Department of Music
“Where the traditional accents the modern”
Major: Music (with performance concentrations in Voice, Piano, and Instrumental Music; or a concentration in Worship Leadership)
Minor: Music
Teacher Certification: Music (Instrumental or Vocal/Choral, grades P–12)
Major requirements and course descriptions are outlined in the Huntingdon College Catalog.
The Department of Music
A complete, NASM-accredited music curriculum within a liberal arts educational experience offers Huntingdon music majors the best of all worlds. The major includes 43 hours in music, providing a foundation in music theory; auditory skills (sight reading and ear training); music history; a performance concentration in voice, keyboard or instrumental music; and ensemble participation in band or choir. In addition, students may become certified to teach at the P–12 levels in either vocal/choral or instrumental music through completion of specialized course work and student teaching experiences.
The Department of Music is located in Sybil Smith Hall, a building dedicated solely to classrooms, practice studios, a performance auditorium, and resources for music students. Offering individual and classroom instruction in theory, voice, ear and sight training, and instruments and a wide range of performing ensembles,
Hit the High Notes
Huntingdon offers a score of music ensembles that enable Music majors and non-majors to perfect their skills and to gain performance experience in solo and group settings and in competition, including:
Students who are interested in performing as part of a praise worship team may audition each semester with the Office of Campus Ministries to be involved in the EMERGE band, the Chapel Praise Band, and other praise music opportunities on campus. Those who thrive on competition may compete at the regional and state level in solo or ensemble settings.
Why Huntingdon?
- Accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
- Concentrations in voice, piano, or instrumental music
- Abundant performance opportunities
- Weekly studio lessons—one-on-one instruction from experienced musician-professors
- Piano proficiency training in state-of-the-art Yamaha keyboard lab
- Emphasis on student success from basic Music Fundamentals course work through all levels of Theory and Sight Singing
- Numerous practice studios in Smith Hall
- Excellent placement rates into graduate music programs
- Students in pedagogy classes can qualify for teaching positions in the Huntingdon Academy of Music
- Consistent winners in state and regional competitions
- Numerous successful graduates who are professional musicians in the areas of performance, education, music therapy, and fine arts administration
- Flexibility to combine the Music major with a second major
- Judy Marley Montgomery Choir Grants or Scarlet and Grey Grants
- Strong liberal arts core curriculum emphasizes communication and critical thinking skills
- Departmental Honors
Facilities
Well-equipped music studios and practice facilities in Sybil Smith Hall and one of the largest music archives in the Southeast combine to serve Music majors well. Performance spaces include Delchamps Recital Hall in Smith Hall and Ligon Chapel in Flowers Hall, as well as on Top Stage on the Green, on the field, or in Catherine Dixon Roland Arena. The Department of Music also oversees the Huntingdon Academy of Music, a program for developing musicians of all ages, in which qualified Huntingdon students may teach.
Faculty
Members of the music faculty at Huntingdon are active professional musicians participating in community musical venues such as the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Montgomery Chorale, Montgomery Madrigal Voices, and Cloverdale Wind Ensemble. The music faculty also serve as guest performers, conductors, adjudicators, and clinicians throughout Alabama and the Southeast.
- Gene Davis
Department Chair
Assistant Professor of Music, Voice
Director of Choirs
- Jennifer Canfield, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Music, Voice
- Jim Conely, Eh.D.
Instructor of Music, Organ and Piano
- Dwight Fontenot
Instructor of Music, Percussion
- Dennis Herrick, Ph.D.
Professor of Music, Brass
- Curtis Hollinger
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Woodwinds
- Brenda Luchsinger, D.M.A.
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Applied Horn
- Kevin Manderville, D.M.
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Guitar
- Pedro Luis Mayor
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Jazz Piano
- Adam Murphy
Assistant Director of Bands
- Tiffany Nishibun
Adjunct Instructor of Music, Voice
- Harald Rohlig, D.F.A.
Professor Emeritus of Music, Organ
- Vadim Serebryany, D.M.
Assistant Professor of Music, Piano
- Eddy Williams
Director of Bands
Alumni
Huntingdon Music and Music Education alumni have been admitted to graduate programs at the Manhattan School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, the University of Alabama, the University of North Carolina, the University of Oklahoma, and numerous other programs. Graduates have entered career fields from teaching and performance to music therapy and law.