Central Oregon Community College’s music program is giving students from varied backgrounds a place to learn instruments, earn transfer degrees and perform in long-standing community ensembles, bendbulletin.com reported.
The college’s introductory piano class this fall included younger students and retirees, some returning to the instrument after childhood lessons and others arriving from different musical paths. Instructor Nancy Milliron, a retired elementary music teacher, said she loves seeing the lightbulb go on for college students and the joy of high school performers in musicals.
The department centers on an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, with curriculum covering theory, history, music technology, scoring for media and the history of rock and roll. Recent graduate Spencer Holliday, a three-time Sunriver Music Festival Young Artists Scholarship recipient, said mentorship and scholarships at COCC helped him realize a music career was possible. He transferred to the University of Oregon this fall to major in piano performance and music education.
Faculty include composer James Knox and Christopher Thomas, who has composed for television series and earned Hollywood Music in Media Awards honors. New music director Jonathan Moore now leads the Central Oregon Symphony, Cascade Winds Symphonic Band and OperaBend, all COCC-based ensembles. The symphony’s fall concerts are scheduled Oct. 24-25 at Mountain View High School’s auditorium, with free tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, visit bendbulletin.com.