Fort Valley State University News July 13, 2011 FVSU professor presents at national humanities conference Fort Valley State University's assistant professor of music, Dr. Ya-Hui Cheng, is typically down-to-earth, jovial and always wears a smile. When it comes to music- whether its studying the fugues of Johan Sebastian Bach, the compositions of virtuoso pianist Ludwig van Beethoven, or the works of Romantic composer Johannes Brahms-Cheng is all business. Three years ago, after her doctorate in music theory was conferred at Florida State University, the scholar nabbed the top prize of the National Opera Association for her dissertation (now a published book) called, "Puccini's Women: Structuring the Role of the Feminine in Puccini's Operas." Today, Cheng is a taskmaster, serious about finding new ways to help FVSU students become as passionate as she is about music. Her focus in the classroom will soon change to include a more diverse cadre of composers. Often, the works of African-American musicians such as Rag Time pianist Scott Joplin, violinist William Grant Still and Florence Beatrice Price (the first black woman to gain national recognition as a composer) are overlooked. "Before I came to FVSU, I rarely had the opportunity to study African-American composers in my music theory courses in college," says Cheng. "When I studied music in college, the curriculum only focused on European contributions. Ever since I got here, and became a teacher, I felt it was important to incorporate African-American and world composers into my music theory curriculum." A national arts organization agreed with Cheng's methodology. Recently, the National Endowment for Humanities and the Society of Ethnomusicology selected the music professor to give an oral presentation about her innovative approach to music theory at its Ethnomusicology and Global Culture Summer Institute on Wesleyan University's Middletown, Conn. campus. Cheng was one of only 22 professors in the nation selected to participate at the inaugural two-week institute last month that featured workshops about world music, theory, the humanities and culture. "I interacted with scholars who inspired me to see the world in a different way," the scholar says. She listened to lectures about the impact of music genres worldwide. For instance, professors taught about the interrelationship between American gospel music and Haitian music, the contributions of Jewish Diaspora musicians and 20th Century American Blues influence in the Germany music industry. "I used to see musical genres vertically and not horizontally. Now I see that all music is related, from country to country, and all genres are equally important." To qualify for the program, two letters of recommendation, a five-question application and a proposal were required. The plan called for the incorporation of African-American and world artists into music theory courses to familiarize students with a broader range of works. Cheng describes music theory as the study of how music "works". Like painters who learn the techniques of master artists from different eras to improve their craft, musicians also emulate the styles of top composers. In theory classes, aspiring musicians study notations from classic pieces, then identify patterns and techniques that composers use in specific genres and historical periods. Students also analyze a composition's rhythm, structure, form, melody, and the statement that a musical piece makes. Eventually, the scholars must write music copying the same style of music they've studied. "I know that my students will still have to study traditional music theory (based on European musicians) to compete with people outside of FVSU," says Cheng, who'll incorporate the new curriculum into lesson plans this fall. "When they leave my course, I want them to have a broader world music theory context than traditional music theory presents." The Society of Ethnomusicology, founded in 1955, promotes the research, study and performance of world music throughout history. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Preserving the Story of the HBCU Library Alliance- Success Story Submissions due August 1st. Click here http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/hbcustory.html to access the guidelines.