Policies for Cline School of Music
MUSIC WORSHIP STUDIES
The brass program at NGU has a long and successful history. Dr. Darian Washington was hired in 2009 to direct the program after Dr. Gayle Chesebro's retirement. Brass players at NGU have the opportunity to play chamber musicin both brass quintets and large brass ensemble. Representative literature from past brass performances includeworks by Giovanni Gabrieli, Paul Dukas, and Gustav Holst, among others, in addition to works by our own student composers. Students also participate in a weekly seminar that addresses topics relevant to all brass players, and gives them the opportunity to perform solo works for their peers and professors.
If you would like more information about the brass program at NGU, please contact Dr. Washington at 864-977-2197 or darian.washington@ngu.edu.
Learn more about about Music Worship Studies.
Organs are known as the "King of Instruments". Throughout the centuries they have been the dominant instruments of the church. In Europe many have been played for hundreds of years and yet maintained their unique sound. Throughout the world these incomparable instruments have played the masterpieces of Bach, Liszt, Franck, and Vierne. These composers, and others like them, have left us with indescribable moments of beauty.
North Greenville University has been extremely blessed with the addition of the Neb and Martha Cline Memorial organ. Given to the university in 2001, the organ is a 52 rank, 3-manual Reuter instrument located in Turner Chapel. It is used for chapel services, graduation, Founder's Day, guest organ concerts, and other special events. Students taking private lessons use it as the primary practice/performance instrument. Music majors and non-music majors are encouraged to take private lessons to discover the joy of this magnificent instrument and its unique repertory.
Dr. Jackie Griffin is head of the organ program. Dr. Griffin has the D.M.A in composition from the University of South Carolina; the M.M. in Organ Performance from Converse College, and the B.M. in Organ Performance from Furman University.
She has extensive performing experience, and has served long tenures with several churches in Greenville, South Carolina.
The purpose of the NGU Percussion Handbook is to guide percussionists through their music degree during their tenure at North Greenville University. In this document, you will find all of the rules and guidelines for the percussion program along with the responsibilities as a member of the NGU Percussion department. This handbook is intended to be a companion to the School of Music Handbook.
The Piano Department offers instruction to students of all levels, from elective beginners to senior piano performance majors. Current professors are Mr. Fabio Parrini (full-time), Dr. Lilia Stoytcheva (full-time), Ms. Kuo-Pei Cheng-Lin (adjunct accompanist), Stephen Griner (adjunct) and David Kiser (adjunct). As a NASM-accredited all-Steinway institution, the Cline School of Music is equipped to meet the needs of motivated piano students in their pursuit of Performance, Music Education, and Music Worship Studies degrees. Piano Department alumni are distinguishing themselves as graduate students, performers, ministers, and educators; current piano majors benefit from a challenging environment and frequent performance opportunities. Participation in off-campus performances and competitions is highly recommended.
The Piano Department also provides secondary piano instruction to other music majors and collaborative assistance to the other departments. Ensemble work is encouraged and closely supervised.
Students interested in auditioning should contact Mr. Fabio Parrini and refer to the following documents:
NGU Piano Syllabus
Audition Information and Requirements
School of Music Handbook
Welcome to the Cline School of Music String Department. The string department offers advanced and passionate string students the opportunity to learn from professional Christian performing artists on each of the stringed instruments. What sets NGU's String Department apart from other university string departments is the integration of faith with string performance. Students have the opportunity to study standard solo, small, and large ensemble classical repertoire, along with sacred settings appropriate for church services and sacred concerts. Weekly string seminar classes provide opportunities to perform for peers in a friendly and helpful environment, assisting students in preparation for lessons, recitals, and end of semester juries. Student recitals are scheduled periodically throughout the semester to allow all School of Music students to gather, perform, and listen to each other, gaining experience in solo and small ensemble recital performance. String duos, trios, quartets, or other chamber ensembles have the opportunity to perform on student recitals and on one of two chamber ensemble concerts every semester. The NGU Orchestra offers string students the opportunity to perform standard orchestral repertoire on one masterworks concert per semester and performs sacred settings during three Sunday evening services in regional churches every semester, providing string students an opportunity to integrate their faith and orchestral performance.
Students receive one lesson per week and are encouraged to practice diligently in order to glorify God through the talents He has provided. Prayer before rehearsals and performances, mentoring by Christian string faculty, and the Christ-centered atmosphere of the campus fosters each student's artistic, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
The Voice Faculty in the Cline School of Music at North Greenville University works as a collaborative team to impart their vocal expertise to each voice student. Each faculty member teaches applied voice lessons to students enrolled in the Voice Performance, Music Worship Studies or Music Education degree programs as well as those enrolled in applied voice as an elective or minor concentration. As part of our collaborative effort, we have a voice seminar class that meets at least twice a month and that functions as a master class with all of the voice teachers. Students have found our various perspectives and collaborative method extremely helpful.
A vocal coaching session is available with NGU voice faculty for anyone interested in pursuing a vocal music degree. Please contact the vocal department coordinator, Dr. Cheryl Greene at cgreene@ngu.edu.
Dr. Cheryl Greene is coordinator for the voice department, teaches applied voice and courses in the Voice Performance degree. Dr. Greene has a D.M.A. in Vocal Performance from the University of South Carolina; a M.M. in Vocal Performance from Bob Jones University, and a B.M. in Church Music from Bob Jones University. She is actively singing in the regional area and active in the music program at North Hills Community Church. Dr. Greene is certified in the Somatic Voicework, The LoVetri Method.
