Choir, instrumental music teachers named by YHS

 

Carey Hurst

… Instrumental music teacher

 

Dr. Tony Mowrer

… New vocal instructor

 

by Earlene Ward - Yosemite High School District

 

Yosemite High School has announced the hiring of new choir and instrumental music teachers for the 2002-03 school year.

There will be a reception to welcome them Thursday, June 27, at 7 p.m. in the YHS library. Everyone is welcome.

Dr. Tony Mowrer has been hired to teach the vocal portion of the music program and Carlotta Hurst will be the new instrumental music teacher.

Dr. Mowrer is coming to YHS from Waterford, Michi­gan and Ms. Hurst is coming from Vacaville. Both teachers are planning summer workshops to meet music students and recruit new members for their classes.

Dr. Mowrer will hold a summer music camp at YHS June 24-27, from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., during summer school. He says he is hoping for a significant turnout of students, noting that he will give private lessons from 1-3 p.m. those days.

 

Summer program

Ms. Hurst has scheduled a summer school program from July 22-25 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During this time she hopes to get to know the students who are currently enrolled in music and to recruit new students.

In August there will be a two-day leadership camp for the present choir and band members. "This will be a time where we all get to know each other and establish our musical goals for the year," Ms. Hurst says.

She goes on to note that she has a special program planned for October for the newly forming jazz ensemble. "I have invited a professional jazz artist to come to the school and do a master class with our students, bring his high school Jazz Ensemble and we will do a joint concert, which will be open to the public, and if it works out we may do a performance for the student body. It will be a great musical opportunity for all involved," she says.

 

Making preparations

Dr. Mowrer will attend an International Baccalaureate training program in New Mexico the end of July to prepare for the IB music class he will teach at YHS during the 2002-03 year.

He and his family will move to the area in August. He and his wife, Linda Burks, have three children, Nathan, Kendra and Andrea.

He says the family is excited about moving to California. His wife is from Los Angeles but they have not lived on the West Coast for the past 25 years.

"It's clear that parents, administrators and the school board all want the same thing," he says, "a program they can be proud of. I am anxious to do what I can to make it a success with the help of the parents."

Ms. Hurst is also excited about what she has seen at YHS. "I am very impressed with everyone I have met so far within the district; very professional and approachable and most important, enthusiastic about building a quality Fine Arts program at Yosemite High School."

She says she is excited about meeting the students, parents and residents and "sharing the vision I have for the program."

 

Professor

Dr. Mowrer is currently professor of music at Rochester College in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He also serves as chair of the Division of Liberal Arts. Prior to that position, he had been choral director and associate professor of music at Faulkner University in Montgo­mery, Alabama.

He served as instructor of sixth grade music for a year at the Alabama Christian Acade­my in Montgomery and he was choral director and assistant professor of music at North­eastern Christian Junior College in Villanova, Pennsylvania for 11 years.

Dr. Mowrer received an associate of arts degree from Northeastern Christian Junior College; a bachelor of arts degree in music from Lubbock Christian University in Lub­bock, Texas, graduating magna cum laude. He also received his teaching certification in secondary music education at LCU.

He earned a master of arts degree in music history from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1985. His thesis was entitled Worship Music in the Churches of Christ, Current Traditions and Proposed Philosophy.

He earned his doctorate in music education from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1996. His dissertation was on Tonal Memory as a Factor in Choral Auditions. He has done additional graduate study at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and at Auburn Uni­ver­sity in Auburn, Alabama.

 

Produced musicals

Dr. Mowrer has produced such musicals as “My Fair Lady, “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma!,” “Carn­i­val,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Fantastiks,” “Something's Afoot” and “Man of La Mancha.”

He has served on a number of college committees, is a member of several professional societies and has received a variety of honors for his work in music.

 

Last at Vacaville

Ms. Hurst was the instrumental music teacher at Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville during the 2001-02 school year. She taught jazz band, symphonic band, wind ensemble, orchestra and chamber orchestra. She has previously taught band, piano and guitar for grades 7-12 for Elk Grove Unified School District.

For 17 years she was the instrumental, vocal and classroom music teacher for the Black Oak Mine Unified School District in Georgetown. She taught third graders through high school seniors. She also designed, developed, implemented and articulated the district-wide music curriculum.

Her first teaching job was as the instrumental music teacher for grades 4-12 in the Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District in Downieville.

She worked her way through college as a private instructor, giving lessons in piano, wind instruments and voice. She has worked as a band director at Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp in El Dorado County during the summer.

Additionally, she served as the instructional assistant-assistant conductor at Sacramento City College. She was the woodwind specialist and assistant conductor for the evening band class. She has also been the conductor and musical director for the River City Concert Band, an adult community band affiliated with the Sacramento Valley Symphonic Band Associ­ation.

 

… With the best

Ms. Hurst has studied with "some of the best conducting teachers in the world," including Frederick Fennell, Eugene Corporon, Jack Stamp, John Whitwell, Gary Hill and Allan McMurray. She has traveled out-of-state to study with Craig Kirchhoff, Mallory Thompson, Jerry Junkin and H. Robert Reynolds.

Ms. Hurst earned her bachelor of arts degree from California State University, Chico and her Master of Music degree from CSU Sacramento.

Principal Steve Raupp is working with both teachers to implement the summer programs and begin planning for activities for next school year.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to bring two teachers of this caliber to Yosemite High School,” Mr. Raupp says.

“Both have excellent credentials and have been associated with high quality music programs. I believe they will be a great fit for our program and our students.”