Nazareth University School of Music earns big honors for music education and Chamber Singers

Nazareth University’s School of Music earned several honors this spring for both its dedication to music education and performance excellence of its Chamber Singers.

The University’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education, or NAfME, received national recognition as a 2023 NAfME Collegiate Chapter of Excellence recipient in the professional development category recognizing outstanding student-led contributions to music education.

“This is a significant achievement for the state of New York, Nazareth University, and our School of Music,” said music education professor Keith Koster, Ph.D., who has served as advisor of the Nazareth NAfME chapter for 23 years. “What has especially resonated with our students is the charge to become Changemakers, agents of change, who will empower young people through music and will also lead the next generation of music educators.”

Koster handed over the NAfME advising duties to Assistant Professor of Music Rich Tilley this past year, and Tilley received the award on behalf of Nazareth at the 2023 NAfME National Leadership Assembly in Reston, Virginia, in late June.

Several students in Nazareth’s NAfME chapter also serve in New York state NAfME leadership positions: Austin Stroup, president-elect; Adrianna Massaro, secretary-treasurer; Emily Overacker, Province 2 representative.

Chamber Singers to perform at NYSSMA Conference

The Nazareth University Chamber Singers will perform at the New York State School Music Association Winter Conference in December in downtown Rochester, N.Y. The state music educators’ association annual convention brings together musicians and music educators from all across New York. “The Chamber Singers’ acceptance was based on a blind, juried selection that included recordings from this past year,“ said Eric Rubinstein, Nazareth’s director of choral activities, and we are so honored that the students have been recognized.”

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2023 June
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