Dr. Seth Killen, tenor, joined the NGU faculty in the Fall of 2014. Previously he served on the faculties of Transylvania University and Eastern Illinois University. He holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts with a cognate in voice pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. He was the recipient of several awards recognizing singing and scholastic achievement, including: the Dorothy E. Bowen Award at the University of Illinois, the Emilie M. Dieterle Voice Scholarship at CCM, and two awards from the National Society of Arts and Letters.
Additional resources for the NGU Voice Department:
How to Prepare Solo Vocal Literature
Helpful Internet Resources
NGU students enjoy a wealth of information at their fingertips! Online access to Grove Music Online (which provides access to The Oxford Dictionary of Music, The Oxford Companion to Music, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and more), IPA Source, Musical America, and the Naxos Music Library are all provided through the Hester Memorial Library. Just click on Databases link on the Hester Memorial Library's home page.
Additional valuable resources for voice students are linked for your convenience here:
The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Page
Free web archive of texts to over 90000 Lieder and other classical vocal pieces in more than a hundred languages with over ten thousand translations.
Art Song Central
Free sheet music for singers and voice teachers
The Aria Database
A searchable database of arias, each includes vocal part and contextual information. Some have sound files and translations.
IPA Source
Word-for-word translations and IPA transcriptions of songs and arias in Latin, Italian, German, and French in PDF format. Free for use on the NGU campus.
IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library
A virtual library containing all public domain music, as well as music from composers who are willing to share their work with the world without charge.
The Directory of Contemporary Musical Theatre Writers
An exhaustive resource for contemporary musical theatre repertoire. Search the roster of hundreds of handpicked songs by voice and song type. Buy scores directly from the writers and keep abreast of what they're writing next. The directory builds community and engages singing actors in a dynamic, real-time way.
Klassika - Komponisten
Serves as a comprehensive reference work for composers and compositions of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras. Information on the life and work of the musicians is complemented by information on conductors, lyricists and librettists.
Classical Music from the largest Classical Music Label. Audio may be streamed from the collection on the NGU campus. Appropriate selections for satisfying the weekly listening requirement are included under the following headings:
Genres | Classical Music | Opera
Genres | Classical Music | Vocal
Explore the connections between poetry and music, between history and culture, through the work of American composers and poets. Song of America is a database resource where you can listen to songs, learn more about them, read their lyrics, find scores, and link to relevant Web sites.
Russian Art Song
Provides many helpful resources for Russian Song: IPA transcriptions and word for word translations, song lyrics read by a native speaker, multimedia online diction manuals, vintage common domain sound recordings, scores, and biographical information.
The Cline School of Music offers full-hour lessons for music majors and half-hour lessons for music minors in all woodwind instruments. Most woodwind students major in Music Education; degrees are also available in Music Worship Studies and Performance. Students have the opportunity to perform in orchestra, concert band, marching band, pep band, jazz band, chamber ensembles, and regularly scheduled student recitals. All students present a graduating recital.
Dr. Brent Coppenbarger teaches clarinet, saxophone, and oboe, and directs the saxophone and clarinet quartets. Brent Coppenbarger received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music. His Master of Music degree in Performance is from the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, and his Bachelor of Music Performance degree is from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Former teachers include members of the Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Florentine Orchestra of Italy, and Cleveland Orchestra. Dr. Coppenbarger is a published author/composer; his compositions and arrangements are published by Dorn Publications and Musica Rara. His articles have appeared in The Clarinet, NACWPI Journal, and The Instrumentalist. He has been Bass Clarinetist in the Carolina Pops Orchestra since 2006 and was Principal Clarinetist in the Beloit-Janesville Orchestra in 1988. His CDs, Fly In The Pie, The Electronic Music of Brent Coppenbarger, released in Feb. 2008 and Reeding Time, Works for clarinet, bassoon & story teller, a Children's CD released in Jan. 2008, can be found on cdbaby.
Joy Sears is an Adjunct Flute Instructor at the Cline School of Music at North Greenville University, board member of the South Carolina Flute Society, on the faculty of the Wildacres Flute Retreat and is a flute repair specialist. Joy is a former member of the Western Piedmont Symphony and faculty at the Sewanee Summer Music Center. She has performed with the Greenville and Charlotte Symphonies and the Spartanburg Philharmonic, and has recorded CD's as a member of the National Flute Choir. As a certified music educator, Joy has taught band, chorus, music appreciation and gifted music to all grade levels in public and private schools and at the university level. She earned a dual degree in music education and flute performance from the University of Akron where she studied with George Pope, and her Master's Degree in flute performance from Western Carolina University where she specialized in flute repair studies with Dr. Eldred Spell. Joy enjoys spending time with family, giving informative lectures on flute repair to flute studios across the Southeast, performing chamber music with friends and training and participating in local athletic events.
Ms. Sonja Coppenbarger teaches bassoon. She is Principal Bassoonist of the Hendersonville Symphony and Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium Orchestra, and was Principal Bassoonist of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra from 1996-2005. Her Bachelor of Music Performance degree is from the University of Victoria, and her Master of Music Performance degree is from New England Conservatory of Music. Her articles have appeared in The Instrumentalist, and she collaborated with her husband on their CD Reeding Time.