Posts Tagged ‘Music Teaching and Learning’


Judy Lewis gives keynote speech at music education conference in Norway

December 6, 2018

Judy Lewis, professor in the K-12 Contemporary Teaching Practice program at USC Thornton, gave the keynote address at the National Conference of Music Teacher Educators in Norway this October. Lewis spoke about her work with urban minority children and popular music in a lecture entitled, “The act of listening: What twenty 10-year olds taught me… Continue reading Judy Lewis gives keynote speech at music education conference in Norway


Penn State names Dean Robert Cutietta as Alumni Fellow

September 26, 2018

Next week, in a ceremony in State College, Pennsylvania, the Penn State Alumni Association will recognize Dr. Robert Cutietta, Dean of USC Thornton and the USC Kaufman School of Dance, with the title of Alumni Fellow. Cutietta has published widely on subjects related to music education since earning his PhD in Music Education and Psychology… Continue reading Penn State names Dean Robert Cutietta as Alumni Fellow


Giovanni Santos premieres new work in Costa Mesa

September 14, 2018

This November, the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble will premiere Giovanni Santos’ (MM ’07, Music Education) latest work, Fanfariaat, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. The composer, who serves as Director of Wind and Percussion Studies at La Sierra University, has premiered works across the United States and Europe. In January,… Continue reading Giovanni Santos premieres new work in Costa Mesa


Alumna Sue Elliott chosen to lead new Tanglewood Learning Institute

August 31, 2018

Alumna Sue Elliott (MM ’98, Clarinet) was recently appointed as the inaugural director of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, a new educational music facility set to open in the Summer of 2019. A project of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the Tanglewood Music Center, the institute’s four new buildings will host year-round educational talks… Continue reading Alumna Sue Elliott chosen to lead new Tanglewood Learning Institute


Susan Helfter and Beatriz Ilari to present keynote addresses at Brazilian conference

August 28, 2018

This September, Susan Helfter, chair of USC Thornton’s Music Teaching & Learning department and director of Thornton’s Community Engagement Programs, and Beatriz Ilari of the Music Teaching & Learning faculty, will deliver keynote addresses at the SEMUCE: National Seminar on Music, Culture and Education in São Luis, Brazil. Helfter will present on “Pathways and Training… Continue reading Susan Helfter and Beatriz Ilari to present keynote addresses at Brazilian conference


Alumnus Andrew Goldman publishes neurological research about improvisational musicianship

July 10, 2018

Andrew Goldman (’08), a piano performance and neuroscience alumnus of USC Thornton and USC Dornsife, recently published a research paper, “Improvisation experience predicts how musicians categorize musical structures,” in the Psychology of Music journal. Goldman, who earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge, is currently a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia… Continue reading Alumnus Andrew Goldman publishes neurological research about improvisational musicianship


Vocal Arts alumna receives National Institutes of Health research grant

March 30, 2018

Dr. Reyna Gordon (BM ’01), an alumna of the USC Thornton Vocal Arts program, was recently awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to expand her research on “Mapping the Genetic and Neural Architecture of Human Rhythm and Communication Traits.” Gordon, who is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Psychology and Director of the… Continue reading Vocal Arts alumna receives National Institutes of Health research grant


“Trojan Family Magazine” explores the cutting-edge work of Thornton music educators

January 10, 2018

Trojan Family Magazine recently put a spotlight on arts education in Los Angeles, as championed by a number of USC educators, including USC Thornton faculty and alumni. The article, “The Trojans Bringing Arts Education Back to Kids and Schools,” points to Peter Webster, Thornton’s Scholar-in-Residence and Vice Dean of Division of Scholarly & Professional Studies,… Continue reading “Trojan Family Magazine” explores the cutting-edge work of Thornton music educators


Dean Robert Cutietta speaks at Shanghai Conservatory anniversary

December 6, 2017

Robert Cutietta, Dean of USC Thornton, traveled to Shanghai last week where he gave one of the keynote speeches at the 90th anniversary celebration of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Representatives of music institutions from around the world were present including the Conservatoire de Paris, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and Juilliard. Founded in 1927,… Continue reading Dean Robert Cutietta speaks at Shanghai Conservatory anniversary


Musical training improves brain development, according to ongoing USC study

November 15, 2017

USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute continues to publish the results of an ongoing study showing that musical training can alter brain structures for the better. Beatriz Illari, a faculty member of the USC Thornton Music Teaching & Learning program, is a co-author of the study, which has been conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles… Continue reading Musical training improves brain development, according to ongoing USC study