JAMM, UAS, and Juneau Symphony Announce Juneau's New String Quartet-in-Residence
This unique collaboration will result in not only a master’s degree and teaching certificate for the scholarship recipients; it will also serve our community by providing teaching artists for the JAMM program and quality performers for the Juneau Symphony.
Juneau, Alaska
Date of Press Release: June 9, 2015
Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM), the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), and the Juneau Symphony are proud to launch a new collaboration by selecting four scholarship recipients who will help teach local student musicians while pursuing a Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching (MAT) at UAS with certification in K-12 Music.
This unique collaboration will result in not only a master’s degree and teaching certificate for the scholarship recipients; it will also serve our community by providing teaching artists for the JAMM program and quality performers for the Juneau Symphony.
The members of the new string quartet-in-residence are Lindsay Clark (violin), Heidi O’Connor-Brook (violin), Sophia Butler (viola), and Ruth Hogle (cello). The quartet will conduct teaching internships at JAMM school sites and music classrooms within the Juneau School District and perform with the Juneau Symphony. Each member will receive a $10,000 scholarship for their studies at UAS, funded by JAMM and the Juneau Symphony. They are scheduled to arrive on July 25th and will spend one year in Juneau as they complete their master’s degrees.
JAMM is an El Sistema-inspired program that uses the power of music and ensemble to help children reach their fullest potential as global citizens and contributing members of their community. JAMM now serves 500 students in three elementary schools in the Juneau School District.
The MAT Certification Program in K-12 Music at UAS prepares students for multi-faceted roles in today’s society: as citizens, artists, teachers, and scholars. These UAS students will graduate with a degree that will fully equip them to teach music in K-12 Alaskan Schools and many states in the lower forty eight.
The Juneau Symphony will provide performance opportunities through its regular concerts as well as coaching opportunities within the Juneau Student Symphony.
The quartet will begin this summer with the two week intensive Basic Arts Institute where participants will learn how to apply brain research into classroom practice and experience how the visual, performing, media and cultural arts can increase student engagement and achievement. They will also be playing on a whale watching cruise over Labor Day weekend.
Meet the Quartet in Residence
Lindsay Clark (violin): Lindsay was born and raised in Juneau and has participated with many musical groups locally and in Salem, Oregon, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Willamette University. In addition to classical music, Lindsay performed in many bluegrass, old time, and free improvisational bands. She hopes to share her love for the diversity of the violin to students and peers. Lindsay enjoys swimming, traveling, and everything the great outdoors of Juneau have to offer.
Heidi O'Connor-Brook (violin): As a musician and former collegiate athlete, Heidi is passionate about the importance of arts, culture and healthy living in the lives of children and youth. Graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, Heidi grew up in the rural Yukon Territory near Whitehorse. Heidi spent four years as a private instructor for the Young Native Fiddlers and has taught Suzuki violin and traditional fiddling for community programs and public schools in Whitehorse.
Sophia Butler (viola): With a Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Olaf College, Sophia is classically trained, but also has a love for folk music and ethnomusicology. Having taught private lessons to a range of ages, Sophia is motivated by her students' diverse ways of learning and enjoyment of playing their instrument. Having also studied peace and conflict in Northern Ireland, Sophia is interested making music in order to build stronger and more peaceful relationships and communities.
Ruth Hogle (cello): With a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from DePaul University, Ruth has dedicated her time to teaching cello with various El Sistema programs in Chicago, including The People's Music School and Ravinia's Reach, Teach, Play program. She has also spent her past two summers teaching cello with a nonprofit called VivaPeru and the El Sistema program, Arpegio Peru in Trujillo, Peru. While teaching is her main passion, Ruth has also greatly enjoyed performing chamber music and playing in DePauls' Chamber and Symphony Orchestras.