region:
Black Hills State College
Chadron State College Hastings College
Montana State University System
North Dakota State University
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
University of Wyoming
The music department will work to renew agreements that have expired with several
universities.
E. Advisory Committee – Membership and Function (if applicable)
NA
F. Special Events or Activities
G. Personnel
1. Full-Time Faculty (include degrees & qualifications)
Douglas Bull, brass, wind ensembles
Jennifer Cowell, strings, orchestra
Rinald Coulter , percussion
Zach Vreeman, D.M.A., choral
Joshua Mietz, D.M.A., woodwinds, musicology, jazz ensembles
Kristen Lenth, voice, opera
Nathan Baker, Theory, Music Technology
Larry Burger: 1⁄4 sound reinforcement in music, 1⁄4 audio technician in theatre
James Olm: 1⁄2 music, 1⁄2 theatre
2. Part-Time Faculty (include degrees & qualifications)
Todd Scott D.M.A., guitar
Gary DePaolo, viola
Christine Dunbar, ‘cello
Donna McIntire, organ and piano
Veronica Maitz, D.M.A., voice
Richard Turner, bassoon, recorders, and online music appreciation
Jane Hamman, harp
Peter Ryan, piano
Janice Moffatt, oboe
Delores Thornton - Flute
3. Other Personnel - NA
H. Enrollment Trends Data (Past 5 years)
The department saw a slight decrease in music majors enrolled for the Fall Semester
2014. A number of students that previously declared to be music majors have changed
to other majors or have become to General Studies students. The unit considers it part
of its mission to help students to discover his or her passion and that may not be a
career in music but instead the student may wish to participate in music as lifetime
enrichment or as an avocation. Some or these students have discovered they do not
have talent, drive, musical aptitude, or ambition to make a career in music.
The natural talent and musicality component is vital to success in the field of
professional music. Enrollment in the major ensembles has increased (see below). It is
possible the current financial downturn has caused students to pursue careers in more
technical fields rather than in the arts. Yet our enrollment remains solid.
II.
Program Strategic Planning Report Summary
A. Department Goals for 2015-16
GOAL I. Address the needs of the students seeking careers in music.
OBJECTIVES: Offer the Associate of Arts, Associate of Fine Arts in Music
Education, and the Associate of Fine Arts in Vocal or Instrumental Performance.
Maintain viable transfer programs. Instill music literacy through a core theory
curriculum.
Develop performance in the chosen field through a variety of performance
opportunities.
Promote knowledge of music literature through studio, ensemble, and supporting
courses.
Enhance knowledge and skills in general education.
Enhance knowledge and skills in music technology
Expose students to the value of community music organizations.
Advise students to establish and to help achieve career goals.
Offer opportunities by presenting guest artists, clinicians and lecturers
GOAL II. Instruct students who wish to pursue music as an avocation
OBJECTIVES:
Maintain viable music opportunities in the general education curricula.
Encourage participation in studio lessons and music ensembles.
Offer music courses, including ensembles for community members
GOAL III. Serve as a resource for cultural activities and assume musical leadership
in the community
OBJECTIVES:
Offer a wide variety of concerts, recitals, and music festivals.
Offer rehearsal, performance space, and leadership to musical organizations from the
community.
Offer a course to be introduced to western music as an overview to appreciation.
GOAL IV. Maintain a standard of excellence, which includes membership in the
National Association of Schools of Music.
OBJECTIVES:
Maintain high standards in the music curriculum.
Develop curricula according to NASM standards.
Hire qualified full- and part-time faculty according to institutional NASM standards.
