Everything Nac

Educators wanting to further their careers can now earn a doctorate in educational leadership without leaving their hometowns through a new online program in the James I. Perkins College of Education at Stephen F. Austin State University.

“This is the first completely online doctoral degree offered by SFA,” said Dr. Stacy Hendricks, coordinator for the educational leadership doctoral program and associate dean in the Perkins College of Education. “It is designed for those who are fully employed in school districts or other educational agencies. They can participate in the program while meeting their job and family commitments.”

The Doctor of Education in educational leadership prepares K-12 and higher education leaders to address population growth issues, cultural diversity, policy analysis and design, problem-solving and the change process through content-specific coursework and summer field-based leadership internships.

The program features 66 hours of challenging, relevant curriculum taught using a cohort design with collegial support. Participants can specialize in specific content areas to become institutional and agency researchers, curriculum specialists and K-12 leaders, among other roles.

Some program participants progress into nonacademic college and university administrator positions.

“Though this degree does not automatically make you eligible to become a faculty member or an academic leader, such as a unit head, dean or provost, you can pursue academic leadership opportunities with the appropriate faculty qualifications and experience,” Hendricks said.

The deadline to apply for the program is March 15, and the new cohort begins May 17.

For more information, email Hendricks at edd@sfasu.edu or visit sfasu.edu/sfaonline.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Symphony Orchestra’s virtual performance on Wednesday, Nov. 18, will feature music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Darius Milhaud.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. and accessible through live streaming free of charge at music.sfasu.edu, the concert’s main feature is Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings,” according to Dr. Gregory Grabowski, the orchestra’s conductor.

“The Tchaikovsky (piece) is one of the biggest standards of string repertoire,” Grabowski said.

The concert also includes French composer Milhaud’s “La Creation du Monde.”

“The Milhaud was composed in the 1920s and was very much influenced by early jazz,” Grabowski said. “Apparently, when he heard his first American jazz band perform in London, Milhaud was so captivated he went to New York City to visit Harlem, go to jazz clubs and mingle with jazz musicians.

“Interestingly – and honestly accidentally – both pieces fit at home in the ballet,” Grabowski added. “The Milhaud was originally composed as a ballet, and George Balanchine (ballet choreographer) brought the Tchaikovsky into the ballet repertoire.”

The program will also feature Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, arranged for chamber orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg.

The concert will be live-streamed only with a rebroadcast at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 25 on the SFA Symphony Orchestra YouTube page. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Kantorei choirs at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a virtual concert titled “Sanctity” that will feature sacred music written for treble chorus at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16.

The concert program will include “Messe Basse” by Gabriel Fauré; “Gloria” from Mass no. 6 by György Orbàn; and “Psalm 23” by the late, great Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick. Dr. Tod Fish, associate director of choral activities in the SFA School of Music, directs the choirs.

“The styles featured for this performance are challenging for the groups due to their diversity,” Fish said. “The Glick ‘Psalm 23’ challenges the students as the composer sets the rhythm of the music to fit the text declamation. In the Fauré piece, the choir sings many lovely unison passages coupled with shimmering, soft dynamic levels. ‘Gloria’ is highly rhythmic with the mixing of symmetrical and asymmetrical meters to fit the text.

“I am proud of the work the choir has put in to face the challenges of these quite different compositions,” he added.

Grant Peterson, first-year graduate student in choral conducting from Wylie, will conduct the Orbàn work. Collaborative pianist for the concert is graduate student Greg Simmons from Tyler.

To access the live concert free of charge, visit music.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Singin’ Axes at Stephen F. Austin State University will showcase the work of Johannes Brahms when the student ensemble presents the virtual concert “Rhapsody” at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16.

Directed by Dr. Tod Fish, associate director of choral activities in the SFA School of Music, the Singin’ Axes will perform Brahms’ Opus 53, also known as “Alto Rhapsody.” Featured performer will be School of Music faculty member Nita Hudson as mezzo-soprano soloist.

Also on the program is Benjamin Britten’s “The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard.”

“These compositions go together because they both deal with the suffering that is caused by love,” said Fish, who described “Rhapsody” as a “deeply personal work for Brahms.” It is based on three verses from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1777 poem “Harzreise im Winter,” which Brahms stumbled across in 1868 (the same year Brahms wrote his German Requiem), in a time when the composer was conflicted in several aspects of his life.

“During this time, Brahms was still mourning the death of his mother, who had passed away in 1865,” Fish said. “Some scholars believe that the ‘Rhapsody’ is an outpouring of grief that deals with unrequited love – first from his frustrating, confusing relationship with Clara Schumann and then, later, from her daughter, Julie. It is believed, by some, that Goethe’s text provided the words to articulate Brahms feelings at this time.” Schumann described it as “…neither more nor less than the expression of his (Brahms) heart’s anguish.”

In Britten’s “The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard,” the composer appears to be in a completely different state of mind, as he is breaking away from a time of frustration and returns to England after living in America from 1939 to 1942.

“This work was written, interestingly enough, by Britten for a friend a friend of his who was serving as the artistic director of a prisoner of war camp’s music festival in 1943,” Fish explained. “Britten had received a commission from the Koussevitsky Music Foundation to compose ‘Peter Grimes,’ the monumental work that solidified Britten’s status as one of the giants of 20th century composers.”

The piece is out of the ballad madrigal tradition along the lines of Claudio Monteverdi’s “Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.” The text deals with a bitter love triangle between Lord Brand and Lady Barnard and someone known as Little Musgrave.

“The two lovers, Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard, find a trysting place that is soon discovered by Lord Barnard,” Fish said. “Soon after, a battle ensues between Barnard and Musgrave with Barnard, in a fit of rage slaying both lovers. Britten masterfully uses the piano accompaniment, which is masterfully played by our collaborative pianist, Dr. Thomas Nixon, to drive the drama of this underrated composition.”

To access the live concert free of charge, visit music.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

Dr. John Hendricks, professor and department chair of the Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Mass Communication, recently edited and contributed to the book “Radio’s Second Century: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives,” published by Rutgers University Press.

As the broadcasting industry approaches its 100th anniversary, this book is the first to study how the industry has evolved and adapted to remain a dominant mass medium.

“Despite rapid technological advancements that provide many alternatives for audio consumers, including podcasting and other digital audio streaming outlets, radio retains almost total listener saturation with nearly 270 million American weekly listeners,” Hendricks said. “That is more than 90% of the American population, according to Nielsen Audio.”

The book is a collaboration among 16 media scholars from five countries who explore topics that include audience behavior, fan relationships and cultural hegemony via religion, ethnic inclusivity and gender parity.

“As radio enters its second century of public service, this volume provides readers with a full-on assessment of all aspects of the eldest electronic mass medium through a series of astutely and incisively written essays,” said Michael C. Keith, Boston College’s preeminent radio scholar.

Hendricks’s research focuses on media’s role in society. Since joining SFA’s mass communication department in 2009, he has authored and edited 12 books on the broadcasting industry, media and politics, and social media.

Hendricks also is the co-author of the popular textbook “The Radio Station: Broadcasting, Podcasting, and Streaming,” which is used at more than 100 colleges and universities across the nation.