CONNECT WITH US!
SPRING 2021
Connect With Us! is a quarterly newsletter that features UTEP Connect's online programs and the faculty, staff and students associated with them.
FEATURED PROGRAM: MASTER OF MUSIC WITH A CONCENTRATION IN CONDUCTING
More and more music professionals are earning their master’s degree as a way to advance in their careers and enhance their music knowledge. School music teachers go through intensive training as undergraduates, but there is much more to learn. These teachers frequently lead ensembles as part of their work and benefit from additional education and training to further develop these skills and to focus more intensely on specialized topics.
UTEP’s Master of Music degree in Conducting provides this in-depth training that allows students to focus on wind, choral or orchestral conducting. It is also ideal for busy, working professionals because of its format. This degree is designed to fit perfectly around school schedules as one of only two programs in the country that may be completed with two summer on-campus components and the remaining curricular requirements online. The unique format combines the best of online and face-to-face learning and allows music teachers to pursue a Master of Music degree while continuing to work full-time.
UTEP EDGE AND MUSIC
Our student success initiative, the UTEP Edge, develops upon students’ assets through a variety of high-impact experiences. These experiences are designed to improve student skills and give UTEP students a competitive advantage as they move forward in their lives and careers. Our goal as a campus is to provide these UTEP Edge experiences to all students, regardless of their area of study, so they will graduate with a competitive advantage over their peers.
These are the Edge experiences Master of Music students will have and the Edge skills they will graduate with.
Edge experiences
- Creative Activities
- Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é Experiences
- Learning Communities
- Research and Scholarly Activities
Edge skills
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Confidence
- Global Awareness
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: NADIAH ELESKANDRANY
Nadiah Eleskandrany grew up in El Paso and moved to Houston after high school to pursue a degree in vocal performance at the Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Houston. A year after graduating in 2017, she returned to El Paso with her alternative teaching certification.
Nadiah is now the choir director at Austin High School. She also teaches privately, sings professionally and leads worship at the First Baptist Church.
"It has been a pleasure being enrolled in this program. The professors are unbelievably kind, understanding and helpful. Though I have been involved with music my entire life, this degree furthered my knowledge, abilities and confidence in a way that I had not experienced before."
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: DR. ELISA FRASER WILSON
Associate Professor, Master of Music With a Concentration in Conducting
Elisa Wilson has taught at UTEP for 23 years. Originally from Illinois, she moved here in 1998 with her husband, Steve Wilson, who was hired as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone (he now chairs the Department of Music). She started at UTEP as an adjunct faculty member teaching voice, aural skills and jazz choir, and has held various positions during her time here.
During the course of her education and career, Dr. Wilson has had the opportunity to sing a wide variety of styles, including jazz, musical theater, choral and opera. She has also taught every kind of choir: children’s, jazz, show choir and traditional choirs of every size. She is now an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of Choral Activities.
"UTEP has given me the opportunity to continue pursuing an eclectic creative and teaching agenda, and I love teaching here!"
FROM THE BLOG
A growing number of music educators are earning their master’s degrees to advance in their careers and expand their music knowledge. For many, this means forgoing two years’ work experience and salary, as graduate music programs are typically offered entirely face-to-face, on a college or university’s campus. This is where UTEP's degree has an edge. .
POPULAR BLOG POSTS TO HELP YOU LEARN AND WORK FROM HOME
Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é education is here to stay. Research shows that online learning has throughout the pandemic, primarily due to virtual learning being normalized. The same research also indicates online education will remain prevalent even with a vaccine for COVID-19. This means a wider variety of options to fit the academic needs of both traditional and nontraditional students. .
The pandemic has affected online students in significant ways and has amplified the unique challenges they face even in “normal” times. If you are among the many online students feeling the added pressures of this taxing time, keep on reading. We prepared a few practical tips for how online students can practice self-care and establish balance during the pandemic and beyond. .
PLEASE CONTINUE TO STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
UTEP Connect
Kelly Hall, Suite 115
500 Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é
El Paso, TX 79968
utepconnect@utep.edu | 1-800-684-UTEP