Prepare annual departmental review and strategic planning as mandated by the
institution
B. Department Strengths
A new, state-of-the-art music building
Enthusiastic support for the music program at Casper College from all constituency
groups, including the upper administration
A dedicated, well-prepared, performing and versatile faculty
A helpful and collegial support staff
Effective administration at the unit and school levels
Engaged and enthusiastic students
Access to a more-than-adequate library and funding for additional purchases and
activities
Excellent relationships between the music faculty and other units on campus such as
the library staff
Efficiently administered ancillary support budgets
Generous scholarship support
Flexibility in teaching roles among faculty and instructional staff
High level of individual student performance abilities
Excellent ensembles
College and community patronage and support for performances
Excellent support programs such as the BOCES initiative and community
participation
Excellent relationships among Music and Theatre constituencies
Robust ensemble program supported by the community through concert attendance
and participation in ensembles.
Extensive opportunities to perform standard and world music in both solo and
ensemble literature.
Generous scholarship program based on performance ability.
An exceptionally well qualified studio and ensemble faculty.
Outreach opportunities for community participation in ensembles including: The
Kinser Jazz Festival, The Reading Band, Concert Band, Small instrumental
ensembles (Brass, Woodwind, String, etc.) and Jazz Ensemble.
A faculty that reaches into the community via performances (recitals, guest soloists,
guest principals, solo chair in the Casper Municipal Band, Wyoming Symphony
Principal Chairs, etc.), clinics, and school visits for recruitment purposes as well as to
demonstrate our professionalism and competency.
C. Department Challenges
The advent of the new building has eliminated the long-standing issues and
challenges of Aley fine Arts . The capacities of the new building are being utilized
to the fullest. Consequentially, we are experiencing some difficulty scheduling all
of our adjuncts (5.6 equivalent FTE).
The particular challenges the department faces are:
1. Retaining faculty (full-time and adjunct) that are faced with overloads year after
year with no relief.
2. Maintaining accreditation if we lose some key faculty positions.
3. Maintaining the delivery of required courses to our students should we lose a key
adjunct
The majority of the full-time music faculty is teaching overloads. At least one
faculty member is teaching an overload of 8 hrs. per semester. Where piano
instruction should be the core of any music program we find a lack of stability in
the area of piano instruction due to the lack of a full-time piano instructor. The
adjunct piano faculty lacks ownership in the program at Casper College and
normally would lack the incentive to recruit piano majors or to grow the program.
NASM does not look kindly toward an accredited program without a full-time piano
instructor. Other institutions look askance at an accredited program without a fulltime piano faculty position. A full-time, tenure-track piano position would renew
the viability of the piano program particularly since the lack of a full time instructor
was noted in the NASM report. Our present adjunct piano has, however, taken a
degree of ownership in the program. He not only has grown the studio but has
actively recruited for his studio including a major for Fall 2015. He has also taken
the responsibility of class piano. His loss would be a major blow to our program. If
we are to serve students as our first priority (as per administrative pronouncement),
then we should have a full-time piano presence.
Our voice adjunct, a DMA, is teaching a full-time studio schedule. Additionally she
teaches a Gen. Ed section of Introduction to Music.
Our adjunct guitar instructor teaches a full-time studio load. We have had to turn
away guitar students again and again because of the time restrictions of the adjunct
instructor. Turning students away is neither in the best interest of our department
nor the college. Each of these positions (voice, piano and guitar) need to be fulltime positions. In the last ten years the department has lost a voice position, a piano
position and a guitar position. The last being guitar. Since that time the department
has increased enrollment significantly and broadened its scope of offerings to
students.
These three, full-time, tenure-track positions do not represent a proposal to build
program; they represent positions that would immediately have full-time
enrollment, if not an overload, and give relief to faculty that are teaching heavy
overloads. We have more than quintupled the size of the Concert Band, increased
the Brass Studio times five, grown the size of the string program by a factor of 6
now to include a viable string orchestra, trebled, at least, the woodwind studio,
expanded the voice studio extensively enough to fill an adjunct position plus,
created a need for an adjunct saxophone studio that is active, etc. Additionally we
have established a presence in the public schools of the community that has resulted
in improved public school ensembles, significantly greater presence of local
students in Wyoming All-State Ensembles and even more students in our college
classrooms. Every student we recruit adds to the FTE of nearly every other
department on campus. Exactly what is needed to suitably demonstrate that the
members of the department have executed their instructive assignments far above
and beyond expectations to the point at which relief and expansion is needed to
avoid burnout, concern, and frustration that a quality delivery of instruction is
becoming a serious challenge?
