Thursday, March 15, 2012

Noteworthy institution Southern Music Co. is closing down Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/A-noteworthy-institution-is-

Southern Music Co., a source of printed sheet music for millions of students around the world for the past 75 years, has hit its last note.

The San Antonio retail and wholesale music distributor plans to close its doors Feb. 25, another casualty of the digital age that has claimed thousands of bookstores and record shops across the nation.

Leon Theremin: The man and the music machine

"Leon Theremin had come to the Bolshevik leader's attention after inventing a revolutionary electronic musical instrument that was played without being touched.

Theremin was nervous before meeting Lenin, but later said the demonstration of his invention, which became known as the Theremin, had gone well."

For the full story, please see bbc.co.uk.

Earworms: Why That Song Gets Stuck In Your Head

"Chances are, you've fallen victim to earworms — pesky songs or melodies that get stuck in your head and just won't get out.

Research suggests that there may be psychological reasons why some songs are more likely to stick, including memory triggers, emotional states and even stress. Some researchers hope to better understand why this happens and figure out what, if anything, music memory can teach psychologists about how to treat patients dealing with memory loss."


For the full story, please see npr.org.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Extended Hours for Finals Week!

The Music Library will be open extra just for you during finals week! Here are our hours:

Saturday, March 10: Noon-7pm
Sunday, March 11: 1pm-9pm
Monday, March 12: 8am-9pm
Tuesday, March 13: 8am-9pm

Special thanks to the School of Music for the support to make extended hours possible!

Want to Write an Opera? Check this out!

For the full story, see Musical America.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Bringing K-Pop to the West

"Patricia Augustin, 19, of Indonesia says she scours the Internet every day for the latest updates on Korean pop music. Paula Lema Aguirre, a high school student from Peru, says she is happiest when she sings Korean songs, especially “It Hurts,” the group 2NE1’s single about teenage love."

For the full story, please see the New York Times.

Accompanists: the unsung heroes of music

"Pity the poor accompanist, condemned to sit in the shadow of the great voices and the even greater egos of today's singers. Being the pianist who plays for them can feel like the most thankless job in music. The singers couldn't do it without them, but it's the braying sopranos and the yodelling tenors who get all the glory, as well as most of the cash and applause – despite the fact that all they've done is sing a few tunes, usually in a foreign language, while the pianists slog their guts out playing fiendishly difficult accompaniments by Schubert, Schumann or Britten."

For the full story, please see the Guardian.

Venerated High Priest and Humble Servant of Music Education

"AS he slowly walked through the adoring and bubbling crowd of young people, the frail elderly man brushed a cheek, clasped an arm, bestowed a smile. He lingered affectionately with members of a choir composed of disabled youngsters."

For the full story, please see nytimes.com.

Teaching Postdoc Fellowship

Purpose:

The Postdoctoral Fellow will perform research on teaching and learning to inform the development of graduate student support programs in the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and will assist in disseminating knowledge about effective college teaching practices to graduate student instructors.

Essential Functions:


  • Research element will involve the design, implementation, and management of graduate student support programs of various types (both cohort-and workshop-based) at UT and may involve cross-institutional research on graduate student support programs and outcomes.
  • Teaching element will involve providing information and advice to graduate students in one-on-one consultations, workshops, and a semester-length seminar. This will facilitate their development as university-level instructors.
  • Supervise graduate student assistants with conducting research, teaching, writing, and prioritizing work responsibilities. May travel to other universities to conduct research and disseminate best-practices in college level teaching and learning.
  • Collaborate with CTL staff to develop content for online sites that present evidence-based college-teaching practices and information about careers in higher education.
  • Collaborate with the Graduate School and departmental graduate advisors across campus to support graduate students in their teaching endeavors and support graduate programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Earned Ph.D.
  • Teaching experience at the university level
  • Experience and/or strong interest in conducting research on graduate student development
  • A record of conference presentations and publications or strong potential for publication
  • Experience supervising research assistants and interpersonal skills that promote team building
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively
  • Proficiency in computer applications (e.g., Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint) and statistical software (e.g., SPSS).


