When I got your question, it was music to my ears. Humans have been experimenting with all kinds of sounds, lyrics, and instruments for thousands of years.

There are hundreds of genres of music, so while you might like one kind, a friend might like something completely different. Or maybe you became friends because of your similar taste in music.

My friend Horace Alexander Young is a musician and professor at Washington State University. When I went to visit him, he had been practicing his saxophone and offered to help out with an answer to your question.

Part of the answer is that everybody has an image of themselves in their head and has different ways they express themselves, he explained. Music can be a part of our identity—the set of qualities and beliefs that make us who we are.

At the same time, music can also help us feel like part of a group or a culture, especially one that shares an interest in a certain kind of music. Maybe you are part of a friend or family group that likes pop or hip hop or metal or classical.

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Dr. Universe

Washington State University tuba professor Chris Dickey traveled to Tianjin, China, in August to perform and teach at the 2019 JinBao International Low Brass Festival, an event that attracted some 450 performers from throughout China.

Dickey, clinical associate professor of music, participated in an international faculty panel featuring artists from the United States, Denmark, China, Switzerland, and Austria. He worked with Chinese students ranging from advanced high school players to university-level and conservatory-trained students. Throughout the week, Dickey coached students who qualified for the final round of the festival’s prestigious solo competition. The pool of 150 tuba players was whittled down to just six finalists vying for top cash prizes.

“I heard students with incredible skills while in China,” Dickey said. “The students were eager to learn. Our time together was so rewarding because of their commitment to their craft and willingness to embrace new ideas.”

Evenings during the festival focused on solo and chamber music recitals from the guest faculty. For Dickey’s solo recital, he decided to feature music from his third solo album.

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WSU Insider

Dean Luethi, associate professor and director of the School of Music, traveled to India in early August to provide education to music teachers.

“They’re eager for western pedagogies,” Luethi said. “They hear western music, they want to perform western music, and they want help to be able to teach it.”

The National Association for Music Education started the Western Music Educators Association (WMEA) in India in 2017. Luethi, who is a member of NAFME’s Council for Choral Education, made his second trip to Delhi this summer to provide educational materials and training to WMEA choral conductors.

During both trips, Luethi was a judge for the All‑Country Festival of Choirs competition and the choir director for the festival’s One‑Voice Choir. He also presented at the WMEA Conference at the International Center in New Delhi.

“These educators are motivated to learn and pass what they’ve learned to their students,” Luethi said. “They’re looking to perform western repertoires and want their choirs to sound like western choirs. I’m lucky I’m in a position to help them do just that.”

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WSU Insider

Washington State University’s Crimson Flute Trio will compete for a $3,000 grand prize in the final round of the Music Teachers National Association’s Young Artist Chamber Music Competition in Spokane March 16–20.

The Crimson Flute Trio consists of Sofiya Chayka, Elaine Martir and Marissa Watanabe and is coached by Sophia Tegart, clinical assistant professor of flute.

The trio qualified for the wind instrument category of the MTNA national student competition by winning the northwest divisional round. The trio will perform works by Tchesnokov, Mozart and Hovhaness.

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WSU Insider