Faculty Profile: Jonathan Harvey, Music

What is your educational background?

• I got my bachelor’s in Music and Philosophy from a small Quaker-affiliated liberal arts school, called Earlham College. I then went straight into a master’s program in Choral Conducting at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Then, after working for several years in Massachusetts, directing college choirs, community choirs, children’s choirs, and working in public radio, I went back to school to get my doctorate in Conducting at the University of Connecticut.

How long have you been teaching at Fitchburg State University?

• I’ve been teaching at Fitchburg State since Fall 2016 - it seems like yesterday, and also so long ago!

What attracted you to teach at Fitchburg State?

• The students at Fitchburg State are so determined, and so hard-working, that they inspire me to work just as hard, to help them get where they want to go. I also really like working with my colleagues here in the Humanities department - it’s a great group of brilliant educators and scholars! I am also really excited by the potential for Fitchburg State to be a cultural center for the region - there’s so much great art and music happening here, and we’re headed in some really exciting directions.

Tell us about your program.

• There are two choirs here at Fitchburg State. One is the Concert Choir, which is our large choir that ANYONE can join, regardless of experience. It’s designed to be a fun and challenging group for anyone interested in improving their singing and musical skills, and it meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:45pm. The other is the Chamber Choir, which is our smaller choir that you need to audition to join. Singers in Chamber Choir have usually done music in high school, but not always, and it is a more fast-paced learning environment. Chamber Choir meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-3:15pm. Both choirs offer Gen Ed credit, can be taken for 1 or 0 credits, and are open to all students, staff, faculty, and community members!

What advice do you give to prospective students?

• I urge new Fitchburg State students to do two things. First, pursue opportunities to get to know your faculty better - go to office hours, ask questions, and be an active student learner! Second, join a music ensemble! Not only is it a great creative outlet, but it’s also a fantastic way to make new friends and build your community, and studies show that student musicians succeed at much higher rates than non-musicians, no matter what their major is.