School of Music, Theatre & Dance welcomes new faculty

August 2006

Richard Aaron

Professor of Music (Cello), Department of Strings

For the past 15 years, Richard Aaron has established himself as one of the most distinguished pedagogues of cello in the nation. He has accomplished an unprecedented record of producing a student each year who has been placed in a significant orchestral position.  He most recently taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Amy Chavasse

Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Dance

Amy Chavasse has a B.F.A. in Dance from the NC School of the Arts and an M.F.A. from the University of Washington.  She was recently on the faculty of Middlebury College, has taught at many schools and universities including Arizona State University and the North Carolina School for the Arts. She has toured with independent choreographers and companies throughout the United States and Europe. She is a highly skilled dancer, performer, and teacher.

Rodney Dorsey

Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Conducting

Rodney Dorsey has a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University, a Master of Music (Conducting), and a Doctor of Music (Conducting) from Northwestern University.  His experience includes eight years of public school teaching as well as eight years of collegiate teaching.  For the past five years, he has been the Associate Director of Bands at DePaul University. His reputation as a pedagogue, musician, and colleague is impeccable.

Alan Gosman

Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Music Theory

Alan Gosman earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Theory from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. from Harvard. His teaching record is exemplary in both graduate and undergraduate courses. He received the Derek Bok Award for Distinguished Teaching at Harvard.  While at Harvard, he conducted the Harvard Graduate School Orchestra, where one performance included the Scriabin Piano Concerto with Arthur Greene as soloist.   He most recently taught at Michigan State University.

Jeffrey Lyman

Associate Professor of Music (Bassoon), Department of Winds and Percussion

Jeffrey Lyman has held positions with orchestras across the United States, and has authored articles on bassoon history and development, as well as several on new music composed for bassoon. He has commissioned and premiered numerous works for his instrument, and has performed as soloist at the Moscow Autumn Festival, the Festival dei Due Mondi, the International Double Reed Society and more.

Marie McCarthy

Professor of Music and Chair, Department of Music Education

Marie McCarthy received a B.A. from the University College in Dublin, Ireland, and a Higher Diploma in Education in 1984. From the University of Michigan she received a M.M. and a Ph.D. in Music Education, with minors in Ethnomusicology and Higher Education.  After moving to the United States, she was employed as an Instructor at Eastern Michigan University.  She later joined the faculty at the University of Maryland where she progressed to the rank of professor and chair of the Music Education Division.  She is an internationally recognized scholar, well known worldwide for her work in the sociology of music education. 

Julie Skadsem

Associate Professor of Music, Department of Music Education/Choral Conducting

Julie Skadsem received her B.A. degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, a M.M. in Music Education/Choral Music from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Minnesota.  She joins us from the University of Alabama, where she was an associate professor of Choral Music Education and Conductor of the University Chorus and of the Capstone Girls’ Choir.  She has also conducted a variety of community-based choirs.  She is a specialist in choral music for elementary and secondary schools.