Donald Smith (D.M.A., Arizona State University)
I have been on the faculty at Glendale Community College since 1992 and was a faculty associate at Arizona State University from 1993-2000. At GCC I teach trumpet, brass ensembles, and various music technology and music appreciation courses. I hold the position of principal trumpet with the Symphony of the West Valley and am an active soloist and chamber musician.
I have been involved with the MI/LfU program at GCC for the past two years, alternating each semester between American Jazz and Popular Music and Rock Music and Culture. Offering these as Multiple Intelligences/Learning for Understanding courses has been a rewarding experience. My students are more engaged in the curriculum and appreciate an alternative to the standard way of testing and grading.
In my area of music appreciation the most important concepts to grasp
are the style traits of important musicians, the influence of those musicians,
and the social circumstances that surround those individuals. Some
students are able to make connections between these concepts more effectively
if they are given different options in which to learn. I have had
outstanding collages, poems, and sketches that demonstrated their understanding
of the material in unusual, but effective, ways.
Don will co-facilitate the session, "Here to Stay: The Mind and Musical Style," with René Díaz-Lefebvre, Psychology.