|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
||
Oberlin Portrait: Joanne Erwin
Associate Professor, Director of Music Education
Story by Michael Chipman
|
RELATED Joanne Erwin and the River's Voice
|
|
|
the Conservatory |
 |
|
faculty, staff & students |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Joanne Erwin, director of music education, relaxes in the all-natural wood porch she built on to the back of her house
Joanne Erwin, director of music education, says she teaches because "I love people - people of any age, any position in life, any ability. I love being around people, imparting what I know and helping any way I can. It is fascinating when someone comes to me, wherever they are, for nurturing and assistance in getting where they want to be."
Erwin's love of teaching, combined with a love of nature, creativity and an unstoppable work ethic, have uniquely positioned her to make a difference in the world of music education. Right now her department is putting the final polish on an "Intro to Music Education" book that Prentice Hall Publishers plans to publish in June and have in classrooms this fall. Erwin says the publisher came to her office one day, "out of the blue and invited us to do this book." Each faculty member in music education wrote three chapters, then coordinated the content as a group for balance and consistency.
 Joanne Erwin conducts Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra |
After receiving $40,000 in grant support from various government agencies, Erwin met with Anna Rubin, assistant professor of composition and Lynn Powell, an award-winning poet, to begin plans for writing the piece. They consulted Brad Masi, project coordinator for environmental studies, who provided vital research on the Black River Watershed. Powell made several sketches for the narrative to unify the work and to direct Rubin's composition. Powell then met with students to compose a poem, called "Water's Song," that is used as a choral text in the performance.
Erwin often turns to the environment to inspire her music education projects. "I have a very strong need in my soul to be with and in nature," she says. "It feeds my soul. I am committed to saving the environment -- I support the Sierra Club and the Nature Conservancy. I love to take a walk in the woods or a ride in a canoe. I built an addition to my house -- a porch with windows all around -- and I'm there all the time when not working. The wood is all natural; it is as close as I can sometimes get to being in the woods without freezing. I feel closer to God in nature than in church, even though I do go to church."
Erwin met her husband, Bruce, when he was performing in a professional symphony orchestra. Erwin took him to a Suzuki violin class and says, "He was amazed. He took Suzuki training and when I was offered this job he decided to quit playing professionally and begin to teach privately here. This job allowed him to be home more with our daughter. We both gave up a lot of performing to be with our daughter."
Erwin describes her eleven-year-old daughter, Emily, as someone who "loves people and loves talking on the phone," and, not coincidentally, she loves music. "Emily sings and has just started the oboe, but her favorite concert here is always the opera. She is just mesmerized by it."
An accomplished cellist, Erwin gave up a professional performance career to be an educator. "It came down to this," she says. "I asked myself: do you want to spend your life in a practice room or with people? I had to choose people. But I still play a lot. And, I get to play an instrument made of wood!"
What is your first memory of
music?
My first memory of music is of family holiday
sing-alongs. We would gather with another family and sing
and play holiday songs. It was fun and I often got to bang
on a drum.
How old were you when you started
musical training?
I started piano lessons at age seven and cello at age
12.
What inspired you to be a musician?
What keeps you inspired on discouraging days?
My father's love of music through his saxophone and
combos inspired me. My mother and father also sang in the
church choir regularly and enjoyed it a lot. On discouraging
days I listen to recordings to get re-inspired.
What is the most memorable
performance you have ever seen and why?
My most memorable performance was seeing Yo-Yo Ma when I was
14. He was amazing as a player and charming as a
person.
If you could perform with one
musician living or dead, who would it be and what would you
perform?
Yo-Yo Ma because of his versatility.
If you could master another
instrument, what would it be?
Guitar. I would love to be able to accompany informal
sing-alongs on a guitar.
If you couldn't be a musician what
profession would you choose? Which profession would you
definitely not choose?
I would always teach. If it wasn't music it would be
another. I would definitely not be a factory worker with a
noisy, mindless job.
What do you listen to after a long
day?
I mostly prefer NPR with the mixture of musical
offerings and news. I don't want to have to decide what to
listen to at that point.
What do you like to read?
I love to read everything. I read professional journals,
news magazines and newspapers regularly. I read professional
books and novels as much as possible, which fluctuates with
the school calendar.
Three words that describe you:
Enthusiastic, optimistic, persistent.