Please send (1) a letter of interest, (2) current vita, (3) and contact information for at least three references to Joanna Gilmore at: joanna.gilmore@austin.utexas.edu

Date available: Immediately
Position duration: Funding expected to continue
Monthly salary: $4166 negotiable depending on qualifications.
Hours per week: 40.00
Hiring department: Center for Teaching and Learning


Contact:
Joanna Gilmore, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Graduate Student Instructor Program
Center for Teaching and Learning
The University of Texas at Austin

Lightning Talk Invitation

The UW Libraries Research Commons, in partnership with the Graduate School, is in the process of planning for a Research Commons Lightning Talks event that will be held Tuesday, April 10th 4-5:30pm on the ground floor of the Allen Library South.

This event will feature 10 short presentations (5 minutes each) given by graduate students doing research on topics related to the theme "Sustainability". This will be a fun, informal event that will allow grad students to share their research across disciplines, make connections and build presentation skills. This event will be open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

Are you a graduate student doing Sustainability-related research? Submit a short proposal here: http://commons.lib.washington.edu/lightningtalks We're looking for grad students working in a range of disciplines: environmental sciences, political science, business, education, history, urban planning, humanities, technology, etc.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Composers file complaint with EU

For the full story, please see musicalamerica.com.

Opportunities for Graduate Students

@ The Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington

Graduate students are integral to the culture of crossdisciplinary inquiry and innovation fostered at the Simpson Center for the Humanities.

The Center offers a rich variety of opportunities for intellectual community, professional development, and financial support that advance crossdisciplinary understanding, collaboration, and research. Center activities connect graduate students across departments with peers, faculty, staff, regional communities, and cultural organizations.

Graduate students participate in all aspects of our four-fold mission:
  • to further crossdisciplinary research and inquiry
  • to pilot crossdisciplinary research and curriculum
  • to promote public scholarship and university-community engagement
  • to develop scholarly initiatives at the leading edge of change
Graduate student involvement takes many forms, including:
  • coursework and microseminars with visiting speakers
  • student-led Graduate Interest Groups (GIGS) and research clusters
  • selective workshops, institutes, and fellowships

To learn more about the Simpson Center programs, events, fellowships and grants, and to sign up for a weekly digest of announcements, visit www.simpsoncenter.org.

Graduate Education at the Leading Edge of Change
Over the last decade, the Simpson Center has gained national recognition for its work advancing public scholarship, digital humanities, and crossdisciplinary collaboration. Graduate students are at the forefront of shaping these formative areas.

Public Scholarship
The Certificate in Public Scholarship enables graduate students to integrate their intellectual, professional, and political commitments through engagement with diverse publics. Its project- and portfolio-based curriculum emphasizes collaboration with an expanding network of peers, faculty, and community partners.

HUM 595 Public Culture/Engaged Scholarship courses and microseminars explore relations among cultural research, public practice, and diverse forms of community engagement.
Public Scholarship/Community Engagement grants support projects that promote dialogue, exchange, and collaboration between UW scholars and community partners in educational, cultural, governmental, non-profit, and grassroots organizations.

Digital Humanities
With the support of a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Simpson Center is endowing a Digital Humanities Commons dedicated to innovative forms of collaborative and multimodal digital scholarship. Its annual summer fellowship program for faculty and dissertators begins 2013 and will be supported by regular micro-seminars and lectures.

Short courses, seminars, and workshops, on topics such as digital pedagogies and cultural research and digital collections, convene critical conversations about practices of scholarly multimedia production, authorship, and project design and offer an intensive opportunity to foster communities of digital practice at the UW.

HASTAC Scholars Program: Graduate students are selected annually to represent the Simpson Center and the University of Washington by participating in the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC).

Crossdisciplinary Collaboration
Crossdisciplinary Research Clusters and Graduate Interest Groups allow graduate students to develop projects together with other students, faculty, visiting scholars, and community practitioners.

Interdisciplinary Dissertation Prospectus Workshops, framed around thematic inquiries, offer training in interdisciplinary methodology.

Society of Scholars Research Fellowships provide advanced dissertators with research time and intellectual community. Applications accepted each fall.

Find additional opportunities on our website: