Music Education Major (B.M.) Spotlight

Marie Forte '02 is Paul Smith Hall of Fame Winner 2023. The Massachusetts Instrumental Conductors Association's Paul Smith Hall of Fame Award is presented annually to a Massachusetts music conductor who is a musical and personal inspiration to students, the community and other professional…

Brandon Duras '17/'19G and Director of Instrumental Music at Brunswick High School in Brunswick, ME  is a recent recipient of the Yamaha "40 Under 40" award. Yamaha launched the “40 Under 40” music education advocacy program in 2021 to celebrate and recognize outstanding music educators who are…

I am currently a 2022–23 Fulbright Grantee based in Vienna, Austria. Here I will be conducting research while assisting in the education of English-language learners at the secondary level and participating in cultural exchange that fosters mutual understanding between Austria and the United States.

Why did you choose UNH? I chose UNH because it was a school I felt very comfortable with. There was so much vibrant energy when I first visited UNH, and it helped me fall in love with the program. As well, I loved that I could get involved in anything and everything. It feels like there is a club…

I'm the Music Department chair, director of music technology and composition, and assistant professor of music and computer science at Albright College, where I teach courses in audio engineering, music production, songwriting, sound design, video game design and development, and game audio.

UNH Music alum, Brandon Duras has been awarded the Maine Music Educators Outstanding New Music Educator of the year. On a recent trip to Washington D.C.,  the Brunswick High School Wind Ensemble, along with the Treble Choir and Chamber Choir, directed by Ashley Albert (she was also awarded  Maine…

Brendan McWalter has enjoyed music since he was a child in Franklin, Mass.: music was his favorite class in elementary school, and he started playing saxophone when he was in 6th grade. “Music was a stress reliever for me,” he says. During high school, as a counselor at a summer music camp, he…

The spark of interest for Kylie Smith's article entry in UNH's Undergraduate Research Journal Inquiry  began with her first Music History course, taught by Professor Rose Pruiksma. With a new-found interest in long-term research, a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SEED) grant, and…

The UNH Department of Music is extremely proud to share news of the international success of alumnus Karl Blench ’03 (BM Music Education/BM Music Theory). Karl was recently invited to serve as the orchestrator for Wild Symphony, a new children’s book with corresponding music by noted New Hampshire…

What are you currently doing for work and how did you get to this point? I have spent this year in Cardiff, Wales, earning a Masters in voice performance. I met some exchange students from Cardiff University while at UNH, and lived and attended school with them after I graduated with my Bachelor’s…

What are you currently doing professionally? I am about to graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies. I moved to Colorado and started at UNC only 3 months after I graduated from UNH with my Bachelor's. I recently was selected as "DownBeat"…

What are you currently doing for work? I am the director of instrumental music/department head of performing arts at Oxbridge Academy, West Palm Beach, FL. I teach Concert Band, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Rock Band and Intro to Performing Arts Class. After I graduated from UNH I was hired to be a…