Each member of the department at the time of hiring was told that the “as assigned”
section of the contract was, of course, the performances, events and all the extras
that are incumbent with being performance faculty. We were additionally apprised
that if overloads arose they were compensated, not required, and seldom occurred.
If it became chronic we were assured that relief would be the order. This was
verbalized by the Vice President at that time. We have not experienced any sort of
relief and overloads are chronic.
We, as a department, have endured reductions in force that have had no apparent
philosophical rationale other than to simply make cuts to the Music Department.
The department has lost three positions in the last nine years. Each reduction was a
full-time position that had no difficulty and would have, if re-instated, no difficulty
meeting the contact hour contractual requirement. The state of affairs has reached
a point where the faculty is becoming concerned
One position was filled approximately ten years ago. That position was then
described as half-time Music and half-time Musical Theater. In reality it is a
position that instructs some Musical Theater voice majors, instructs Theater courses
and functions as the Musical Director for Theater Department productions. The
instructor cannot even attend spring Music Department meetings because of his
Theater responsibilities. A realistic appraisal of this position may be in order and
adjusted to favorably toward the Music Department. *
Another position was the Piano instructor position, which was vacated as a result
of the instructor being promoted. When that position became open it was simply
eliminated.
The guitar position was a full studio with additional responsibilities and Jazz
Combo classes. When the instructor retired, that position was not filled and no
explanation was forthcoming. In fact, no explanations were given for any of the
reductions.
Additionally, the music unit has a continuing need for a full-time professional
accompanist in addition to a number of part-time temporary accompanists. It seems
unfair to have one accompanist working more than 40 hours a week on a part time,
temporary status.
Another challenge that the department faces is that of the support of the student
ensembles through activity scholarships. We have an active and generous
scholarship system for Music Majors but not an appropriate level of offerings for
the non-music major that has the ability to contribute strongly to our ensembles.
We attract a significant number of Wyoming All-State musicians. As referenced
above we have increased participation in our ensembles not by tens of percentage
points but by hundreds of percentage points yet the activity scholarship offerings
have remained stagnant for all intents and purposes at circa 34. An increase of at
least twenty percent would seem to be in order. Fifty percent would not, of course,
begin to reflect our growth, however, twenty percent would be one step in the right
direction.
* We do not expect, nor would we endorse in any way some “shake-up” in the
Theater Department that would result in a reduction of service to the students or
that would endanger accreditation
D. Department Resource Needs for Next Year
1. Facilities – We had made the suggestion of a Tech Director position that,
among other things would administer the Wheeler Concert Hall so that it
would be appropriately utilized by the community as well as the department.
The Department was advised that the position had been created with the
specific understanding that personnel (work-study student) would be trained
to function as tech representative for events in Wheeler. We have not seen
said technicians trained
2. Equipment – We are still learning to utilize the influx of FFE from the
construction of the new building
3. Personnel - What we truly need is three full-time tenure track positions. What
is requested is the addition of at least one full-time tenure track position in
the form of a piano position. It will not address the present condition in which
the department finds itself, but, it would be one move in the right direction.
We, as a department, have watched positions in other departments filled as a
matter of course when faculty retires or moves on. Some of those positions
struggle to meet load. No position that we have outlined would have any
difficulty meeting and exceeding load requirements.
