Kim Councill

assistant professor of music

Assistant Professor of Music Kimberly H. Councill can play almost any instrument and is at home performing before audiences. But her favorite stage, by far, is the classroom.

“Teaching is very much like performing,” Councill says. “I feel a performance high every time I teach a class.”

Councill, who joined the faculty in 2004 as an assistant professor of music and coordinator of music education, is relatively new to Susquehanna. But the former award-winning public-school music teacher, who holds a Ph.D. in music education from the Ohio State University, quickly reshaped the university’s music education program to ensure that even first-year students gain experience working in elementary classrooms. “Most music education programs don’t get students into schools until their sophomore year,” says Councill. “We’re a year ahead of most universities and two years ahead of some.”

Guided, real-world experience is invaluable for aspiring educators, says Councill, who carefully monitors each student teacher in her program. “Some days I’m observing in five schools,” she says.

As Councill observes fledgling teachers, she writes extensive notes and makes videotapes, so students can see themselves in action and benefit from thorough, thoughtful critiques. “They come to my house, we have tea and watch the videos,” Councill says. “Music education majors are like my other children.”

Indeed, teaching is a round-the-clock vocation for Councill, who also serves as a volunteer music teacher for kindergarten students in Selinsgrove public schools and is always looking for new teaching opportunities for her Susquehanna students.

“I want my students to see boundless enthusiasm at 8 a.m.,” she says. “I want them to see me on the floor with a guitar and kindergarteners crawling on me. To see me interacting with colleagues and keeping an organized office — that’s important.”

Councill manages to balance exemplary teaching with strong research, says Linda McMillin, provost and dean of faculty. “In her short tenure here, Kim has not only created an exemplary program but also has modeled strong teaching and mentoring for her students, both inside and outside the classroom. She’s combined hands-on teaching opportunities with strong theoretical work to give her students a uniquely integrated learning experience.”

Councill notes that teaching at Susquehanna has changed her life — by giving her the opportunity to influence others’ futures. “My students are going to inspire more kids, and they’re going to inspire more kids, and so on,” she says. “Music and teaching — that’s always been who I am.”

Kimberly Councill, assistant professor of music, is the recipient of the 2007 Susquehanna University Teaching Award. The award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding teaching.

—Beth Fantaskey Kaszuba

Patrick Long

associate professor of music

Associate Professor of Music Patrick Long’s parents supported — but didn’t share — his childhood passion for music. The result was “less robust” training than most professional musicians receive early in life. However, Long views this potential liability as an asset.

“My lack of strong training at a young age is perhaps part of the reason I’m able to think outside the box,” says Long, a percussionist who has composed nearly 80 works, including traditional pieces and works incorporating computer-generated music.

Long, who earned his doctor of musical arts from the Eastman School of Music, joined Susquehanna’s faculty eight years ago and prizes the university’s “free, open atmosphere,” which provides him the opportunity to teach and explore a variety of classes and research avenues.

“Susquehanna allows me to — and wants me to — do a variety of things,” Long says. “At a different university, I would probably be very tightly focused.” Teaching, he adds, is “just fun,” while composing, which constitutes his research, is “a wrenching activity. You’re trying to make something out of nothing. It’s a series of compromises, and sometimes you need to throw away weeks of work.”

As an established composer, Long almost always works on commissioned pieces, which helps curb an otherwise relentless pursuit of perfection. “I would continue to revise forever,” he admits. “I like deadlines.”

His compositions appear on five commercially available compact discs and have been performed at venues ranging from the Imagine New Music Festival in Memphis, Tenn., to the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, D.C.

Long is especially excited about the upcoming Carnegie Hall performance of a new work he has composed for Susquehanna’s sesquicentennial celebration. “There will be nearly 300 performers, and it’s a half-hour long,” he says. “It’s probably the most exciting thing I’ll ever do.”

Linda McMillin, provost and dean of the faculty, says Long consistently brings excitement and enthusiasm to the classroom, too. “Pat’s a talented and engaging teacher, known to go so far as to dress up as Mozart to bring the composer to life for his students.” She adds that Long also engages students in his role as the drummer for the faculty rock band Faculty Lounge.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really wanted a break from music,” Long says. “That’s one of the reasons I like being at SU. It gives me the freedom to figure out what directions I want to take.”

Patrick Long, associate professor of music, is the recipient of the 2007 John C. Horn Distinguished Service Lectureship. The award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding scholarship and conscientious service to the university.

—Beth Fantaskey Kaszuba