Meet the Candidates: AMEA President-Elect the elementary through
Erin Colwitz received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1998. She later completed the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in choral music. Dr. Colwitz studied conducting with William Dehning, David Wilson, Magen Solomon, and Claire McCoy. At USC, she was awarded a full teaching assistantship as conductor of the Thornton Oriana Choir,
the
University’s only women’s chorus, a post she held for three years. At USC,
she also sang with William Dehning and the award-winning Thornton Chamber Choir touring France and Belgium in 2003 and East Asia in 2006.
In Minnesota, Dr. Colwitz was a full-time vocal and general music teacher at Centennial Middle School. There she conducted four choirs, the school’s honor choir and swing choir, in addition to teaching classroom music. As a professional singer, Dr. Colwitz was contracted to sing with the Dale Warland Singers in 1999. As part of this extraordinary ensemble, she performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Robert Shaw, Edo de Waart, and Hugh Wolff. The DWS were nominated for a Grammy for their recording of Dominick Argento pieces, Walden Pond (2003); Dr. Colwitz’s doctoral treatise is a critical analysis of Argento’s, A Toccata of Galuppi’s, a twelve-tone work found on that recording.
Dr. Colwitz is currently the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She conducts the Chamber Choir and Concert Choir, teaches music history, beginning and advanced conducting, choral education methods classes, and supervises student teachers. She is an active member of ACDA, MENC, the Alabama Vocal Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM), the College Music Society (CMS), Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) and the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society.
Dr. Colwitz is frequently a guest conductor, lecturer, contest adjudicator and choral clinician throughout Alabama and the southeast. She is also the founder and supervisor of the UAH student chapter of ACDA. Dr. Colwitz also serves as the AL-ACDA Repertoire & Standards Chair for Community Choirs. Her choirs have sung at state conventions (AMEA). Dr. Colwitz is also the national board chair for NCCO, representing Alabama. A frequent guest lecturer at state conferences, Dr. Colwitz recently presented an interest session at the Southern Division ACDA conference in Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Colwitz will guest conduct a collegiate choral festival in Bangkok and Chiangmai, Thailand with her husband, Dr. William Dehning, in February of 2014 under the auspices of the US Embassy. Dr. Colwitz will travel to Chiangmai to work with impoverished high school choral programs while also in Thailand.
Dr. Colwitz lives in Jones Valley (SE Huntsville) with her husband, Dr. William Dehning, an accomplished conductor, Emeritus Professor, and published author, and their very silly golden retriever, Sam.
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Susan L. Smith, B.M.Ed, M.A.Ed., has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at
collegiate level in Florida,Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States. She is currently Director of Bands at the Saint James School in Montgomery AL. Mrs. Smith is
responsible for teaching the
Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Bands as well as Guitar, Jazz Band, and Music Technology. The Saint James Band consistently receives Superior ratings in Concert, Jazz and Marching band events including the Alabama Music Performance Assessment, Smokey Mountain Music Festival and Bands of America Super Regionals and Grand National Championships. She served as the Alabama Bandmasters Association District VI Vice Chairman for 1 year and Chairman for 2 years.
Following the completion her degree in Music Education from James Madison University where she was drum major for the Marching Royal Dukes for 3 years, she taught in the Virginia Public Schools. Her responsibilities included the direction of elementary and secondary instrumental music programs as well as teaching choir, guitar and music theory. Her ensembles, including concert band, orchestra, marching band and jazz ensembles, consistently received superior ratings from the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association festivals during her tenure.
After completing her Masters Degree in Education from Troy State University, she taught Applied Horn, Teaching Music for the Classroom Teacher and Introduction to Music as an Adjunct Professor of Music. While at TSU, she served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands. Smith was integral to the founding of the Middle School SEUS Honor Bands. In addition, she coordinated the visual program for the “Sound of the South” Marching Band.
She was a Coordinating Author for Warner Bros. Publications’ Expressions Music Curriculum, a vision for a vertical, conceptual approach to teaching music. She consulted on the Elementary Music Curriculum Music Expressions and served as an author for Band Expressions, a secondary component of the curriculum. Smith has presented clinics at many state conventions including AMEA, TMEA, FMEA, IMEA, VMEA, GMEA and National and Regional NAfME conferences. She is on the Middle School Clinician team for the Music for All Summer Symposium, presenting clinics each summer to directors and preservice college students and serves as an educational consultant for Music for All. She is responsible for the Chamber Music portion of the Music for All National Concert Band Festival.
Her professional affiliations include National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Beta Kappa and the National Band Association. She is also an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma. Smith is in demand as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator throughout the country. She has conducted honor bands in several states including Midfest at UGA as well as District Honor Bands in Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky. She currently resides in Montgomery, AL. with her husband Robert and they have 2 daughters, Savannah and Madison. Savannah is currently pursuing a degree in Instrumental Music Education and Madison is planning to major in Vocal Music Education.
February/March 2014
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