4. Budget and Request for next year*
2014-15
2015-16
Budget Line Item
Amount
Request
9110 Ed Supplies
9,000
9,000
9117 Music: Subs.
100
100
9118 Music: Books
100
100
9120 Office Supplies
2,000
2,200
9123 Software
1,700
2,000
9124 Computer Access.
0
500
9126 Postage/Freight
0
200
9149 Supplies Reimburse
0
9210 Printing
0
500
9212 Advertising
2,000
2,000
9221Speaker fees
0
1000
9222 Non-emp trans.
0
200
9223 Non-emp M/L
0
200
9227 Other Contracted
300
400
Services
9232 Rprs - Eqp
10,000
10,000
9250 Rental-Eqp
0
200
9310 Dues/Memberships
400
1,000
9311 Entry Fees
700
1,000
9320 Travel In-state
1,700
1,700
9330 Emp Travel O/S
9339 Emp Int'l Trav
9340 Student Trav In-state
9350 Student Trav O/S
9278 Other OPR EXP
Department Total
4,000
0
5,000
4,500
3,000
44,500
4,000
0
5,000
4,500
3,000
48,300
*Explain and/or justify any significant changes to the budget requested.
The increases address the needs that actual increased departmental activity and projected
increased enrollment will bring to us. Line 9310 recognizes dues that must be paid to NASM and
for NASM activities (travel). 9120 addresses the increase in cost of music specific office
supplies. 9123 addresses the updates to software to keep current. 9124 addresses the cost of
computer accessories that we will need next year in particular, a printer for our computer lab for
printing student Theory, and PSM assignments. We also found that many seemingly innocuous
items such as patch wires, hardware, printing, advertising, supplemental furniture, etc. will be
needed next year and have become significantly more expensive. 9126 will be needed as an
ancillary to the repair line (9232) As our instruments age and we are increasingly unable to take
our instruments in need of repair to repair facilities personally we will need to ship them. 9221 is
a re-instatement of that line for guest artists and clinicians. 9222, 9223, and 9227 will aid in
meeting what was laid to 9227 at a great deficit for services of soloists and clinicians that greatly
benefitted our students this year. 9311 addresses the need to meet costs as our students are
participating in more festivals (competitions) and we will be adding chapters of national and
international student student/professional and professional organizations that are beneficial to the
department.
III.
Assessment Updates (3 “levels” of assessment – General Education,
Degree/Certificate, and Department/Program)
A. Executive Summary (bullet points)
1. Major “take aways” from general education outcomes assessment
2. Major “take aways” from degree/certificate or program-level assessments.
B. General Education Outcomes Assessment - Describe changes to instruction,
program, advising or strategy as a result of the last General Education Outcomes
Assessment results (updated each fall and spring.)
As graduates of Casper College, students will be able to …
1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication
2. Use the scientific method
3. Solve problems using critical thinking and creativity
4. Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures and historical perspectives
5. Appreciate aesthetic and creative activities
6. Use appropriate technology and information to conduct research
7. Describe the value of personal, civic, and social responsibilities
8. Use quantitative analytical skills to evaluate and process numerical data
C. Department/Program Name:
List the Degrees/Certificates awarded by the Department/Program:
D. Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment by Degree/Certificate
Degree or Certificate:
E Feedback Procedures (Faculty, staff & students) Learning Outcomes D Analysis method(s) for each source of evidence C Collection method(s) for each source of evidence B Evidence/ Indicator(s) of Learning A How/Where is outcome learned? E. Assessment Activities and Results (raw data reports)
F. Assessment Analysis – What changes have you made or do you plan to make in
this degree or certificate based on your assessment data?
[Copy and paste parts D, E and F for each degree/certificate assessment plan in the program.]
G. Department/Program Level Assessment Results & Analysis
1. External Assessment Data Relevant to the Department/Program
2. Third-Party Comments/Evaluations (if applicable, such as accreditors,
community advisory boards, etc.)
3. Department/Program Overall Assessment Analysis – Describe the changes to
the department/program based on the past year’s assessment activities. How
has the department/program used the assessment data to celebrate student
achievements and/or improve the curriculum or pedagogy in the last year?