Following a fall semester that saw faculty departures across several departments, news of new hires in the music department may be music to students’ ears as four new additions to the program have been brought on board following two faculty members leaving the college in December.
Over winter break, the Music Department welcomed five new hires, allowing the department to ensure all course sections necessary to be covered would be covered, and that the student experience would “not at all” be affected, according to Interim Music Department Chair Dr. Heather Gilligan.
“Change can be difficult, especially when there are unknowns,” Gilligan said. “Towards the end of last semester, the only part of the change that they [students] knew was the loss of faculty members, and they didn’t know who would be filling in. But now that we have some really great hires, we’re really excited about the people that we have found that fill these roles.”
The Equinox previously reported in November that then-Music Department Chair Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova was taking an opportunity abroad, becoming Chair of Performing Arts at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and leaving the college as a faculty member. At the same time, Voice Faculty Dr. Dan Carberg took a separation incentive package, coinciding with an already-planned move to New Zealand.
With the loss of the two faculty members, the additions to the department were centered around the areas of piano and voice, specifically.
Taking Carberg’s place in voice is Dr. Brittney Redler, a New York University doctoral graduate, with a research focus in vocal pedagogy, teaching efficacy and voice science, according to a Facebook post from the KSC Music Department.
“She’ll be in two days a week, working all day those days with our voice students,” Gilligan said.
Gilligan added that Redler went through trial lessons with students as part of an evaluation process when the department was deciding on candidates for the position.
“She was reviewed pretty enthusiastically by the students who took part in that process,” Gilligan said. “I think they can vouch for it as well, having been part of the process.”
Redler, who lives in Dublin, N.H. – around 15 minutes from KSC’s campus – said she applied for the role because she missed teaching college, having previously taught in higher education.
“I’m really happy to join the community,” Redler said. “Everyone that I’ve met has been beyond wonderful, and so the further I got into the interview process, the more I knew that I really wanted this.”
Redler also said her approach to teaching is “function-based,” meaning that she focuses on how the voice works both biomechanically and acoustically.
“It’s completely student-oriented that way because everybody senses their voice differently in their own experience, in their own vernacular,” Redler said.
Growing up, Redler said she was brought up in the world of music through her father, who was a professional jazz musician.
“[Music] was always the language of the house, so to speak,” Redler recounted.
Redler’s PhD work focused on vocal habilitation, which she described as a way to ensure vocalists do not have to go through rehabilitation by teaching ways to care for one’s voice.
Above all, Redler wants her students to know that she is ready to work with them this semester.
“I know that it’s perhaps an uncommon time to be joining mid-year, but I’m just really excited to hit the ground running and hear what they’ve done so far this year and just take them where they want to go,” Redler said.
Another hire coming from the Keene community is KSC ‘20 alumna Sarah Ames, a board-certified music therapist and licensed mental health counselor, who will be teaching the department’s MU355: Adaptive Music course.
Ames graduated from KSC with an individualized major in music therapy, pulling courses from both the music and psychology programs, and later got a master’s in the field from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.
“I was very honored and grateful for Dr. [Sandra] Howard to reach out to me to take on teaching the adaptive music class for our music [education] students and I’m really looking forward to bringing my experience and my expertise into the classroom,” Ames said.
Gilligan described the adaptive music course as one that requires “specialized need,” but noted Ames had the experience necessary to fulfill the teaching role.
Ames highlighted her original passion for working with those with disabilities, which she said stemmed from her familial experience, having grown up with a sister with autism and family members who were involved in the Special Olympics.
“I wanted to somehow find a way to continue with my music, my love of music, as well as working with people with disabilities,” Ames said. “Then in high school, my choral teacher had asked if I had heard of the field of music therapy, and I had not, but I knew at that moment that that’s what I wanted to do.”
Ames also spoke to her approach to teaching, which she said focused on experience-based learning.
“I am very much, in terms of teaching, very experiential-based, hands-on learning and wanting to bring my expertise, but also let the students lead where the class is going,” Ames said. “So what are their curiosities in terms of accessible music education? Where do they want to go, and how can we expand on their skills?”
Ames said coming back to the college has felt like a full-circle moment for her.
“Being able to come back has been such an honor and a privilege and I think this is the first step towards building a career in higher education and continuing to teach and spread the message about the work that I do,” Ames said.
Other additions to the department include Dr. Jinhyang Park, a new adjunct faculty member and coordinator of the All-Steinway School and Dr. Keane Southard as a collaborative pianist in support of student performers, according to the department’s Facebook.
Gilligan said Park previously filled in for Wright-Ivanova’s studio when she was on parental leave, and is now going to be covering piano lessons and service duties associated with KSC’s All-Steinway status.
Southard comes to the college with a breadth of experience, having earned his doctorate in Music Composition from the Eastman School of Music in 2022. He previously held roles as a teaching assistant, an adjunct professor and as music director at two separate Keene-area churches.
“In all three cases [Ames, Redler and Southard], there is some kind of connection, you know, that’s already established, which makes the transition a lot easier,” Gilligan said. “They’re new to campus, but they’re not new to the community, and that’s also really nice.”
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
