“Tracks from the Stacks” Radio Program to Debut on WPEA

Drew Gatto, Academy Music Librarian

Music Librarian Drew Gatto is the host of a new radio program, “Tracks from the Stacks,” set to debut on Wednesday, January 16^th from 1:00 until 2:00 pm on WPEA, the campus radio station.  The program will be broadcast during the same time each Wednesday for the duration of the winter and spring terms.

“Tracks from the Stacks” will feature music from the CD collection held in the Academy Library. The show will be organized around the theme of “musical connections,” wherein all of the tracks played will relate to a single theme. Drew will provide brief explanations of these connections between tracks, and playlists (including information on how to find each featured CD in the Library) will be posted online for those who are interested in further exploring the music featured on a particular show.  In addition, Circulation Coordinator Marilyn Bott will create accessible displays in the Library so that patrons can easily find CDs used during the previous week’s program. The first show will feature a tribute to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in anticipation of the Academy-wide celebration of his birthday scheduled for Friday, January 18^th.  

Drew welcomes suggestions for future programs and hopes that you’ll join him “on the air” this month!

Looking for Harmony: Technology and Music Instruction

Jung Mi Lee instructing a student

Any discussion of technology in the music classroom is bound to include thought-provoking commentary and intriguing anecdotes. The abundance of software programs and Web-based social media outlets available today intensifies the opportunities and challenges of incorporating technology into teaching. While some music teachers have embraced these offerings as a way to diversify their instructional methods, others have proceeded more slowly, questioning the role of technology in a process that has long been characterized by face-to-face interaction. While it appears that most classroom music teachers have come to terms with technology as a teaching tool, there is still considerable debate over its proper role in the private teaching studio.

Charlie Jennison

Recently Drew Gatto, the academy’s music librarian, interviewed two PEA adjunct music faculty members, Jung Mi Lee and Charlie Jennison, to find out how technology—specifically sound recordings, digital music files and notation software — has impacted their private teaching studios.

Please click here to read the complete interview.

Mind/Body Collection finds a permanent home

About 150 items, originally housed throughout the Library, have been pulled together to create the Mind/Body collection over the past year. The collection has a lot to offer the campus, from DVD’s on beginner yoga and tai chi, to books on the need for sleep and healthy eating, to audio CD’s of soothing sounds and music. These items have been kept on a cart in the library’s Rockefeller Hall but are now shelved in the Map room on the main floor.